And a new year begins!

Ill show some cutesy photos of Lambo hanging out with Jenna and Micky to start with- too cute not to share!

What a fantastic Christmas, it was our first Christmas together at home, and it was lovely, the weather was horrendous and hot, so before we went BBQ'ing up the road we went for a swim in the river with the dogs, was good fun, and Jenna is getting much more comfortable in the water along with Micky's unique form of encouragement (swimming away and stranding her across the other side of the river)

Havent had much time for crafting since Elf on the shelf and I hear Penelope was a fun december installment!
But I did make a lil something special for the Fledgling Scrapbooker aka the mum-in-law : I'm still on a bit of a birdcage phase!!  That glass bird that is sitting where a tealight candle would be usually.

I'm settling into the new year after being away for new Years, the scrap room is getting tidy, like the last of Project Life 2012, just need to print a few important photos and ill be done!

I hope everyone has had a safe and joyful holiday period and that the new year starts off with a positive spin and heaps of happiness!!

So many people to thank!

I have been wanting to do Elf on the Shelf for ages, but never found the right elf to do it with.
This year, after I just about choked on the $100 price tag on some of the elves available online,  Kelly N took pity on the rural lifer, and sent me a lil beauty!
SO since being at Spring Edition in October and doing a fabbo class by Paula Cheney (of 7 Gypsies and Ranger fame!!) I was totally inspired to do my own Elf on the Shelf folio book, and with massive thanks to the ever generous Dallas T lending me all her spellbinders (I WILL post tomorrow!!!)
And then I had the extremely helpful and educated Melanie R who provided me with the perfect wording for my elf poo poem and  the photo poem!

Of course,I left it to the last minute(2 days with a new puppy to supervise!!!)  I came up with the following mini folio album thingie...
The elf is being sent to Jayme's neice's and nephew - the youngest is 4 and still believes, but the older two will be excellent co-conspirators!!!
So thanks to a whole heap of people there is going to be two very happy families for December (I say two cos the family will love it (fingers crossed anyway!) and I will get the photos!!!!!

Front cover 

Front cover inside, introduction letter

Page 2 - a passport photo and passport to go along with Penelope the Elf








Then we have a clear insert ready for a family photo including Penelope

This is what it looks like from the side

a little cartoon that I found years ago, and love it, I think I use it every year! and a Christmas wish pocket with tags

Then the last page, with elf poo! (apple tic tacs) and a very clever poem written by Mel :D

Packed and ready to go! who knew a Kindle box would just be SO perfect for the purpose! and only one rescue from Jenna the puppy before it was all packed up :D

This is Jenna in case you dont have the happy coincidence of seeing a million and 5 photos of her on my facebook page! 

LAMBO!

 I totally forgot how cool it was to have a pet lamb, to be fair, Lambo isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he is so grumpy that its comical.  He comes to me now when I call him, but it seems as if he reallllly doesn't want to come, but I might have treats, so he comes anyway.  Micky has a ball with him, bouncing around and being a mate, when we go out and come home, Micky is first out of the car and runs off to check in with Lambo, SO cute that it makes us rush inside and watch the mini reunion out the back door, and when Lambo is lonely and Baa's we ask Micky to "go see Lambo" and he does! totally adorable and I know you all want your own Micky and Lambo but not to be! so instead I will give you some photos of the adorable creatures!

One for Micky, 5 for Lambo...

Micky thinks he should eat grass too to keep Lambo company

Honestly! Lambo has to be quick otherwise Micky eats his sheep pellets...

The weather lately has been TOO HOT!  I am not looking forward to summer this year!

Fancy Pants @ Northridge Publishing

Who wouldn't want to win a Fancy Pants pack!???

I love Fancy Pants paper and if you head over to Northridge Publishing blog, you get the chance to enter to win!

http://create.northridgepublishing.com/giveaway-friday-fancy-pants/#

Hi October! ohhhh Hi November..... Bye October

Oh well, a month hiatus is ok, I had a great month! Went to Spring Edition (the first Autumn Escape event I've attended) and I loved it, been so long since I've seen friends and scrapped my little heart out. well I didnt really, but I thought I did ok at least finishing one layout......
The other fantastic bonus that happened in October is that on our way up north to Taupo, we were able to do a slight detour and see The Puppies! they were too young when we first saw them and we didn't want to choose straight away, so we were lucky enough to be invited back on our way home and when we did, we chose our new little girl dog! shes so cute and she is due to come home end of November, fun times ahead!

This is Table 10 - Dallas, Judy, Sharon and I - Photos by Andrea Ray - awesome pics from the whole weekend! 

Dallas, Paula Cheney! yes! THAT Paula Cheney of 7 Gypsies fame and now Creative Co-ordinator for Tim Holtz, I loved her classes, and her creativity was very cool (and she was a really nice person, realistic and not gushy) 

Jayme and I took Dallas to Huka Falls before he ditched dropped us off at the Waireiki Resort

And meet LAMBO, like Rambo, but a lamb. That was Jayme's creative name calling, hes very cute but a bit scaredy cat still, but pleased Micky has made a new friend :D

August tidy up!

A few things from August, firstly my attempt at the August Paperchase Challenge, was really hard! set by Angela Knight and it was as follows: cardstock only, (no pp) pens, and washi tape.. Oh and just to add to the pain, at least 4 photos.  All I can say is that this is not my favourite layout ever, but its another layout done.

 At the start of every month, I go through all my SD cards and make sure they are empty, if not, I empty /edit /save/organise so that I dont get confused with too many photos from the wrong month.  works for me mainly because I have a Special  folder called, wait for it now, its exciting...." 0000Photos to be printed"

Its got the zero's to keep it at the top, easy to find, and as I go through the month I throw the photos I want  to print (for scrapping and PL) into it and it makes life easier when it comes to edit and print time.  But anyway, what I was going to say is that I found this photo:                                                                                    its the Before to my after!

The messy Before photo

The tidy After photo

And then this month we had something cool, its called a Blue moon, and it doesnt mean the moon is blue!! It means that the month of August 2012 actually had two full moons, this is the second.

I'd like to say I see these pretty colours all the time, but I would totally be lying, I'm not the earliest bird so I often miss out on these stunning sunrises, but I got this one! 

And I think I might scrap this photo, I just like it, its from Sunday when Jayme and I took Micky to the beach - 7 mile beach I think, and it was SO windy and blustery and wet, Micky was very aware of the rush of the waves and I was pleased at his self preservation instinct of staying high up on the beach, those waves were harsh!, but this image was at the very end of the beach, and there is a ridge of stone cliff above the waters edge where it has been eroded out from under by the waves, just a neat geographical spot :D

BLOG HOP!!

Normally I don't tend to last long in a blog hop, I tend to get a little bit distracted, but THIS blog hop by Scraps of Elegance has really got me going - every site I have gone to has inspired me and its made commenting on them so easy!

AND as an added bonus, they are doing the odd giveaway at different blogs too, including a pack of goodness from Flourish with a Bling, totally worth have a look at!!

So what are you waiting for!?? get hopping :D

Happenings

Winter is easing off here, although it has been very mild! not at all like last year with snow excitement and long periods of freezing cold days.
We are back into some stunning sunsets, but I have been far too "busy" (lazy) to rush off to the beach to capture the colours, so instead I make do with pottering around home.

A snap of the colours from the back of the house.

The other time consuming thing I have been doing is my scrap room. After the whole rigmarole redoing some of the plastering and painting, and half moving my stuff out, I decided it was just too hard to keep going like that so spent several days putting my room to order.  I adore my new wee butchers block - $20!!! perfect for my cuttlebug.

This is from the door, on the left wall are two big pantry things that hold cardstock, card making stuff, my less favoured  pp, ATC's, albums, books/magazines, blank canvas' all those sorts of things.

Big baskets hold flowers and ribbons (according to colour in plastic baggies)  Radio on  a new shelf, the old suitcases have an assortment of cd's, chipboard and I think there might even be some lettering in one :D

The bookcase to the left has fabric, smash book stuff and most importantly, Project Life things, and the basket is for me to throw those bits in that I will eventually add to the album, on the right I have adhesives, inks, some fave stamps, bling and on top, some fave tools.

My desk, the pink has traditionally been my took box, but  lately its been  dangerous putting my hand in for fear of  having fingers sliced off so I've split my sharp tool and other tools, really on a daily basis I only use 4 things anyway!.  I love that I have surrounded my desk with a bunch of stuff that makes me happy, not necessarily things I have made but a glass cat from a childhood birthday or a framed smurf picture. on the spice rack I also have all my washi tapes and twine.

My paper racks with paper pads, and fave papers.  Bookcase has paints, glue gun/heatgun that sort of thing, oh and photos, and I love that cheap sewing machine, I just struggle to use it :(

A common occurance in our house, and the reason I tell Jayme its just not right for me to wash the windows (good excuse or what!?) birds often fly into the doors/windows but rarely do they injure themselves, and at worst they might sit on the ground for a few minutes to see straight again before they fly off into the bush again, the only impression they leave are a few feathers and the thump when they made the connection.  I love that Micky doesnt automatically run outside when he hears it, he goes to look out the window and just watches.

A 2012 goal completed!!! I wanted to get photos of a frog, and here one is! I have no clue what he was doing outside the front door, but I gladly snapped his portrait before he went off to do froggy things!

Brownies! I made brownies!!! and they're GOOD!

Perhaps I should start from the beginning, Last night we went to a neighbours house for drinks, and the hostess Maryanne showed me a jar that she had been given with a biscuit mix it! I thought it was a fantastic idea and then today I snagged this idea from Laura, and its AWESOME!
Chocolate Brownies in a Bag
1 Cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
*Add choc chips if you have them!!

Mix all ingredients above together, I just sifted it all into a ziploc bag.
Write on bag:
Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vege oil, 1 tsp vanilla.
Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 20-25 minutes

YUM.

Who's Fantistico!? Nina is Fantistico!!

For the NZ Paper Chase July Challenge :

Flamenco Dancer extraordinare!

(Thanks to Jo for letting me use Nina!)