Home for the day

Poor Tara has been sick this week - she spent the day with my Mum & Dad yesterday but I stayed home with her today. Wet and miserable here in Brissy - so staying home was quite nice!

I FINALLY managed to finish the handbag I purchased the pattern for ages ago from A Passion for Craft - happy with how it turned out but not really happy with my fabric for the pockets!

The is the hardest part...finding and choosing the best fabrics/patterns to make the bag up in.

Anyway...I've had a trial run now - next one (for Mum's birthday) will be much better!

This is what happens when you're TOO organised...

Those at Warana know that the first thing I completed while away that weekend was a travel journal notebook (shown below) for eldest DD to take to China with her in July (school music festival).

I did deliberate over whether to put a date on it as unfortunately the area she was going to was 60km from the centre of the recent horrific earthquake and we knew there was a chance to music tour would be postponed.

Well - as it turns out - the music tour to China is no more :( Instead they are going to a festival in New Zealand...in July!!! Don't ask me how I'm going to amend the notebook to read NZ now instead of China!! That will teach me for being too organised in advance!!!

Can I just say that while I'm disappointed my still 12 year old DD isn't getting to experience China I AM really pleased her first OS trip will be to New Zealand instead. Much closer to home, much safer (although they are going skiing!!) and almost like just visiting another Aussie state really!! But she will still be getting to experience another country, travelling without us and the excitement of travelling with her orchestra!

Talking to my cousin Rochelle in Sydney last night - she's always been heavily involved with Girl Guides - and she's thrilled to hear my girls are enjoying it so much! Told her about eldest DD being made a patrol leader and turns out she's PL for the same patrol Rochelle was when she was a Guide! What a coincidence!

Looking forward to catching up with all the cousins in October in Sydney - Rochelle and my brother are organising this gathering as we tend to only get together for weddings and/or funerals!

Youngest DD has been home from school ill today...have a feeling she'll be off colour still tomorrow. So much illness around atm...I'm STILL fighting my head cold!

The Carnival is Over...

We had school carnival on Saturday - it's a bi-annual event! Girls had a great day...exhausting for us but fun all the same! Have to share one pic from it...youngest DD...don't think it needs any explanation!

Managed to get a few LO's and cards made on Saturday night for challenges/competitions at the Stamp Shak and Scrap Chat.

Spent today at a Guides Support Group conference - nice to meet other people who have taken on roles with Support Groups and hear how they do things!

Speaking of Guides...eldest DD was made patrol leader on Friday night! Very exciting! She even gets a whistle!!!

Not sure what Blogger did to my previous post...I seem to have lost some images :(

Another Wonderful Retreat

Well I've survived another amazing weekend of scrapping at Warana!

Had a great time although I wasn't feeling 100% most of the weekend - rotten headache on Friday and then a head cold/snuffles from Saturday afternoon!

Still - it was awesome to catch up with some wonderfully inspiring scrappers and meet a few new ladies in real life!

A BIG thanks to Gypsy for organising a fabulous weekend!

I was a naughty scrapper and didn't take any photographs!!!! But there were plenty of cameras clicking away so I'm sure I'll get some photos at some stage. Keep an eye on the Warana Retreat blog...there will be photos uploaded onto it at some stage! There are already a few photographs up in the gallery at Scrap Chat - here - http://scrapchat.net/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=88

Despite not feeling great some of the time I still managed to do some scrapping and very little sleep!!! Here's my work from the weekend....


Passion for Craft Monthly Sketch Challenge

LSBS Monthly Sketch

8x8 - for a special album (don't look Gyps!)

Card sketch challenge
Card swap - made 8 of them!!

Hand challenge that I set

Sketch challenge

The Stamp Shak Monthly challenge.

Looking forward to the next retreat already...in November!

Fatality Free Friday

Wish we could be fatality free EVERYDAY!!!

I'm off to WARANA today - so will be taking it easy on the roads as we ALL should EVERYDAY!!

Check this out and make the pledge ...http://www.fatalityfreefriday.com.au/

Take it easy on the roads!

Congrats

I forgot to mention my Congratulations in my post last night - to Chelle Jamieson - who's got her first EVER published LO in Scrapbooking Memories this month (Vol 10 No 1)!! Well done Chelle (our doodle queen!)...glad to see they've finally recognised your awesome talents!

We're a bit excited here about this issue too as both the girls have LO's published in the Young Scrappers section AND I've got my first LO accepted by SM in the mag too!

The Young Scrappers segment is awesome! It's great that I recognise so many of the young scrappers and know how excited their Mum's must be (Shannon, Narelle, Kerryn, PT, Scrapwitch!).

Opps...

Bit slack this week with my blogging!!!

First off....belated HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.....hope you spoilt your Mum or were spoilt yourself!

I was .... a huge cooked breakfast, shopping and coffee with my Mum and lovely gifts (including a new Sing Star disk)! Perfect day!

Even managed to get some scrappin' done....the Powerscrap challenge at Scrap Chat....

Had a work wedding on Saturday - the lovely Holly finally married Warren - on the beach at Coochie Island! Loved watched the ceremony, with shoes off in the sand! Made this card for them...

On the final countdown to Warana....only FOUR sleeps to go....can't wait to spend time with this fabulous bunch of ladies and scrap all we want!

I'm hoping Tracey (Peeps) is too busy getting ready for Warana to check out my blog this week...cos here's my LO in her "Fashion" CJ....I'm the last entry in it and am looking forward to hand delivering it! Also received my TOUCH CJ back....and WOW...awesome entries by all the amazing women who contributed to it! THANK YOU!

Hopefully I'll have lots of pics and scrappin' to share next Sunday night (if I can stay awake) after another wonderful Warana weekend!

Happy Birthday DH

Darling husband is celebrating his birthday today! We started the day with pancakes and are finishing it with lasagne and ice cream cake tonight!

On to scrap news...

Here's my LO for the National Scrapbook Day challenge I put up at SCrap Chat. I few ladies have had a go and their efforts are awesome!



There have been a few people asking about digi scrapping at Scrap Chat so today I put together a basic digi scrapbooking 101 step-by-step using Photoshop Elements 4.

If anyone would like a copy - it's in PDF format - send me an email & I'll send it to you! It is very basic! Email addy is scrapmanda@hotmail.com

We have a public holiday tomorrow here in Qld...hoping to either see a movie or do something together as a family as the girls have both had sleep overs this weekend! In between I'm starting to get organised for our Warana Retreat which is only 11 days away!!!

National Scrapbook Day

Tomorrow - 3 May - is National Scrapbook Day!

To celebrate I've popped a little challenge up at Scrap Chat....check it out for the chance at a RAK prize from me. Upload by MOnday midnight (as we have a long weekend here in Qld!!)

http://scrapchat.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1294&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Quick share...

A tag I completed for a challenge at A Passion For Craft....