Close To My Heart (CTMH) - Exciting News!!

Woo hoo! Am I excited? Yes I am! Yesterday I signed up as a consultant with Close To My Heart company. Their mission - We show you how to celebrate relationships through discovering your creativity, to preserve and share the moments that matter most. I believe, after weighing up pros and cons, that CTMH provide a beautiful range of products at very reasonable prices.  Please check out my CTMH website, full of the most amazing products and ideas.

Rather than just decide on what you want from the internet, ask me about hosting a gathering at your home, club, school, kindergarten or wherever where you can experience, see and feel the products - which are much more dynamic in real life. I am going to put up a video of some of the things that can be made together very soon - stay tuned!

I am so looking forward to being able to be part of an amazing and supportive network and sharing their, and my, passion for all things paper and stamping. And I am looking forward to meeting other amazing women (and crafty men) both as customers and also fellow consultants.

In the meantime, here are some more of the 12x12 layouts I have recently completed.  Please enjoy the inspiration you may get from them and if you feel inclined, leave me a comment or suggestion.

I'm Back

Well it has been quite an absence - two years! Life got in the way and blogging was something I neglected.  But over the past 10 months I have got my passion back and it's time to share again.

I moved over from 12×12 layouts to doing Project Life as it is quick, simple and I can get the ‘recording’ of life events done without too much stress. So, during 2015, I have focused on Project Life which I have loved, and only recently got the urge to do some 12×12 layouts.

I actually have completed 10 layouts in the past week - an unheard of achievement in the past! I usually prefer simple, clean layouts as I want the focus to be on the photo, but, I have been enjoying playing with layering and mixed media so below are some of the layouts I have done over the past week. But, confession, I still can’t get myself to ‘over embellish’ even though I love the way other crafters do it!

So I hope you enjoy and get some inspiration for your own layouts. I will post some more projects over the next few days - 12x12 and Project Life - as I get back into the world of blogging and sharing.

So, till next time ...

 

Say Something Nice Sunday

I have had an amazing weekend thank you to some wonderful people in my life. Saturday started with a beautiful little girl aka Miss Lily, brightening my morning with her joyful enthusiasm.  The afternoon took me to an environment that I didn't think I'd enjoy, but did, at my gorgeous neice's Bachelorette Party where I had fun with some wonderful female friends and family.  This was followed by an evening in the city of more fun female social time.

Sunday has proved to be just as amazing with an attendance at a book launch by another amazing woman, Inna Segal, whom we have known for a long time.  After that incredible experience, I was whisked away by my loving husband to Grumpy's in Fitzroy where we were entertained by an Argentinian Mambo Band whilst sipping wine and watching some passionate dancers bopping around on the floor.

And all this was preceded by a weekend of more family connection where I enjoyed the company of some special people visiting from UK!

So, there's alot to be thankful for right now -
♥ I am surrounded with so many remarkable people around me that enrich my life

♥ I am blessed with my family ties

♥ We live in an amazing city where there are so many contrasts and I can ever say I am bored with nothing to do

♥ There is always more to learn about life, love and living

♥ When trust and faith are around, so much opens up

So, what are you grateful for right now?

Till next time ...

My Little Monkey Mini Album

I did say that I would be posting some completed mini albums to share, and finally I am bringing one for you.
This album was created with an idea from Patricia Viramontes via You Tube, using a file folder.  I chose two green foolscap folders to use with papers I got from Aldi called Playtime Papers.  It all lent itself to an album for a little boy.
I made most of my own embellishments as well as some paper from Echo Park which I cut into photo mats or journalling mats.
Using the green papers was a bit of a challenge as I found it harder to match things up.  In the end, it is quite a simple way to make a 'simple' mini album.  The paper is quite busy and bright, but overall I am happy with the result.

And here are most of the mats/tags I have in the album.  I hope you have gained some inspiration and ideas from this share, if you have let me know.

I also have a You Tube video posted below which will take you through the pages.

Thank you for visiting, till next time ...

Say Something Nice Sunday

 

A very warm Sunday - which is great because those of us who work can actually enjoy the beautiful weather on our day off! It was warm enough for Lily have a splash around in the baby bath.

I have been working on a mini album that I started over 12 months ago and now it is finally finished. I was using a paper bag album that I bought on eBay about 5 years ago and felt a bit limited by it as it was stitched. But, I am happy with the result. I will put some pictures up in the next couple of days.

The class with Mariana really inspired me, now I want to do some hinged albums using her techniques. I also want to get back into my own scarpping using the heaps of photos I have accumulated over the past couple of years ... but what do I do first?

So what positivity can I share today -

♥ Shared a wonderful evening with friends last night, sitiing outside under the pergola till dark, enjoying the fresh air and good company.

♥ Tidied up my scrap space today and did some rearranging.  We have a double garage and I use one side to store my craft things and have my table set up there.  It's great as I can make as much mess as I want and can close the door on it till I'm ready to clean it up.

♥ I am looking forward to my cousins coming out from the UK next month.  I had such a great time with them last year when I was in London.

♥ I just love Pinterest! There are so many clever, creative people in the world who are not recognised for their amazing talent, this is a great avenue to see and share that 'amazingness.'  So many ideas to re-create!

What has been positive in your life today?

Till next time ...