Thursday, December 13, 2012

Twelve Days of Christmas

Because I am a slack tart, I never did get around into making a December daily. Even after constant nagging from my friend Tracy I still just never got it done....So once December rolled around I was all like "Well, its to late now." So I put the idea right out of my head. Till, last week when I had a brain wave, ill do the 12 days of Christmas!! The same as a daily December but the last 12 days leading up to it!!  I found a kids board book we had around that none of the kids read anymore and went to work.

All the papers and tags are from Simple Stories 25 days of Christmas 
6x6 paper pad

I just LOVE this little pack, made my job so much easier, everything just fell together nicely!!

Cover

Inside cover first page
I'm not going to post pics of each page they all look much the same as page one 

Thanks for looking :)

Monday, December 10, 2012

New Better Scrapboking LOs

Hi guys Back with this months scrap pack for better scrapbooking :) I just LOVED the papers this month and found I could do more than just school LOs with them, 

For all Product info please head over to www.betterscrapbooking.co.nz

Playing in the grass
Photo is of my oldest boy when he was about 3 years old



 Dad
Photo is of my husband one day at the park.



Boy discovers world

Again this one is of my oldest boy at the age of 3 playing in my mum and dads garden




1st Day

My little boy number 3 on his first day of school

Thank for looking!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

New Los and Videos For Better Scrapbooking

Hi everyone, so its ummm been a while since my last post!!! I have got to be one of the worse bloggers in the world...lol I have had lots going on the last couple of months and i will try and catch everyone up over the next few weeks :) but no promises this time, it is the silly season after all and I am rushed off my feet with the kids school things and making teacher gifts and I'm sure there lots I have forgotten.

But for today I am going to catch up on the Betterscrapbooking design team Los I haven't posted

November Kit

Now this Kit rocked!! it was all very steam punk, not somthing i have ever done before but after i got over the first what on earth am i going to do, I just LOVED it!!


Little Elaine

This is a photo of my Mum when she was little.

Graphic 45 Steampunk debutante Collection
Time warp
      Eclectic Emporium
       Debutante tags
Green cardstock
Old sewing pattern tissue paper
Paint
Flowers
Thickers





Phyllis & Gerald

This photo is of my Nana and Pop on my Dads side

Products,
Graphic 45 Steampunk debutante Collection
  Time warp
  Eclectic Emporium
    Debutante tags
      Fantasy Floral
Green cardstock
Light blue cardstock
Brown ink
Stamp





 Inked
Photo is on one of my husbands Tattoos 

Graphic 45 Steampunk debutante Collection
     Victorian Transformers
      Time warp
        Eclectic Emporium
  Debutante tags
Black ink
Black watered down paint
Black pen
Stamps





The Dress

This is a Photo of the back of my wedding dress.

Graphic 45 Steampunk debutante Collection
  Victorian Transformers
   Eclectic Emporium
 Debutante tags
Green card stock
Thickers black ink 
paint
ricrac



I will be back I hope soon with the December Scrap pack :)

Thanks for looking 


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Pretty and Playful, Layout and Video.

Hi guys, just another quick layout post, I will have more videos being made soon and the better scrapbooking videos will be posted very soon!!

This is a photo of my little girl taken at the local park a few months ago.

Products

Create paper, paper hearts collection (I just LOVE this paper!!)
American crafts Thickers
American crafts  bites decorative tags
Carolees creations, wordplay play
Washi tape








Thanks for looking, have a great day :)

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A cautionary tale


Now before this little story, if you don’t like gory pic’s please don’t read any more. But at the same time I do urge you to look, so you can have a nice talk to your kids about the dangers of glass. I know we have all said don’t play around glass you could get hurt, but I do recommend sitting your kids down, maybe show them these pics and having a really good talk about why doors and windows are not toys and are never to be used as such!

On Monday night about 7:50 I was sitting there minding my own business I was just thinking “hmmm it’s almost bed time for some of the kids” I could hear the boys yelling and chasing  each other and was just about to get up to tell them to get inside sit down and stop being dicks when, Smash!!!

MY oldest slammed the glass sliding door shut just when Elliott went to chase him though it!! I don’t think I have even moved as fast in my life. I heard the sound of the smash and glass breaking then the scream. All in seconds. When I got to Elliott he was just standing there with an utter look of shock on his face holding out his arm. What I saw scared the crap out of me!!!

What I saw was a huge V shape cut on his arm so deep the mussel was exposed and the skin was flapping around all over the place, and the blood, my god the blood was everywhere!

First thing I thought to do was just get the bleeding stopped so without thinking I just covered the wound with my hand, shoved it up in the air and held on tight while yelling for someone to get me the phone.

Then Annabel saw what happened and all hell broke loose!! Man that girl can scream! She I very protective of her brothers and she does not like seeing them hurt, and all this was just too much for her, I couldn’t even here the ambulance lady on the phone.
I called mum next told her to just get here NOW, then I rang Jon at work…”Elliott’s hurt met me at the hospital!!

I tell you it felt like forever for the ambo to get to our house, I think I remember the lady on the phone saying it could be some time before they get there, I’m not sure thou. Standing there holding your child’s bleeding arm in the air thinking to yourself all the bad stuff he might have cut “has he cut all the tendons? Veins? Will he bleed out before anyone gets here? …its scary stuff, then when you see him go very pale and a bit wobbly on it real panic sets in so I made mum ring them again.

Anyway long story short Jon turned up and said the ambos are on their way, he was at A&E waiting and heard the call come in over the radio, said to the guys, look that’s my kid I’ll go get him and just bring him in, and they said nah we will go. So they turned up and I felt so justified when they took one look at the wound and gave each other a look and said that’s not great we will take him. (Ha I wasn’t over reacting!) Self-doubt sets in after a while!

Rolling the story ahead a bit we are in a&e at this point we have been told looks like it’s going to be surgery to repair the damage and a night in hospital, then another doctor arrived and cleaned out the wound and have a really, really good look, this was hard to watch. Elliott had No pain meds at this point and cleaning up hurt so much he went bright red and was just shaking like a leaf, he refused to cry and just handled everything they did to him!

So after a good cleaning and x-rays were done, another doctor bought in to have a wee look they decided, there was no mussel or tendon damage and he could be stitched up and sent him that night…what a relief!!   So 5 ½ hours and 17 stitches later we were on our way home.


 Photo time!!
before stitches , just after it got cleaned

After stitches


Now on a little 7 year old arms, its really it huge

Also these photos aren't the best. I only had my phone on me





Saturday, September 29, 2012

New Lay outs for Better Scrapbooking

Hi guys, a quick share of the LO's I have done for the better scrapbooking monthly scrap pack kits.The kit this month wasn't my usual cup of tea but I had lots of fun working with the papers, and I am really happy with the LO's :)

Just be you



Bo Bunny back to backs: Serenade dragonfly
  Serenade promenade
Serenade Trellis
Green card stock
Tissue paper from an old sewing pattern
Teensy type alpha stickers
Black ribbon
Watered down black paint
Grid stamp



 Smile silly boy



Bo Bunny back to backs: Serenade dragonfl y
  Serenade promenade
 Serenade Trellis
Orange card stock
Tissue paper from a old sewing patteren
Teensy type alpha stickers
Black ribbon
White paint



 I can't C U , U can't C me



Bo Bunny back to backs: Serenade dragonfl y
  Serenade promenade
    Serenade Trellis
 Serenade sunrise
Green card stock
Teensy type alpha stickers
Flower

Thanks for looking :)

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Lay out....What the...


Hi guys, another quick LO post.

I was sorting some photos to get printed the other day and came across these photos, now bit of back story …I didn’t take these photos, nor do I know who took them, or when. But at some point my daughter has gotten into some of my stickers and one of the boys has taken some photos of it..lol It really is amazing what you find when you go wondering around your hard drive!!






Products Used

Jillibean soup blossom soup fresh cilantro
Road show Dainty print
Plain paper bag
Washi type
Ribbon
Buttons
Printables
Glimmer mist
Black ink
Thickers



Thanks for looking



Thursday, September 20, 2012

Picnic with fairy bread, Layout

Hi guys quick post today, just sharing my scrapbook layout,  Picnic with fairy bread. Photos are of my little girl, she just loved the fairy bread best part was they were cut in the shape of dinos!!

Still going for the layering trend in this LO





Products
papers, 3 bugs in a rug, One fine day collection.
tissue paper from a sewing pattern
alphas, American craft, Thickers
random buttons
doily
random ribbon


Video of the process

Remember to follow me on Youtube and see the LOs as they are posted

Thanks for looking :)


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

More Mixed Media



Hi all, I have been busy, busy, busy making lots more mixed media canvases !! and I now have a Facebook page called Jens Gems where I am making all my one of a kind mixed media art to sell come and check it out and like my page. I also make little boxes and other stuff to order as well. Once I get over 100 likesim going to doing a little giveaway!!

freedom

Little elephants

Home is where you are.



Saturday, September 15, 2012

No Net update



Well last Thursday I went net free, this was meant to go all day till 7 pm but I caved and at 2:30 I did turn the lappy on. BUT this was not a failure, no no no not in the least.

By 9 am I had all my house work done!! All that was needed to do was hang out the washing, then I sat down at my corner and went to work, I got two scrapbook Layouts completed and a Mixed media canvas started. All before lunch!!!

Then I wondered around the house looking for things to do!!  

So I have made myself a new rule, I don’t have to go all day with no computer and TV, But defiantly during the week no laptop before lunch time!!!

Friday, September 14, 2012

The scrap room/corner makeover



So I decided to make a new scrap desk video, as some of you will know a we while ago I moved all my stuff out into the little shed we have outside, and I did love it for a while, but I got very lonely out there and I felt I could only head off out there when all the kids were asleep and my husband was home. Which isn’t as often as I would like at nights (shift work) and then when he was home I would feel rather guilty for heading on out to the shed….Plus in winter it was cold out there!!! So more often or not I would head on out to the shed with great intentions of making all this lovely stuff but alas it didn’t happen. Most of the time I would head on out there with a bottle of wine, a good move and sit there and get nice and toasted, then when the movie was finished I would go back inside and have nothing to show for myself but puffy eyes the sad movie had caused (The Note Book is way up on the movies that make me cry list)
So a couple of months ago  while I was sitting there with my wine, puffy eyes and a good ole sob fest movie  with nothing on my desk, I said stuff this, I am freezing, I am lonely I’m going to move back inside!!

We have all seen the YouTube vids of these wonderful scrap rooms, I covet these rooms but I have neither the space or the money to fill up a big wonderful room so instead when I moved out of the shed a lot of my stuff did not move with me L it was hard at first, but Now I only buy what I need and quite frankly I don’t need to much, I don’t have 100 different colored inks or glimmer mists etc., I don’t own a cuttlebug or big shot, I don’t have 100 stamps, I only buy what I think I will use a lot of. So far this is working wonders. Although I wouldn’t mind more punches…Now they would be handy, but I’ll be stuffed if I’m paying close to $40 for one border punch …ill make do without.

And the best thing of all is the mess…I used to let my room get into some shocking states pics below, I had so much stuff out there (Well still do) and I would never put anything away …Ever !!!

It's so messy I cant even open the door

But now with the desk back in the lounge and without all stuff around I have found keeping tidy so much easier, now don’t get me wrong I can get my little corner in some right states, but now instead of it taking me 3 days to clean up after about an hour at the most is as good as new!!

Gah I can't stand my voice

Thanks for looking :)



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

No NET or TV for day


So I have decided I tend to spend way, way too much time on the computer during the day. I go from Facebook to YouTube to blogs to MSN and back again. I can sit for hours if you let me and next minute its lunch time and I have done nothing with my morning, so this Thursday I and going to have a net and TV free day…I don’t really watch a lot of TV in the daytime anyway, but it’s always on just there and sometimes something will catch my eye, normally as I turn my chair away from the computer getting ready to get up and do something.



What do I hope to achieve with this??…Honestly I’m not sure, I expect my house will be clean and tidy no doubt, I may even get some crafting done , but I think more than anything I want to make myself more aware of how much time I sit on my bum and do almost nothing. Might I add that said bum is getting bigger and bigger!

I am obviously aware of it otherwise I wouldn’t be doing the net free thing, but I think I am tricking myself at the same time. I am saying naughty things to myself trying to make excesses to make myself feel better…Oh come on its not that much, you still get most of the house work in (of course only what really has to be done) the washing is still done at the end of the day (not folded thou), what does it matter if I spend a little time online???

It matters because at the end of the day when my kids get home from school I am still just wanting to sit in front of the pc. I get grumpy when heaven forbid one of the kids wants me to make them a sandwich or something. It’s selfish and I never wanted to be that person.  I don’t want to fight with my almost 13yr son about computer time and get angry cos he won’t hurry up and get off it when I tell him too, just so I can see if anything new has happened on FB. I don’t want to get angry when I walk into the room and see my husband is reading the news and think “man he has stolen my lappy again”. Please no judging!!

 The internet is a privilege not a right!!!

So this Thursday I am net free from first thing in the morning till 7 pm  I would do it Wednesday but I’m out most of that day anyway and I think that is kinda cheating when I’m not going to be home to really take stock of things. For this to work it has to be a day when I’m home!!


But if anything happens around the world, like big important stuff someone please text me…LOL

Oh and I do have a update for my spring cleaning but that will have to wait a couple more days, never know i may have more to show after my no net day!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

The art journal



Like the mixed media I have also found the world of art journaling, I don’t do this much, honestly I don’t have much time for it. But when I do I just love it I am still learning a lot as I go, like what paints go well with each other, where to use crayons when not too. But it’s awesome just to try new things!!! And really get your hands dirty!! I haven’t done much journaling in these pages yet, I have done a couple and I won’t show them, they are very personal pages.  When I have just let the pen flow and got everything out, I like doing this every now and then.

 Side note here, water based crayons do work well with mod podge






Friday, September 7, 2012

This week from Pinterest #3



This week I have gone for the mixed Media arts again, I just love this stuff, its so messy it’s a ton of fun!!! Anyway I had a old painting around that was just sitting there doing nothing it was never going to be hung the way it was so I thought I may as well go ahead and paint over it !!!

My go at it
Where flowers bloom, so does hope

The original pin



Note these are a bit different where as in the original she has used a 6x12 inch canvas and mine is well …not that I think its about 21 x17 So with a bigger work space comes a lot more space to fill so is not as busy at the original one but I love it just the same!!! 

Thanks for looking



Thursday, September 6, 2012

Spring clean update


So I said I would be back with a update in two days and here I am, are you shocked…I know I am.

Let me start this off just buy saying yes I did get Annabel’s room done yay us.
And secondly this clean up thing has started to spill over into other places already…how long this will last is beyond me but the day after I posted  this post here the next morning I had 2 loads of washing out and some beds made by 9 am unheard of  in this house! I would have had more washing out but I ran out of pegs!!

Anyway back to Annabel’s room I have cleaned walls, windows, sorted all the draws, cleaned out the toy box, I have done it all and man it looks good!!! And best news of all doing all of this only took about an hour, I was in the zone!!




It is so nice to walk in there and not have clothes and toys everywhere!!
Also Miss Bel and I have had a nice little chat about her dragging out all her clothes and changing at night when she is meant to be in bed going to sleep!

Next I am moving on to the dining room, this is the first room you walk into at our house, we don’t have a nice entry for our house once you’re in it you’re right in the thick if it

*The list Clean up declutter the shelf’s by the door
* declutter the fireplace mantle
* Sort out the mess I call a table
* Clean windows, walls, and the door frames
*Find a new home for Vinnie’s medicine (having it sitting on the floor just isn’t a good look)

 Watch this space!! This Old school desk wont be blue for long!!
And FYI those boxes are Vinnie's medicine.

 The table top, better known as the dumping ground.

above the fire.

Shelf by the door.

This last pic is what it looks like from our door.

And that’s all for now, but I’m sure as I go ill find more stuff to do. I’ll be back in a few days with a progress report.

thanks for looking :)

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung here in NZ and so with it the flowers….

But there is a down side to spring and this is the dreaded spring clean. Now I know there are no rules that say you have to have a huge clean up in spring in fact I know many ppl who have no use for this term at all but sadly I am not one of these people.

I am a messy person by nature. I can’t even open a tin of paint without getting covered in the stuff. At a young age I can remember my mother yelling at me to clean my room over and over and over again, so I did what any good kid does, I shoved everything I could into the wardrobe, under the bed and into draws in till it passed muster!! But sadly as an adult nothing much has changed. I didn’t grow up and suddenly become clean, tidy and organized. My house is a constant mess of papers, clothes, kid’s stuff etc. and over winter I just get so lazy. But it’s is just so easy to turn your back on it all, sit in the corner creating something snazzy for the wall or a scrapbooking Layout and all the while hoping the cleaning fairy has come a done all the work for you, but it just never happens and before long the kids are home from school the husband is home from wok saying.

Husband “So, what have you done all day??”
Me “Well, …I…ummm Have made this really cute scrapbooking Layout and finished my book.”
Husband   rolls eyes looking a bit disappointed.

That’s not really what he wants to hear…lol and it’s not just inside either. The outside of our house is a shocking mess. I won’t let the kids have friends over cos I am so scared they will disappear in our yard never to be found again!!!

I have done more than a couple of posts in the past about getting organized and staying that way and some of what I did has stuck!! The bathroom shelf as an example, is still mostly clean and tidy, the TV cabinet stays good most of the time….the book shelves not so much.

But like I said it is no longer winter and my utter laziness just can’t go on, its time I got off my backside roll up my sleeves and get some work done…I am starting in my daughters room this week. I swear this kid is a messy one …Like mother like daughter. I have made a list of things that need to be done.

*Clean out dawns
*Get rid of clothes that don’t fit (I mean really get rid of them, as soon as you have a bag, get it gone!! Otherwise it will sit on the deck till the kids find it and go hey, I wanted that. Or the dog thinks hmm, this could make a nice bed rip the bag and make a huge mess , then the kids go hey I wanted that, and so the clothes end up back inside the house in the bottom of the washing basket)
*clean out toy box,
*clean dolls house
*clean walls, doors and windows
*clean under bed

And that’s all I have so far. I am sure as I go I will find more to add to the list. But for now I am going to show you some pics of her room as it stands right this minute.




Now after seeing these pics I would like you to bear in mind that this room was tidy 2 days ago!!

Any way I will be back in 2 days with a progress report for Miss Bel’s room and a new list of what’s going to come next!!

Now I am posting these pics not for those of you that are just born organized people, but for people like me who just can’t get on top of these things, and are starting to lose hope. So you can see you are not the only one. I know there will be people out there that will look down there nose at this a little bit but these pics aren’t for you guys, This is just a honest account of my house on a daily basis and how I hope to change my habits and to try and make myself more accountable. For any of you out there who are trying and need someone to talk to please send me an email, my address is in my Facebook badge on the right hand side of this page. Or drop me a comment about what you are doing this spring. Do you have a blog I can go visit and see your progress??





Sunday, September 2, 2012

Layout, What are you dreaming

Hi guys, another Lo for you! I have tried to do something a bit different for me this time I have tried the layering thing everyone seems to be into at the moment, I’m not sure I have pulled it off but oh well I had fun trying!! 

Also I'm not sure what is wrong with my camera!! its all a bit fuzzy....So can't wait to get my new one!!! wont be long now!







I honestly don’t really know what I have used in this…a lot of the stickers and stuff I have used are old and have been in my stash a while.

Tags, crafters choice
Some of the stickers, note to self element stickers
Stamp, Kaise craft  Fine & sunny
Alphas, thickers and random alpha I found
Some of the bits, Three bugs in a rug , One find day caboodle kit

thanks for looking :)