Living my dream

Wooden boxes (and kits) for sale

Hi guys, I know it's coming up to Xmas, and the money is tight, but so is room, grin, so I'm getting rid of some stock I have here. 

The main thing is the wooden boxes I designed and had made for my class at SENZ this year. I still have a few left so would be happy to sell them on....

This is what they look like all decorated up:

They are made to fit together really tightly so you don't 'need' glue, but I recommend using it, just to be sure.

They have a lovely 'black' edge to them, so you don't need to worry about the edges, and they are perfectly made so no sanding involved!

Once put together they look like a mini book case, and are made to pefectly fit the mini albums made from one piece of paper.

Cost is only $15 per box. 

Shipping is $5 for 1-2 boxes, $6 for 3-4 boxes, and I'll need to confirm if more than this.

I also have a couple of kits left of the whole class which includes enough product to complete the box, and 12 mini albums and still have a ton of stuff left over.

This kit, due to it's size is $55.

If you're interested, or would like more information, just flick me an email. My email addy is just up there to the right.

Have a fabulous day.

Trina.

Sunday Shake up

This week, I've had several ideas come to me that I wanted to share with you. Not related, but have had an impact on my life. But for various reasons, I've decided they aren't right for this week.

And so I've sat here today wondering what to do. What will my shake up be this week?

I wanted something that was different. Unusual. Something that will shake up your week. But my brain is mush.

So, seeing how much fun my son had sleeping in a tent last night, I decided that perhaps that is something that will shake up your week.

IF you have a tent. Grab it out. Put it up in the backyard and sleep in it with your children. Or just by yourself. Why not?

It's not expensive. It's not hard. But it makes memories in your child (and yourself) for time to come.

If you don't have a tent, well, it's pretty good weather out there right now. What about making a lean to? Pop up a tarpaulin and sleep under it. Try sleeping 'Bear Gryls' style. Now that's even more fun!

Dare ya.

 This morning just about to have a pillow fight.

Christmas Cupcake Class with Scrapaholics and me!

It's been announced! Yay!!! I am so excited. 

For some time now Jodi (Scrapaholics) and I have been discussing our love of cupcakes and decorating baked goods. We decided it might be fun to have some cupcake classes.

So with Christmas nearly upon us I've come up with a fabulous Christmas class for beginners through to advanced cupcake designers and will be taking it on 7th December at Scrapaholics new store. 

To find out more, contact Scrapaholics.

Phone: 0800 678 258

Email: [email protected]

I look forward to seeing you there!

How to make minion cupcakes

The kids had their athletics day today. And what a day it was! The sun was shining and the kids were all so excited. I love how much they and the school get into the day.

Parents are asked to take along some baking to sell at morning tea as a small fund raiser.

I love to do this, it gives me an opportunity to try something new with my baking/decorating, and today was no different.

Matt is into minions at the moment, so he suggested I try making some minion cupcakes. Well, heck, why not?! LOL.

And so I did. Here's what they looked like when I was finished

Please excuse the photos (they were taken late at night).....and here's how I made them.

Bake some cupcakes ready for decoration.

Make some buttercream icing

Grab some fondant. You'll need some white, black and yellow.

Create the minion faces......

I used some circle biscuit cutters to cut out 'eyes' for the minion faces. I did this from white fondant and then sprayed the fondant with Wilton Cold Mist. They needed to dry so I did these first.

Next I covered the cupcake with a yellow 'face'. Cut the face from some yellow fondant using a circular cutter the same size as the top of the cupcake. Then add a 'dollop' of icing to the middle of the cupcake, and cover with your piece of fondant.

Once the 'face' is on, you're ready to decorate. Cut out pieces of white fondant to fit under your silver eyes. Glue together.

Add in some eye balls. Either make some from fondant, or take the easy option as I did, and use some ready made eyes.

Add in some hair and goggle straps, a mouth and you're done.

The hair and mouths were made from left over pieces of black fondant. 

Have fun making up different expressions.

The kids had gone to bed before I finished making them and were so excited to choose which one would go in their lunchbox today. Each had trouble deciding from the different expressions. It was so much fun!

When I got to school, I got told off by several people for not making enough of them. LOL! They were obviously a hit. I just hope they tasted ok.

Sunday (MONDAY) Shake Up

Ok, so yesterday I just plum forgot about my Sunday Shake up. Well, not really, I had my idea in mind, I just didn't get around to posting it. 

So I'm a little late...... I'm sure you'll forgive me.

After last weeks shake up, I wanted to carry on making a difference. After all, that's a little part of what these ideas are. Shaking us up out of our norm to help ourselves, our friends, our family. 

And so this week I dare you to do some volunteer work. 

After watching the student army main man 'Sam' on telly on Saturday night, I sat there just going Oh my goodness! This guy is a legend. The way he thinks is incredible. The way he is so willing to just be a part of the world. To help people. You don't get many people like him, especially at his age. He is literally one in a million.

BUT, even if we're not like him, I still believe we can all make a difference. And it ties in with what Sam was saying. That if you volunteer, you actually become happier and more connected. 

So I thought to myself, self, what can I do? What can my thing be this week? And I've a couple of ideas, but here is the one I put into practise this morning.

After my walk, I created this letter ...

I'm in the process of folding up each letter and wrapping them in seam binding so they know it's not just another piece of paper to throw away. Then I'll be popping back out again to deliver them (to be fair, my street is not very big!)

As you can see it's not a big thing, but as I say in my note, I think we can make a difference. Even if it is small. So here's one way I'm doing that this week, by volunteering my time and idea....

And so that is my dare to you this week..... I dare you to volunteer something this week too.....

Have a FABULOUS day!

PS: Please feel free to take parts/all of this letter to use if you'd like to do something similar.

 

Another lesson I've (re)learnt from my children

Because I travel quite a bit for my 'work' (well, who can call it work when you love it so much?) my children are used to me being away. A day here and there isn't too bad for them. And to be fair, they've grown up with Andy traveling for much longer times. 

But this year, I've done two big trips of two weeks away from them. One in August and the one just recently. 

August was ok. They knew what was going on,  they accepted it. But this last trip. Not so much. We really missed each other. 

And when I got home I paid for it.

In this instance, I call it the cummulative affect. It wasn't just the 2.5 weeks I'd been gone this time, but also the trip in August. It added up. 

The last few days things have gotten back to normal, and that's because my 2.5 weeks is up. 

And this is where I relearnt how much a Mum means to her children. The time length this time was so much more than normal, that it really showed up what happens each time I travel..... let me explain....

Previously I'd noticed it with Andy, but not with me. And this time, I realised what happens. It's like they put you in punishment subconciously. 

I don't even think they know they are doing it. But they are. And in our family it works especially for the littlier children. The smaller they are, the more apparent this will be.

They play up, they refuse to hug you, they talk back, they do anything they can to get your attention (and that's not always good) in effect, they call the shots to show you they are there. It's their way to 'punish' you for being away so long. 

And the funny thing is it lasts about the same amount of time you've 'abandoned' them. I don't know how they work that out, it must be some sort of internal clock???? But it is almost always to the day for how long you were gone.

This week, I have been home 2.5 weeks, and this week Dan started being the 'normal' Dan I know, not the 'monster' he'd become for the last 2.5 weeks. I arrived home and thought an alien had taken over his body. But now I remember, I realise that actually he missed me. Really missed me. In his own little way he was telling me that he didn't like being left for so long.

Amazing isn't it?

And so once again on this amazing journey of motherhood, I learn something new, relearn something old and tweak the way I think/act to help my children, my family grow into the little citizins/group of people I hope they/we will one day/continue to grow into.

 

12 Days of Christmas on Prima's blog

Prima have a wonderful range of inspiration in their 12 days of Xmas card posts.

Each day of the 12 days they focus on something new.

Here's what I created using gorgeous Prima product, and alot of it not Xmas themed.

(I got that very cool Santa in the States while I was there. I LOVE that it has one of my kids names on it!)

To see exactly what products I used, just take a look at THIS post on the Prima Blog.

I used a white cardstock as my base, and then cut it into a fun, Christmassy, vintagey shape with some Spellbinders dies.

If you want to win some goodies, all you need to do is enter your own Christmas card based on the feature of the day. 

Go on, I know you want to!

Card Cafe Class Kits

Hi everyone, just a little note to let you know there are a few card cafe class kits for sale with Michele.

The kits have all you need to make 2 Christmas cards, and one simple Christmas layout, PLUS a ton of product left over for more crafting.

If you'd like to buy one of these kits, please get in touch with Michele at the following email address: [email protected]

Here's another look at the projects you can complete.....

All made with the delicious new Christmas range by Teresa Collins.

Could be a great start to those Christmas cards you've been planning on making?! Grin.

Have a great day!

A hand made baby album

I love to make gifts for people as part of my crafting, so when I found out one of my very special friends was having a baby, I couldn't wait to get started on making this wee album.

Initially I wasn't going to show it. It was just me crafting because I could. But in the end I loved how it turned out, so I made a wee video to show what it looks like. 

 

Hope you have a great day.

Sunday Shake Up - What is the world turning into?

I have to preface this blog post with this comment.....

I have written this post over many days. Deleting and rewriting many times. It was not going to be my Sunday Shake up. But it's Sunday and I think I'm now ready to post it, and it kinda works. 

My post may be controversial. The 'PC crowd' may not like what I'm saying. Some of the questions I ask, comments I make. But I think they are questions that need to be addressed....

These are my own thoughts. As I've said to someone in the past, this is my blog, if you don't like the content, please stop reading. You may or may not agree with what I say but I'm happy for constructive feedback. I love a good discussion where people can learn from each other, but please think about tearing someone down before you write....

I also preface this by saying I am not the mother of teenagers and those years scare me! I worry how my children will act, what they will do, what have I taught them that will get them through these years safely? I have to keep telling myself......there but by the grace of God go I.....

This week, I as many of you in NZ, have been disgusted and outraged at news of a group of monsters (boys) that are going around deliberately intoxicating young girls (as young as 13) then having group sex with them without their consent, then to top it off, they boast about it on video on facebook, naming the girls.

I felt my soul become slowly torn into pieces with each piece of new news that came out about it this week. First one thing, then another, then another. Each piece making me feel more and more sick and hurt by what our world is turning into. So many questions unanswered. 

Many times, I sat down to write something. To put my feelings on paper, but it is too big an issue to do it and I worried that I wouldn't get all my thoughts in a line, all in order. That I'd miss something that I really wanted to say or get in trouble for getting the information wrong. 

Then this morning I realised that this didn't matter. None of this did. But what does, is what WE do in our own lives. With the people WE influence. Our own children.

I believe none of this would have happened if these kids were taught from birth what is right and wrong.  And if they did know this type of behaviour is wrong and did it anyway? Then there would probably be earlier signs that could be detected and dealt with at that time. I think it's as simple as that. 

But let's go back a step. Let's look at all the questions I have.....

How do kids learn that this type of behaviour is ok? What are they watching at the movies, on tv, online? What are they listening to? Podcasts? Music?

Why aren't their facebook pages/other social media monitored by their parents and then the parents dealing to it immediately when it is as wrong as this?

How do 13, 14, 15, 16 year old kids have access to alcohol? In this case I hear it is from the parents???

What is a 13, 14, 15, 16 year old doing out at a 'boozing' party? (yes, I'm probably out of reality with what goes on in todays world, but does that make it right? The legal age of drinking in NZ is 18!).

Where were the friends of the girls? What did they do to help their friend?

What do the boys think sex is all about?

What do they think is acceptable sexual practise?

Why do they think it is ok to brag on social media about what you have done? 

Where has our '0' tolerance for bullying (bragging on facebook is bullying!) gone (let alone the rest of the acts).

Why did the police tell us that noone had come forward when 1 had laid a formal complaint and 3 others had told the police what was going on?

What happened over the next 2-3 years since that time when the complaints were laid and nothing was done? How many other girls were victimised in the same way during this time?

If the laws prevented them from doing anything, why? What do we need to do to protect girls from this?

Why were the girls questioned about what they drank, what they wore? How is this relevant to a group of boys having non consentual sex with them? Raping them. This is totally unacceptable.

This brings me to another point, related, but a different case....clothing choice was also in question when some tourists were assaulted in Albert Park in the past. They were told by the judge that what they were wearing was too skimpy. So? This does not invite assault/rape. Don't get me wrong, I talk to my own daughter about what she wears, what is and isn't appropriate. BUT, whatever our thoughts on clothing choices, it is NOT an invitation to be raped, or treated in a different way. The judge in the tourists case was wrong! He should not have said anything to this nature, and this is my point.....if we have people at the 'top' of the ladder of who we look up to with these thoughts in mind, it brings about a culture of blaming the girls. It's not ok. It's not their fault. No choice of theirs no matter how wrong should be seem to blame them for an act against them. Blame the boys/men who did it. 

In short....why is is permissable to semi blame the girls because of what they were wearing?

And yet, why isn't anyone asking what a 13 year old girl was doing out at a party like that? 

What has the policeman whose son is involved, doing about his son? What was his punishment? How is he dealing with this very serious situation? I want to know what is happening as my faith in the police when faced with a man who lets his son get away with something like this diminishes (please don't get me wrong, I think the police are an amazing force and not all of them are bad, most of them are incredibly hard working, amazing men and women doing things I couldn't bear to think about let alone do), BUT, and it's a big but, my faith in them is lost if they are the ones we are meant to look up to and their own children are allowed to do this kind of thing without consequences.

Why is it that so many people think they have a right to do what they want, good, bad or indifferent, without their being consequences? Just look at the mayor in Canada caught smoking crack cocaine and he refuses to step down. He has not only just done wrong, but broken the law and he thinks he should stay in power? Where has this thinking come from? This sense of entitlement? Why is he allowed to do that? WTF???????

And if we have people like this in power, is it any wonder the boys involved in this case are doing what they want? Hey, he can get away with doing what he wants, why shouldn't we?

If you are asking questions like this, or similar, and want to know what you can do? Let's go back to my earlier idea that it comes back to parenting, to teaching kids what is right and wrong. It comes back to having good role models (be it a parent, older sibling, aunt/uncle, grandparent, coach, scout leader, church leader). It comes back to having morals (and where have they gone in this PC, permissable world?). It comes back to doing something little in our own lives. Take a look at this:

It's called "The conversation you must have with your sons" in the Huffington Post. Written by Karina Colodny. Take a read.

When all this was happening, I became quite morose. What is the point? I do this and that to be helpful in this world, but I am just one person. I am nothing. What is the point of doing what I do when things like this happen.

I had to remind myself of a letter I received from a mother of one of the kids I make cakes from. Thanking me for what I had done and what a difference it made in their lives. Yes, I am only one person. But if I can make one person smile, one person think they are special, one person remember that someone cared for them, then that IS ENOUGH!

And so I urge you to be that someone to do something about it. I urge you to listen to your inner voice and to send an email, write a letter, talk to your sons, I urge you to be the one who listens to your inner voice saying 'this is wrong', who stops listening to other people telling them not to get involved, but stops what they are doing and takes a stance. 

This morning is a new day. It is a clean slate, and I dare you to make a difference. 

Last Scrapbook Class of the year

Just a little heads up that I'll be teaching next week for Prima at Scottie Crafts. I'm teaching the "3in1" class using Prima's gorgeous "Delight" range, that I taught in USA recently.

We'll be doing a little bit of fussy cutting, a little bit of texture pasting/stenciling, a little bit of distressing and having a whole lot of fun.

It will be my last scrapbook class for the year so if you're keen, please get in touch with Scotties and sign up (I think there are only 2 spots left???)....

You've already seen the full projects, so here's a look at some close ups....

And if you're around this weekend at Michele's Card Cafe, I'll look forward to seeing you there! We've got a very cool 'simple' layout to make and a couple of fun cards.

See you there!

A new Spellbinders project

You all know by now, how much I LOVE Spellbinders products, right?! Uh huh. So it's no surprise that I use their products in one of my first layouts completed on my return home. 

Let's take a quick look at how I created this layout....

As I've been using texture paste and stencils alot in my projects over the last few months I decided I wanted to give it a go using a Spellbinders die cut as my stencil. So I chose a design that I loved and cut a few dies out....

I realised after I cut this die, that I really wanted more texture or intricate parts to be shown in the paste. So I used the small sized die that came in the same packet to create another look.

Of course if I'd been smarter about this I would have cut both pieces out at the same time. Grin. But that's ok. 

I put the smaller piece inside the larger piece, then started applying texture paste over them onto my page....

I then just peeled the frame off and used it another couple of times until I was happy with the look. 

I cut some more of the same dies out, and placed them on the page in the areas I wanted...

You can see there is now the stenciled pattern, plus actual die cuts over the top of the stencil.

I had also cut out some patterns from the paper range I was using (Prima Delight) and added them into the equation.

From here I decided that the larger die cut frames needed 'filling in' so added in a background to them.

From there it was just a matter of adding in some flowers, a photo and of course some journaling/title.

The photo was cut using the same die, the smaller nested version. I think it makes it fit so well into the page. Love how you get so many different dies that can be used seperately or together. Sigh. No wonder I love Spellbinders! Grin.

And so you see the final image again.

Here's a look at some close ups:

and

and

I love to use foam tape (pop dots) in my projects and this one was no exception. I've used it to layer the frames higher and higher. 

You can also see how I've used the main frame (that I used for the initial texture pasting stencil) as the main frame in the middle of the page that holds the photo. No wastage here! And it looks great!

Hope this has inspired you to look at your dies in a 'outside the box' kinda way.

Happy scrapping!

Slowly catching up, let's start with a new layout....

Yay! I've found a way to add in some photos......

It's funny being away for so long. I hadn't scrapbooked for 4.5 weeks. But I knew I had some deadlines when I got home. So I started 'work' again and realised just why I love this amazing hobby of ours.

Here's the first layout I've done in a while. I created it using a sketch by Jules, one of the amazing DT over at Paperhaus.

 

If you'd like to see the rest of the teams layouts based on Jules sketch, just pop on over to the PaperHaus blog where you'll also find Jules very cool sketch.

In the meantime, here's some close up's of my layout....

I've mixed up some new and old Prima in this LO, the alpha is very old! But the perfect colour while the brads are gorgeous and new!

I've also used a Dusty Attic Clock. LOVE Dusty Attic! And this time left it neutral.

You can see with the Prima Wooden Icons, I've used some Prima Chalk ink to colour them teal. So easy.

The photo was taken of me in New York. I'm at the base of the Statue of Liberty and a lovely lady asked if I'd like my photo taken. I was so grateful. See, all around my trip, I would see people taking photos or trying to and would offer to take a photo for them so they could all be in it. I think it's nice that everyone can be in a photo if at all possible. However, not once did anyone reciprocate and ask if I'd like a photo taken. Interesting.

A couple of times I asked people to take a photo for me, but this time it was out of the blue and just so lovely. I really appreciated it!

And that is my layout for the PaperHaus Blog.... 

Sunday Shake Up

I am reading this wonderful book about being happy and making it a priority in your life. It's called 'The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I'd recommend you take a look at it. Even if you are happy. It's worth a read. Makes you think. It's pretty cool.

Anyway, it made this weeks Shake up quite easy.

I dare you to do something that makes you happy.

It might be listening to a favourite album, ringing a friend, doing something crafty. Complimenting someone on their hair/clothes/shoes/whatever, watching your favourite tv programme, taking a nap in the middle of the day, ignoring the ironing for a good book.....

It doesn't matter what it is, but just do something guilt free that makes you happy.

Dare ya.

Issues uploading photos

Hi. Was wanting to show you a layout I've done, but can't seem to upload it. As soon as I get this wee issue sorted, I'll be here again!

Anyone else having/had the same problem? What did you do to fix it? I've sent Typepad a ticket, we'll see how that goes.....

See you soon.