A week and 17 cards later

I am officially caught up with my deck of me! It was really fun, actually, I'd forgotten how much I like the small format and expressing a single thought quite specifically. And using lots of bits and pieces I like from around the place. Cool.

Still deep in photo editing - as in, it is on my to-do list ;) This last week we have had my cousin Bec and her hubby stay with us, involving shopping, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, lots of SingStar, xmas day pub lunch and movies with Kell as well, and not much photo editing at all, LOL. I did get some help with packing Q Tea kits though - yay! Speaking of which, here is a sneak, this kit is really fun. Check out the whole thing on the Q Tea blog.

Not much else happening, am working on some class kits for Kiti Q, but have run out of ink to print photos. I did a layout today, as Celine has a scraplift challenge on her blog. It was really fun, will try and photograph it tomorrow to show!

Deck of me - catch up # 1

[click to enlarge a little]

Funky Candlelit

These two layouts are made from the newest Candlelit kit, a funky smaller kit than usual with KI Memories pop culture, lace cardstock, some American Crafts thickers (love this font!) and felt die-cuts, among other things. The best absolute must-have bit of the kit, though, is the Inque Boutique frame stamp - it is so funky! I used it as a photo corner, and as frames, and just used the inner part as a journaling spot - I just love the doodled, almost joker-like design. So fun :)


I did this last layout last Saturday night as well, which was for the Scrap Boutique cybercrop. I rarely do cybercrops, but was lacking my own motivation (but felt like scrapping), and the challenge was quite fun - a sketch, plus use 3 patterned papers and one had to be an older paper from your stash. Maybe there was another criteria, I don't remember anymore. Anyway, there was also a 2 hour time limit! So it was throwing stuff on, mixing up colours and sticking it down, which is always fun. I have to say these last two layouts don't thrill me, as much as I love the products used. I feel like getting a bit more arty with it, maybe with a mini album or something. You never know.

Highlights so far from my editing rampage

Except blogger is being weird and the images are overlapping, so click on each one to see it bigger :)

A winner and more SC layouts

OK, thanks to a random number generator, number 1 comment won the native herbs, so that means... Sylvia! I'll post you some Sea Parsley and Wattleseed soon.

Still have a bunch of photos to work through from Saturday's wedding but here is one of my faves so far -



I picked up a copy of Scrapbook Creations yesterday, here are the other ones of mine that are in that feature, there are another couple in Quick Grabs also but I posted them here when I made them ;) Also check out Viv's awesome feature on metal, including the gorgeous piece she made for me :) :) :) and she also used a photo I took of her and Em Falconbridge at Kiwiscraps in April, which is cool. One of Viv's techniques in this article is also the one that Celine demonstrated in Sydney in November - must get me some of that adhesive aluminium tape!

There is also a preview of a calendar I made which is 6 x 12 inches (not 6x8 as is printed in the notes!) which will be in the next issue, as part of my feature 'Room to Move'

SC 49

I hear the new Scrapbook Creations mag is out. I have a 'technique feature' in this one, sponsored by Aussie Scrap Source, on the collage technique. It is basically step by step instructions for a few layouts using the technique - I had done 5 but it was cut to 3 for the feature due to space constraints, and I'm not actually sure which layouts are in it, except for this one of Rosie's Girls. I love this photo of my friend Rosie's two daughters and requested that this one stay in, but Kim - the editor - chose the other two. Will have to grab a copy and find out what she picked!

Working through photos at the moment, but nothing to share yet. Will pick a few faves and show them at the end of the week. In the meantime, the new Candlelit Kit has just arrived on my doorstep, and it is very cool! KI Memories Pop Culture, American Crafts 'Platform' Thickers, a bunch of felt die-cuts and an extremely funky Inque Boutique journaling spot stamp! Must photograph, and then play :) Though I have the four kids today, so no promises, LOL. Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine this morning, as the kidlets are currently making the most of it outside :)

Oh and a huge thank you to my sweet friend Viv, I received your parcel and it so made me smile, in that teary kind of way that smiles have when accompanied by surprise, laughter and deep movement of the heart. You know why.

A photo and a tv show

This photo is from a session I did the other week with my friends Teresa and Nathan, who are expecting their first baby. I haven't gone through many of them yet, but I love this one! I also have some cool ones of Reeze with all our kids (Kell's and mine) that I took on Wednesday - they are very cute too, will post a couple when I'm done with them.

It was exciting to see Ben's dad and step-mum on TV again yesterday - the ABC's 'Landline' had a 20 minute segment featuring Mike and Gayle and the Outback Pride project! You can check it out here (pick a video type on the right, and it will open the video segment to watch), and I believe it repeats today (Monday) at noon - Edited to add: Actually I think it's at 11am Monday, sorry!

I photographed a wedding, with most of the photography happening at St Kilda beach, on Saturday. So it's all about photography at the moment! I have lots of editing to do :)

A layout, a new blog and a RAK

I did this layout yesterday for Kiti Q - how cool are these Love, Elsie Zoe papers?! There is also a Hambly rub-on, Doodlebug polka dot blossoms, American Crafts Vinyl Thickers, and a KI Memories Pop Culture chipboard journal spot.

Another side project I've started is a recipe blog - Season with Saltbush. You may or may not have known that my in-laws Mike and Gayle Quarmby are the brains, brawn, creativity and general hard work behind the Outback Pride project. Part of the project is helping set up bush food plots on remote indigenous communities, and later providing the opportunity for the communities to sell the bush food they grown and harvest. In any case, Outback Pride produce an awesome selection of native Australian bush food and make it available in sauces, jams, relishes, as dried herbs, etc. They also supply The Outback Cafe with their re-branded items (anyone seen the series? It's on the Lifestyle Channel on Foxtel).

Anyway anyway, the point is that we have most of the items they produce, and I also photograph them for the website. So we have lots of tasty native herbs for me to cook with, and the sauces and salad dressings etc to eat :) The kids love the jams, and 'nan and pop sauce', kutjera sauce. Ben has a caterers bottle of Quandong and Chilli Sauce, since he loves it so much! And I like cooking, so I mix up our meals with native herbs on a regular basis.

So I decided awhile back to start a new blog with the aim of sharing recipes, ideas and generally inspiring people to seek out and use these native herbs and products. I added the first recipe today and hope to add a new one each Friday.

Leave a comment telling me what you think, suggest, would like to see on the recipe blog, and I will draw a random comment to send some native herbs. If you just want to leave a scrapbooking comment, feel free, I won't add you to the draw unless you mention it ;)

Check it out :)

Two New

I did these two yesterday afternoon. 'Now You Are 4' is for Kiti Q, using a bunch of Sassafras Lass 'Owl Pals' die cuts and paper, and three different types of KI Memories Lace Cardstock - love that stuff!