Flowers Flowers Everywhere...

...Just finishing up the last of my big orders...i have one left to go this week, then no more for the rest of the year! So with all my big orders done and out of the way I plan on getting some new stuff in the shop. I have a head full of ideas for some new embellies so will hopefully get plenty of time over our christmas break to get busy...look out for a big shop update in the new year! I also have a heap of hair pretties...and if you'd been reading this blog for a while you would remember that i planned on listing them all in the shop a few months ago...er, well that didn't happen..but i am planning on getting these all listed soon. Promise. Just gotta coax some girls to help me out. And take the photos. And edit them. And list them onto etsy...
Pretties like this one...a headband i made for Hannah to wear to Jonathan's dedication on Sunday.



Stay tuned :)

An Anniversary + A Baby Dedication

One year ago I had the priveledge of photographing our best friends' as they dedicated their lives to each other in marriage



And yesterday...exactly one year later to the day...i got to photograph them as they stood before our church and dedicated their brand new baby son Jonathan to God



Wow...a lot can happen in one short year! And I couldn't think of a more beautiful way to celebrate your first wedding anniversary than to dedicate your first born child together.



We then all celebrated back at Dave and Favour's house with a good old aussie barbie...with a few very spicy african dishes thrown in too!



They cut the top tier of their wedding cake that Favour had saved



...and of course little Jonathan was the (sometimes reluctant) star of the show :)

More handmade christmas things...

OK...so i have done a bit more chrissy shopping and have a few more names crossed off the list...all without even leaving the house! Gotta love the internet! I found these super cute texta wraps the other day and thought they'd be perfect for my neice and nephew to take on long car trips when they visit my mum and dad.

I love the fabrics on these! And i love the denim cover...a great idea to keep them looking clean. Oh, and the fact that you get a set of textas and a little notebook included too...great value me thinks!
They are available from Bianca's Madeit store here...and it just so happens that she is having a giveaway on her blog this week too...so for a chance to win one of these cuties visit here!

Need a laugh?

Check out this post
Found via the red thread

Play Along...

with me over at Scrapboxx! It's my turn for this week's challenge, and we are taking our inspiration from this pretty Elizabeth Arden advertisement
...and here's my take





...ummm, definitely a little bit more colourful...but i really liked the floral wallpaper effect in the background and the scattered flowers across the floor so went with that and added in a little bit more colour to match my friend Favour's personality!
This is totally open to interpretation...whatever jumps out at you first!!
Come and play along with me this week!

Scrapboxx Newsletter

Just putting my November newsletter projects in here :)



My Off The Page Project using a kaisercraft canvas, Sass papers and Collections chipboard



Special Feature layout, this months theme was to scrap an event.







And lastly, this months Boxx of Scraps...lots of EarthLove and Buzz and Bloom goodies.
Thanks for looking xx

Painting Painting Painting...

Firstly, Grace asked to "repaint" a canvas she had painted last year





...and while the paints were out and I wasn't paying attention Josiah decided to paint 5 brand new pieces of cardstock...lovely...




he then proceeded Pro Hart style to paint the kitchen floor...lovely...luckily we have super duper practical polished concrete...i managed to get it off with an old kitchen scourer. Should have taken photos though, it did look kind of cool.
Not so cool when he picked up his paints and migrated over onto the carpet (and this is when i spotted him) ...paint doesn't come off carpet so easily :(
Lucky he is so adorable...like this

The beginnings of a handmade christmas...

So, I'm thinking it's time to start the christmas shopping...This year I've decided not to buy any needless junk for the kids this christmas...instead i'll be supporting handmade artists by buying things made with love...hehehe not sure how the kids are going to feel about that, there's been lots of talk about wanting things like PSPs and black skinny leg jeans but we'll see...here's a few things i've bought already


For Molly's room, this "Happy Heart Babushka" print by Australian artist Kate Mason. Proceeds from this print go to HeartKids South Australia. Details here.



And for Grace and Hannah's room these delightful bird prints by another aussie artist Kathy Panton. How adorable are these? You can see the rest of Kathy's work in her etsy shop here.

And for Josiah I couldn't go past these hand puppets from etsy store laurelszoo


He's been loving playing with the ones in Grace's class every morning...I can't wait to see him getting these ones talking and biting... its gonna be so funny!

So that's what i have so far...will share more as i find them!

I have a heap of LOs to put in here...the Scrapboxx newsletter went out yesterday and it was a big one! Two months worth of projects combined into one so come back and visit me soon xx

New month...new layouts...

Thanks for visiting xx

Let's Get Shabby!

Has anyone seen the Lets Get Shabby challenge blog today? I'm guest sponsoring this months challenge which has just gone up today...and it's all about handmade embellishments. Here is what I made...







I made this from a vintage book...I painted it white then covered the front with an old Hallmark card, some prima rubons and my handmade flower. Using a blade, I then cut a rectangle shape deep into the pages to form a "box" within the book to store my mini tag book of photos. I then used the rest of the greeting card and some other old bits and pieces to collage the inside cover. This one is for my favourite photos of Hannah...but i have an idea in my head to make some as keepsake boxes for the kids "baby things"...how cute would it be to decorate an old book like this and when you open it up there is teeny tiny baby shoes hidden inside!

Oh...and not forgetting the prize...



So come play over at Lets Get Shabby this month!

Pretty tapes

I love masking tape. The plain old beige variety that you buy in the paint section of bunnings... but then i found these...





...and had to buy them all! I will be stalking the postman next week for sure. I'll be using this stuff on pages, you can even write on it...and also for wrapping presents and my etsy parcels. I also found this cute blog with lots of ideas on how to use it too. There are heaps of etsy shops that sell this stuff, just do a search for masking tape, but if you are in Australia you can get it at this super cute shop!
I'm in love...hmmm...is it strange to love masking tape?

We are smiling because summer is coming...

It is finally starting to feel like summer here...although i think we just bypassed spring! Last week it was cold and wet and we still had the heater on most nights and mornings...and then today it was was 35 degrees!?! The kids have pulled the pool and slip n slide out of the shed and spent most of the day in and out of it...tonight is a lovely balmy night....and it feels good! I am so not a winter person, give me 40 degrees any day!

On Thursday night i held a baby shower at my place for my beautiful friend Favour who has just given birth to a little boy. I had gotten some gorgeous pics of him earlier in the week and then set about making her a mini book for her....which i gave to Fav on thursday night...and of course forgot to get photos of :(
I did do a LO of him just for me though, with a couple of the leftover photos...



Isn't he gorgeous???...now i get my baby fix from him seeing as there will be no more babies for me. Favour is from Ghana, Africa and Dave (his daddy and Lennie's best mate) is as ocker aussie as they come...and i think he is just a perfect mix! I call him my little chico babe :)

and another LO i did today using up some old rub ons...i never seemed to have much luck with Heidi Swapp rubons, they never seemed to rub off properly so i gave up using them. Today i thought i'd use up some of the scrap pieces by just rubbing them all over a blank piece of cardstock and making my own background with them. I think i have some urban lily ones in there too, which i love :)





It feels sooo good to use up the very last thing in a packet don't you think??...well i find it very satisfiying!
And these letters were a "happy accident" I used the American Crafts white vinyl letter stickers...decided to paint them blue...then decided i didn't want them blue anymore so tried scratching the paint of with my fingernail...then decided i liked the look so left them!




I also have some LOs from the boxx retreat that i still have to photograph...will get to that later this week. I am so looking forward to the next retreat in March...this time i will be a bit more organised and will be spending the whole weekend there woohoo!

OK, I will be off now...i have a sick little boy to attend to :(

Finding stuff i forgot i had...

The other day i found a plastic bag full of some stuff i bought from an op shop ages ago...stuff i had just tucked away and forgot about...a really old "children's treasury" book, full of brightly coloured circus illustrations...some really cute vintage earrings...an old measuring tape...long threads of crochet, probably some project somebody started and never finished...and an old joke book entitled "laughter is the best medicine" Perfect!!
And then while i was in Kitchen Needs in town the other day i came across the cutest little paper doilies...mini size and only $1 for 20!! Also found the sweetest little mini cupcake cases too in bright colours...Perfect!!









See the little earrings??...aren't they cute little fellas and i'm pretty sure they only cost me about 50 cents too! I just used them like a brad...pierced them through to the back then bent the little metal bit over to hold it onto the page. And i really like the patty case flowers...i put tulle in the centre...like that they are not to "flowery" for a boys page.
I also bought the cutest little pink polkadot ones so will be using them soon too...Snuck a bit of crepe paper on there too, aswell as one of my Moo business cards! Now who said scrapbooking has to be an expensive hobby?

Just to let you know...

I am closing the doors of my etsy shop for a couple of weeks...things have been crazy busy and i need a bit of a catch up...and to just enjoy the last week of the school holidays with the kiddies.
Oooooh...and did i mention I'm spending this Saturday at the Boxx retreat in Boyanup???

It's the little things...

like being woken up at the crack of dawn to this little face and a big bag of weet-bix...and being told to "hup pup"



like when he wants to vacuum his own room...but then gets distracted by his own reflection in the mirror



like when he picks me lavender from the garden



like when he falls asllep at 3pm on Molly's bed while playing the DS...and still holding tight to the stylus



like when he finds a use for all my old chipboard pieces



and at the end of the day he would much rather sneak into bed with one of his brothers or sisters than sleep in his own bed...