Well, here they are. The sketch challenge results. It is totally amazing to see how DIFFERENT peoples interpretations of the one sketch can be. You'll see what I am talking about as you scroll down the page. Firstly, to jog your memories, I will show you the original sketch.
Here's my attempt.
I don't often use black cardstock, but occasionally, when the moment calls for it, it is very striking and cool! I combined black with Kraft, white, and some brighter colours. This layout is about how my girls drive me crazy by asking daily for a dog. The answer is always the same, so I asked a friend if we could take her dog for a walk, instead of getting our own dog. The girls and the dog had a wonderful time. Didn't really stop the asking though. In fact, perhaps it's made it worse.
The next one I have to show you is totally gorgeous, and comes from Agata in Switzerland. I think all Agata's layouts are totally gorgeous. There is something about this that I am just in love with. I'm sure you'll agree. Thank you Agata.
The layout below was a very interesting and visually striking piece! It's from Cassiopée who i guess is in France? Cassiopée chose to go without the traditional photo, and just stick with text. I can't read French, but I know that title says 9 months, so i wonder if this 'text only' layout is about a 9 month child? I also like how the elements of the page have been moved over to allow for a lovely lot of empty white space. Very cool. Thanks Cassiopée
This layout below is from Jenny, from Sydney, who was the first to get something back to me. Jenny has done that a few times. She either doesn't scrap at all , or she does a layout within second of me posting the sketch.! Lol. Thanks Jenny, you did a great take on this sketch! ooh, and I see you have acquired the butterfly punch! Nice!
Now Alexandra from Chicago is a very clever girl - she has totally changed my sketch around and come up with her own design, which was nonetheless, still inspired by that sketch. And that is what it's all about. It's about getting a layout done, using whatever inspiration comes your way. Way to go Alexandra. And yes, your daughter is looking very spooky!
And the last one is another different interpretation of te original sketch, and it comes from Amy in Victoria. There are still five main elements on this page, things have just moved around a little. However the inspiration hits you - you go with it! Wow, just look at those gorgeous photos and the colours!! Thank you Amy!
So there you have some cool pages to kick start your mojo, if your mojo needs such action! Another internationally varied selection of layouts, coming together to share in the universal language of scrapbooking. Cool.
Thanks girls for participating. If anyone sent me a layout and it's not here, yell at me in an email, and I will try to track it down!
See you in a couple of days.
Nicole
I have a very very cool dad.
He LOVES his children and he LOVES his grandchildren. He always has heaps of time to spend with all of us. He always meets us and buys us coffees (never lets us pay), and if we haven't seen him for a few days, he will call to make sure we're okay. We all think we are his favourite, and he tells each of us 'you're my favourite'. Which we're okay with! He is unbelievably patient and kind and very funny. He has a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He volunteers his time to several charitable organisations and loves adventure. He lives for his family. When my children were littler, he would arrive at my door and ask if he could take them for a walk around the neigbourhood in the pram (oh yes please!!). Sometimes he shows up for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Which we love.
Dad didn't come out of an ideal family home, and grew up with a emotionally distant father who slept by day and worked by night, so I am always amazed at how wonderful he is with us and our kids. I know he has always made a very conscious effort to really 'be there'.
When Lucy was at an age were she could have gone to preschool (3), he begged me to let him mind her once a week instead. He really really loves being with the grandchildren. He doesn't do it cause he's helping me (though of course it is a help). He does it, because he really wants to be with them. Since Dad's other grandchildren have moved to Sydney this past year, we have had to share him a bit more, but Dad loves every minute, sometimes having 2 or 3 grandchildren at once.
All kids, not just grandchildren, naturally gravitate to him. He has gone to visit the girls over the years at their preschools or day care centres and there is always about 10 little kids hanging off him instantly. Usually little boys, because they think he's cool. He was even kind of offered a casual job at the kindy once! When they were younger, some kids that live around Dad's street would come and hang with him on a Saturday and watch him fix his car, or fiddle with his fishpond. He has a following.
Here's an OLD layout about Dad when he came to visit a very little Lucy. Don't laugh at my layout - it was when I hung on Ali Edwards blog for too long. Can you tell?? Not that I don't LOVE Ali, cause I do, I just can't do Ali like Ali can do Ali, if you know what I mean. The left side of the layout has been cut off - sorry - nice photography skills. It does say 'Noah's Ark' irl.
Lucy would go to his house once a week. When they are at his house (about 10minutes away), he doesn't just watch them or mind them, or keep an eye on them while reading the paper, he get's totally involved.
He takes them on nature walks and back when it was just Lucy, he used to make a list of all the things they would do that day, and they would tick the list off together as the day went on. He got Lucy totally hooked on Mr. Bean and they love to discuss the episodes together in detail.
One thing they would always do each week was cook. Here's an old layout about that. Not loving the design, but I love the photo and the journaling, some of which is my dad's own words.
Lucy still has her special day with Grandad, but now she shares him with one of her cousins (it alternates, which one).
Now that there's a boy grandchild, that shares the day with Grandad, the kids often spend the day in Dad's little shed making cool stuff. I can't believe the patience he has. The thought of cutting, screwing and painting with preschoolers just about causes me to hyperventilate! But he does it, and he and the kids love it! How lucky are they?
About two months ago Lucy came home and said that her and Grandad made an aeroplane. I'm thinking a paper plane, but in she came with a wooden plane complete with turning wheels and a spinning propeller! I've shared this layout before recently, but what the heck , here it is again. Again no design awards here, but I just love the pic and the story.
Then just last week, Lucy came home with a fishing line complete with a little wooden fish cut out, hanging on a real hook at the end of fishing line that was attached to a rod! She loved it! So I scrapped it quick. And here is the layout about that, which is the purpose of today's post - to share this most recent layout! Still in LOVE with whirlpool and all associated colours.
So there you have it. While there are plenty of things in one's life that are far from perfect, I have to say, that my Dad is not one of those things.
And, BTW, I am not up to date on all things - just things that inspire me. I haven't scrapped things from last December yet, and I know the longer i wait, the harder it gets. So no, Sharon, my tax return is SO not done. And either is my laundry or the dusting or anything domestic for that matter. Life's too short to do too many things that aren't inspiring.
P.S. I do a have a mother too!! But this post is about the Dad!
Here's me and him when I was 3! Loving the seventies sideburns.
Well here's a weird layout that I did recently. I have no real thoughts or comments on it, cause I don't know if I like it? Just gonna stick it in and album and run. Do you remember that movie where Meg Ryan always looks a bit vague and says 'I have no response to that' over and over in the movie? That's how I feel here. Love that line in that movie. Marc and I use it all the time. It's perfect in so many situations!
Also wanted to answer your questions about the room makeover. Thank you for all your lovely comments. Laughing that some of you with only boys are considering making girl babies now. Cool. I, for one, don't even know how to make boy babies!
Question from Jo: "I love those white beds, you said they were off ebay...were they are a one off or an ebay store?"
The beds were from an ebay store - the seller is 'zzzsbedz'. I wish I had ten kids so I could buy ten of these beds - they are fantastic and were half the price of any I had seen. Real timber, not IKEA type stuff. He is out of stock til early new year, but if you need a bed - go there! He even delivered, set them up, and took away the packaging for extra $20! I should be getting a commission. And I don't wish I had ten kids.
Question from Sue: "what colour and brand paint did you paint the walls with?" Sue, I found what I thought was the perfect colour chip with Taubmans. I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember the name of the colour , because once we got it home it turned out to be too strong, and I added heaps of white paint to it. My own concoction turned out to be perfect, and I took a sample of the colour mixed with white for them to computer match it. If you find a similar looking Taubmans chip, ask for a half-strength sample pot.
Question from Cath: I have looked at wall stickers before online but they are fairly pricey. Was that one reasonable?
Um..no. Not really. I had to by two sets of stickers (same brand so everything went together). the first set was a smaller tree - it was about $55 and was about 1.3 meters tall. It contained the bird house and the hedgehog, but no birds. I wanted it taller, so I bought a branch with 3 birds, for about $38. I combined the two sets. I used the second sets branch to make a taller trunk, and I cut up bits and pieces to make it work as one big tree. Although it wasn't the cheapest thing, the girls love it and it kinda makes the room, so no regrets here.
Question from Jools: Please tell me where you got the sticker - it would look lovely in my library.
I bought it from Kidz Bedz Warehouse in Taren Point. They have a website, but can't buy online. Can't remember the brand of sticker, but if you are desperate, let me know and I will find out.
Question from Sharon: I wonder though - do they have built ins for their clothes?
Yes, they certainly do have built ins. We put them in a few years ago - best million dollars we ever spent. They run the length of the wall and are opposite the tree wall. They are made up of four big doors (middle two doors mirrored - essential for dancing with microphones! Outer two doors are panelled white.). In one section we keep books, board games and some toys like lego etc. Here's an old piccy of the wardrobe before room was painted - please excuse my feet!! (wardrobe didn't change).
Sharon also asked for the scrapped layout, so here it is. Double click on it for a close up.
I went with the same approach as the tenth birthday layout from a couple of posts ago. Got 7 photos into a double page spread. This layout is Amelia's, but obviously, I did one for Lucy as well.
I just, right now, got a text message from someone, telling me to tell the whole scrapping world that they just completed their first unassisted scrapbook layout! So I am telling the 'whole scrapbooking world', but strangely, I have no idea who it is?? Di, do you know?
Love it.
Well, several of you, (okay only four of you) have asked to see the girls new room makeover, that we accomplished about 3 weeks ago. This is not scrapbooking, so if you are bored, please skip this post and come back on about tuesday. For those four of you who requested piccy's I hope this isn't overkill!! I know some of you are into kids room decoration right now, so read on! And hope you don't go dizzy from seeing too many photos! I can't choose!
The girls started out in a very PINK room, as many little girls do. They slept in bunk beds, because being 1 and 3, then 2 and 4, then 3 and 5, they had lots of big toys like prams, kitchens, dolls beds, train sets etc, and bunk beds allowed for lots of floor space.
But now that they are 5 and 7, little but very separate personalities are emerging, and the big toys were no longer being played with. The bigger the kid gets, the smaller the toys get. Mostly they are interested in CD players, microphones, a nintendo DS, sketch books and pencils.
They began to want to read by themselves with a lamp at night, which is tricky if you're on a top bunk, and it was basically a hideous task for them or me to properly make their beds. We would walk past single beds in stores and they would yearn for it! Lucy would say, "Can I PLEASE have my OWN bed."
There were lots of silly toys, and there was lots of mess, because no-one ever knew who made the mess ('it wasn't me?'). Middle child has a way of 'trashing' and the large amount of toys wasn't helping. All their toys were mushed together on shelves, and they each wanted their own spaces, however, they still wanted to sleep in the same room as they are good buddies, and didn't want to separate. (We have a spare room downstairs but no one wants to venture down there to the dungeon alone).
And most of all they were over PINK.
SO we decided (I decided and husband said okay) that it was time to make changes. We observed the children and noticed what they really played with. They tend to play outside all year round, 99% of the time. They are always in a tree, riding bikes, on the swings, in a pool, or making mud pies in the garden. They hardly even play with toys. Amelia does enjoy some little toys that you'll see photographed, and a small basket full of small stuffed animals. Stuffed animals seemed to breed here, so we let them choose about 6 each, and everything else went. Lucy mostly loves to draw and play with her recorder.
I should explain, the 'too much stuff' thing is not all my fault. I am very not into excess and very not into spoiling kids, but they have a grandmother. My mum loves to scour garage sales and fetes every weekend and much to our discouragement, the kids bring home an armload of new 'stuff' each time they visit Nanny, which is how the room got so full in the first place.
We took four garbage bags of toys to Salvos, and chucked another 4 big bags. I sold barbies, cabbage patches, train sets, fisher price castles, baby borns, dolls house and barbies on ebay. We took every single item out of the room and into the lounge room (a very pretty sight for a couple of days!) and only took back what was really necessary. Remember that show 'Life on the lawn'? Lucy wanted to live a clutter free life and said 'get rid of all of it' but Amelia ran the occasional item back into her room and hid it in a secret hoarding stash under her bed.
So this is how the room started, pre-makeover. The bunks and too many toys.
BEFORE:
Marc ripped off the pink wall as it hadn't been insulated and I, yes I, pushed insulation bats in between all the studs. At this stage, the girls went off to my parents for 48 hours while Marc and I went mad re-doing things. We sold the bunk on ebay, and bought two gorgeous new beds also on ebay. Bought bedside tables online and ran to IKEA. All items were very BARGAIN-Y!
We painted insanely for what seemed like forever, and set up new furniture and things. And this is what the room ended up like.
AFTER:
The new beds are gorgeous, and the quilt/doona covers were the only thing in the room that weren't bargain-y but the girls had both agreed on them earlier, after much hunting. They made a great choice as they (the covers) are beautiful. Here's some close ups.
Too many doona cover photos?? Yes I agree, but I don't know which ones to pull, cause I like all the little details. I like how it mixes pink and red. All those little details are embroided on. So cute.
I bought little round white lamps with leaves etched on to the glass from IKEA, so now they can read, and wood letters from Bunnings Hardware, for their names. And that fab wall sticker I found after lots of looking online for a tall tree sticker! The girls love that sticker!
At the end of each bed, is each girls own set of IKEA expedit shelves. Love them. Each girl has their own little things on them, which is really nice to see. Amelia has her little toys, as you can see below, and they both have some sketch books and other odd items. Bedside table drawers are also their own special places which they've never had before, and contain nintendo, special hair clips etc.
At the other end of the room is a little drawing/activity table. Also thanks to IKEA. The table was $19 and the stools were $9. If you don't live near IKEA, you might want to consider moving.
Here's the room at night, with the girls actually in bed.
When the girls returned to see their finished room there was serious screaming, and here they are enjoying their new space. They totally LOVE it. And I know your going to think I am a complete control freak, but I bought those jammies TWO years ago from Cotton on, and they just HAPPEN to match perfectly with the doona covers! They have little white dots exactly like the print on the covers. It was unintentional - really!! Does look all very coordinated though!
And I must admit, they have kept it CLEAN for 3 weeks now. When there's not much junk, it's much easier to manage. Clearing the clutter was a brilliant move! They don't miss any of it, and haven't asked for for any of it back. It's actually lovely making these beds, and the girls are even sad if I beat them to it. I'm sure that won't last forever, but I'm just holding on to it while I can.
Hope you enjoyed viewing the room makeover. Any specific questions about where and what and how and how much? I'm your man.
I had a cousin-in-law from USA visit this blog last week, and she asked if I ever did multi photo layouts, as that day and surrounding posts must have mostly had single photo layouts showing. So Kristin, this one's for you.
My lovely blog readers knew that there would be just one or two more birthday themed layouts coming up soon, didn't you? Don't worry, the next birthday in our family is next April, so there'll be no more parties for a while. Here's the biggest girls tenth birthday recorded.
A heck of a lot of photos, (well seven only, so I guess that's not THAT much but they all started as 4x6's) and a heck of a lot of journaling, all fitting into a double page spread. The yellow scallop thingy started out as pp, an then I punched a scallop shape out of it. Those great letter stickers ('tenth') are cloth by American Crafts. I just printed the 'birthday' word on when I printed the journaling. I just printed it on approximately where I wanted it, and worked around it. For example, there was bit of a gap between the word 'birthday' and where I wanted the photo to go, so I filled it with a thin strip of pp.
Apart from that layout, I took a few fun photos of my girls this week.
The first is of Amaris before a ballet performance. She has such a ballerina 'look' whether she likes it or not. As soon as she's finished she whips of the leotards and stockings and pulls on the ripped jeans and dirty converse shoes. Wouldn't be seen dead in a dress under normal circumstances. Who'd have thought, hey?
Her and little ballerina friend were rewarded with a lollypop after their duo dance.
Then yesterday I caught my other girls being funny under our verandah downstairs while waiting for the rain to stop. These photos were originally VERY dark, cause I don't know how to use my camera. So I heavily lightened them and saturated the colour a bit, and here's how they ended up. I do really like them now, but wish I didn't have to help them so much.
I try high ISO's, low ISO's, high/low apertures, night settings, auto settings, AV setting (whatever that means) and no flash settings, but I always end up with very dark photos (before I heavily 'fix' them).
Can someone tell me what settings they use to achieve brilliant photos in lowish light?
Also, if you missed the current sketch challenge - scroll down to Tuesday's post.
See you soon.
P.S. Here's a photo that I took today at Lucy's preschool - the arty farty in me loves it! Other parents do think I am slightly odd as I take photos such as this....
I seem to be using my same old sketches over and over. Which is totally fine by me, but I was suddenly stumped today when trying to come up with a new sketch challenge for you.
This week I completed this layout,
which is pretty much the same design as this layout...
both of which are the sketch from the last challenge. 
Remember?
Then the other layout I did this week, is this one titled 'funny', and I must admit, I kinda like it! The photos were taken of my youngest and my niece laughing at my eldest do a silly performance for them. They always think she is very funny! Fab vinyl stickers by American Crafts (pp by Kaiser).
This layout's design was taken from this hilariously simple sketch,
which I have reinterpreted over...
and over
and over
and over,
and over,
and over,
and over! (and there are even more!!)
Basically I use this design sketch to DEATH!
And I'm fine with that. The kids won't mind. The photos are there with the story, and that's all that matters.
However, amidst all the lifting of my old layouts, I did come up with a new sketch challenge for myself and for YOU - if you choose to accept it. Here it is.
For anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about, scrap a layout with this new sketch as your basic inspiration as design, and then email it to me, and I will post all the results right here.
You are free to interpret as you please. Fill the squares with journaling, cardstock, photos or title block. Do as you please. Looking forward to seeing what you (and I) come up with.
You have 2 weeks to get something to me. GO TEAM!
Hello Friday scrappers - How are you all today? I had a LOVELY day scrapping (and eating) yesterday with Di, Jo, and the two Robyns who are new scrap converts. We had a lovely relaxing scrap, but didn't get TOO many pages done, (just a few) because we had to keep stopping for coffee, snacks, lunch, and sweet treats, and of course we talked non stop, and one can hardly talk and scrap at the same time. Well you can if you are gifted at multi-tasking, and I certainly am not!! If I'm thinking about where to put a letter sticker, I accidentally totally ignore the person who is talking to me and they practically have to yell at me, to get me to pay any attention to them.
So, I only got three layouts done but we had such a lovely day. Can't wait til we do it again. We decided scrapping is so therapeutic and relaxing. It's a feel-good hobby, that I'm sure puts endorphins (happy hormones) running through your system. Oh, endorphins are released when exercising, not scrapping.... well maybe there are scrap-type endorphins too...
These layouts today are not what I did yesterday, but they are new as I did them over the past week or so.
Many of you who have been with me for a while will know that I love to scrap children's artwork. And I am willing to give up a sheet of my precious 8.5 x 11 white bazzill cardstock to allow them to draw for for me. Lucy has been into drawing 'sea creatures' for about a year now, and she drew this for me about 6 months ago, just after she had turned 5. I think all the funny little details that kids include are are so cute. I love the turtle swimming towards the surface and that little crab on the sea bed is so sweet. Just love 5 yr old art. You can see is has taken me a while to actually getting around to scrapping.
The next layout was another for my youngest, Lucy, and it is about how she always loves a good makeover. Of course we don't encourage make up, but on the rare occasion that I let them do the whole makeover thing, they all have fun. Lucy actually does a pretty good job of it, but then it's into the bath. I love the concentration on her face as she looks in the little mirror. Made use of the new butterfly punch and I made the scallop edge on the American Crafts printed paper with my corner rounder.
Promise I will have a sketch challenge for next Monday or Tuesday!
Promise I will try to keep my promise.
Notice I added "try to" instead just saying "I will".
Really, I will.......try!
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