Finally surfaced.....

.... from under the report writing fog that has hanging over my head for weeks. It feels like months since I have blogged and I have a bit of catching up to do.
The retreat with the Scrapboutique babes was awesome and I managed to get a few challenge layouts done which I had been hoping to complete before the end of the month.
This first one is possibly my favourite from the retreat and is for this months Aussie Scrap Jack, I jacked Dana's gorgeous layout.

The colours didn't photograph well but I just love these photos.

A layout for Scrap the Boys November challenge.

I used a Crafter's workhop stencil in the background with Tim Holtz Distress Ink to make the circles and I love the way they turned out.

And finally a layout for Creative Scrappers Sketch #180.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving your fabulous comments. I am always surprised to discover people have visited! 

Boutique Retreat

Tomorrow morning I head off to the Scrapboutique Retreat in beautiful Coffs Harbour!! Two and a half day of uninterrupted scrapping, catching up with friends and treating myself to a little rest and relaxation. Can't wait!!!
For those of you who are Masterchef fans the name Adriano Zumbo would be enough to get your taste buds salivating. Many people are surprised to hear that he is from the same small town as me of only just over 3000 people in Central West NSW. I guess I have followed his rise to fame closely for this reason so during the last school holidays when we were in Sydney I had to visit his shop in Balmain and BOY was it worth it!! In his shop, although only tiny, there were so many delightful goodies that we had to buy quite a few to sample.

So when a recent challenge at Scrapboutique was to scrap holiday photos I had the perfect shots!

Must go and get some sleep in readiness for the weekend away! Thanks for the lovely comments you leave, I really appreciate it!

EXCITING NEWS!!!

I am so excited to have been announced as the overall winner in the Scrapboutique Passion for Fashion competition!!!
This fabulous comp has been running for 8 weeks at the BOUTIQUE and each week we have had to create layouts based on a fashion style.
Last night was the Red Carpet Awards and there were encouragement awards and runners up announced too.
This is my amazing prize!!

Finishing the comp on 51 votes, our winner and Queen of Fashion for 2011 is...... KAREN WATSON!!!!! Huge Congratulations Karen!!! You have won -A Brand New Tim Holtz Toolbox - An Echo Park "Seasons Greetings" Collection Kit -A WeR Album of your choice  -and a $20 Spending Spree in the Boutique!!  Grand Total prize value of $150!!!! Plus Karen wins the most coveted prize of all........ The Passion 4 Fashion TIARA!!!   Sooo jealous of you right now Karen!!!

How awesome is that???!!! It was such a surprise as the layouts have been amazing each week and I felt certain that the winner would be someone who had taken out prizes throughout the competition so I was completely blown away!
Somehow I missed posting my last layout for the competition (probably due to being so busy with report writing atm) so thought I should share.
The theme for the last week was FUTURISTIC fashion so it was all about metallics, sharp angular lines and bold geometric accessories. These photos of friends and I dressed up as KISS for a school concert were perfect!

Thanks for visiting. Hope you have a great week!

His Passion

My eldsest son spent year away at university studying a double degree in PE Teaching and Psychology. He worked hard leading up to the HSC to get the UAI needed for the course and I was so proud of him for reaching his goal.
However, it was not quite as he thought it would be and after a year of being quite unhappy he moved back home to work out what to do next. I guess what we want most for our children is to see them happy and finding a profession they love. He has now started a chef's apprenticeship locally and loves it! I hope this new direction works for him.
My layout for SCRAP THE BOYS this month is about his change in career direction.

The criteria for October was to use homemade embellishments on your layout so I made three little flags out of the patterned paper.

Love the way the texture paste looks on this layout!

Thanks for dropping by!

October Challenges

At the beginning of each month I make a list of the online challenges I'd like to take part in. The list is always quite long as there are so many great sites out there!
At the end of the month I am lucky to have completed one or two! I'm not sure where time goes.
This month I managed to get the Kraft It Up! challenge completed and went with the monochromatic theme to create this layout of Matt's 21st.

I also found time to play along with one of the STUCK sketches for October. 

I came up with this interpretation of the sketch. I used tissue paper for the larger circle and a stamp for the smaller one. Change the location of the journalling as what I wanted to say wouldn't fit! 

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I am madly trying to complete two more before the end of the month (that's tomorrow!!!) Best get back to them!!

Thanks for dropping by and leaving such lovely comments, they always make my day!

Girly Grunge

The style this week at Scrapboutique's Passion 4 Fashion  is Grunge. I do grunge on so many of my layouts that I decided to mix it up and make it feminine at the same time.
Love this photo of my gorgeous niece Lauren taken at her Dad's recent wedding, it is hard to believe she is only 14!

The additional criteria was to use at least one stamp on the layout and while searching for something to go with this layout I came across this little Fancy Pants circle stamp! I am in love with this stamp, definitely a new favourite!

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you are having a great weekend and that the weather where you are is as glorious as it is here!!

Week 5 @ Passion for Fashion

The fashion style for Week 5 of the Passion for Fashion challenge at SCRAPBOUTIQUE is casual. To me casual means my favourite denim jeans so I used a distressed blue background on my layout and kept the lines unstructured and the whole design casual in feel.
The extra criteria this week was to use a non scrapping item on your page and I managed to bribe Joseph to give me one of his wrist bands (the topic of the layout) to include on my page.

Love using mists with templates and adding extra dimension with stamps. I made this brick template out of a sheet of cardboard. It doesn't give as neat a finish as the manufactured ones but that adds to its appeal for me!

Hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for dropping by!

A Passion 4 Fashion - Western!

The fashion style at the Scrapboutique Passion 4 Fashion competition this week was Western (or Country) with earthy tones, natural fibres and tough, strong and manly lines being the brief.
And this is my interpretation of Western.

I seem to be using tissue paper, crafter's workshop stencils and paint or mist on most of my layouts at the moment!

Thanks for dropping by, your visits really make my day!

Finally updating!!

The past week or so has been hectic and I have neglected to post my recent layouts! We were away for the first part of the school holidays at my brother's wedding in the Hunter Valley. A beautiful location for a wedding and a fabulous time was had by all. I wish he and Tracey many happy years together.

I completed this layout for Color Combos Galore #210. This was the inspiration board:

My layout features photos of my brother on stage in a local musical he recently took part in. He played the part of an Italian Waiter and sang the classic by Joe Dolche 'Whats-a Matter You' - which is the title of the layout. It was such a fun night and when I saw the colours in this pallete I knew they were perfect for these photos.

My other share is a layout which I completed for Week 3 of the Passion for Fashion competition at Scrapboutique. The theme for this week was Conservative with pastel colours and soft lines. Very different from my usual style so definitely a challenge.

The layout is about my Aunty Nea, my mum's sister, who is an amazing lady! Her husband, my Uncle Neville had a long battle with Parkinson's disease and I admire the way she helped him through the difficult times so this layout is a tribute to her!

Thanks for dropping by!

Rock and Roll All Nite

So this was my day!

(A slight wardrobe malfunction in this one!)

Today at school we held the STARMAKER Grandfinals! A showcase of our fantastic students and their incredible talents from singing and drama to piano, gym and dance. 

So not to be outdone by the students this year, four brave staff members took to the stage in true Kiss style, lipsyncing in style to Rock and Roll All Nite!!! (Just call me Gene!!)

Lots of laughs and a hit with the students! 

Now what to do next year?

Art Appreciation

The  Pashion for Fashion challenge at Scrapboutique this week was to scrap the DRAMATIC fashion style with the extra criteria of using a movie quote on the layout. I focused on a variety of different elements of the fashion style to come up with this layout of Joe.

Black a favourite colour of this fashion style

Contrasting colours - used the yellow as a contrast to the black

Silver - letters, tag and mesh

Severe, sharp, asymmetrical lines - the pattern paper in the background and the sharp, strong lines of the stitching

See through - the black mesh and the silver mesh behind the photo

Textures trendy - misting is very trendy at the moment so went for that in the background 

and besides all that

Life with this 16year old can be very DRAMATIC!!! (In a great way Joe!!!)

The quote is from Monty Python 'And now for something completely different' which described our trip to the art gallery to perfection! 

A few close ups:

Thanks for visiting. Pop over to Scrapboutique and have a look, it is a wonderful shop and has a great forum filled with lovely ladies! Take care xxx

Fabulous Colours at CCG

I love the new palette at CCG. The colours were so easy to work with and perfect for male pages! This week we had to use a single subject photos for the designers challenge, not too hard!
Here is the palette:

And my layout:

I used gesso, mist and a Crafter's Workshop stentcil for the background and black hat mesh, with rubons and stickers for the detail on the edges. 

Hope you can find the time to join us!

Thanks for visiting and for any comments you may leave. They always make me smile!

Have a great weekend!!

A Passion for Fashion

Do you have a passion for fashion?? If so take a look at this fantastic competition being run at SCRAPBOUTIQUE.

The challenge this week: 

WEEK 1 - HAUTE COUTURE
Haute Couture (or high fashion)- This category includes the very chic, one-of-a-kind, the custom-made and designer's collections.
Colours - Unusual and rare. 
Lines - Unusually layered, fitted to suit, very specific individual taste. 
Textures - Unusual and rare materials. 
Effect - One-of-a-kind, very unique, tres chic 
Needs of customer - Custom-made, designer's originals, very expensive.
Favourite Accessory - Coordinated, matching and custom made pieces.
Note: Notice the unusual layers, unique and one-of-a-kind designs. 

Here is my layout.

And my interpretation of the brief:

 I have focused more on the description of the fashion style rather than the fashion itself. 

Unusual materials - white mesh plasterers tape in the background and raffia to represent the grass 

Coordinated, matching and custom made pieces - yellow pearls and flowers to go with the yellow background and handmade rolled flowers

Layers - Plenty of those

A close up of some details.

Thanks for looking!

Never Enough - CCG #208

Do you ever feel that no matter how hard you try to fit everything into your week there is simply never enough time to get everything done?
I have this feeling on a weekly basis and find that the balance between work, home and taking care of me is a delicate juggling act which often I don't get right!
So that was the topic for my layout for the new palette at Color Combos Galore. The colours are soft and pretty (right out of my comfort zone) and the designer challenge is to use pearls on your page.

My journalling is in the pocket tucked behind the photos.

Hop over and take a look at what the Design Team created, very talented ladies!

Thanks for dropping by!

A quick share!

Just a quick post to share my layout for the August Scrap the Boys Challenge, it is due today so I am just  getting it in on time!!!
The challenge was to use this photo as inspiration.

I took my inspiration from the colours and the diagonal lines in the wheel at the back. Also added some wooden stars to my page inspired by the wooden furniture in the room.

The photos are not the best as they were taken in a very dark room with poor lighting and my photography skills still need work!!! However they tell an important story I wanted to document.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving comments, they always make my day!

Playing along at STUCK!

I decided to give the Bonus Sketch #2  a go this month at STUCK after joining in on their recent Blog Hop. I am loving the Crafter's Workshop templates at the moment and seem to be using them on many of my layouts, really love this one I have used to mist the background.

Will definitely try to join in more at Stuck, the sketches are great!

A Grungy Layout for CCG

What a challenge this week's palette was at Color Combos Galore! Very monochromatic and with a designers recipe challenge which included creating a ledge effect on your page!

I had this photo of my son and his friend sitting on a ledge so it was perfect for the designers challenge!

The shot was one of a series taken for promo shots for their band (do you call a Hip Hop act that??) and I was lucky to get a few photos from them.

Played with gesso and mists to make my 'wall' background and I am really happy with the grungy feel it created!

Thanks for looking. Hope you get a chance to play along!

I love a rainy day....

....it is always a good excuse to sit inside and scrap without feeling guilty about not getting the gardening or the washing done!

I managed to finish off two layouts today which have both been sitting on my desk for nearly two weeks untouched! Feels great to have them completed!

This first one is for the August challenge at Kraft It Up. I have been wanting to scrap this set of photos of Joe at the snow so this multi-photo sketch was perfect.

This next layout is for the August Sketch challenge at Get Picky, my first time at playing along!

Photos of me taken at around 2 years of age!

Hope you are having a great weekend. Thanks for dropping by, I'm off to start another layout!