Trust

Life constantly sends us many challenges - that is a constant! Rather than feel victimised - "Why me?" - it is so important to look at what we have been offered and know that it gives us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our world.

I am choosing the word TRUST as my word for 2009.

• A trust in whatever comes my way, I can handle.


• A trust in that everything will work out positively.


• A trust that whatever I choose to do will create success.


• A trust that my dreams will come true.

This is my image of TRUST that I got from Wordle.net - I tried to just use the word Trust but it doesn't repeat it so I trust what I have is perfect for me!



I haven't been very 'creative' lately - at least with either my scrapbooking or cardmaking so I really don't have anything to share. Hopefully I will scan some layouts to upload in the next couple of days.

I have kept up my 365 photography and blog which is big for me! My photography skills are getting better - now I just need to learn how to use the camera properly!

So until next time ...

Twas the Month After Christmas ...

I found this rhyme on Jaimie Emmerton's Blog and I just love it! Hope you don't mind me using it Jaimie ...

T'was the month after Christmas,
and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me,
not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled,
the chocolate I'd taste
At the holiday parties
had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales
there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store
- not a walk but a lumber!

I'd remember the marvellous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with girt...
I said to myself, as I only can,
"You can't spend this summer, disguised as a man!"

So, away with the last of the sour cream dip.
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie.
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore...
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot,
Happy New Year to all, and to all a good diet.

Who's with me!

OMG - it's mid January already!

Well, it has been ages since my last post! It was such a busy time over Christmas and New Year - lots of family events; I de-cluttered and cleaned 90% of the house (not Rob's Office though, too hard!!); I ate lots; I did very little exercise (at the gym anyway!); I enjoyed the company of my beautiful eldest daughter and 3 grand-daughters and I even managed to get in some creating time!

I felt very inspired after Heidi Swapp's workshop and I made Grace an a to Z mini-album for Christmas - lots of fun doing it! I used a Making Memories 6" x 6" Cloth Album in a stunning lime green colour (my favourite colour!) and the base pages were from the 6 x 6 Basic Grey Collection Pad. I added lots of inserts of varying sizes and used lots of embellishments through out the album. Luckily Grace has a zillion photos of her - self portraits - that gave me a great stash to choose the main 26 from. I didn't start till the week before Christmas and the only thing I didn't finish was the ribbons on the spine.

I was over the moon as she was really wrapt with it - even dropped a few tears. I didn't think that Grace was really interested in my Scrapbooking - but she did show one of her girfriends my albums the other day and talked about them as though she has been listening to everything I speak about the pages and the scrapbooking.

Here are some of the pages ...

I started (but still have to 100% complete some scrapbook pages and here is the one I have finished - I will post more at a later date. The colour in this is not very good - the white, red & black are much more vibrant.


I have also started the Project 365 which will support me to be more creative with my photography (and learn how to take better photographs!!) I have decided to start a new blog - 365 Days a Year - specifically for that one. Keeping everything up to date will be a real challenge - but then that's life!

So until next time ...

An Award & Heidi Swapp!

As a wonderful lady so aptly put it - right now it's so 'Crazy Busy'! I always find that the lead up to Christmas takes on a life of its own and the time seems to accelerate as the 25th December gets closer - or is it getting worse!?! Things are getting done but I still have alot more to do ... it will be done!

Last week, the amazing Libby gave me an award, my very first one and I thank you very much Libby - This is called The Proximity Award.

"These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So the 8 bloggers I choose to pass on the award are ... **drum roll** ... Vicki, Karen, Sara, Leonie, Julie, Julie, Ness and Heidi ... I really enjoy reading these blogs and I'm sure you will too!

I have been frantically doing some creating - presents for friends (decorated albums & notebooks), some cards (very few!! Even had to *shock horror* buy some!) and making a mini album for my precious 14yo daughter for Christmas. It is an A to Z or her and I'm loving doing it - it's all falling in to place so easily. I'll post pictures when it's finished. I got some great ideas to add to it from my day with Heidi Swapp yesterday ...

What a frenetic day! I attended the Create 08 workshop in Melbourne as many, many other avid scrapper did. Heidi has increased her standing in my eyes - she is such an emotionally honest and inspiring woman - I love her! We spent the day doing some wonderful techniques - beginning with a calendar album (did 4 pages) and a mini mirror album. It was go, go, go right from the start but an amazing day! If you ever get the chance to be in one of Heidi's workshops I highly recommend her - she is so down to earth and what she offers covers all types of papercrafters styles and expertise.

Here are some shares from yesterday (unfinished but still impressive!)



Here is a picture of the venue - verrry crowded, with no room to move which was a bit frustrating! Really the only thing that I didn't like about the day. The venue was in a beautiful setting but not one to hold so many crafters with all the paraphernalia that we all need to do our work! I'm standing up right at the back, in the white shirt!

This is the view from our table - Heidi is the speck on the right at the front!

And of course, I had to have my photo taken with Heidi and my scrapping colleague, Wendy. It's not what I usually do but decided that I wanted to remember this amazing day with an amazing woman. Of course, with all the paparazzi there it was hard to know which camera to look at!
Thank you Heidi!

So until next time ...

100 Pages!

I know, this is too crazy to believe - but I have just finished 100 pages (6" x 6") for the Southern Cross Kids' Camps designed to create happy memories for children who have been victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Julie Stone - Making a Difference - has taken on the mammoth challenge to provide, literally thousands, of pages to be made into albums for all the children who attend the 7 camps around Australia and 2 in New Zealand.

I think that this is just an amazing thing to do for these kids who are "over the moon" to get these albums, with photos taken at the camp, presented to them on their last day. Check Julie's blog entry from earlier in the year to see the finished albums.

It feels good to be able to contribute and I urge all you crafters out there to spend some time, even in this crazy time of the year, to create, and send off, some very basic but colourful and inspiring pages. She needs them for the camps to be held early in January. It's a great way to use your scraps and all those extra bits and pieces lying around. You can contact Julie for her postal address.

Here are the pages I made - they are basic, as they are meant to be, and are just to show you how easy they are to make! The campleaders add the photos and a bit of journalling so there needs to be space for these things.

Here is what a pile of 100 looks like -


I also managed to get some Christmas cards completed last week - I spend a wonderful week with my eldest daughter and 3 grand-daughters getting some TLC after my bout of the flu. Being an avid crafter, she has a space set up for her paper crafts and I made good use (and a big mess) of it and made these cards (my camera is being repaired and I've used my iPhone camera so the photo's are not as sharp and crisp as they should be) -




Well they are my shares for now - hope to get some more creating done this week - meeting up with the gorgeous Dorothy on Wednesday for a social crop. I have an album to complete for my rebellious but beautiful youngest daughter, for Christmas - will be a push!

Till next time ...