A great idea

I have hit on a great idea and I can share with you because she doesn't read this blog. Does anyone think it strange that I've never told my bestie that I have a blog? I always thought she'd think I was nuts, and to start with it was just about sharing crafty things, but now it's become a lot more, and now I want to share this, I kind of can't share it with her even if I wanted.

But you all can keep a secret, right? I've decided to do an album for her for Christmas! Maybe get it printed into a Shutterfly or Momento book. When I mentioned digi scrapping, she had never heard of it, so I'm pretty safe she won't be doing it herself. And what a neat way to be able to give her pics of her and her family, some pics she's never even seen, that I've taken over the years. I figure what? 20 pages? back and front? Oh boy, that's 40 layouts, that's a bit scary. Hmmmmm, maybe I better rethink this idea.

Anyway I have done 2 layouts so far, thought I'd share this one. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I like that I put the emus in colour in the middle (I meant to do that). Oh, and the tree I had growing out of poor S's head, took that out too (getting pretty darn clever with this Photoshop now!!!!).

I actually really quite like that pic of me and hubby too, and can you even believe it, but Eliza, the youngster in the photo, took that pic. Yep, couldn't believe it myself when I saw it!

Credits

Background paper – by Jamie Rousselle from The Blues Backpack
Postcards – Postcard Journalers by Katie Pertiet
Frame – Vintage Storyboard Frames by Katie Pertiet
Stitches – Tracy Blankenship stitches (I love these stitches, it makes the background look like canvas!!!!!!!)
Torn note paper – by Anna Benjamin of Paper Moons
Staples – by ksharonk from Delish Kit
Font – Christopher hand

My cow obsession

You really are going to think I'm totally obsessed, and I'm not, truly. It's just that I'm finally getting round to scrapping these photos that I took a number of weeks ago when we visited the charming Alistair and got to spend time with his incredible Highland Cattle. I loved this background paper, thought it was perfect for this layout. I know I've put way too many pictures in for a clear and crisp layout but this really was a fun fun time and I was quite overwhelmed by these magnificent cows that I wanted to put as many as I could in the layout.

Credits
Background and papers – True North by Paper Moons
Frame Cluster by Luciana, together with a
Stitches – Tracy Blankenship stitches
Pin – by Leslie Reid
Writing Paper – Tia Bennett
Staples – by Shabby Princess from Shabby Fall kit
Tag - by Linda GB
Font – Milk & Cereal

I've really had a hard time hanging on this week at work and my mantra right now is "one more day, one more day" then I can have a relaxing weekend. Bring it on.

Happiness on the way to work

What can make you feel more happy and warm and fuzzy inside than seeing a new born calf? I ask you. Not much can top that.

Driving along to work today I spotted a few people in the paddock ahead, and as I neared it and had a bit of a sticky beak as I passed, I saw a cow leaning down licking a tiny baby calf, all brand new.

Must admit, I got all gooey seeing that scene. Nature at it's absolute finest.

Nothing much else to say. Just still happy and smiling thinking about that beautiful sight.

WHAT?!?!?!?! Robert Downey Junior?!?!?!?!?

I was looking at a blog earlier on and there was this fun link to a site where you could do a face recognition to see what celebrities you looked like.

Well I'm quite chuffed if the computer thinks I look like Jamie Lee Curtis, but heck? Robert Downey Junior?!?!? You have got to be kidding me. Like how can I look like him, he has a willy for goodness sakes!

So if you want to do this too, go to www.myheritage.com, and follow the links. You'll have to sign up, but it's a bit of fun.

Would love to see what celeb you look like, so make sure you let me know you've done it. Go on Bells! I dare you.

Exhausted

What a weekend. How can two teenage girls wear me out like this. Getting older perhaps? (me, not them).

We had Buskers yesterday. A big festival with displays and food and music all though the street and down to the village green. Lots of fun. But it was COLD!!! Intermittent showers and a cold wind, with a teasing peek of sunshine every now and then. We should have known better, it's ALWAYS cold at Buskers. I think every year I've been.

Step-daughter number 2 and best friend stayed the weekend, hubby is just taking them home now. It's like a whole new language with teen girls I've worked out. It's like we as adults just don't understand them any more. They can look at each other and be in fits of laughter, but we've missed the punchline. Getting older perhaps? (again me, not them).

Must share with you a couple of photos. I entered into a competition with Animal Health Australia, with the subject having to be livestock. There were three categories - Animal Health, Animals in Action and Animals in the Landscape. Here are the shortlisted winners. Some amazing photographs. I just love that winner in Animals in the Landscape 'Sheep in the Mist' by Adrianne Yzerman. It's such a great photograph.

Here are my two entries, totally not up to the par of the winners, but I had fun scooting around the district here and making my aquaintance with the local cows! haha (Pictures have been framed and shadowed merely for this blog, the actual entry had to the be the raw photo).

My poor Bo Bo Girl

Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist reading this blog to work out that I adore my dog and my cat. So we have that one worked out, right?

As for the dog and cat, they tolerate each other. I tell them they are sisters and they need to watch out for each other, and although being a typical Lab (albeit crossed with something), the dog would love to be closer to the cat, she's too friendly for words, but the cat holds herself as higher on the food chain and looks down her nose at the dog at every opportunity. But secretly I know they love each other. Surely they do, right?

Roll back to last night. I was sitting in the loungeroom watching telly and Molly (the dog) was barking, not a normal bark which she rarely does at night, but a strange bark. But I was engrossed in the telly and I kind of said through the open door for her to hush. She did another couple of barks and I could hear her running in the dirt and then that was it, she quietened down. I figured it was the cats next door, possibly on the roof of their garage. They like to walk back and forth teasing Molly. Never of a night though. But why didn't I get up and check? Stupid tv, that's why.

We were about to go to bed last night and realised that Bo (the cat) wasn't in. Usually by this time she's curled up in her bed so hubby went out to check and found her cowering quite scared hiding under his car. Straight away she ran to him. He came in grey faced and sat her down with us. She had blood on her ears. A big scratch running the length of her ear where the fur had parted and you could see blood/skin and the top of her ear was slightly torn. Her collar was off (and still in the daylight today it's nowhere to be seen) and a smaller scratch on her other ear. A quick check of the rest of her showed a torn nail on her paw, but it wasn't torn down to the quick (so hopefully she gave as good as she got).

I guess it was a cat fight, her first since we've had her (about 5 years). I hate to think of anything more sinister, but where is her collar?

And Molly, dear sweet Molly, she was barking to scare off whatever was fighting/chasing Bo. Of that I am sure. Why didn't I get up from the telly?!?!?!?! Grrrrrrr. Shall never ignore one of her barks ever again.

So Bo has stuck very close to home today, not venturing out very much at all, except to sit on the stool next to hubby in the shed.

And as for Molly, I do think she's gotten herself up a rung or two on the food chain as far as Bo is concerned now.

Luck o' the Irish to you !

Well maybe not Irish in this house being that hubby is a Scot, but lets hope we have the luck of the Irish in lotto tonight! That would be nice.

I was chasing hubby around with the camera and he said it was high time I did a layout with my pic in it. Hmmm. So out came my St Pats hat. Do I hear you snickering? Doesn't everyone have a hat like this lurking in the back of the wardrobe?!?!? Surely! I would have thought it was a fashion essential.

Could have done better on the photo I think, looks like I've got black blobs coming out my ears or something with the shadow. I did try to get them out but nearly made a botch of it so kept it in. Oh well.

Enjoy the day everyone.

Credits

Background – Meadow Mono Pack by Gina Cabrera of DDE
Clovers – Doris Castle Bit o’Green
Stitches – Stitchorama tight by Meredith Fenwick
Staples – by ksharonk Delish Kit
Tab – Welli Designs little tags and binders
Font – Ace Bingham

Felt a wee bit sad this morning

I sometimes don't think I'm cut out to be out in the country. I am a city girl at heart and there are things that upset me as I naively go about my business.

For instance, last night on the way home from work I was driving blissfully along, not a care in the world, and happened to look at one of the paddocks on the way home and saw a cow sitting in the middle of the paddock. It looked like it didn't have a care in the world either. It was sitting there with a big pile of hay in front of it. And I thought "Way to go Mrs. Cow!" She was on her own, didn't have to share, had that whole darn pile of hay to munch on and well quite frankly I reckon I'd be sitting there too if I was a cow. So I drove on happily thinking about the cow.

Then this morning driving to work, and I drive past that same paddock. And that same cow is still sitting there, but this time with a farmer and what looked to be the vet. I teared up as I was driving. That poor cow must have sat there the whole night, and it looked to have been a misty rain all night. So my happy-go-lucky cow wasn't so happy-go-lucky after all. And it really upset me.

I mentioned it at work when I got there and they said the cow had probably gone lame and so the farmer put the hay there for it to at least munch on till the vet could get there. Not sure if that was the story but it sounded plausible to me. But it really really upset me.

It wasn't there tonight as I drove home so I hope she's joined her other cow friends and is out in some paddock gabbing about her adventures of the night before. Because to think of any other conclusion to this story fills me with horror.

Yep, not really cut out for this life, huh?

Onto other things. Of course all roads lead to Rome and all topics lead to digi scrapping! ha. For the uninitiated (Bells!!) I've been having a play on one site where you get to do challenges. Like they will give you an element or a pack of papers or whatever and you come up with a page. It's amazing how the same thing can be used in a zillion different ways. This challenge had a template that was to be used. And I've really enjoyed looking at all the other ways people have used this template in the gallery.

So here's another gratuitous layout of my dog this time. I'm running out of good photo subjects so wanted something I could throw together for the challenge. But do have a look at the gallery I just linked, it's amazing to see the talent and how everyone can see something differently in how to use it. Love the creativity behind it all.



Credits
Patti Knox Web Challenge
Delish Kit by ksharonk
Bubble – and then she said – by Ellen
Warm Bold Arrows by Kari Q
Kelly S white daisy
Fonts – Impact and Kidprint

Jack High!

Hubby played his first penant bowls tournament today and loved loved loved it. I think he actually liked the seriousness of it all. Not like on a Wednesday night when we play twilight bowls and I make everyone do a 'happy dance' if they do a good shot! ha. None of that happening today.

I went down to take some pics and just from that short time I was there, a good atmosphere was all around, jovial ribbing, good natured gentlemen, and some really darn good bowls being played.

So of course never missing an opportunity now, I had taken my camera with a view to scrapbooking the event. Now something I must ask other scrapbookers. It's never occurred to me before, I usually just aimed and shot at anything that moved or didn't move. But now I'm thinking of the perfect scrapbook shot, a great moment, the perfect expression, and the title of the page, or what I could journal. It's all consuming now and it's like taking a picture has taken on a whole new meaning. Are other scrapbookers like this too?

The journalling reads:

Pretty excited this morning, playing in your first Pennant Match with the club. Conversation went like this –

Me: Have you got everything?
You: [Pats down pockets] Yep, got everything.
Me: Are you sure?
You: [Impatiently gasps] YES I’m sure!!
Me: [Pointing inside]
You: [Sheepishly comes back in and picks up bowls]

Credits :

Background paper by Amy Kropp – Be True paper pack
Graph paper by Rhonna Farrer – Vintage Label paper pack
Stitches – Katie Pertiet Messy Stitches and Meredith Fenwick Stitch-o-rama
Frames – Katie Pertiet Vintage Storybook frames
Alpha – Katie Pertiet Aged Alpha (recoloured)
Postcard – Katie Pertiet – Postcard Journallers

Breakfast at the 12 Apostles

We headed off nice and early this morning, no time for a Sunday sleep in this morning, to the 12 Apostles down the Great Ocean Road. Each year the Red Cross and Anti-Cancer Council hold a Breakfast down there to raise money for their various charities and it's quite wonderful. All that fresh sea air and being able to tuck into bacon and egg toasted sandwiches and pancakes and strawberries and cream, with lovely hot coffee or tea to wash it down with.

And of course the magnificent vista. (Check the formation at the front, that was the one that fell down).

But must admit, it was not a good day for men with comb-overs or women who'd like to have a decent picture taken!! ha

Took 3 shots and this was the best of the bunch. I wasn't the only one having the problem, but it was funny, looking around at other women getting their pics taken at different intervals. It was like we were all sharing the same common bond! What to do with wayward hair and that wind. Ahhhhh women of the world unite!!!

Four day weekend, yay me!

I have an RDO today and the public holiday on Monday so it's a four day weekend for me. Yay me! So far I have done ironing, cleaned the bathroom, and now contemplating vaccuuming. Huh? What's with that.

Finally I have downloaded the camera with pics of the finished Aliza's quilt. It's not as vibrant in the pics no matter how many and at different angles I took the pic. I looked at the quilt and thought fairy floss and green apples. It was alive. But the pics don't quite portray that. But look at that luxurious minky at the back, I couldn't stop feeling it, I swear I've just about worn it out. That's all I did, backed it with minky and as far as a baby blanket goes that's all the thickness it needed. I just caught the front and bottom with knotted cotton at various intervals where the squares met (pinched the idea out of a sample in a quilting store!!) and I love the effect.

So hopefully 'blankie' will be dragged from pillar to post. I want this to be used and played with and snuggled with and slept with and cried on and laughed on and be a treasured item for dear little Aliza for many many years.

Another gratuitous cat layout!

Well I did my first web challenge. For the unitiated some of the digi sites have challenges and you download a kit or font or embellishment and use it in a layout and post the results. I love looking at these, the fact that people use the same things but all the layouts are totally individual and totally beautiful and always used in different ways.

So I did my first one this week at Designer Digitals. There was a cute cute frame to use and a cream background sheet, which I used as a strip as I've been hankering to use this awesome brown background and was just waiting for the perfect project to use it. But just check out the link and see how brilliant these pages all are.

Now back to Bo, the subject of this layout. She looooooves to snooze. Oh my how she loves it. Too funny because she makes these little snoring chirping sounds when she does sleep. And although she has a lovely little basket and another big pillow inside, she also has some favourite outside spots during the day. Under a certain bush at the side of the house, on hubby's tall padded stool in the shed (that's why she's called his 'apprentice') and ... in the wood basket. Which because it's summer it happens to be empty at the moment, but it usually wouldn't worry her, she'd climb in logs of wood and all.

I have a bit of an obsession at the moment with extracting body parts, it's a bit of a worry!!!

Credits : Web Challenge by Mindy Terasawa at www.designerdigitals.com. Background paper - Fresh & Distressed by Lyndsay Riches. Heading letters - Fresh & Distressed by Lyndsay Riches. Stitching by Katie Pertiet. Font – Rockwell.

Now something I need to ask you

I see by the world map that there's people stopping by here from all over the place. I wish you could scroll over the blips in the atlas and find out the countries because let me tell you geography is NOT my strong point. So unless people are just stumbling by in the quest to find a more entertaining blog during moments of blog surfing - and if you do stop and read - please please please stop for a moment and say hi and tell me where you're from. It would make it so much better for me writing this if I knew other people (apart from Bells, S and Jess and the occasional other commenters) were reading this.

Pretty please with a cherry on top. And on that note I'm off to crawl into my wood basket ... err ... bed! Nighty night all.

What a lazy Sunday!

I have pottered all day today and enjoyed it immensely. Lovely sleep in, hubby left early to go detecting. I've intermittently sewed and scrapped and baked and talked on the phone. Just wonderful! I'm such a homebody.

The cheeky monkeys deserved another page to be scrapped I think and I had been hankering for the perfect papers for this pic. ksharonk was unbelievably generous and sent me this kit after something silly I said on her blog, so I just knew this would be the perfect photo for it. Thank you once again for your generosity.

So I tried something a bit different with this photo. Have no idea whether it really works or not, but I'm somewhat pleased with how it turned out. It looks clever or at least different anyway. As for the subjects, I swear it doesn't matter what is in their presents at Christmas time, as long as that ever-present lollypop is tied to it.

Credits : ksharonk designs Delish Kit, plus the flower is from ksharonk designs Treasured Freebie. Stitching from Katie Pertiet.

Now off to do the last touches on Aliza's quilt ... yes I know, I'm *STILL* doing it! But I swear I'm in the home stretch.

Wow I did it

I searched and searched the net tonight to work out how to put my own title on and with the help of Sweaty Socks (I think that's his name) and his excellent instructions, I did it! Wooo hooo to me.

So this is a simple heading and it fits my mood tonight. I am using the most beautiful paper background by Rhonna Farrer (Vintage Label) the best darn purchase I've made, they are all gorgeous. And the fabulous stitches by Katie Pertiet.

So now after all that hard darn work I think I need to go to bed, but before I go here's another layout with another of the gorgeous Vintage Label papers. See ... told you they were GORGEOUS! This is our cute little house in our little town in the country. :-)

Credits : Background paper by Rhonna Farrer - Vintage Label paper pack. Stitches by Tabby Lewis Wild Stitches. Photo frames by Katie Pertiet Ad Challenge. Staples from Shabby Fall kit by Shabby Princess Kristie. Journal Card from Lauren Bavin Antiquing Pack. Pin and tag from Katie Pertiet Vintage Safety Tags. Font Jefferson and Antique Type. Ink splotch Rhesus font.