Of breaking glass and flutes

On Monday afternoon our secure little world was shattered when someone smashed our door down and stole a mired of electrical goods. We can replace the TV, the lap tops and the Ipods. Sure we can even replace the external hard drives but what we can't replace is the all of the digital photos dating back to 1999. To protect against computer failure we regularly and carefully backed all of our images and documents up on a hard drive called Harold. It never occurred to us that Harold would be stolen.

So, we are now without any photos, our children don't feel secure in their own home and our little dog is traumatised -  his very hoarse bark is evidence of his attempt to ward off the intruders :(


The builder who quoted to install the new door said it could take up to four weeks for our insurer to approve the work so for now we have a plywood board between us and the great outdoors. It's anybody's guess on how long it will take for our goods to be replaced. So, I could be gone for some time as I am without a computer and mail blogger is refusing to add images - I was going to share with you my shattered door and its plywood replacement but you'll just have to imagine them for yourself.

But as we all know life goes on, even if the speed is a little intense sometimes... Last night I was incredibly proud to watch Zoe's jazz band earn a gold medal in the Jazz Eisteddfod :) They not only put on a great performance they had a huge amount of fun and that is really what life is all about.

Please excuse my absence and failure to comment on your blogs for awhile - but I will return! Take care, my friends, hug your loved ones tight (including your furry friends) and rejoice in all that is good in your life. This too will pass!

Wicked Design Team

Design Team calls produce interesting results and the wp call has been no different. I sometimes wonder if there are scrappers out there whose sole aim in life is to be on as many DTs as possible regardless of whether they've visited a forum or used the product the site sells.

Suddenly the forum has been abuzz with new members - the cynic in me wonders if they'll still be around come the 1st April - post DT announcement. The realist in me knows the answer and doesn't care. The funny thing is wp is already populated by an incredibly talented bunch of women who've helped create an online forum with a heart and without even a hint of nasty clique mentality. The newcomers have some stiff competition ;-)

There has been much speculation on the forum about who will apply and who will ultimately win the big prize. Many people have fessed up to throwing their hat in the ring. I have my favourites and you'd be right if you guessed my money is on a real princess, not an impostor or a fly-by-night. As for me I've um-ed and ah-ed quietly to myself. I've steered clear of that conversation thread...

I often create using wp kits, I visit the forum daily and I'm on the sketch team - so what do I have to lose? Nothing really, I guess but I just wasn't sure about putting myself out there. So, over the past month I've created my LOs but today - as the deadline loomed I was still prevaricating. I chose the Splish Splash Kit but strangely I had a lot of trouble creating with it, maybe it was the pastel colours but more realistically it was the thought of submitting them that weighed me down.

I finally pressed the send button this afternoon and immediately experienced scrappers regret. Oh well! Here's a look at my LOs:

 

Other than creating the LOs using a kit you had to come up with a cc challenge and create a LO based on it. Here's mine:

So, now I've shown my hand I have to wait just like all the other applicants - may the best princess win.

Help! I have a question...

I hope you've been enjoying some scrappy time on National Scrapbooking Day and maybe you bagged a bargain or two - there are some fab sales on today!

Last weekend was the Wicked Princess cybercrop. I only managed to get one challenge done. The theme was movies and for this challenge you had to choose a movie genre and title and use that as the basis of your LO. I chose thriller because it suited this slightly disturbing self-portrait of Angus. The title Memento is from a film that came out in 2000 staring Guy Pearce.

I've also completed the first two wp sketches for this month.

How cool is that flower? I got it from Mad About Scrappin as part of the prize I won at Challenge Heaven. Thanks Leanne and Shell :)

Now I have a serious question. Why don't the she art images have facial features? My lovely cyberbuddy Jasmine created a gorgeous canvas using this style and I fear I may have offended her by asking this exact question (please forgive me if I did Jas). But I really want to know. I've consulted Dr Google and it seems that faceless chicks are the norm. But why? I love the she quotes and I love the style of she art but I really love faces too. And when I checked in with Urban Dictionary the definition of sheart was less than appealing: a friend who is nice to your face but then talks about you badly behind your back. Luckily I realised that this definition applied to the way you said the word (think biarch ) rather than the craft of she art!! Anyway if you can explain to me the reason for being faceless I'd be forever grateful.

Thanks for stopping by - enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

Pretty Paper Petals

After taking part in the Pretty Paper Petals blog hop and ordering some gorgeous flowery goodies, I completed the blog hop challenge. Here's my take on Nadia's sketch featuring (of course) some ppps ;)

I really wanted to try some misting on this swiss dot cardstock. I fancied using some gold but do you think I could find it? I'm left wondering if I only dreamed I owned gold mist... Anyway, not to be thwarted I sprayed on some tattered rose - the effect left me totally underwhelmed so I added some sea glass but this wasn't quite what I was looking for either. I then decided to give Snow Queen a go and voila - I had the fine gold sheen I was looking for :)

Other than that I inked the edges in pink and smeared a bit over the LO and myself for good measure and painstakingly cut out the bunting which I then mostly covered over - all good fun!

Our house has always been visited by the Easter Bilby - so much more Australian and environmentally sustainable than the rabbit :) For reasons I no longer remember this Australian icon has always given the kids books and pyjamas as well as the obligatory chocolate.The kids have accepted this tradition without fuss - we've been reading the story of the Easter Bilby since they were old enough to pay attention. I think the fact that I can choose my own Easter traditions is further proof we live in a very tolerant corner of the world. So, here is a little bilby magic for you. Who could resist one of these little guys making a delivery?!

And that explains my LO nicely!

Lazy days

It's been a quiet Easter (did my gazillion blog posts give me away?). Poor Rob hurt his back moving stuff in the garage on Wednesday so our plans changed. That's ok, I've spent the last few days scrapping, running, walking and entertaining Angus - Zoe has deserted us for a week of camping with friends - and Angus is taking full advantage of his only child status.

Perhaps the most action has been the latest escape of the naughtiest dog in the world. Angus opened the front door just a little too wide for a moment too long and Sparky saw the space and went for it. Ollie, Angus' friend, who was on the outside of the door took off in hot pursuit - barely keeping pace even on his scooter. Angus was left trailing behind, trying to put his shoes on as he ran. Sparky headed straight for the ponds and the ducks scattered.  Amid much shouting (and a bit of cursing) the boys chased him from the main pond to the small pond and tackled him in the mud - all three reappeared plastered in black stinky mud and identical silly grins. How that dog survives is beyond me.

Once the drama was over and Collingwood had won their ANZAC Day game I got down to some scrappy business. This one is for KIU - 1 piece of kraft, 2 pics smaller than 6x4, 3 different alphas, 4pps and 5 embellies.

And these are a couple of just because LOs :) I think my new paper love might just be the MME Stella range, shame the photo doesn't do justice to the rich colours and the weighty texture of these pps.

 

This one is using the wp little monsters kit - how cool is that fimo monster, handmade by Krissy?!

Today I escaped for a morning out with Janina. A pedicure and coffee - so very civilised! Then this afternoon Angus felt the need to hit the shops armed with his Birthday money and vouchers. I have to give credit where credit is due - that boy knows how to shop - it was exhausting but oh so entertaining. He came home with a jumper, two nerf guns, a Bear Grylls book,  a kicking tee and a lighter but not empty wallet. I fear that wallet means I will be spending some more time at the shops all too soon...

Thanks for stopping by you know I love it ;)

Update overload

Just when you thought it was safe to come back to my blog I posted for a fourth time in one day - crazy stuff! But please stay awhile, this is a scrappy post, no more pics of the family, I promise :)

So, this is what I've been up to. A Simon Says challenge from Kate the Great. Angus and his friend Bill striking a pose at their Yr 6 Farewell.

This one is is for the theme challenge at Challenge Heaven - a candid pic and twine. My kids were so excited when their school book packs arrived, they examined each and every item, but then who doesn't love a parcel and stationary items??

This one is my take on the sketch challenge at Once Upon A...Sketch. You had to journal about why the pics were important. Mine feature my scrappy buddy Janina and me.  I wanted to record how important her friendship is to me without being overly sentimental or soppy because she always makes me laugh :)

Thanks for stopping by I hope you're having a fabulous Easter break.

Birthdays and Parties Part 3

And now it's time for the final chapter. Angus didn't really have one special day - he had a week of celebrations - the Festival of Angus. He finally wound up the celebrations the day after his Birthday after a trip to the movies with his buddy to see Diary of Wimpy Kid 2. 

His big day started with the traditional present opening.

A hug from his big sister:

and trying on his new gear:

Before heading out for a haircut (yes he requested it) and brunch at his favourite cafe. Then it was home again for lunch with Granma and his buddy who came to stay the night to prolong the celebrations :)
This is a child who knows how to celebrate! But wait there's more...

Turning 13 is a big deal especially when you have mean parents who made you wait until you were legally allowed to have a facebook account, even when all your friends were fudging their ages to get on. Happy fb buddy!

And so my child of the light is growing up. He and I like to take long walks and discuss the state of the world. We pump each other for information - he confirms his knowledge of politics, drugs and sex (and sometimes rock and roll) and I check what he and his friends are up to (no sex or drugs but lots of music, emerging political views and even more sport). He reminds me that now is an exciting time to be alive and I love him for it. On our walk the day after his Birthday he confessed that facebook is pretty boring - less than 24 hours after accessing the holy grail! His honesty is another reason I love him :)