Ali Edwards has a miniBOOK challenge and I decided to have a go, I'm working on what I thought was a miniBOOK for my 40th but this is a lot smaller, I made the book myself, it measures 12cm x 8.5cm and that includes the tabs. I covered some heavy card, trimmed it and sanded it. I'm not thrilled with my front cover, ended up doing it on the computer discarding 2 others, might have to go back to the discards

materials:
paper : SEI & MM ledger folio
stickers: 7gypsies
stamps: provocraft circa 18pt
rub-ons: Heidi Swapp

Labels: show and tell

So when you sit down to scrap what steps has it taken to get you to this stage?

I always start with the photos, I print my own (on illford pearl paper)I usually print 5 pages at a time as I find it takes me anything up to an hour to select, crop and edit my photos, 5 pages usually takes me two hours, I do it over the course of the day saving as I go then printing all at once.

Next I trim them and sort them find out the date and then I journal. I do this because looking at the photos for so long cements the event in my head and it is a refresher and I can get it all down.

Now I am ready to scrap.

It doesn't stop there though, next I do the paper thing. If I can't find what suits I will go to another layout, then I find it easy to get started, I never put layouts away until they are finished otherwise they stay unfinished, I will leave them overnight but try not to.

My job this weekend is to sort my paper, I have ALOT close to 1000 sheets in total, 600 bazzill and 400 or so patterned. I need to get it all out look at it and reacquaint myself with it, hoping to meet new and old friends in there and together record some memories

It has been 6 months since my life seemed to have shot into overdrive, most of it revolved around getting to the next thrapy session, being at kindy on time, dropping people off, picking them up and trying to feed them in between.

Now at the close of September I am faced with my first real school holidays (I worked and did classes 6 of the 10 days last term) no therapy for 2 weeks, no 100km round trips, no events to organise no work to go to no classes to give.

Add to that a clean house I feel a little adrift, it is the first day I haven't had anything to do. This isn't a bad thing I am just not used to it. I was going to scrap and do washing today but I have found myself reading online newspapers and forums and watching programs I've taped. It's 2pm so it is even a bit early to start dinner! I have printed out all my surprise party photos and had wanted to start them today but the spark just ins't there. Don't get me wrong though I'm not feeling down at all just a little adrift and resisting laying around reading for the rest of the day, I suppose I feel a little guilty as atleast when I worked Wednesdays I felt I was doing some small bit, I know now it is better for everyone for me to be here.

I'm looking forward to spending some time with my boys without any exterior stressors like appointments and deadlines, don't worry I will be screaming for someone to give me something to do in a week or so.

take care!

So I told you about my gorgeous friends taking me shopping and dinner and cake, then there was mum brining dinner up and my present from Michael of cleaners, I thought I had it pretty good then but little did I know all my friends and my husband conspired and threw me a surprise party. Apparently it was a month in the making with secret email accounts and everyone going somewhere for the weekend.

So 4 weeks ago Michael tells me we are going to Ali and Steves for dinner, the opening of our spring/summer BBQ nights and he tells me he has asked mum to watch the boys, unknown to me he has asked Ali if he can have the party there, apparently there were many close calls but I was totally oblivious to their scheming.

So we head off at 6:30 and Steve answers the door I am chatting away and walk into the lounge and everyone is in there, Jodi and Craig, Lis and Ben, Nic and Andrew, Sharon and Vince, Danelle and Andrew and Ali, Steve and Michael and everyone had a camera!!! I was dressed in my BBQ casuals and everyone else was dressed up! I am still smiling and laughing today, I had a fantastic night it was great to see all the important people in my life all together in one place.

It reminds me to make more effort to keep these people close, to all of you thank you, you made my year! I am just so amazed that you would do that for me, I'm so touched and my gorgeous Michael you sneaky devil, thank you, you truly are amazing!

Well I had a great day yesterday, as Michael left for work he said..your card is on the computer. So I stumbled in and started the computer and here is the picture of him on the desktop with a blog addy Happy Birthday Alli what a riot he is, I loved it!

Then after dropping the boys at daycare I went and had my hair cut then went and had coffee and cake with Jodi and Lis at the shop


Then it was home to my clean house, mum and dad came up at about 6 and bought dinner and some gorgeous pressies! and to end they day they took Riley home with them.

And tonight to end a three day celebration I am having dinner with Jodi, Nic and Lis, talk about spoilt!

just blah, someone stop time for me or turn it back 10 years, I refuse to turn 40 tomorrow!

I reject 40, there do you think that will help? Hopefully mum's roast lamb will make it all better, gotta love a mum who cooks dinner and brings it to your house :)

tidy the kitchen, it looks like 7 people have been in there and some of them came back for a second visit

finish sorting the toys and picking up the playroom

clean my room and change my sheets

fold the washing and sweep thew floor

but no I am sitting here posting on blogger and eating choc coated almonds and now I am going to do some more scrapping. I'm a lost cause, I just really do loathe cleaning

This is what I did while I should have been cleaning

-----> Alli's Scrapcooking

What an amazing day! The fundraiser was fantastic and everyone had a great day, I am totally blown away with how generous the girls were, what we raised well and truly surpassed my expectations and we still have the album raffle on the go!

The Scarborough Baptist Church was a great venue and had a fantastic kitchen. I am so thankful to them for letting us use it, it was very comfortable and homely.

There will now be a 'next year' as this one was a great success, next year we are aiming for a 100 scrappers so stay tuned for details!




And this is why I wore myself out, it was so well worth it

Well everything is in full swing for tomorrow now, I'm busily cooking lunch and wrapping raffles and prizes and last night I put together the Album we are raffling, the girls have done a fantastic job, everyone loves it and we have sold $100 worth of tickets already. This raffle goes until September 20th, so thank you so much to the girls - Julie Love, Carole Janson, Roz James, Libby Morris, Janine Kaye, Melissa Goodsell, Sally Donovan, Lee Woodside, Justine Quinlivan, Lis Cassey, Jen Hall, Chris Millar, Mishell Lancet, Tracy Wyldman, Sandra Cadzow.

I am not well.. Still (and I need lots and lots of sympathy OK..)

I've had this flu for 18 days now and I am very much tired of it. It tricks you it makes you think you are feeling better so you run off and catch up on everything that is falling down around your feet and then bam.. It wakes you in the middle of the night and says.. HA HA I'M STILL HERE!! And you spend the next 1/2 hour sitting on the toilet vomiting on the floor, this is after you have vomited on the carpet and the doona, maybe I shouldn't have sat on the toilet but I thought I was going to fall over.

Michael cleaned it all up, all I could think was damn that diet coke taste shitty coming up. And also I am not one of those polite silent chuckers, I am a retching straining type so when is all said and done every capillary in my face, neck and chest are broken leaving me looking like a swollen pin cushion...See for yourself

While I was at Kiwi Scraps I hijacked a whole lot of girls and asked them to do pages for me to raffle off on my Autism crop day (September 9th!!) Well I tell you the girls are out doing themselves, I've decided to sell 100 tickets for this raffle, it will be drawn once all the tickets sell, I made the cover for the album yesterday and pages are starting to arrive so it is pretty exciting. Here is a list of all the wonderful girls that have done pages for the album.

Julie Love, Carol Janson, Roz James, Libby Morris, Janine Kaye, Melissa Goodsell, Sally Donovan, Lee Woodside, Justine Quinlivan, Lis Cassey, Jen Hall, Chris Millar, Mishell Lancet, Tracy Wyldman, Sandra Cadzow and me!
Click on it for a bigger view!

I so love visits to Ikea, as usual I was totoally overwhelmed with Alec and Riley running around everywhere, they had a wonderful time, I did manage to get all the baskets and hanging bars I had been lusting after all year and more cane baskets ofcourse! So here is my scraproom after my new storage has been put up.