Monday, November 28, 2011

December- Where did the year go?- OUAS

I'ts December! I know everyone always says, "Where did the year go?" But where, oh where did those 11 months go?
                                                  I'M GOING HOME TODAY!!!!!
Yep that's right, we are off on our 23 hour multi-plane flight.Yikes I hate all that travelling. The older I get the less I cope with those long hauls. I think I've seen way too many disaster shows.
I can't wait to see the surprise on my parents' faces when my two come knocking on their door. My sister is picking us up at the airport but my parents have no idea we're coming.

Here's my contribution to honour the month of December and what I'm looking forward to.
FOR ME IT'S ABOUT REUNION

Our challenge for Dec 1st at Once Upon a Sketch
Check out what the amazing dt have created here. http://onceuponasketchblog.blogspot.com/
Journalling Criteria/theme: The thing I look most forward to in December.
Write at least 2 sentences on what you look forward to in the next month. December is a festive month so your journalling could be about the Christmas season, the holidays, the presents or if you do not celebrate Christmas what does December bring for you that you look most forward to? Note:Your layout DOES NOT have to be about Christmas! It can be about anything December brings.

Other ideas for journalling: an annual holiday or celebration, a specific event such as putting up the Christmas tree or pre Christmas traditions you might have leading up to Christmas, family time, snow covered fields or warmer weather, time off work, school holidays, change of weather, new season fruit.
Great prizes to be won too.
Here's Nadia's fabulous sketch to inspire you. Love this design Nadia.
My take:
"THIS CHRISTMAS"
I'm so looking forward to these girls getting together again. This is the last pic of all the girl cousins together, taken Christmas 5 years ago. Each girl is the daughter of one of my siblings. L-R Amelia is my older sister's, Sienna is my girl, Alice (now a stunning 21 year old, who hated her gorgeous curly hair at that age) is my younger sister's, Emily is my younger brother's and Laura is my older brother's daughter.

How funny is this? This is a page I did last year at this time for Webster's Page Gdt. 
It works so well with Nadia's design.

Back to this year's close ups.
Lots of cutting.
Journalling reads: "It's been five years since these cousins have been together. Five years of growing and changing. This December, it's going to be fabulous when they all catch up again.
We're all looking forward to a wonderful reunion this Christmas, 2011"
I popped out all the girls in the front.Looks great IRL.
"Who's that knocking at my door?" Anyone remember Men at Work?
That's what my parents will be saying. lol
I'm not sure how much access I'm going to have over the next few weeks, so I want to wish you all a very 
Merry Christmas from
MY HOME AND HEART TO YOURS!
Jenix

Here's some of the fabulous prizes to be won.
We welcome a BRAND new sponsor to our blog this month! 


One lucky person will receive this prize from Handmade By Suzanne!
And one lucky person will win this..
A set of My Mind's Eye 6 x 6 paper pads in 4 different collections

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Catching Up- A long one.

It's catch up time. There just doesn't seems to be enough of any time at the moment. I'm so far behind in my blog drops ins. Thanks to all of you who are still dropping by visiting me. I really do appreciate it. I'm hoping next week after all my commitments are finished I'll have time to drop in on you.

Been meaning to post the new challenge that's up at Once Upon A Sketch. 

 This is such a wonderful design. I reckon it's one of my favs so far from the lovely Nadia. The dt girls have done an awesome job showing their fabulous talents off as women and their creative talents as scrappers.
    Heres what you can win.

A fabulous chipboard collection for 1 randomly chosen winner by Imaginarium Designs.  




A stunning collection of goodies to the value of $25.00 to one randomly chosen winner from The Chip Chop Shop 

The winner of this challenge receives this embellishment collection from BasicGrey's Jovial  fabulous Christmas line.
 

We're off on our big trip in exactly two weeks. Yikes. I haven't even thought about packing. Although the kids are started. Their suitcases are sitting in the living room and each day they seem to add a little more. Pretty cute really.  It'll be the first time in five years that all my family will be together. We're all so excited. Hoping we don't give my parents heart attacks when they see everyone. lol

Here's the lastest one I did with the Summer flower collection over at Manor House Creations.
Papers are all from The Scrap cake. Once again wishing you some summer sunshine.

 Not the clearest pic of Sienna taken by her bro. But the pose makes me smile and sometimes it's nice to scrap the imperfect ones. The pic was taken on a camping trip where they were have so much fun playing and snapping pics of each other.


The clothes line reminds me of the ropes strung between the trees at the campsites.

Here's some early Christmas los too. They're in this month's Scrapbook Creations magazine. The Colour Team were all given different colours to scrap for the Christmas feature. I was lucky I scored the easy colours- red and blue. We were allowed a second colour used minimally and neutral colours of b/w and beige to compliment.

Ok does anyone see something that doesn't belong in this pic? lol

Most of the pp is last years Bo Bunny. When you scrap for Christmas features it's usually 4 months ahead and most of the new Christmas lines aren't out.

I used so of my left over dt stash from Dusty Attic for these adorable little houses.

  Here's my two looking ever so cute and cuddy for a Christmas pic on Christmas day last year. It's the best day to get smilie pics. lol



To use the words taken from the lo, "May health, peace and sweet content be yours," dear friends.
Jenix


Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Little Bit of Sunshine

Ok so I know there's lots of you in the north thinking summer is a lifetime away. But it wasn't that long ago when the days were long, the nights were warm, school was out and camping and beach days ... I know it's sad isn't it? lol I'm such a summer devotee. Give me a summer's day every day.
Oh yes, I enjoy the autumn walks and crisp morning air and that first snow fall... but I'm over it after about a week!!!
            So here's some summer sunshine for you.

                                    CREATED FOR MANOR HOUSE CREATIONS

                                            That little bikini at the bottom makes me laugh.

The pic was taken a few years ago on the beach at Surfer's Paradise, Aus, as my two spent hours combing the beach for shells.


Such gorgeous blooms.

The pp is all from The Scrap Cake. Manor House is the Aus distributer for TSC so we get to play with their lovely products.

These adorable little houses are from Flourish With a Bling. I just love them. For those of you wondering what they're all about, on some of the foreshores in Australia we have these wooden little sheds that were build in the 1920's and 30's. They were used by families to store their summer boats and equipment.
Here's a pic of one of the beaches near where I grew up, in Melbourne. They're now protected for their historical value and everyone paints them bright colours.

Another lo? I find I don't scrap nearly as many pics of my gorgeous boy. Scrapping seems to focus so much on the pretty girlie pages. So here's one of my handsome son. Lots of flowers on his los too.

Thankful For You

This boy of mine has such a beautifully smilie face.

Flourish with a Bling's lovely Jack' Vine
Added some chipboard from Imaginarium Designs for a touch of  nautical

 Love that cute little hot air balloon
More blooms and the pp is all Webster's.
Oh the sun is just peeking through the clouds, I betta get out there. LOL
Have a great day.
Jenix

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

WHY SCRAP?- Once Upon a Sketch

Here's the lastest at Once Upon a Sketch!

Why do you scrap and when did you start?
This is my layout. I've had this pic of Sienna for a while and always wanted to scrap it but never quite found the right reasons. Then when I read this topic I thought it's perfect. Now you might be wondering how come? I could think of  heaps of reasons why I scrap, the main reason being 'cause I just have the need. to create. IYKWIM.

But it's also to capture all those special moments. The ones that are spontaneously caught in a pic. Oh sure we all have lots of posed pics for birthdays and celebrationS but I love these pics. The ones that are random, and I was going to say caught on film but, that's pretty outdated these days.

This is one of those moments. Her nose crinkles, her dimples pop out and Sienna lets out the most infectious joyous laugh. She throws her head back and thoroughly enjoys the moment. A wonderful pic!
I could have done without the gum. lol

The lovely chipboard is all from our sponsor Imaginarium Designs...
 and the stunning flowers are from the new summer collection at Manor House Designs. Added a touch of gesso.
 My journalling reads: In 1995 I opened a window. (I guess most people would say a door but I've always been a scrapbooker from the time I was child. So the window seemed more appropriate. lol)
I am telling our story...capturing precious moments in time to explore, to create: Destination Art.


Here's our challenge for November 1st. Just upload here: http://onceuponasketchblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-1st-challenge.html
We love checking out everyone's takes on Nadia's fabulous sketches. And the prizes are amazing.
 
November 1st Challenge
Journalling Criteria: This time you need to journal at least 
2 SENTENCES on WHEN you started scrapping and WHY?
You MUST combine our journalling criteria with this sketch.


Prizes
How would you like to be our Guest Designer for December? This is the challenge where you have the chance to win a spot on our design team for the whole upcoming month simply by winning this challenge. As well as being our Guest Designer, the first placed winner as chosen by the Design Team will win this prize..

The complete October kit from Swirlydoos kit club.

This kit is simply stunning. It includes the captivating Vintage Blue line from Glitz Designs, papers, flowers, wood flourishes and rub ons from Kaisercraft, Prima Resin Old Window, Maya Road wooden spools and pearl pins and much much more.

This time we also have 2 prizes to give away to RANDOMLY chosen people!

The first prize for one randomly chosen winner will receive a mixture of products from "the chip chop shop" to the value of $25.00 plus postage.
Our other randomly drawn winner will receive the gorgeous Webster's Pagespaper collection Ladies and Gents which includes 1 sheet of alphas, 1 die cut paper, 1 vellum paper, and 6 sheets of patterned paper.

Now who wouldn't want to win one of these awesome prizes!

Thanks for dropping by,
Jenix

  

Saturday, October 29, 2011

All Hallows

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !
Crafted for Manor House Creations

Ok so if you're from Aus or Europe, you're wondering what all the fuss is about. I remember growing up thinking I wish we celebrated Halloween - all those free lollies! What kid doesn't want that kind of celebration!

When your dh is Canadian you take on some of his celebrations. How funny is this story? When our kids were little we used to give our friends lollies so they could give them to our kids when we dropped in on Halloween night. lol
One year when we lived up in Darwin, we couldn't get an orange pumpkin at that time of year, so we improvised and painted green ones orange.

This is my Halloween crafting this year. Well this, a gift for my son, and of course making costumes.
All Hallows comes from the original name for Halloween. Most people think of it as a pagan festival. Well most kids just think of it as a candy festival! But it's origins are based on the Christian belief of all souls rising from the dead which is Nov 2nd.

On to the project, lol
I found the wooden houses in Walmart and thought  (like all scrapbookers do) hmmm I think I can do something with that. lol Well many hours later this was the result. I can't help myself. I'm just one of those who love all the little details.

 The houses were all black before I started. On this one I used brick red crackle paint. Flowers and leaves are all from the new summer collection at Manor House Creations.
Trim is Webster's, Family plaque is Bo Bunny, Dusty Attic chipboard piece.
These little flowers are gorgeous. I love the inked edges. Just added a light touch of paint to the leaves.
The pirate (Jera's costume from two years ago) house all locked up with a DA gate and letter box.
On this one I used textured fibre paste and rub paint. It has a great weathered look IRL.

 This lovely flourish is from Flourish With a Bling and worked as a perfect vine on the ghost house.
 I love this pic of Jera sitting so proudly on the tractor with all those wonderful pumpkins.
                                    Sienna was a fairy a couple of years ago.
                         I kept the witch black to give the appearance of a silhouette.
This is Jera's costume this year, minus the moustache. He's the "Ghost of Moustaches Past." I know you're probably thinking what on earth!!! One of the characters from the show Wizards of Waverly Place dressed as this. At least it was an easy costume. lol
Found these cute little skulls and crossbones.
 I'll finish with these gorgeous blooms from Manor House in the sunlight.
                               HAPPY HALLOWEEN for the 31st to all those of you who celebrate.
                                           Have a great scrapping week if you don't.

I'm off to check in on your blogs.I've been so busy crafting lately, I just can't get enough time in the day.
Thanks for dropping by.
Jenix

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Castaway

This is my latest layout out today for Manor House Creations using their gorgeous flowers.
Lots of textured paint, fiber paint, gesso, Perfect Pearls, inks and mists to create an arty concoction for my background.
Castaway was the thought that came into my mind when I saw this pic. Couldn't you just sail away?
Here's the pic. Isn't that a gorgeous sunset! The water really did have that wonderful reflection.
Some lovely Manor House Creations flowers with a touch of Perfect Pearls and glimmermist.


Imaginarium Designs chipboard words and frame.
Some canvas as a backdrop for the pic. I love the way it takes colour so beautifully and adds so much texture.
Casting a net. Flourish With a Bling flourish to add some bling. lol
Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your comments and love reading them.
Have a great weekend.
Jenix