bad bad pic!

I had a few friends ask for me to upload my first layout published. It was for a SHEER Gallery for Scrapbook Creations. I still remember opening that email in shock and major excitement. The large photo and journalling has a vellum overlay on top of it - it was the thing to do! Sorry for the bad photo - I really need my new camera ASAP!



Oh and on a festive note, I've just been given this link
www.santaclaus.net
- it's meant to be super cute for the kids - I'm off to check it out with Ethan now.
Can you believe Xmas is getting so close?

Trust me ...

... thank you for playing along and leaving me a message to enter the RAK of goodies I have. It was lovely to receive the messages of praise from everyone about my layouts being accepted for publication.

As you all know, I have sold my camera so I have no photo to share of me drawing one name out of the red satin box that sits on the shelf above my desk ... trust me that I did Ok?

So, the name drawn was ........... maryanne r.
Can you leave me your email details so I can get your address to post you some goodies please?

Also, I have a layout to share for the lovely LUCY (crazymumm) who celebrated her birthday yesterday. She won the auction prize of a layout for me to create for her. She chose for me to create the layout for her online friend, Karen (gypsy), to thank her for her hard work with Pink ribbon day and also for the friendship they have. You'll see the layout I created in the post below but I really wanted to create one for Lucy too - her generous nature meant alot to me. So, Lucy, here's a layout for you also and you have Chelle to thank for getting me this lovely photo of you and Karen together. I hope you like it and thank you for your generous donation to such a worthy cause!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

A special birthday wish to Lucy (aka crazymumm on some scrapbook sites)- http://crazymumm-crazylucy.blogspot.com. This lady is so kind and caring. She was the highest bidder for the Pink Ribbon Auction to raise money for cancer in women - the prize was for me to create a layout for her.
She emailed me and asked if I would mind creating it for Karen (aka Gypsy), the lady who organised the event to thank her for her friendship and hard work on the Scrapchat site. So, Happy Birthday to Lucy and I hope Karen enjoys the layout you so kindly RAK'd to her. Oh, and Lucy, I have a surprise for you too ... please check in tomorrow to take a peak. I wish I could have posted a photo tonight but I was rostered on to work today at short noticed and due to a big storm here in Brisbane I couldn't get myself organised ... of course putting up the Christmas tree with the boys late this afternoon slowed me down too. Here's the layout!







Oh, I forgot to add - thank you so much for the lovely comments about my layouts. I'll try and scan an early layout in the next couple of days - that should have you laughing!

woohoo .....

So, I had a bit of time to pass while Joshua was taking his nap today and I thought I'd update my Resume about the layouts, cards, mini albums etc. that I've been fortunate to have published or accepted for publication.
I started to count ... and I'm pretty excited to say that I hit 103 pieces !!!!!!

Thank you to the following magazines who have accepted work from me over the last few years - it's overwhelming and I still get the same thrill when I read an acceptance as when I did with the very first one.

Scrapbook Creations - who accepted my very first layout back in 2003 - thanks Barb.
Scrapbooking Memories
Creating Keepsakes (AUS)
Scrapbooks Etc (USA)
Simple Scrapbooks (USA)
Scrapbooking For Beginners
My Reflections
Scrapbook Answers (USA) - the layout that flew to America, was photographed and ready to be published until the magazine was sold and the new company stopped production on the issue my Layout was due - sad story!

To celebrate, I'd love to send some scrapping goodies to one lucky person. Simply leave a comment ... and your name ... and I'll draw it on Monday 8pm (Brisbane/Australia time). Thank you to everyone who ever takes the time to leave me a comment - I love reading each and every one of them!

A quiz!

I saw this on my Melanie's blog (www.notesfromhome.com) and thought I'd fill out the quiz - I think this would be a great LO idea , don't you? Maybe a mini album even!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band ....at school
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis ... yikes
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped ............ I will never do this one !
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables ... do carrots and a few herbs count?
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving............Never for this one too !
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt ... a pretty bad one though
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Now you should all sleep well after that unexciting bit of trivia from me!

A first for me!

Who would have thought I would post 2 blog entries on the same night?

As promised, I went and scrapped a layout for me about Ethan learning to ride his bike without his training wheels. The day he decided to take his wheels off was really important to him and so I chose to not take my camera with me so that I could help him gain some confidence to ride alone. I did miss capturing those photos of him but I can't imagine how I would have been able to run next to him with one hand on the handle bars and the other on his bike seat and my camera hanging around my neck all at once. So, we simply went back to the same park a few days later for 'the re-enactment' and got some good shots then. Here's the layout :

Wow - a blog award!

I have a lovely friend, Anita Meade www.anitameade.typepad.com, who is a talented scrapper and great girl. She kindly nominated me for this award and it's really made my day. Go check out her layouts and her cool mini albums - you'll be inspired not only by her artistic creations but by her terrific outlook on life.



The Rules for the Kreativ Blogger Award are :
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

So, this is tough, I nominate ........

1. Celeste Smith - www.celestefs.blogspot.com - a busy US scrapper who creates beautiful, clean layouts for the who's who in scrapping mags and companies, as well as gives you enough links to great websites that you'll never get off your computer for as long as you live.

2.Keisha Campbell - www.abiteast.typepad.com - a US girl living with her family in China - she creates some dazzling stuff for some big name scrapping companies - best part is she's a great girl too.

3.Lynette Van Barello - www.lynettevanbarrelo.typepad.com - this Aussie girl just creates the most gorgeous pieces of scrapping, is hysterically funny and is as mad as you can get (and I mean that in a good way Lynette) - check her out too.

4.Ingunn - www.feastsonscraps.com - a norwegian girl living in seattle - if you've ever wanted to see how to scrap your holiday or pet photos in a cool, clean way, then Ingunn's layouts are a must to see and the photos are just gorgeous of her hiking trips.

5. Genevieve Jacquemont - www.leblogdegenmanou.blogspot.com - anyone that knows me knows that I love scrapping 'french style' - well Genevieve is from France and her style is so sophisticated - I love it!

Oh, and tonight I'm scrapping a layout just for me ... no commitments to any magazine so hopefully I'll be sharing it really soon on my blog - stay tuned!

Look who's vain!

The lovely TIFF ( http://fluffingaround.blogspot.com/) just brought this to my attention - an advertisement in Creating Keepsakes Australia with a layout from me in it. So, I showed my husband excitedly and this is what he had to say ....

'Why did they pick that photo? My hair's not straight at the back!'

Yep, that was it!
A very interesting response don't you think?

It's official !

My Canon 400D has been SOLD!

I made the decision to move to the next level of Canon cameras - the 40D or 50D - and I had a friend who wanted to buy the 400D. So tonight, I wrapped it up carefully in bubble wrap and handed it over to a lady that's eager to learn about photography.

Now I just need to head on over to the camera store this week and get myself a new model along with a 50mm f1.2 lens. I hope I have heaps of good photos to share with you once I make my purchase.

And because I like to post a layout, here's an older one from when Joshua was just a baby - hasn't he grown!

Halloween

Ethan and Joshua had a great time on Friday for Halloween. Their cousin, Genevieve, joined them for her first Halloween and the 3 of them loved it. After visiting a couple of neighbours, they returned home to greet over 70 'trick or treaters' and offer them a lolly. They even asked them if they had a trick to share. Their favorite visitor was a small white fluffy dog who came with white feather angel wings and a mini pumpkin basket for his treats - how cute! Can't wait to scrap these and heaps more photos from the day.

3 more layouts to share

I wish I could share what I've been creating but I can't due to magazine rules, so I've dug up some old layouts that some of you may have seen and others may not have.
I'm looking forward to scrapping something soon that I can show you. Have a good weekend!

Old layouts

Just sharing some old layouts since I can't share any of my new ones just yet.
Thanks always for dropping by!

A layout

I really have been creating layouts in between photo shoots but unfortunately I can't share them at this point due to magazine restrictions, so I dug through my layouts to see if there was something I could post.
I don't think this one has been on my blog before and while the photo is less than perfect technically, I really wanted to use it. Oh, and the journalling runs vertically down that strip.



And if anyone knows why I can't post bigger images anymore, I'd love to hear from you. I think if you click on the layout it will enlarge slightly.

Photo Shoot No.2 - Graffiti walls and more

I had a fun day with a group of photographers and a handful of gorgeous guys and girls at location that was really grungy - it was cool. Here are a couple of shots.

16hrs and 58mins

If you're an Aussie
and you'd like to support Pink Ribbon month for Cancer in women,
and you'd like to donate some money to them
and get a layout created by me in return,

then head on over to www.scrapchat.net where you can bid
- there is only 16hrs and 58mins remaining
- 100% of the proceeds go to this worthwhile cause.

Oh, and I hope you don't mind me sharing this family's photo - they were so much fun.
You can't have a post without a photo or layout right?

Sunday Photo Shoot - Brisbane City

Here are a few quick images from the Photo Shoot on Sunday in Brisbane City - I had a great time and feel I learn so much at these events. These 2 boys are brothers - aren't they the cutest! And they were so enthusiastic about showing me their skateboard moves. I'd love to share more but I need an early night tonight - my bones are aching, I have a sore throat and one knee keeps cracking each time I walk - I think it's a cross between the flu and being unfit and bending so much at the photo shoot. I've yet to finish looking at all the images taken that day, so I'm sure to have heaps more to share. Thanks for dropping by, Leanne.

Exciting week ahead

Not so long ago, maybe a couple of months ago, I had the pleasure of joining some talented photographers on some photo shoots around Brisbane. Andrea Joki (http://www.ajatonjoki.com/wordpress/), from Finland, was flown out to Brisbane and shared her knowledge with us all. It was a great learning experience and my blog was flooded with images from the shoots.

Well, once again, Ainslie (Wild Spirit Photography)(http://www.wildspirit.typepad.com/), has organised another talented photographer to come to Brisbane for some more photo shoots. Leah Profancik (http://www.leahprofancik.com/blog/), from USA, will arrive tomorrow and stay for 2 weeks. I can't wait to learn some more, not only from Leah but also the very talented group of girls that will come along.
So get ready for hepas of images coming to the blog this week - I can't wait to share what I've learnt.

I completed a layout last night for a Scrap Art at Capalaba.
I loved using the Narratives range of paper - it's so pretty - and also a favourite photo of Ethan and Joshua.

Have a fun weekend and hopefully after this weekend I'll have a few photos to share!

LEGO LAYOUT and CARD

I really enjoyed creating this double layout and card about Ethan's LEGO creations. I thought I'd have a go at one of Becky Higgin's sketches and try to submit it to Creating Keepsakes - no luck with an acceptance so I can safely share it. Thank you to Severine for the gorgeous American crafts LOVE badge - a special surprise that came in a recent parcel from her - don't you just love that badge!

October is my new favourite month!

It wasn't that long ago that I was feeling a little uninspired and didn't have much on my plate to get my scrapbooking mojo flowing.
Talk about a complete turn around over these last few days!
I'm so excited with the amount of work that has come my way and some really exciting stuff to say the least.

Scrapbooking Memories emailed me and asked for a layout then a few days later I was offered by them to be part of a challenge using a range of products I've never heard of - I can't wait to get my parcel in the mail.

Scrapbook Creations wants one of my mini albums with a step by step on it which is great and also I have my Keeping It Simple article to write for this month too.

I have some new pretty papers from Scrap Art who asked if I could create a new layout for them. On top of that, Pam wanted to know if I may like to teach a class some time - wow!

I received my assignment from my Canadian photography mentor just the other day also and I have to complete that over the next couple of weeks. I need to go with my 'model' to a new location and do a shoot. It's designed to make me think of my location and look for opportunities and places that are suitable to shoot.

Then yesterday, while I was at work I opened my emails and nearly fainted!!!
I read it and re read it and then read it again. Then I printed it out, highlighted the title of the email and ran to my nearest scrapbooking work buddy waving the email in my hand.
It read :
CONGRATULATIONS! SIMPLE SCRAPBOOKS REQUESTS YOUR LAYOUT
So after my heart rate returned to normal I was able to talk again. I'm pretty excited about this. I'm always excited about any scrapbook acceptance to be honest but I had been trying for a long time to get into Simple Scrapbooks USA.

I have two other scrapbooking related things that I'm not sure I can speak about yet but they're pretty cool and I can't wait to share as soon as I can.

So, October is my new favourite month - the planets must definately be aligned for me right now! Thanks always for your encouragement and for dropping by and leaving me a message - it's lovely!

Fun weekend

I returned home from a fun weekend away. Manuel and I flew to Sydney to celebrate the wedding of one of his cousins. It was a great night with dancing and laughing and heaps of ridiculous jokes. The 2 children stayed in Brisbane so we took full advantage of our 'quiet time' with our feet up on the bed in the hotel, eating sushi, sipping diet coke and watching RAVE. Occasionally Manuel flicked the channel over to Hannah Montana but that was an old habit he couldn't break (or so he told me).



Anyway, these photo booth pics were taken at the wedding. The bride and groom had organised a photo booth for all the guest to get their photo taken with 2 copies supplied - I for you to keep and the other to be stuck into a dry mount album which was supplied and you simply added your message.
Being the shy couple that we are (wink, wink), we only managed 4 visits to the photo booth that evening.
After we had collected all our photo strips, Manuel turned to me and with a worried 'too late' look on his face said "You're going to scrap these aren't you!"

heheheh - silly question!