Living my dream

Friends

Just found this quote:

Though we drifted apart in distance I still think of you as being right here. And although we have many new friends, it is our friendship that means the most to me.
Unknown

This describes a relationship I have with my BFF (grin) Jane. Wish she wasn't so far away. But glad we still talk and email and visit alot.

Random things

• I watched "Miss Potter" today and was totally inspired. What an uplifting movie.
  
  
• When I went to pick up Daniel at Kindy, I was doing up his seat belt when a car came too close to us and hit the door. I was extremely lucky that she didn't hit me. Worse still she didn't even bother to stop. Quite tired of drivers attitudes in this country!
  
  
• Matt won player of the day at rugby on Sat. He had a good game. Scoring one try and making some great tackles and being there with consistent support. This tackle thing is starting to work out!
  
  
• I'm working on a couple of scrappy things that are pretty exciting right now. And it doesn't even include SENZ (OMG, when will the excitement stop?). Come back here on the 2nd June to find out what the first thing is. The second may or may not come off, but crossing fingers.
  
  
• Take a look here (Two peas forum) for something really exciting. I've spent the last month or two putting together a ton of pages for it. Crossing fingers some of them get picked up.
  
  
• Prima have also announced a new educator team. This team will have it's own blog and will teach around the world. Check it out here. NZ's very own Louise Williams is on the team. Yay! Go Kiwis. Plus more extremely talented women. And yes, it's different to the Design Team. I can't wait to see who will be picked to be on that this year! (who else is holding their breath????)
  
  
• My brain has felt far less foggy the last couple of days. So great! Bring on more of this!

Took this photo of my three yesterday. Very typical of all of them.

Later.

Yesterday

(photo taken 28.2.2011)

Yesterday my baby had his 5 year old vaccinations.

And he was so brave.

I wonder if part of it is that I've been having blood tests lately so he's been used to seeing a needle go into someones arm?

Either way, I was incredibly proud of him. The lovely nurse talked to him and explained it all. Then got him ready. He was pretty nervous, but did everything he was told and that first one he didn't even blink.

The second one hurt. You could tell. He was desperately trying not to cry, but it got the better of him, and I heard little whimpers coming from my chest. I just hugged him and hugged him. I told him it was ok to cry, but he wasn't going there properly. I told him how proud of him I was. And because he didn't cry (not really!) It meant that I couldn't either. Was probably good for both of us. Must be the first time I haven't cried when my kids have been vaccinated.

And the funny part, as we go to a couple of different types of doctors, is that half way there, he said, Mum I know which doctor we're going to. I asked which one? He replied: The one that gives out jellybeans. And yes, he got as many black jellybeans as he wanted (who on earth likes black jellybeans????).

At the end he was a happy boy. Especially when I decided on the spur of the moment to buy him some star wars lego for being so good.

But as with all these 'growing up' things, it means he really is growing up. I can't deny it. And in just a few short months he'll be at school.

Kids vege creatures

Yesterday at school the twins created vege creatures. They had made plans and decided what they needed in the way of veges. Took them to school and came home with these treasures....

Sarah's vege cat. This is it's face. Grin.

Love that tail!

And Matt made a hammerhead shark...

Totally love the effort and thought that went into these. Too cool.

SENZ Classes on sale now....

Whinge this morning over! Because now I've got some exciting stuff to share with you. SENZ classes are open for booking NOW and you can pick and choose some wonderful classes from a variety of talented and inspirational teachers from around NZ and overseas!

Check it out here!!!!

I've been pretty excited that two of my classes have already sold out, and two more are very close to being sold out. I'm just trying to see if we can get more stock and hopefully we'll be able to enlarge the classes!

So would you like to see what I'm teaching? Thought so! Here are my 6 classes!

3in1 - 3 layouts in one class (New layouts for SENZ 2011) SOLD OUT

Have you ever wondered how to get the most out of your supplies? Or how to quickly get through the ever growing stack of photos you have?

Too often we feel overwhelmed by the amount of photos and stories we have to tell.

In this class, Trina is going to make a dent in those piles of photos and help take that pressure off!

Using the Madeline collection from Prima, Trina will take you through a variety of fun techniques leaving you with 3 fabulous layouts to take home.

You will need to bring:

5 6x4 portrait styled photos

Brown ink

Pencil, ruler, eraser

A variety of adhesives – wet and dry, plus pop dots/magic mount (if you have an ‘x’ xyron, this would come in handy).

Plus your standard scrapbooking kit

Texture Throughout (New LO for SENZ 2011) FULL (but trying to get more stock to add another 6 spaces to the class).

Trina loves to add layers of dimension and texture to her layouts. Paper, chipboard, fabric, flowers, stamps, diecuts.... anything that comes to hand is at risk of being grabbed and added to a layout. But she hasn’t always found it easy to get the balance and mix of product ‘just right’.

The question is always there...How do I get the balance just right? How can I keep adding more products to my page without it taking away from the story? How much is too much? Or even, how could I possibly cover up that gorgeous paper?

Join Trina to explore these questions and more. She will lead you on a walk throughout many different textures and layers to complete a layout you will be thrilled to take home.

What to bring to class:

Your standard tool kit, plus:

Sharp craft knife / scissors

Various glues – wet / dry (a xyron ‘x’ if you have one)

Brown ink

Photos:

1 x 6x4 portrait photo

2 x 2 x 1.25 portrait photos

1 x 2 x 1.25 landscape photo

(for these smaller photos bring ones that can be cut down to this size, or print as ‘passport size’ and cut down from there).

Lets focus on the boys (class taught in Ch/Ch this weekend)

Have you ever looked at Prima’s gorgeous flowers and wondered how to use them?

You only have boys in your life and while you love flowers, just don’t think they’re going to ‘cut it’?

Trina loves Prima’s products. And there is no better way to show off how Prima can really shine, than creating a BOY layout with it.

Prima are known for their stunning florals, beautiful bling, and amazing embellishments. Because of the large floral focus, people are often scared to use Prima for the men in their life.

In this class, that is just what Trina plans to do.

Join Trina in creating a stunning layout that celebrates the bloke/s in your life.

Cards for scrapbookers 2 (new cards for SENZ 2011)

Are you a scrapbooker who avoids cards? Do they scare you? Are they your nemesis?

Trina’s class ‘Cards for Scrapbookers’ at SENZ last year was such a success she’s doing it again....with a few changes....new cards, new ideas, new techniques.

But the premise is still the same...

Trina has always found cards ‘hard’ to do.... until she realised they were just smaller scrapbook pages. Now that’s her mantra..... A card is the same as a layout, just smaller.

So come and join her in creating several cards in a fun, quick and economical way.

And if you love cards, then this class is still for you. Join her to create a few spares and learn some new techniques.

The class kit involves lots of yummy goodies, including some of Trina’s favourites – flowers, patterned paper, embossing and stamps.

Min 5 cards completed in class.

What to bring to class:

Various adhesives, wet, dry and pop dots/magic mount

Trimmer

Craft knife / scissors

Your ‘standard’ scrapbooking tool kit

Is it a Layout or a Mini album? How about BOTH! (New for SENZ 2011)

Would you like to create a mini album.... or a layout? What about both? A mini album and a Layout!

Join Trina in her class that’s just a little bit different. Share in her love of distressing, inking, hand cutting, layering, and the use of her cuttlebug for some quick moving fun!

Using Bo-Bunny’s new jigsaw album, Trina teaches you how to create not only a mini album, but a layout as well.

A gorgeous colour combination of green/pink and brown allows for a variety of topics to be covered. Join Trina in recording memories of your family, or bring photos of your friends, trips, or special events that showcase many photos.

You will need to bring with you....

2 5x7 inch portrait photo (exactly the same photos)

5 5 x 8 cm portrait photos (different photos)

A variety of adhesives including wet and dry adhesive and pop dots / magic mount.

Brown / Black ink.

A very sharp craft knife (make sure you have a new blade), and a small set of scissors.

Plus your ‘standard’ scrapbooking kit.

Note: Trina recommends black and white photos for her classes so you will always find something to match, however, if you prefer colour photos the colours in the sneak peeks will give you a great idea on what you can match to.

Men are from Mars - a Masculine layout (New for SENZ 2011)

The men in our lives are so important. Be it your husband, partner, father, brother, grandfather, or son. They are strong, and steady, always there for us. But too often not photographed, so less often, scrapped.

It’s time to change that....In Trina’s class you will scrap a double page about that special MAN in your life.

We all know that men are different to women! And the same goes for the layouts we create for them.

No more flowers. No more bling. Just great colours and stories put together in a fabulously masculine way.

Websters pages, Dusty Attic chipboard and 4 (or more) 6x4 photos mean you’ll come away with a layout to treasure.

Join Trina in creating a special layout about your man.

To ensure you don't miss out, book in asap!

Coming to grips with CFS

I can understand better now how one of the symptoms of CFS (Chronic fatique syndrome) can be depression.

Imagine being an active person. Someone who does things. Makes things happen. Then suddenly one day gets sick and never recovers....or does so incredibly slowly.

Imagine seeing a postie walking down the road delivering letters and realising that you can't do that. No matter how much you do/don't want to.

It's pretty hard.

For those who know me well, you'll know that my 'thing' has always been that sleep was a 'waste of time'. I hated it. I hated how it deprived me of getting things done.

It wasn't until recently that I realised sleep was vital in so many ways. One of them was weight loss. And so I tried to get more.

But now, I'm having to have super dooper amounts of sleep and well, those feelings of deprivation are coming out again.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Much like today. The family went out for a ride on their bikes. They went for approx 9kms and had lunch on the beach.

I was in bed.

What a waste of a day.

Or so I thought. For me right now, that is what my body needs. And to be honest, I struggle with this fact. But it's reality. I need rest. I need to sleep....if I want to recover.

And more importantly these feelings of regret are taking away energy I need to recover.

So here I am... waiting (not so) patiently to get better so I can feel strong again.

Wish me luck cause some days I need it more than others.

ps: forgot to say, at least there is a silver lining, scrapbooking seems to be fine. I can quite happily sit and scrap. So go figure?! But at least that will still keep happening! Grin.

Thank you Scrappin Patch

 

What a wonderful day in Ch/Ch! They put on the most beautiful weather. No quakes! And a group of women who inspired me no end. I spent the day hanging out, chatting, drinking tea, oh and of course, teaching. Apart from family, I'd call it my 'perfect' day.

The class I taught was a very typical 'Trina' class. Lots of Prima, lots of layers, lots of inking and distressing, and a little bit of stitching (if you're coming to SENZ you'll get a chance to take part!).

To make the stitching easier, I made these little sewing purses as part of the class kit.

I adore the die cut. It's one my SIL Maggie got for me from Stampin Up. So easy to create!

And of course because no crop is complete without the obligatory 'junk food', I created this little box and filled it with home made fudge..... Ahhhh divine.

Again, the box is a die cut from Stampin Up and then I used a Prima Mask (over Kraft cardstock) to create the pattern on the box, then used my new slice (yippee!!!) to cut out some swirls and a word, before using my cuttlebug for the final flowers, and of course another Prima flower! The ribbon is more seam binding. Gosh I love that stuff.

And because I can, here are some more photos of the day...

and

The shop was lovely. So much eye candy to look at! And nice and spacious! Perfect for holding a crop!

Francine picked me up from the airport and Jody took me back to it. Was so lovely having time chatting away like we were old friends. Thanks to both of you for helping out!

And the day meant I got to meet up with old friends and make some new ones!

Thanks so much for having me. I look forward to next time!

SENZ

Well, for those of you who are going to SENZ this year, I hope you've got your tickets sorted because for those of you who have, you can start booking your classes NOW.

And just having had a quick glance through them all, you are going to be amazed! So many fantastic tutors, classes, interesting techniques and fun things to do! I can't wait.

I'm teaching 6 classes this year.

The class I'm teaching tomorrow in Ch/Ch "Lets focus on the boys" is one class I'll be teaching at SENZ. The rest of them will be NEW!

I hope you'll join me for some fun and inspiration.

PS: For those of you who don't have tickets yet, classes will be on sale Mon.

Scrappin Patch crop day and class

So who's going to the Scrappin' Patch crop day in Ch/Ch on 21st May??? ME!!! Me, me, me! And I'm so darn excited it's not funny.

Today part of the stock arrived (box 1 of 2), now I just need that other box to be delivered and I can start packing kits.

It's a cool kit. Chock full of Prima goodness. The class I'm teaching is a single LO and has lots of 'Trina' trademarks in it: layers, flowers (yes, on a boy LO!), inking, distressing, and even a bit of stitching....

So thought I'd get the 'must bring' list out as we don't have long to go now....

Photos: 2  2.5x4 inch portrait photos. Although you could easily get away with a single larger one.

Tools: Standard tool kit (trimmer, craft knife, adhesives - wet and dry - ruler etc)

Plus:

Black and/or brown ink

Pop dots / Magic mount / similar

Here are a couple of 'sneak peeks'.....

Oh how I love those Prima Vintage Trinkets!

Getting a bit of an idea???

Oh, did I forget to mention some punching is involved?

And a 'cheats' technique I know you're going to LOVE.

These sneak peeks give you a fantastic idea of the colours we're using so grab out those photos cause we've only got a couple of weeks to go.

Of course while it's a boy based LO, it can certainly work for girl or other themed LO as well.

 

National Scrapbook day

Yippee! A day to celebrate this wonderful hobby of ours. I hope you've got something scrappy planned?

Well, at Prima we do! And if you've joined in from the Prima blog hop, welcome! If you're one of my regular readers, then guess what? You've found me in the middle of a fun Prima blog hop where you could win one of these amazing kits:

Don't they look scrumptious?!

All you have to do is hop from one Prima DT member to another collecting all the words to make a sentence up. Then email it to Sharon. You'll find all the details here.

So while you're here, I thought I'd show you a little project I made using the gorgeous new range of ribbon and a canvas tote from Prima.

 
I adore how many different way's these canvas bags can be changed, made unique, your own. This is my version!


I couldn't help myself and added a cute little hand made dangly bit with some of Prima's gorgeous Vintage Trinkets. And yep, there are some teeny tiny photos of my children in that locket!

And would you like to know who you're hopping to next? Uh huh! It's ......

Oh hang on, I need to tell you the secret word before you disappear. Grin.

The Prima secret word from me is: create

And now, pop on over to Ingvild's blog for the next word and some gorgeous scrapping.

And in case you're wondering who else is taking part, take a little look at the super de dooper talented ladies below:

Stacy Cohen - www.stacycohen.blogspot.com

Nic Howard- http://nichoward.typepad.com

Alyssa McGrew- www.alyssasscraps.blogspot.com

Jamie Dougherty- www.jaylynnscraps.blogspot.com

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer- www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com

Ingvild Bolme- www.ingvildbolme.com 

Anabelle O' Malley- www.anabelleom.blogspot.com

Karola Witczak- www.karolakraftuje.blogspot.com

Daniela Dobson- http://danieladobson.blogspot.com/ 

Leena Loh- www.findingnana.com 

Liana Suwandi- http://maples-lianasuwandi.blogspot.com/

Iris Babao-Uy- www.irisbabaouy.typepad.com

Cari Fennell-  http://meandmymaryjanes.blogspot.com/

Have a FANTASTIC day.

Trina

Mother's day idea and finally an answer....sort of....

So, if you've taken a look at the Prima blog today, you would have seen the book mark I made from some of the gorgeous new Prima vintage trinkets.

It was very easy to create and so lovely I've kept it for myself. Grin.

But I have to admit, the idea was from a friend (thanks Kate!) at Autumn Escape. Different of course, made into my own version, but hey, I have to give credit where credit is due!

As for my health, well! I went to the doctor this morning and she's sent me off for a bundle of new blood tests. We're both hoping they come back negative, but in the same breath, if they do, then what she's telling me I've got isn't that much fun either. Chronic fatigue syndrome.

Officially I can't say this is what it is until I've had it for 6 months. But so far I'm 2 months in and while I get a little bit better, then worse, then better, then..... its slowly getting better rather than worse, and it's not looking like it's going anywhere soon.

So that's what she's telling me it is, and as such what I have to do. And that includes rest. Lots and lots of rest. No more boot camp, netball, running or any of those other things I love. I'm allowed a little bit of walking, but not if it's too long, or I've got other things on that will make me tired.

And in a way, I feel a little bit better knowing this. She was quick to reassure me that what it is, is real. Because I tell you, I thought I was going a little mad!

So that's where I'm at..... And it makes so much sense. Why I could go back to sleep as soon as I've woken up. Why I had to leave boot camp in the middle of a session on Monday (second time back in 6 weeks). Why I sleep for hours during the weekend when Andy is around.

Lets hope that with lots of care and rest, it comes right.

Later.

The weather

has gone absolutely mad.

Today in Albany - just a 10 min drive away - there was a tornado that killed at least one man.

I was meant to be there. Right where it happened. But decided to go to Milford instead (they have undercover parking, and I was concerned about the weather and getting back to pick up kids in time). Thank goodness I made that decision!

NZ just doesn't get tornado's. And certainly not ones that are destructive like this. And yeah, I know, it's nothing like what has hit America recently. Wowzers! The destruction over there is ginormous in comparison, But this is in NZ! And so close.

I know we've talked about what is going on in the world at the moment with all the Tsunami's, earthquakes and crazy weather patterns, but this one is just that little bit closer to home.

All I can say is my thoughts go out to all those who have been affected whether here or in the USA. I know there are some scrappers up there and I hope they are ok.

Take care.

T

PS: And thanks so much to everyone for your txt's! Yes, my family and I are ok.

May Day

May day falls on the 1st of May each year. It was originally a celebration of the festival of flora, the Godess of flowers, so what better way to show off some of Prima's wonderful flowers than a May Day blog post on flowers?

This is what I contributed towards the post:

So many gorgeous Prima flowers. I especially love the base to them. Those flower ribbons that Prima put out last year. Delicious.

I also made up my own spray. I put some yellow food colouring with water into a plastic spray bottle and tada. Perfect.

Of course a flowery Prima LO needs a vine to add to the wonderful texture!

Been very tired again. Sleeping an extra 4 hours yesterday and then again today. I really shouldn't be this tired still so planning on getting back to the doctor asap.

As for the Royal Wedding. Well, what can I say? It was perfect. I loved how everything ran like clockwork. Everything on time. But yet still feeling like it was natural.

And as for Princess Catherine's dress! Well, it was gorgeous. What more can I say?! Totally stunning. Classic, yet with a touch of modern.

But my favourite part? How they kept looking at each other, catching glances of each other. Chatting to each other. Lovely!

Again, I wish them all the best.

Enjoy that stormy weather out there!

Later.