Life has been a little bit crazy lately!!!!

Hence my withdrawl from the www!

So where do I begin - ok my girls :) Have both been very very busy in the last few months. Term 3 at school is sports term - there is the sports carnival and cross country running along with Chionia's acro comp's etc.... Both girls did really well....

Sports day 2012 :) In the lead up to Sports day at our school we have various races such as cross country (which both girls won their respective years!), long jump, throws and then their games and running. Jess just lost her race by 100th of a second I believe and as a result she ended up runner up Champion girl for Yr 7 - as she crossed the line in this race she promptly declared in her loudest voice "I need to pee"....... perhaps if she had gone beforehand it would have been the difference rofl! Chionia took out Champion Yr 2 girl :)  - She won all her individual races and did a top job - very proud of both of them (PS I reckon Chionia's socks helped her run faster!!!! and yes she is wearing shorts under her longish tshirt!)

Jess the last few years has been very good at her cross country - she came 4th in her interschool and then at the State Cross Country came 20th :) Awesome effort :)

Acro - Chionia had 2 comps this year - Judges invitational and the State one a few weeks later - Chionia and her 2 mates won the Judges invitational  With 58+/ 60 score) and came second in their trio level 1 for the States :)  First time I had the job of organising leotards etc and I think they looked the part - you have to tie it into their music etc - so think Peter Pan and Wendy and French ballad of sorts!!

OK.... what next

End of term 3 and School holidays - I gave the girls the option of going to the Royal Show (which to me is extremely overpriced and and an expensive day for just the basics!) or doing several fun things.... they chose several things.....

So we went shopping.... we went to Scitech.....(first time I have been in over 20 years rofl!) and they had a ball learning about Liquid Nitrogen and then playing with all the experiments .... more shopping (the girls managed to talk dad into taking them to Garden City shopping centre to get Jess's graduation dress..... they have him wrapped around their fingers let's just say!).... time at the beach.... and the best thing Trapeze workshop....

First time Chionia nailed it and Jess is hanging by one leg going I am going to die ..... Yes which girl is the drama queen!!!

But both extremely proud that both girls managed to complete the program and had a ball along the way!

We also got some new family members..... even FIL has taken an extreme liking to them....

Meet Oscar (mohawk) and Nibbles (whiter one) .... We got them at 5 weeks old - both are brothers born Tues 21st Aug... the day before hubby got home from Newman!

Speaking of Newman - we went and conquered lol - our contract with BHP was brought forward from the end of Aug to the 12th Aug with only 4 days notice to get the guys equipped and up there.... we did it and the guys did a great job after quite a few months of training and paperwork and more paperwork!

um and well on top of all of this I have been helping a family member who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers..... whilst we have known for a while it doesn't make things easier in helping them go from one stage of their life to another.... as the main carer for them it takes up a lot of my time every day from cleaning, cooking helping with finances and shopping, medical appt's and the frustrating aspect of dealing with someone who thinks nothing is wrong... helping them with their loss of independence with things that they simply can't remember so it mustn't be true.. it is heartbreaking and at times we are the bad ones although we know it is not us but the disease talking and someone who for the moment knows things aren't quite right....... It is hard trying to make things safe for them and trying to be that one step ahead to help them stay independent in their own home for as long as we can..... We will get their and we aren't the only ones going through this... but it is different for everyone and for the moment glad we have a chance to get to know them better before we lose them ..... so if I am quiet or absent you now know why....

Well on that note I am off to celebrate World Champagne Day - Cheers :)

lol thought I was commenting on a French blog and oops!

my French is obviously not what it used to be! This month has been utterly crazy...... been hanging in there day by day....but that light at the end of the tunnel has just got a whole lot bigger. :) I have so much to update with I don't know where to start....

OK - my french comment - this wonderful blogger who has stunning images from everywhere contacted me earlier this month and asked if she could post a few of my projects... It is so nice to actually have someone ask instead of just posting them nowadays... so of course I said yes... then things got busy and I have only just sat down to really look at blogs and now blog myself I have had a chance - Check her blog out - so many images remind me of growing up in Europe and the travelling we did... I will work out how to post a comment tomorrow - I have done it before already lol!!!

Next :) Twiddleybitz - we have had a full on month!!! Earlier this month I taught at the True Blue Craft Fair and we have also since then announced our new Design Team - welcome to everyone of the ladies on this team! I am inspired every day by your creations and will update my side bar tomorrow!!! We also in the middle of this had a cross promotion with Manor House - their flowers are stunning... I still have a few left to create more projects I just had to save a few for the right one lol but here is what I did...

Towards the end of last month I had to say Good bye to my buddy - my beautiful Casper my husband gave me for Christmas back in 1994 - yep he was not far off being 18 human years which is very old for a cat - he used to rule the neighbour hood and his best friend was a rottweiler :) so he would take on all the dogs... in the end he had a stroke I think and this photo was taken of him and me in his last hour before we took him to the vets... he was simply a very cool cat who is very dear to me... and I miss him in so many ways every single day.

I also created this next project combining a few of my DT projects in one... Helmar... Twiddleybitz and Manor house!!!!!! I have always used Helmar glues.... but until I got my DT pack from them I had never used their Decoupage and Craft paste - not looking back now!!! This shadowbox was put together and stained using a wood stain.... then I used the Helmar Paste to add the paper - old book pages and a Stampington & Co paper

OK the  Material List

Papers

Old book pages

Belle Jardin Artist paper from Stampington & Co

Black Cardstock

TBZ

Filigree Shadow box

Grapevine border BOR026

Thin Swirl border BOR036

Birds on Tree Trunk BIR013

Manor House

Green small leaves

Purple flowers

Burgandy Flowers

Large rose flower

Glues

Helmar 450 Quick Dry

Helmar Gemstone Glue

Helmar Decoupage and craft paste

Others

Dylusions green spray

Black ink

Wood stain paint

German scraps white border

Next up  - Jess made her interschool cross country carnival where she came fourth on the day which then entitled her to be part of the State School Cross country where I believe the Top 20 get asked to try out for the National team... well Jess came in at 20th Place out of 201 girls in her Year - go Jess :) in a time of 10min and 10 sec she ran 2.5 km :) she doesn't take after me! lol

Weekend just gone Chionia had her Judges Invitational Comp with Acro - her trio group ended up with a score of 56.97 out of 60 for both routines ..brought Father in law along too who reckoned he could be out there throwing me up in the air - don't like his chances hehe!!  Photo's were taken by my dad :) you need to check out his blog - has some truly awesome photo's of late.....

Gary and I are both so very proud of our girls - with everything going on lately they have still excelled themselves :) xxxx Happy scrapping everyone :)

oopsy - was suppose to post this yeaterday!

I will use an excuse this time and family stuff has kept me very busy along with  a BHP contract and staff who are turning me grey!! Also had a few classes to teach the last couple of days at the True Blue Craft Fair here in Claremont showgrounds! (loved this - so good to get back to teaching!) Look at this range of papers!!!!!!!! Aren't they simply so bright and happy and playful!!!! Love them !!!!

OK - will post at some stage on the Helmar's blog but wanted to post this here so to inspire all of you Helmar fans!!! A couple of weeks ago we got the fantabulous papers from Susan Weckesser..... My girls instantly fell in love with them and to me they were screaming to be fussy cut up!!!!! Now they are fighting over what was going to be MY tool caddy - it is like a lazy susan and spins around! Chionia helped with the placement of some flowers!!!!

Lots of fussy cutting!!

Making sure I had every side of the tool caddy covered!

Ready to go

Time to glue - I simply dip my brush in water then into the Helmars Decoupage and craft paste and "paint" a side then pop on the paper and paint over the top again to seal it - works wonderfully well :)

 Finished project - I had a flower left over so made a very simple card that will be ready to go next time I have an unplanned birthday gift to give!!!

And the other sides!!!

For those of you who asked how I measure something up - all trial and error!! I get a rough outline of the "side I need" then work from there - this one is from the inside of the caddy - got the initial "whole bit" then placed it in position and made marks where to cut too for both sides and then the middle bit - once I had one side correct I could simply use one piece as a template for the other side!!

Enjoy!! I am off to cook up some Butter Chicken for tea!!

Happy scrapping everyone!

Twiddleybitz True Blue 2012 classes

What a absolute delight it has been teaching a great bunch of ladies at the True Blue Craft Fair the last couple of days. Over 30 individual classes taught and loved everyone's final finished projects!!! As promised below are the photo's of the finished projects if you want to continue to add and create with your own. If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will answer them in the next blog post!

Set of 5 Christmas Cards
Playing with chipboard and oxide pigment paints and stencils - love these - hope you all did too!!!!  I have included an extra too just for inspiration - they were simply painted with the oxides and then coated with Tim Holtz's Rock Candy Crackle paint.

Toot Toot Steampunk Mini Album
Like I said in the classes mini albums are fun - the worst bit is covering each page with paper before you can sit back and play!! Lucky you had all the papers precut so here is the album with each page as you open up the album.

 Then the individual pages for you to give you some idea's for when you add your own photo's.

OK and now for those other little hints and bits and pieces I promised I would post and before I forget with my glass of wine!!!

If you have trouble getting an item from your local store  (please ask them to order it in from Twiddleybitz first!) try Scrap Sanity - Tiff is a TBZ expert and will send anywhere!

Glues I use are and always have been Helmar's range of wonderful stickiness!! For ribbons use the Helmar 450 so to hide the wet glue marks on ribbons and it is the best for sticking metal etc.. Other great ones by Helmar is the blobby Liquid Scrap Dots (remember this needs a while to dry!) and the Premium Craft Glue (PVA glue) and you can get these by going here or Spotlight carry a good range too!

Projects you asked about
Miss Charlotte.

And the frame of Jess that someone will do x 3!!!!

I am trying to find the material list and will post shortly once I have found it somewhere in my document files ;) It was texture paste around the frame I used with black gesso and various types of gleam waxes..... Graphic 45 Communique papers!

Um... was there anything else???? been a busy couple of days! Link to Tim Holtz is in my sidebar..... If you have any questions at all please leave a comment and I can get back to you either in the next post or two or via email if you leave a contact detail!!

I do hope you had fun playing - remember to try anything and nothing is a mistake!!! Just enjoy creating :)