Living my dream

Cards

I used to dread making cards. I mean how do you make one? What's it supposed to look like? Then I realised they are just mini scrapbook pages. So now that's what I aim for when I make one. Now as part of my teaching, this is one of the stories I tell the class, and it's been helpful for some of them too!

Well the good news is that I'll be doing another card class at SENZ. Yep! I can't wait. I haven't made it up yet, but if you would like to see some cards I've made recently, take a look below:

 
Love all the Prima papers and crystals and flowers that have come together so easily and made the card so sparkly and special.

 
I especially love this one. I love the angles of the paper and the little touches like the stamped birdcage. Of course it's all Prima, just in case you were wondering. Grin.

And that 'sentiment' is alphabet stickers which have been stuck to a transparency, then stitched on either side, allowing the words to flow across the flowers. A little bit like a bridge. Fun huh?!

Later.

Kays Company Craft Weekend

I have just spent the day at Kays Company craft event doing workshops with the Glitz Design ladies, The Bo Bunny team and learning about dies from Cherry Lynn.

Oh . my . goodness. What a day! FANTASTIC. Thank you Kays for putting on such a wonderful day and bringing over some amazing manufacturers to show us their products up close and personal.

Everyone was so professional. There were amazing classes. STUNNING product.

If you have some free time tomorrow or the next, then click here, scroll down, check out the classes available (there are a few) and BOOK. You won't be disappointed!

T

PS: And just quietly....I've got some cool product ideas for my SENZ classes now. I CAN'T WAIT to order product and get them under way.

Prima Share

Just catching up on some stuff that I haven't shown yet.

A great PPP this month. Delicious colours of green and brown. Makes me think of apples and spring. These are the items I came up with....

 
And a couple of close ups

 
and another

 
and lastly

 
I then got bored one Sat afternoon and came up with this card using the same PPP...

 
I created the background from weaving Prima lace together. Love the effect. But have to say I got the idea after seeing a Prima class from CHA.

 
I added in Prima packaging by punching butterflies using a couple of Martha Stewart punches.

 
Don't forget you can use these colours/products to create a LO and be in to win a wonderful prize.

Prima's BAP this month was used as a class for the Christchurch Relief Scrapbooking Fundraiser I held last weekend. But before that LO I created this one.

 
I really liked it until I saw it photographed. It just doesn't have the same impact. Thus the reason I created another. LOL.

 
I do love the sunflowers!

 
I just got an order from O/S with new Prima in it. Soooooo excited. I've created one LO so far, and can't wait to create more.

Later.

A conversation with Sarah

We usually ask the kids what part of the weekend was their favourite.

Sarah had a birthday party yesterday and the weetbix tryathlon today, so we knew it was going to be a close call.

Her first answer was of course the birthday party.

Then Andy probed a little more:

What made your heart and brain feel best?

She thought about it for a while, then smiled and said, the tryathlon.

Interesting what achievement can do for a child. Especially when she crashed on the bike, got back up and carried on. So proud of both of them today.

Christchurch Relief Scrapbooking Fundraiser

Well, this week has gotten away on me. First Dan was sick, then myself. But today I decided, sick or not, we all need to know just how much money was raised last weekend.

And I was sooooo pleased to count it all up and discover it was more than I initially thought.

Together we raised $2431.60 (yep, that .60 is a bit weird, but there, so we're counting it! LOL).

I've still got a couple (literally) of kits left. So happy to sell them and add into the total, just let me know if you want one.

Thanks again everyone for helping make this such a great day, and to raise so much money! Wow!

Prima DT call

Have you seen the news?

Go here to check it out.

Prima are an AMAZING company to work for. I can not recommend them highly enough for their products, philosophy, innovation, and quality (just a few things that they shine in).

Do try out for it. It is so worth it.

We are living in an upside down world

Both literally and figuratively right now.

Since when do whole countries get wiped out by mother nature and potential nuclear disaster?

Since when do whole cities live amongst piles of rubble?

Since when is it ok for a journalist to stay in the air in a helicopter recording people and cars getting swept away by a tsunami instead of swooping down and picking them up out of the way of disaster?

Since when is it ok for a group of bullies to roam a school, while their victim is escorted around the same school for fear of her safety?

Just when did everything turn upside down? And more importantly how do we stay upright in these changing times?

I've really struggled the last few days. Sure I was tired from a wonderful couple of weeks organising and then happening, but it was more than that. It was the drain of trying to stay honest with myself when the rest of the world is literally turning upside down.

I'm tired of it. I'm tired of people seeking out sensationalism instead of helping. I'm tired of victims being seen as in the wrong. I'm tired of the way our world is going. And more than that, I'm disapointed. Disappointed in how people treat each other.

Unfortunately in alot of circumstances there isn't much I can say or do. People either can't or don't want to hear/do some things. So all I can do is try to stay true to myself, and try to teach my children the values and integrity I hope will make a solid citizen for the future.

Where is our world heading?

SCKC - April camp - Wellington

Hi guys,

Just a reminder that pages for the SCKC camp are needed by April 15.

Send directly to the camp in Wellington at this address: P.O. Box 9223, Marion Square, Wellington 6141

Campers start arriving on the 17th, so they do need them by the 15th at the absolute latest.

I've got a ton here to send down. THANK YOU to those who have already sent to me. It is sooooooo appreciated!

T

CRSF - the day in pictures

Here is the day in photos....

 
The hall, not quite finished. But nearly.

 
People busy at work.

 
Lesley teaching

 
The prize table.

 
The tea table

And a series of close up's...

 

 

 
Check out all those jelly beans from Andrea at SBO!

 

 
No, those cupcakes are NOT real! Grin. They are made from felt, and in each goodie bag was a kit including everything needed to make your own. Cute huh?!

It was pretty special.

CRSF Winners and sponsors

The day could not have been as successful if we didn't have a wonderful team of sponsors and contributors. Huge thanks go out to the following:

 
Plus - The Shabby Rose (Hamilton)

And the following people:

Lesley Cooper - Fabulous Photography Tips and Techniques

Donna Meuli - Raffle selling magnate

Vicki Morris - Decoration Whizz

Debbie Blincoe - Baker extraordinare

Our Raffle Winners are as follows:

 
If you see your name on this list, and weren't at the event, please contact me with your address and I will send out your prize. 
 
Thanks again to everyone involved in the day.

Lesley's photography challenge

Hey guys, I had an email from Lesley confirming the challenge she set in class the other day is now up on her blog.

Just click on those links above to see more.

The challenge while set in Lesley's class at the Christchurch Relief Scrapbooking Fundraiser (CRSF), is open to everyone. So I challenge you to have a look and have a go.

 

Update

After 10 hours sleep last night, I'm starting to feel a little more back to normal. What a shame that Dan has now woken up with a stomach virus. Poor wee thing. He's looking very sad wrapped up on the couch, throwing up every now and then.

Anyway, so today I plan on getting as much of the Christchurch Relief Scrapbooking Fundraiser wrapped up as possible.

I'm pleased to say that with a class of 18 the other day, I do still have some class kits available for those out of Auckland, or who couldn't make it on the day.

This is what the class is:

 
A beautiful LO filled with the latest and greatest from Prima. Perfect for BOY themes, but also just as easily adapted to girl themed LO's.

The kit includes all the product to make up this LO. It includes a full set of alphas, a full set of flowers, a full set of felt devines, a Mist ables canvas sheet, lots of paper and extra bits and pieces. You will not be disappointed.

The cost of the kit is $48 (all of which will go to the 2011 Red Cross earthquake fund), plus postage ($7.50 - feel free to get a couple shipped to friends to save on postage!).

My bank account is: 12-3013-0103248-00

For those of you who have already asked me to put a kit aside, and still want one, please deposit the money into my account and then email me to let me know it's been done so I can then send it out to you.

If you didn't put your name down, then please email me. I am starting to run out, so will need to confirm I have a spare one to send to you.

Come back later today for more on what the day was like, and an update on final donations received.

PS: I'm happy to send overseas but postage may be costly?

Conversations overheard

This morning:

Matt to Sarah: I love you my beautiful sis. (awwww, doesn't it break your heart?!)

Yesterday:

Dan to me: Mum I really love this song.

Me: Oh yeah, it's pretty cool. What do you like about it?

Dan: The boom.

Me: The what?

Dan: The BOOM! The boom sound.

Me: Oh! You mean the beat! Yeah, its got a good beat. I love the boom of this song too Dan.

Even in the madness of my life, I LOVE little conversations, little snippets of my life, reminders of how amazing my children, and family are.

I feel very blessed.

What's Prima up to now?

Something incredibly cool....

 
It's times like this I really wish I was living a little closer! Grin.

National Craft month - my bit

I read on Helmars facebook page (oh yeah, I'm all over facebook now! ROFL!) that it's national craft month.

What better month then to have a craft event????

Yep, here's all the details for the Christchurch Relief Scrapbooking Fundraiser.

When: Sunday March 13th, 10am - 8pm. You can come for a minute or the whole day. It's totally up to you!

Where: Taitamariki Hall (Girl Guide Hall), Auburn Street Reserve (oppostite Como Street), Takapuna, Auckland.

Why?

Because in Auckland we feel so helpless in the face of what's happened in Ch/Ch, I wanted to do something to help. Initially I was going to go down there. You know those cheap flights? Down and back in a day. Not drag on their resources, but do some digging or whatever else they needed. ANYTHING. But we were told to stay away. So I respected that. But it left me with a hole. WHAT could I do? Then just a week ago I thought to myself...Ok self, what can you do? Literally? Slowly over the course of the day, I realised that I teach. I have put on or contributed to Scrapbooking events before. I could do that. Maybe? And thus my dream to help was conceived.

But then it was a matter of logistics. It needed to happen quickly, but there were already other scrapbooking events on the weekends of the 19th and 26th. I am away the following weekend. And then it was over a month away and just too far away. I felt pulled to do it quickly. And so we looked at a weekend just two weeks away. Could it be done? It usually takes months to get these things under way. Darn it. Yes, this is important. This will work. It will.

But then we ran into trouble. Venues were hard to come by until late one night I got a phone call saying 'sorry for the delay in replying to you, but yes, we can help! But only on the Sunday'. WHAT?! AMAZING! So cool. I'm sure it won't matter. A day is better than no day.

Luckily Prima had already come to the party. I spoke to them and the same day they shipped off goods for the class. How incredibly amazing is that?!

It was on.

Then it was just a matter of advertising, organising prizes, goodie bags and items for inside them. People wanted to help as well and I pulled in a number of you guys. Adn there may be more ways to come. Still working on that. THANK YOU! Couldn't do it without you.

And a final cherry on top, I managed to sweet talk Heidi into coming up and being surrounded with love and support from her fellow scrapbookers.

So there's a little insight into the day. How it came about, and my feelings about Ch/Ch and needing to help.

Now, we just need to wait (and work away in the background). Only a week to go.

Already from the confirmed numbers having brought the class, crop and raffle tickets we've made $940. My aim was $1000 so we've just about hit it. And we still have a week to go. A week to fill the hall (and we've had a great response so far!), a week to fill the class. A week to sell more raffles. And of course there is the possibility of money from the 'garage sale' too.

Our bit to help is happening and bigger than I ever imagined. Thank you for being a part of a very special day. I can't wait to see you there!