Handmade book for charity auction

I made this mini book to be auctioned at 'Crop For a Cure' tomorrow, an all day scrapping event organised by Scrappers Warehouse to raise funds for breast cancer research. As Ben's mum died from breast cancer at the age of 46, when Ben was 23, it is a cause close to our hearts and I offered to contribute something.

So I made this book all arty and stuff, LOL, with a selection of quotes I love. There are a few little spots for the new owner to add photos or notes as well. Some quotes are from the 'She' book by Compendium Publishing, some are from Storypeople, and others are just quotes I love and have collected. Lots of pictures to share, more as a record really, as I will likely never see the actual book again after tomorrow! Unless of course I can't let it go and buy it back for myself ;) If you want to read the quotes you can click on each photo to enlarge it.

This is the artist's note that I included inside the back cover:

"This book has been created to be shared, added-to and touched. It was made to celebrate the emotions and strengths of women all over the world, in particular those women who are fighting or have fought a battle with breast cancer, including my own mother-in-law. Win or lose, such women are a testament to the strength, beauty and life that each of us carry within. She deserves to be celebrated, to be loved."

Online Class

Here is the sneaky peek for the online class I'm doing for Crop For Kids in 3 weeks, on a Friday evening. The time of the class just means you get to chat as you go and ask questions and stuff, but if it's not a good time you can still purchase the class and check out all the instructions for at least a few days after the official class time :)

The cost of the class is $10, with all proceeds going to Crop For Kids fundraising for the Royal Children's Hospital. There will be a very small number of product kits available on Kiti Q including the items I used in my mini-album, with 25% of the profits from the kits also being donated to Crop For Kids. However, you get the materials list either way and can replace items with those from your own stash, change the theme, whatever! Let me know if anyone has any questions, email Crop For Kids at cropforkids@gmail.com to register. This will be my first online class that involves actual interaction - very exciting!

Sales and other stuff

Fireside Crafts are having a fantastic sale, with an additional 20% off their already below-RRP prices! The sale includes the current Candlelit Kit as well as any remaining stock of previous kits - stock is limited, though, so be quick if you don't want to miss this fab discount!

Also on the associated stores subject, I've just converted almost all of Kiti Q's class kits into pdfs, and they can now be purchased as a stand-alone item. As they are delivered digitally, you won't get charged shipping, and each class kit is essentially an online class. Single layout class kits are just $5, I'd love to see some of these made up with newer and different products! If anyone decides to give it a try, please email me what you come up with :)

I'm having a bit of a brain strain trying to remember what I wanted to blog tonight. Sienna seems to have returned to normal programming (getting up after 7), but Ash still wants me up by 6am, and if I watch a movie or anything at night it doesn't add up to quite enough sleep. So, brain fuzzy.

Oh, I did patch my favourite jeans yesterday. Used the SIStv challenge of being inspired by an image from the film 'Marie Antoinette', so used similar colours and a bit of guipure lace to reflect that feel. All decorative now, I am just glad I get to wear them again.

Also did a layout for another challenge on SIStv, which was to recycle inspiration from the SIStv gallery. I lifted a layout by Jennifer Pebbles, which you can see here. This is my page, about my personality type. I like re-reading the type descriptions sometimes, they remind me of things that are just who I am, when I've started to think I'm just a reject because other people aren't the same. I'm glad other people aren't the same, LOL, but still, it is good to read about how different parts of a personality type sort of combine to identify us. Not by our history or interests, but by our reactions to things, our emotional preferences, our thinking processes. Stuff like that. One thing I like about my type, which I forgot to write on this layout, is that INFJs tend to 'inspire others', which is cool. The main reason I put all this creative stuff out there. Also so I don't just throw it away. Two-fold ;) If you're curious, there is a good online version of this test here.

Grunge

Did this layout last night in Jill GG's 'Grunge' online class, all proceeds to the Royal Children's Hospital via Crop For Kids! It was fun being all rough and messy and just throwing things together :)

I have an online class coming up for Crop For Kids as well, on making a mini-album. It's in four weeks on a Friday night, still putting together the project for that one!

Nature Boy

Scrapbook Creations 47

These are the layouts I have in this month's Scrapbook Creations mag - I had a feature booked but I believe that will be in 48 (I am looking forward to that one, it's a fave project).

I've been scrapping a bit this week, but stuff for mags so I can't show yet. Have also been packing October's Q Tea kits - Real Men Drink Tea. There are a few still available at this point, in case anyone was wondering ;) Hmm what else. I got a whole bunch of photos printed yesterday, so should be set for scrapping for awhile!

Finished editing the photos of 'Little Ben' the other day, here are a couple of favourites. I like photographing bubs, they're so little. And they stay still (usually) LOL. The rest of the photos are in my flickr.

Scrapping and stuff

Which is pretty normal I guess. I have three projects to share using the newest Candlelit Kit, full of Scenic Route Sumner and Basic Grey Mellow, with a funky Hambly overlay thrown in (yay! love me some Hambly). You will be able to buy it here within a couple of days :) The alphabet is GORGEOUS. I don't even usually use raw chipboard alphas as I can't be bothered painting or covering them, but this one I love and used it on my Lubeck layout below.



I also did this layout for Sketches Oz, based on a sketch by the gorgeous Viv Bonder. Yes, I did forget the umlauts but realised this after I photographed it and will add them to the title shortly, LOL ;) I must continue trying to learn German. My head feels full of things at the moment and as if stuff is falling out the back. My meagre language skills must have been the first things to go, I can't remember much at all. Anyhow. I love the colours in this layout - the new Rouge de Garance papers are just beautiful, Kiti Q have them here. The only trouble is that both sides of the papers are equally gorgeous, it is hard to pick a side to use!

My trip to Sydney is all booked and I am very excited to be doing Celine's workshops and also Lusi's! Lusi's class will feel more like just hanging out and scrapping I think, she is such a sweetie and I'm really looking forward to it :) Lusi also has a fantastic range of acrylic stamps and also some chipboard through Buzz and Bloom - Kiti Q have some on the way which is very exciting. Actual delivery is about four weeks away I believe.

This afternoon I am in need of a coffee... Hmm that wasn't what I meant to say. LOL. I am making a new feature graphic for the Kiti Q homepage - this time highlighting the new Urban Lily releases. Then I will continue editing photos of our new nephew Ben so I can send a disc to his parents, Ben's stepsister Abi and her hubby John. Having the photos finished (I need to finish editing and burn a disc of Caden photos for my sister Hayley as well) will free me up to start working on the Outback Pride website, hopefully next week.

City

I did a mixed media painting called 'City' yesterday (my day without the kids - yay!) inspired by the Regina Spektor song 'Us'. I've had the painting in my head for WEEKS so it is a relief to actually make it, even though it turned out differently, as usual. I still like it though. I painted over one of my paintings from March or April, Shadows, because the kids had stood on it and made a gash in the canvas. So I made the gash part of the painting and stitched it up when the rest of it was finished. I like this one as there are details in there you wouldn't notice straight away. Hard to get an accurate photo of it, though, as the gel medium surface is kind of reflective.

Exciting news - my 6"x12" layout 'Paper Wings' from Saturday (the one of Sienna in her special dress) won the challenge I made it for on Scrap In Style - 50 (US) dollars worth of scrapbooking goodies from some very cool brands - yay!

Also I forgot to add the journaling from the layout 'Fierce Love'. The challenge was to make a layout about that word, and I wrote this stuff on the page just as I was thinking about it, but then it turned into more of a background and you can't read it. Luckily I wrote it down on a notebook before continuing with the layout.

"The something about a mother's love, the tangible connection to one's own flesh and blood, to one's own spirit in evidence by the mere fact of their existence. The strength of the woman to carry and bear a child, the part of herself that is born in each of them. This bond creates a love of such magnitude that she will not allow any threat to her children to go unchallenged, any fight to go un-fought on their behalf. Worse than a woman scorned, there is no power, no fury, like that of a mother protecting her children. You mess with my babies, you mess with me. Fierce love."

... and more scrap.

And I just have to share this, it cracks me up. This whole series is hilarious, but the songs in particular crack me up.

Scrap, Scrap and more Scrap

Lots of layouts to share - my second Rouge de Garance one (loaded up with Bam Pop as well) for Kiti Q, and also 'Rundle St', the layout I did last weekend.

Three new ones I did yesterday for the Scrap In Style boutique celebrations - basically just for fun, I just like having 'challenges' to prompt me :) Really happy with all of these, might try and get the last couple done today. Hmm maybe. I still have lots of photos to edit!

Ailes ou Fleur

Beautiful new range from Rouge de Garance that Kiti Q just got in, and I love it. This is the first page I did (last night), and I did a second today with a lot of Bam Pop over one of the RdG papers. Will share tomorrow, also the layout I did on the weekend, I just have to upload the photos of those two.

I thought

Quick post - I thought I'd posted this but apparently I forgot - the layout I did last week for the first Everyday Garbage challenge, which was to use something from the kitchen. The Hello Kitty pics are from the clock packaging (which would have gone into the recycling bin) and I also added pieces of cut-up drinking straws. Fun stuff!

I have loads of photos to edit from the weekend, here is one I've done so far.

October Q Tea kit is up, there are about 8 left at the moment. Cheers :)