QVC

If you were watching Becks Fagg on QVC  on Monday you might have spotted some of the los from round 1 of the Scrapbook apprentice competition. One of the los I did was shown when Becks was talking about Doodlebug flock. It's called Cookie Love and you can have a peek here if you fancy!!

sneaks and stories

Oisin usually gets a bedtime story from me or Declan but last night he read to me! He read The Enormous Turnip from start to finish :) You only realise how complicated the English language is to learn when you have to keep explaining to your five year old that lots of words don't actually sound the way they are spelled (or is that spelt??), or are not spelled the way they sound ... Oisin calls them 'tricky' words.

Voting is still going on for round one of scrapbook apprentice, but the next round will start at the end of the month. (And we have actually already received our packages for round three). So I have a few sneaky peeks for challenge 2. Hope you like them:)

 

SI

Forgot to mention in my post yesterday that I have a lo in the reader gallery of Scrapbook Inspirations this month. It was one I did with one of my first StudioCalico kits.

scrappy stuff

Well Oisin is still a little sniffly (he's had a cold for the last week), but cruel mother that I am, I sent him back to school today! He told me he had his best day ever when I picked him up:) 

I had a great day on Saturday at Lainey and Annamaries crop in Donnycarney. I didn't get many lo's done but I did get to chat to lots of lovely ladies. I have to say a special hello to Fiona... (got your name right this time :) The lo below is the only one I managed to complete on the day.

I was lucky enough to win a lovely Christmas table arrangement in a draw on Saturday too ... thanks Lainey and Annamarie :)

When I got home on Saturday I found a package from my cara crafts secret santa!! I got some lovely things including some Basic Grey goodies (my favourite!) I was able to figure out who it was pretty quickly though (I had spotted a card just like the one I got on her blog!) ... so a big thank you to Dianne :) 

I'll post a few sneak peaks of my los and cards for the next round of SA in just a few days. 

Always in three's...

Why is it that when things break, it always happens in three's. Since my last post, the fridge broke (we were able to get it fixed, but it did cost €135 to fix it!), I had a punctured tyre that had to be replaced (it burst on the M50 on a busy Friday evening and cost €120 for the new one) and a special chair that I need to use in the shower broke and will cost €280 to replace (and if that's not a sign I need to go back to weight watchers, I don't know what is!) So as well as breaking things, I have been busy finishing the next challenge for the Scrapbook Apprentice. I just need to get it posted now but I don't think I'll get to the post office today ... Oisin has been sick for the last few days and has been off school. But I'll definitely have to get there tomorrow to make sure it's there on time. I also want to post my Kris Kindle for the Cara Crafts Forum ... hope the person I have likes what I'm sending!?!?

Thought I'd share a LO I started before we went on holidays. I'm not quite sure if it needs anything else??

And this is what I have on my craft table at the moment. It's some gorgeous Christmas paper from Pink Paislee which I plan to use to make a few Christmas cards. I'm finding the Christmas cards hard to get my head around this year as I have a backlog of StudioCalico kits calling me very loudly :)

And this year I got a few new decorations for our tree ... here are my favourites ; a very cute Santa and a lovely big red star.

And so it begins....

Well D-Day has finally arrived... yes voting for the Scrapbook Apprentice has begun! Having seen everyones work, I'm feeling very nervous. If you would like to vote then head over to the Creativity Life blog here. Of course you don't have to vote for me, but I do hope you like what I did :)

catch up

I've been trying to catch up on my Christmas craft projects over the last week before my box of goodies arrived for the next scrapbook apprentice challenge.  I got two calendars done using the new BG calendar kits, which I'm going to give as prezzies. They are absolutely gorgeous ... though I can't take any of the credit for the lovliness ... the very talented Kelly Goree designed them! I picked up my kits while I was on holidays but I think CardznScrapz also have them. I also started making my Christmas cards and planned to get a few done today but my SA box has just arrived (YAY!) ... so I know there's not going to be much Christmas card making done today!! 

I'll leave you with a few pages from the calendars and then I'm off to check out my new box of goodies :) 

sneaks ands snaps

I can hardly believe that we are home more than a week. This week has flown by, but mostly because I have been busy working on the first scrapbook apprentice challenge. The theme for the first challenge was chocolate (as in colours) and layers and we were asked to complete 2 LOs and 2 cards. The box of goodies we were sent to use was very generous ... lots of cardstock, papers, rub-ons, letter stickers, stamps and more although I was a bit apprehensive about scrapping with so much brown! But as always, it's surprising what you can come up with when you try something new :) As promised I have a few sneaky peeks... 

The holiday was great. Plenty of sun, but not too hot. No queues. Lots to see and do. Scrapbook shops!!!! We had lots of fun in the theme parks: Oisin got to meet Spiderman, Wolverine, Cyclops and a few other superheroes. I was very proud of myself for finally getting up the nerve to go on the Hulk rollercoaster in Islands of Adventure (I had wussed out every other time I was there:)

And then of course there were the scrapbook shops. Let's just say it took about three minutes for my receipt to print out in the very gorgeous Scrappy Boutique! What a treasure trove of scrappy goodness. There were heart palpitations, let me tell you, being surrounded by endless shelves of Basic Grey, Thickers, Making Memories and more:)  And then of course I picked up a few bits in Michaels. Anyway, better go for now, but hope you're having a great weekend. 

And by the way, hi to Julie who I met in Inspiring Ideas today:)

Scrapbook Apprentice

Well it's cold, it's windy and it's wet... but I am happy. We arrived back this morning from a wonderful holiday in Florida. I didn't manage to get any sleep on the flight back so my brain is a bit fuzzy but I thought I'd just do a quick post. I can finally spill the beans... I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the 12 Creativity Life Scrapbook Apprentice candidates!!! Yay! You can see all 12 on the CL blog. I am so excited about this competition I think I'm going to combust! I've been dreaming  in LO's since we got the details of the first challenge. All the other girls look fab so it's going to be a great competition. Voting will take place after every challenge (which I think will be monthly) and will be by the public  (on the CL blog) as well as by a judging panel. Voting starts on the 30th of November. I'll try to put up a few sneaky peaks when I get started (though I'm still waiting on my supplies to arrive... but hopefully they'll get here soon). 

I'll try to post tomorrow about the many scrappy temptations (and my lack of resistance) in Florida when my brain de-fuzzes, but for now I'll leave you with one of the LO's I submitted for SA.  Have a great day :)

Countdown

The holiday countdown has begun! We are heading away this weekend so I'll be off the air for the next little while. 

The lovely and super talented Elisa came over during the week for a StudioCalico crop. It was great fun and I even got to see some of her gorgeous work IRL!! I did this LO about Oisin who has really amazed me with how well he's doing with his reading and writing in school. These papers were perfect for it. In fact, I think they probably gave me the idea for the page. Have a great day:)

Shades of Autumn

After the other day, I had a look through my sent mail to see if I had submitted anything to Creating Keepsakes and found that I had back in June (I knew I was planning to but didn't remember if I had actually done it!). I wonder if they choose the SR names from their online gallery or from people who submitted LO's (and were rejected!! :) ??  

I finally got my StudioCalico kit on Wednesday and all I can say is YUM!  I sat looking through everything for ages! Isn't it fantastic that a grown woman can get so giddy simply being in close proximity to scrappy goodness. Well everything was soooo pretty! 

The colours are gorgeous autumnal shades which are a particular favourite of mine and I really liked the Tim Holtz Sprocket Gears and Game spinners. There were lots of Sassafras pages, which I don't normally go for, but after this, I'm a fan!

This LO is about my wonderful little man who is just full of attitude at the moment. The journaling reads :" 'That's so annoying' is just one of the wonderful little phrases that Oisin has picked up in school. Other favourites include: 'You're not my friend', 'I'm telling on you', and 'I don't like you anymore' "

CK (just a mention!)

I got my November issue of Creating Keepsakes in the post this morning and had a quick flick through before I headed out. At the end of the reader gallery they have a list of names they call 'more standout readers' and I noticed Davinie Fiero's name (she's a fab designer on the StudioCalico site) but as I read further down the list I noticed another name I knew... mine!! It's been quite a while since I uploaded anything to the CK online gallery (the last time was August when I uploaded the 'Cheeky' LO) so I thought that maybe it wasn't me! So I mailed CK to check... and it was me!! I know it's not quite the same as having a LO published but it's not too bad!

If you click on the image below you can see my name (if you look really hard!!) on the bottom left:)

Less is more??

I have to say that I absolutely loved the last kit from StudioCalico. I got more LO's done with this one than with any of the others and it was the first time I got no add-ons. And I still have lots of bits left for a few more pages. Maybe I get more done when I have fewer bits 'n pieces in front of me! (Though hopefully thats not the reason as I got 3 add-ons with this months kit which is due any day!) Or maybe I was just having a good creative spell! I even got a couple of LO's done this week with some of my older kits. Anyway, I'm off to watch X-Factor so I'll leave you with another LO from last months kit. Have a great weekend :)

On a serious note...

... just kidding! After the last 'serious' LO, I thought I better do something a bit more cheery. So the next day I did a page about my lipgloss addiction! I don't normally scrap photo's like this but thought it might make for a fun page. Also did a page today about my one and only stint as a flower girl. Realized when I was done that I had written 'sixteen years'  instead of 'seventeen years' in the journaling. I hate when that happens. Also made a bit of a mistake in the lipgloss LO, writing bad instead of bag! Any one have any hints on how to erase pen? 

journaling...

I love to write journaling on my scrapbook pages but I have never really done a LO with 'serious' journaling. The challenge on the StudioCalico blog this week was to do a LO with some journaling from the heart. While it didn't have to be serious, I took the opportunity to write some thoughts about my MS.   Disclaimer: I try to be a happy, optimistic person who knows she's blessed in so many ways, but it felt quite good to write down some of the things I wouldn't usually tell people and told myself that it's ok to be a little sad sometimes about the things I can't do!  

just not happening!

Well it hasn't been a very scrappy week. I have only managed to complete one LO since my last post. That's only one in a whole week! And it's not like I didn't try... I sat in front of the same photo and papers, moving stuff around for the last few days. But it just wasn't happening! I often sit down to start a new LO and think... where will I start... what will I do... have I had all my good ideas... will I ever do another LO I like? And then other times (though very rarely) I look at a photo or some stash and think... I know exactly what I'd like to do with this. 

On another note, last weekend was the reveal for the next StudioCalico kit and OH MY GOODNESS, it's gorgeous. I managed to get no add-ons last month as I'm trying to put some money by for my upcoming hols (ok, for stash shopping on my upcoming hols :) but this month I got all three add-ons. There was no point even trying to resist. All I can say is...  Yum!

The journaling reads : " Oisin really 'got into' the art in the Botanic Gardens! September 2008"

Not really a full post ... but I thought I'd add in a close up photo of yesterday's LO so you can get a better look at the very cool ribbon and yellow topped pin I used from the SC kit. 

Feels like a long time.....

.... since I blogged. I had a great weekend - the weather was unusually gorgeous. On Saturday morning I went over to the Art n Hobby shop in Santry to see Mandy doing her DoCrafts demo. She was really good and I picked up a few new tips (and a few new items for my ever growing stash). I only intended staying for a few minutes but ended up staying for an hour or two. Thanks Mandy :)

The weather was so nice when I got home that I grabbed a few of my Scrapbook mags and went outside to sit in the sun and read. 

Today was the first day I got to do some actual scrapping since the weekend and I did another LO with my SC kit. The photo from my last LO - 'He Knows', was taken at the same time as this one when Oisin decided to give us an impromptu concert with his guitar one sunny summer evening in August.  I used a lot of the same papers here - I think the two LO's might look good side by side in my album :)

Shock, horror!!

I was very excited to get my StudioCalico kit yesterday, but when I took the kit box out of my postbox, I had to take a deep breath. To my horror, the box was badly squashed in one corner. Amazingly, nothing was damaged! I guess there wasn't as much as usual in it this time as this was the first month I managed to resist buying any add-ons.  

The kit this month is gorgeous. I just love the colours and I got a chance to do a LO with it this morning. I was a bit disappointed with how my LO's from last months kit turned out  but I feel inspired again with this one:) 

Monday again!

Can't believe how quickly the weekend went by. And it was so nice to get a bit of sun on Saturday :)  The sneak peaks went up yesterday on StudioCalico for Octobers kit and I have to say, they look gorgeous. Thats not good! All of the add-ons are calling my name and I'm trying not to listen. We're going to Florida in a few weeks and I'm trying to keep my money for that... coz I know I'm going to be like a kid in a candy store when I get into those scrapbook shops. 

I'll leave you with a few LO's from this months SC kit. Have a great day.

anniversaries...

I just realised a few days ago that it's been two years since I started scrapbooking. I did my first scrapbook page in September 2006! And I also realised that it was twelve years ago this month that Declan and I went on our first date! How time flies! 

Got a bit stressed out earlier today when Oisin got home from school. Is it normal for a five year old to cry for half an hour because there are no clean track suit bottoms for him to wear? I told him if he cried really really loudly, one might appear. He gave this theory a good try, but surprisingly, still no tracksuit! 

I've been struggling a bit with this months StudioCalico kit. The main kit had a lot of PP I wouldn't normally go for, but I have found when this happened with previous kits that I usually manage to surprise myself and come up with a few LOs I really liked. I have done four LOs with the kit so far and have only done one that I like - which was the shell collectors one below. That one actually looks much better IRL than it does here - the brown paper with the circles is a gorgeous shimmery paper but it is from an add-on. Anyway, I'll try to get a few more LO's done before the next kit arrives.

This LO is one of the ones I wasn't that happy with. I like how the green rik-rak looks with the pins and the staples, but the rest?????? 

Scrap Saturday

I got to go to Lainey's class on Saturday and it was great to meet up with fellow scrap obsessed ladies! It was so nice to meet Elisa, Linda, Rachel, Ann, Liz, Isobel, Jaime .... and all the other ladies whose names I can't remember! And happy birthday Annamarie!! 

I didn't get to finish my LO in the class as there were some things I wanted to add in when I got home but I'm still trying to decide what way to finish it. I left it a bit too late to start another LO of my own at the crop and thought I would head home to a quiet house (as Oisin had gone to a party) and do a LO there. But of course as soon as I got home I got distracted ... I put a wash on, did some cleaning up etc. But I did manage to get one LO done later on :) This LO was done with a gorgeous add on from last months StudioCalico kit.

Drumroll please.....

And the winner of the RAK (as drawn from an Indiana Jones hat by our very own Oisin) is .....

Jan!! Well done Jan. If you pm me your address I'll get that prize out to you ASAP.  :)

Sharing the joy!!

CardznScrapz certainly didn't delay in getting my prize to me. I got a big box in the post this morning!! There was lots of scrappy goodness inside and as I'm lucky enough to already have some of these goodies, I thought I'd share the joy and do a RAK. So if you would like to get your hands on a BasicGrey Rub On Roller, a BasicGrey precision file set, a Creativity! Life mag and one or two other bits n pieces, just leave a comment and I'll pick a winner this weekend.

And here is a LO I did with a photo of Oisin and friendly woo-woo at Howth Harbour! Have a great day.

yay!

I just found out that I won the August scrapbook competition over on CardznScrapz. I'm really thrilled... it's so nice to win something!! To enter the competition you had to do a LO with a holiday theme using yellow and green or yellow and blue. I had this photo of me (back in the days when I could wear a bikini!) from our honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. 

End of the summer

Well summer really IS over now. Oisin went back to school yesterday and seemed to enjoy it. He has a lovely new teacher (who looks far too young to actually be qualified!) and walked in all by himself this morning! 

Next week I plan to get back swimming as I no longer have any excuse not to! I really need to get some exercise (and lose two stone before I go on holidays... any tips?)

I did a LO today with a photo of Oisin during a water fight with daddy. Photographic evidence that there was actually one day of sunshine this summer although it felt like there was none!

Thank you for the music...

It was my birthday yesterday and my wonderful hubby got me an ipod. They are just the coolest little gizmo's. So I ended up spending practically the whole day putting my music collection on itunes. I even dug out all my old cd's that were starting to feel quite neglected. It was quite therapeutic actually and going through some of my older stuff brought back lots of memories. Isn't it funny how music can get you all nostalgic :)

I got a BasicGrey card kit form CardznScrapz a week or two ago and made all the cards this week. I felt like I was 'cheating' since all I had to do was punch out all the right bits, assemble and stick! But it's great if you need a few cards in a rush. (And I was in need of a few baby cards this week). It may have felt like cheating - but they did turn out gorgeous! Love BG!!

We went to see Get Smart the other night, and I haven't laughed so much in ages. It was kind of 'stupid funny'  but funny.  If you need to be cheered up - go see it !!

 

Wanted: Ark!

Well it's official. According to Met Eireann, the Dublin region has had over 400% of the usual rainfall for August already.  It's been a bit of a wash out of a summer but I did really enjoy the time off with Oisin. I can't believe he's back to school next week and that he's going to be a senior!! I have to admit I'm not looking forward to the early mornings :)

I did a couple of LO's with some October Afternoon stash over the weekend, and I have to say that their stuff is just gorgeous. It didn't exactly call to me when I saw it initially but it just looks so good on a LO!! Here's one of the OA LO's and one from July's StudioCalico kit. 

clarification!

Did I say say 'niece' in my last post??? I meant nephew. Not sure what I was thinking .... yet more evidence I'm getting old. (I'll be 33 next week !!)

Rain and scrappy news

Can you believe the crazy weather we are having? I don't think I have ever seen rain like the rain that poured on Saturday. I now know what our garden would look like with a pool! 

I was disappointed to find out that the Scrapbooker of the Year competition in Scrapbook Magazine is only open to UK residents this year. But I can console myself in the fact that they are going to feature me in their 'Introducing' article next spring. According to the mag ; 'As part of our quest to discover fresh new talent, we'll be introducing a new designer every issue...'.  I get to pick out four of my favourite LO's to be featured. I'm really excited about it, but since the article won't appear until well into next year (haven't got an exact date yet) I'm hoping the excitement doesn't wear off before it's in print!  It's hard to pick out four favourites, but I don't have to send them in for a few months, so I have a while to decide. My favourites change all the time!  

I also found out I'm going to have another LO in the next issue of Creativity! Life. I do have one other piece of scrappy news but I can't share yet :) 

It really has been a funny old week or two; I was all excited about my good news and my SIL had a new baby. But sadly, my uncle passed away the same day my new niece was born. Made me think I should live each day to the fullest. 

My LO for today is another happy memory from our honeymoon!

Revamps and 'back story'

I have had the same LO on my desk all week and can't seem to bring it all together. So I decided to make some small changes to a couple of LO's that I was never completely happy with. Here are the 'before' and 'after's. They were only minor changes but I think they make a difference.

I was reading Stephanie Howell's blog entry for yesterday and as she was having a scrappy slump, she decided to talk a bit about her back story and shared a little bit of info about herself. It was really interesting to read. I'm not sure if that just makes me nosey or means I'm just curious about others peoples lives! Either way, I thought I'd do the same. Here goes;

1. I'm the eldest of nine kids. (I'm not sure how my mother did it as sometimes I think I struggle with just one!)

2. I met Declan when I was working for the summer between my third and fourth year of college (and just a few weeks before I turned 21). we started going out at the end of that summer and I knew he was the one for me after just a few weeks.

3. We got engaged on the beach, on the Greek island of Kos.

4. I have degrees in Electronic Engineering and Maths.

5. I worked as a software engineer for five years but don't think I could ever go back to it. I'd much rather do something more artistic... like scrapbooking!

6. I have MS and have had to use a mobility scooter for the last three years to get around. I know it's an unusual sight to see someone so young (32 is young, isn't it!) on a mobility scooter, but I really wish everyone would stop looking at me when I'm out and about :) It makes me even more self conscious than I already am!

7. I wore braces on my teeth for just over two years and got them off about a year ago. It was well worth every penny.

8. I have lived on the same lane my whole life, but in 3 different houses (and one mobile home, while our house was being built).

can't think of any more for now!