I've Been AWOB!

Yes, I've been AWOB (Absent Without Blogging), but have been terribly busy scrapping the last of the SBT50 August CC Challenges, as well as working on my DT comittments for SBT50 and Scrapability. I've also made card fronts for a card swap, a gift for a friend's baby shower and a present & card for my dad for Fathers Day. On top of all the scrapping, I've had a visit from mum, a birthday, some VERY hot weather, a sick DD, a hair cut and all the other usual "life stuff" going on...it never ends!

Anyway, without further ado, here's some of my recent work...

"I" - LO created for "It's all About You" Challenge. LO had to contain a pic of me, and had to feature at least 5 words that I would use to describe myself. I decided not to hold back and was brutally honest about who I am. Here's a close-up of my journalling...

"Bad Girlz" - LO created for "Lost in Space" Challenge. This challenge required a dark background, light foreground and at least 1/3 of the LO dedicated to 'white space'.

Card created with scraps from "Lost in Space" Challenge.

"Imagine Life" - LO created for "Bingo with a Twist" Challenge. My criteria for this challenge was to use some kind of die cut, a tag for journalling, use something made of chipboard and use some kind of punch.

The baby shower gift & card I made.

"Puttin on the Glitz" - LO created for Scrapability Sketches, using August Sketch # 2 and also incorporating additional challenge criteria. To see what the rest of the DT has been up to, visit Scrapability Sketches.

I think that's enough for now! I'll post some more of my work soon!

Scrapability Sketches is moving!

Scrapability Sketches is moving house! Rebekkah is currently in the process of moving SS over to http://scrapability.ning.com/ So make sure you drop by, join up as a Scrapability Sister and introduce yourself to everyone. (There will be another RAK giveaway for someone who joins Scrapability in its new home.) Scrapability now also has its own chat & forum capabilities and lots of other exciting features! So check it out!!!
(And don't forget that there are only 5 days left to get your August entries in to be in the running for some great prizes!)

Some CC LO's and Cards!

Even though the SBT50 Zany Zodiac CC has officially come to an end, there are still a full 2 weeks of scrapping ahead to get entries in! I haven't done too badly so far, have managed to complete a few challenges (but still have a few to go!) I have a really long list to finish off this month actually, as I now have my extra DT responsibilities to get through. (Mojo, please don't leave me now!)

Anyway, the next of the challenges I completed was the "Star-Crossed Challenge". For this one, we had to embellish our LO using stars and also include the quote "If I had a star for every time you made me smile, I would be holding the night sky in my hand". I really enjoyed the look that using a mask achieved on one of my recent LO's so decided to try it again for this. I hand-cut my own star mask from scrap paper and then just sponged paint over it with a Chux cloth. I love the effect it gives!

"U r my angel" - finally I got to scrap this pic of Brielle that I adore!

And for the second part of the challenge, here is the card I made with the scraps...

The next challenge I did was the "Scrap Your Sign Challenge". For this one, we had to do a LO using a criteria designed according to our star sign (I'm a Virgo). The criteria was based on what element our sign is (earth - had to use ink), our birthstone (sapphire - had to use blue) and a personal characteristic of the sign (perfectionist - had to use the word perfect). I decided to do a LO dedicated to Shannon for a change...and let's face it, it was a great excuse for me to use this hot pic I took of him at Fraser Island!

"My Perfect 10" - just look at the pic, I think that says it all! (Love ya babe!)

And here's the card I did...

This last LO is one I completed just last night for Charmane Koch's free online class at SBT50. (If you like the LO and you would like to have a go at it yourself, the instructions are still up and you can find them here.) Charmane is sooo talented and I am so glad I did her class (picked up a couple of handy tips!) The kit was gorgeous and I still have quite a few bits and pieces left over for another LO and probably a card too! (There may be a couple of kits left, you can check here.)Have a look at this stunner...

"Love Is All You Need" - created using Charmane Koch's online class instructions & kit from SBT50. Pic of us, with Brielle almost 2 months old.

An Amazing RAK!

Well I must have done something right in the universe lately, because it's been raining good surprises on me this week! I have just received the most amazing RAK from the darling Kathie at Scraphappy Kat! I could not believe my eyes when I opened up the package, I thought it was Christmas! So to the dear Kathie, I say THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Mwah! Check this out...

I'm Excited!!!

Well it's official now so I can tell the world, I have been selected as a Design Team Member for Scrapbooking Top 50's DT! It was announced on the site yesterday and I'm so excited! I must admit though, this month has been pretty good training for the position, having helped work on preparing this month's CC and Monthly Challenges anyway. I so look forward to my term there over the next 3 months and all the challenges it brings! I will be working alongside Vicki, who is another of the forum moderators there (and the other half of the brains behind this month's CC) and also Susan, one of our very talented members. We should make an awesome team!

Now speaking of the very talented Susan, I received my second pleasant surprise yesterday, when I visited her blog and found this...

I am so pleased to accept this from her, I have been amazed by much of the work I have seen on her blog. (I like to call her the "Challenge Queen" as she has an uncanny ability to combine multiple challenges into one and turn out beautiful pieces.) Make sure you stop by her blog and see for yourself: http://zuzart.blogspot.com/ Now in accepting this award, I am also obliged to pass it on. Here's how it works...

To pick up the Circle of Friends Blog Award cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog. Nominate 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends. Link to your nominees within your blog post. Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show your appreciation. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.

The 5 gorgeous girls I am passing this one onto are:

Vicki: http://scrappinvickstar.blogspot.com/

Kathie: http://scraphappykat.blogspot.com/

Sharon: http://rhapsodyincraft.blogspot.com/

Tracy: http://scrapbookingmy2angels.blogspot.com/

Anthea: http://tramenglish.blogspot.com/

Zany Zodiac CC!

I never got back to here to post about the Cyber Crop! At the moment, Scrapbooking Top 50 is holding a "Zany Zodiac" CC. It kicked off on Friday and runs through until this Friday. (And no, it's not too late to join in, as challenge entries don't have to be posted up until the 28th!) There is 7+ challenges over the 7 days, giveaways every day and over $250 in prizes up for grabs...IT'S HUGE! So far, 4 of the main challenges have been posted and I have completed two. The first challenge I completed was set during the live party held to launch the crop on Friday night. As I was involved in setting some of the challenges for this crop, I had prepared my example for this challenge in advance.
Here is my Fathers Day card (for Shannon from Brielle), isn't it cute???


The next challenge I did was the "Shining Bright" challenge. For this one, we had to choose one of two sketches to use and then use all that "glitters, sparkles and shines" to embellish the LO. I chose one of the sketches and flipped it on its side and then used all manner of sparkly things to embellish it. I also used DCWV "Glitter Stack" pp to 'pimp' it up.

"My Girl" - pics of Brielle and I taken when she was almost 6 months old.

There is a second part to each of the LO challenges for this crop. Everyone is being given the opportunity to earn bonus points by creating a card from the scraps of each LO. (Something I really SHOULD do anyway!) Here's my card from this challenge...

SBT50 Challenge LOs!

The new August challenges have been posted up on Scrapbooking Top 50 and they are great! There are only 4 challenges up this month, due to all the challenges that are also available with the CC (but more about that later). The first challenge I completed was the "1,2,3,4,5 Challenge", where we had a list of items that we had to use on a LO. The items were 1 silver item, 2 paints or inks, 3 ribbons, 4 brads and 5 buttons. Here it is...

"Imagine" - pic of Brielle taken on Mothers Day, I used Kaiser "Be Mine" pps, which are one of my faves at the moment.

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The second challenge I completed was the "Scraplift Challenge". We were given a LO that was scrapped by Charmane Koch and asked to scrap our version of it. I loved the original LO (which you can see if you click on the challenge link), so was happy to have a go at it. I didn't want to just replicate it though, as I still wanted to make it "mine". I took what I perceived to be the main elements - die cut paper with distressed edging, use of staples, journalling in strips and a happy photo and this is what I came up with...

"The Simple Things" - pic is of Brielle enjoying her first ever 'Freddo Frog'. I used Kaiser "Playtime" pps for this LO.

Last but not least, it is my final LO from the July challenges, which I had forgotten to post here. The "Advice Challenge" was where our LO had to focus around advice we were giving to someone else, or even ourselves. The advice had to be in a bulleted list format and it had to be funny. My LO is called "Guide to Wine Appreciation: The Experts Vs Sue". (At last, I found a use for this pic of me!) I pitted my knowledge of wine tasting against the experts...see what you think!

Scrapability August Sketches!

The brand new August sketches have been posted up on the Scrapability Sketches blog. There are 2 sketches for everyone to have a go at, as well as the extra August challenge. That means there will be 2 prizes up for grabs this month - one for the sketch and an extra one for the challenge. Every entry also goes into the running of becoming Scrapability's 'Golden Girl' (guest CT member for a month). There is also a RAK up for grabs for one of the 'Scrapability Sisters' (followers), so make sure you become a follower! There is so much happening - pop on over to the blog to check it all out and have a look at what some of the CT have been up to. But for now, here's my take on the August # 1 sketch...

"Boardwalk" - pics of Brielle practising her new walking skills along the Coolum boardwalk.

We Have a Winner!

Well my little barrel girl Brielle was up bright and early this morning to draw a winner of my RAK supporting Scrapability Sketches. And the winner is...

Congrats Vicki! (Clearly your name looked the tastiest this morning...lol) I've already got your details, so I will get your RAK out to you in the mail soon! Thanks to everyone for playing along, and remember you are all still in the draw for Scrapability's official RAK too! The first August sketch should be up on the site soon and there are some great prizes up for grabs this month! (Plus the chance to be the Golden Girl for October.) I look forward to seeing some LOs!

Last chance & I'm a Winner!

OK, today is your last chance to leave a comment on my RAK giveway post below supporting Scrapability Sketches, as I will be announcing a winner tomorrow!

In other news, I have found out that I won the scraplift challenge for the Christmas in July CC at SBT50. For winning this challenge, I will be receiving a prize pack courtesy of Scraphappy Kat...thanks Kathie! (I also found out today that I won a RAK of some ribbons from there so am twice as excited now!)

Here are the last 2 challenges that I completed but hadn't posted here for the SBT50 July CC...

"The Night Before Christmas" - LO created for "This n That" Challenge. For this challenge we each had our own criteria. Mine was use a mask, doodling, ink or paint the edges and use a quote from a movie or song (I used a little creative license and used a line from the poem "The Night Before Christmas".)

This is the card box that I created for the OTP Challenge. We had to create a card box using Christmas colours. Mine weren't traditional colours, but I did use Kaiser's "Wish Upon" Christmas range to do it. (At least I have somewhere to keep all my cards now!)

I've also been up to some secret scrapping for Scrapability Sketches...I'll share that soon!

Scrapability News and a RAK Giveaway!

Lots of news for Scrapability Sketches!
Firstly, there are still quite a few days for everyone to get their entries in for the 2nd July sketch. Up for grabs is not only a prize, but also the chance to be the 'Golden Girl' for September. The Golden Girl is a guest CT member for the month and along with the other challenges, gets their VERY OWN sketch from Bec to complete!

And coming in August...the first August sketch is being sponsored by Arty Pants, who will be putting a fabulous kit up for grabs for the winner. Sneak peeks will be coming soon! A brand new challenge is also coming! In addition to the 2 monthly sketches, there will also be an extra scrapping challenge for everyone to have a go at. Up for grabs for this challenge, will be a gorgeous Vintage Christmas kit from the girls at What's Old Is New. Details will be posted soon.

And last but not least, a RAK Giveaway from me!!! Here's the catch...you need to get over and visit Scrapability Sketches. Become a follower of the site and then come back here and leave me a comment on this post to let me know that you have joined. Easy!!! I'll announce a winner next week...

Lots to Share!

OK, you'll have to bear with me today...I have lots to share due to scrapping up a storm this week. All my mad scrapping has been for the Christmas in July CC at SBT50. Deadline is creeping up and I really want to get all the challenges done for this one (9 in total!) I have managed to complete 5 LOs in the last 5 days, which has got to be a record for me!

"Adorable" - LO created for the Photo Scavenger Hunt Challenge. We had to use a Christmas photo we were asked to upload before the CC began. Other than that, we had free rein with the criteria.

"2 Little Pigs" - LO created for Scraplift Challenge. We had to scraplift a LO provided and do our own take on it. I chose to replicate the basic structure of the LO, as well as using some of the techniques and elements used. Most of all, I wanted to use a bright colour scheme like the original.

"Seeing Santa" - created for the LO With an Edge Challenge. We had to use decorative edge papers for this one.

"The Ears" - LO created for the Funny Face Challenge. We had to include a photo of someone with a funny face. The pic is of me celebrating my 31st birthday. The journalling is about how I wore the ears out all night just because I was dared to.

"Green Meets Blue" - LO created for the Christmas Celebration Challenge. For this challenge, we each had our own criteria. The criteria I received was to use cardstock only - NO printed paper (what!?!), punched or handmade flowers, handmade or rub-on flourishes, subject was to be nature and had to include word 'green' in the title. I struggled with this criteria for quite some time and found it difficult to get motivated to do it. In the end, I decided to complete the LO as simply as I could whilst still incorporating each of the elements.

At the Park!

Just thought I'd share a couple of pics from last Friday. (I know I've been terrible this week!) Last Friday, Brielle & I met up with our mum's group for lunch and a play at the park. We haven't gotten together in over a month because of our various colds, flus and other commitments. The last time we were together, the kids were all just starting to take a few steps and now they are all well and truly walking. (We all spent the entire time chasing our kids all over the park.) Here's a couple of pics...

Secret Scrapping Revealed!

Well I just can't contain myself any longer, I have to get the secret scrapping out from under wraps. For the last couple of days I have been working on making card fronts for a card swap on Scrapbooking Top50. As it has been "Christmas in July" there with the CC happening at the moment, we decided to do Christmas cards. I did 2 separate designs and am pretty happy with how they came out. I recently saw an article in a mag which featured some cards made in a "naive" style and really liked them, so decided to try my hand at it. This style really suits me, as I like the clean look of them and the white space (much like my LO's).

Christmas card fronts created for card swap on SBT50

The second lot of secret scrapping has been for the "Secret Santa" gift swap on SBT50. We each had to create a gift for our recipient for under $10. I did a frame with a beautiful quote inside. The quote can be removed and replaced with a photo if wished (and then even used on a LO, as I printed it on transparency). I also used pps from the Kaiser "Be Mine" range, some bling and a rub-on. Pretty happy with the end result (and even happier when Shannon told me that he thought it "looked like a bought one")...

New Scrapability sketch up!

Well the second July sketch has just been posted up on the Scrapability Sketches blog! (It looks great and is a good chance to use a couple of 6x4 photos up!) Those who complete a LO based on this sketch and submit it by the end of the month not only go into the running for a prize, but also for the chance to be named Scrapability's "Golden Girl" for September. The Golden Girl is our guest CT member for a month, and along with completing the regular sketches, gets their VERY OWN sketch from resident designer Bec to complete. There are also few new and exciting things coming up...check it all out at Scrapability Sketches

The Christmas Spirit!

Everyone is definitely in the Christmas spirit over at Scrapbooking Top 50 at the moment, with the "Christmas In July" Cyber Crop well and truly underway. I did manage some scrapping last night, but can't share any of it just yet. One was for a Secret Santa I am taking part in and the other is for a Christmas card swap I am also taking part in. So if you are looking for some fun scrapping challenges with fab prizes, you'll just have to get on over for a look at SBT50's Christmas In July CC. As part of the celebrations, there's also a blog hop happening, and for all you hoppers, make sure you check out the pages of memories belonging to one of our other resident forum moderators!

More to Share!

Well illness has hit our house AGAIN this week, only now it's my turn! Despite the fact that my nose has been running like a tap, I have managed a couple of creative bursts the over the last few days.

One of the features of our SBT50 Christmas in July CC launch party on Friday was a Mystery Challenge set by another one of the Forum Mods, Vick. Her challenge was for members to create a Christmas card using red & white scraps, ribbon and stamping. The card had to be completed and uploaded in about 4 hours. (It wasn't a mystery to me though, as I created an example card.)

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"Joy" card, created as an example for Vickstar's Mystery Challenge for SBT50 CC party.

The first of the actual CC challenges was a Blind Card Challenge. We were provided a list of materials and the instructions to complete the card, with the rest being up to us! I did not have the materials exactly as listed so was forced to improvise. Here's the result...

"Merry Christmas" card created for SBT50 CC, Blind Card Challenge.

The next challenge I managed to complete was the the third one for the CC - "Just One Word". The only criteria for this challenge was that we had to include the word "giving" in the title of our LO, and that we needed to use at least one technique. I began by running through ideas for titles and one I thought of was "Giving Perspective". I immediately knew I had a photo that would suit this perfectly that was waiting to be scrapped, and so my idea began. As the subject of the photo is Brielle's tiny, delicate hand, I wanted to use delicate papers and embellishments to suit it. I chose layering as my technique.

"Giving Perspective" - LO created for SBT50 CC "Just One Word" challenge. Pic is of Brielle's hand at 7 weeks old wrapped around the tip of Shannon's finger...really does put it in perspective doesn't it???

Another LO & CC Begins!

I finished another LO for the SBT50 July challenges last night. This one is a bit different for me, as it's using a colour combo I wouldn't normally use, and also using pp for the background. The challenge was a "Recipe Challenge" and we had to create our LO using the exact ingredients set. The criteria was to use 2 photos; 3 patterned papers; 2 pieces of cardstock; 6 flowers; 3 shaped chipboard; inking and a one word title from a list of words supplied (I chose 'altogether').

"Altogether" - LO created for SBT50 July "Recipe Challenge". Pics are of Shannon & I taken on a camping trip to Fraser Island...awww!

Now I've completed 2 LO's for the July challenges, it's time for me to move on to some of the challenges for the "Christmas in July" CC happening RIGHT NOW at SBT50. The crop kicked off in fine style last night with a "party" that included live chat, bingo, games & quizzes. I posted a Christmas Trivia Quiz and enlisted Brielle's help to draw a winner this morning...

First July Challenge LO!

I have just completed my first July Challenge LO for SBT50 - the "Sound of Music" challenge. We could create a card, LO or OTP item, but it had to contain sheet music somewhere. The title also had to contain the word 'music'. I downloaded some sheet music from the internet and then printed it onto some pink paper. The music can be downloaded here (Thanks to Tracy from my2angels for the tip.)

"Music to my Heart" - LO created for SBT50 "Sound of Music" challenge.

With only 1 day to go until the SBT50 Christmas in July CC starts and a heap of other challenges to get through, I better get my scrapping skates on!

My Bathing Beauty!

Just had to share these pics I took of my bathing beauty, Brielle, in the bath tonight. Shannon has made a game out of squirting the water out of her bath toys and she catches it in her mouth...LOL

The Countdown Is On!

Well the countdown is on to the Scrapbook Top 50 "Christmas In July" Cyber Crop! Only 4 more sleeps until the official start, although the hints and giveaways have already started! There are going to be heaps of challenges, games and prizes on offer, it's shaping up to be HUGE! The CC is going to be kicked off with a party on Friday night at 7.30pm - live chat, bingo, games and a mystery challenge are all planned. To check out what's happening for yourself, have a look here...

Challenge Winner!

Here's a little something I scored from SBT50...

I found out I won one of the CC challenges - the one for my double LO! (Not what I considered my best one, but I wasn't judging it.) So I will be receiving a prize pack in the mail soon - how exciting, new goodies! It turns out that I will also be receiving some adhesives as a prize for the quote challenge I did, so it's a double-whammy of goodies!

On top of that, I received a very lovely RAK in the mail from the gorgeous Tracy from my2angels. (Thanks Tracy...MWAH!) She sent me some STUNNING embellishments that she MADE! (How talented is this lady???) Check these out...

First Scrapability LO!

My first official LO as a Creative Team member of Scrapability Sketches is now up on the blog! (I must admit I was a bit nervous when I submitted this LO, as I have never really "put myself out there" like this before.) I was really impressed with the LO's by the other CT members and am in awe to be included in such a talented team. You can check out the 1st July sketch, and see what the other members of the CT came up with here.

Here's my take on Bec's sketch:

"These Two I Love" - first CT LO for Scrapability Sketches. Pic is of Shannon & Brielle down on the beach at the end of our street.

Last of June's LO's!

Here are the last of my June LO's. The first one was for the Quote Challenge at Scrapbook Top 50. We were given the quote "Someplace to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing". Other than that, we were given free rein to do what we liked. I already had a picture of our family that I was wanting to scrap, and it just came together from that. I love how it's come out, (although the colours look different IRL).

"Family" - created for SBT50 June Quote challenge. Pic is of Shannon, Brielle & I down the beach on Mothers Day.

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The next LO was for the 1,2,3 Challenge Blog. It was for an additional challenge that was set this month - the BIG challenge. The criteria that had to be included was bling, a big date and a quote. I chose to use Robert DeNiro's famous movie quote from the movie Taxi Driver - "Are You Talkin' To Me?" We also had to choose at least 2 other criteria to include. I managed to use staples, alpha stickers, die cut paper and a pink, red & black colour scheme. This LO is a bit more reflective of the current more 'random' style I am enjoying.

"Are You Talkin' To Me?" - LO created for the 1,2,3 Blog big challenge. Pic was taken by one of the mums from our mum's group.

Pics of my girl!

Just thought I'd share a few new pics of my girl that have been taken over the last week...

"Ooooooh!"

Just pick up the phone and call me...(phone obsessed!)

Freddo time! A special treat for afternoon tea the other day.