It's your scapping PT (personal trainer) again.

There's a new minor interest in our house with the younger two girls. Over the past 12 months or so they have acquired some beanie babies, or beanie kids, or beanie bears? Whatever, they have 'beanie things'.

They have received one each for birthdays and Christmas, and when overseas relatives send them a little money for their birthday, off they go to the local toy store and buy one or two new ones.

I'm trying to dissuade many more arriving, because I find with my kids that less is more. A few are special, and the more they have of something, somehow the special-ness decreases. So, although I know my Mum is getting them one each for Christmas, I'm hoping that'll be it for a while. I not into 'stuff' or excess of anything for either the kids or us, so while this collection I'm sure is nothing compared to some of yours, it's plenty for us.:)

I've scrapped the beanie 'things' twice, one for each girl. AND I even drew a sketch of each layout for you, so you can get to it, and do some scrapping this weekend. Just copy. I'm telling my new scrappers - just copy, don't worry about being all creative and trying to be radically different to your last layout - if your brain is mushy with the busy-ness of life as mine is, just copy these ideas and get it done. Keep it simple. Nike ad: 'Just do it'. (Enough personal training for now!)

Here's the first layout. All my layouts are 8.5 x 11" and you can easily convert the concepts to a 12 x 12. Double click on the layout to get a decent view. Note: Thanks Sharon for the little purple button brads on these layouts - love them!!

BTW, I 'draw' these sketches in Photoshop for Alexandra who asked. I just draw boxes and fill them in with colour.

And here is the next layout - again, click on it for a decent, more focused view. Why oh why are the photos of my layouts lately so BAD? Anyway, a similar concept using one main photo at the top, and one smaller one at the bottom. This layout below lends itself to having two 4x6 photos at the top instead of one big landscape one - I've hinted at that possibility in the sketch. In fact, below the sketch is another layout of my eldest girl visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol (jail), which is basically the same in design, just uses two vertical pics at the top.

That's it for this week. Plenty of ideas for you to get scrpping so off you go. I totally feel like staying at home an scrapping all day, but i have to go to work, so see you soon.

P.S Thanks to those keen scrappers who have got their layout to me from the sketch challenge which is due, for anyone else who's interested this Sunday night is the deadline. Here's the challenge sketch in case you still want to send me your creation so I can post it here on my blog.

Photos of families

A mid week post finally. But it's not much about scrapbooking. I guess it could eventually be, for those people who own the kids in the following photos. If, of course, they are in fact scrapbookers!

I've been doing a few family photo shoots a week for the past few weeks, and have been enjoying the challenge immensely. It is quite fun, quite hard (when there's children who are under 3 and don't want to be photographed or it's very windy, or very sunny, or very rainy) and quite rewarding, when you have clients who are so happy with their photos that they kiss you (that's happened once!)

I'll be here on Friday with some scrapping for you but here's some photos I've taken of families from the last week or two.

I think my favourite one is the one of the little girls with the coloured dress playing with the sand. But I do also like the first one - I've titled it 'weeds' because that what is it the foreground! Who'd of thought weeds could be so pretty?

Thanks for visiting, see you Friday.
xx

Two Friday Layouts

Hi scrappers and Friday tune-in people. Off to school canteen again today. Was called at the last minute and it seems I have a real problem saying 'no' so off I go to cook a million nuggets and make 80000 milkshakes. But I have about 7 minutes before I should be there, so time for a quick sketch and a layout.

Here's a sketch I drew up for you:

It's geared to one big photo and 3 small cropped ones. I have done my layout on an 8.5x11" page and my photo was 6x8". If you wanted to convert to a 12 x 12 i'd get a 8x12 enlargement photo, but one that you can trim the top or bottom off a bit to make it more panoramic in shape, otherwise you'll not have enough room on the rest of the layout for journaling and the other photos. You might want to even forget the other photos, and just do the one big photo if you are scrapping 12 x 12.

So here's my layout from this sketch:

It is about middle girl being the animal whisperer of the family. Was going to use 'animal whisperer' as my heading but didn't have enough letter stickers so had to come up with something shorter. Not even any pp used here, so it is very simple.

I did do another layout this week, from photos taken ages ago, back in August I think. It's 'event' scrapping which can be a challenge. School events in colour are usually a challenge. I did fit four photos on this layout, and it probably would have been more successful if the photos down left side of the layout were just two vertical 4 x 6's instead of the three (two of them cropped) that I have fitted in. It was about speech finals day, and how middle girl was terrified, gave it her best shot, and gained a place.

Again, no pp was used. This week is the 'photos and cardstock only' week.

A few more days for the sketch challenge layouts to come in if you're interested (see last post).

See you all for a midweek post in a few days.

Nicole

a layout and a challenge!

Hello all, it's Friday again - comes around so so quickly! The weeks are flying by and I can't believe that Christmas is only just around the corner. How did that happen?

I have another sketch and layout for you today. It's another simple quicky. Aren't they all??

Here's the sketch: (note for 12 x 12 scrappers below)

And here's my interpretation of it. My main photo was vertical rather than horizontal as in the sketch, so I moved the journaling around a bit to cater for the upright photo. There's a little strip of fun patterned paper under the main photo and a strip of colour running along the bottom of the layout to kind of 'ground' the whole thing. It was about how my big girl and her friend amused themselves in an airport for many hours, en route to Melbourne.

(FOR 12 x 12 scrappers: You could convert this layout above to 12 x 12 by putting two full 4x6 photos along the bottom, or 3 trimmed photos at 10x10cm each. On a 12 x 12 layout, you could keep the main photo as a 4x6 or you could certainly get away with making it a 5 x 7". On a 12 x 12 you could still computer journal, because that whole upper section containing the journaling would be a landscape A4 size - once printed you would mount the A4 sheet on a 12 x 12 colour cardstock so you could adhere the bottom photos, and leave a small strip of colour exposed from the backing cardstock along the very bottom).

Now I have a sketch challenge for you! Remember the old sketch challenge that we used to do many moons ago? The deal is, if you want to give this sketch a go, either a 8.5x11 layout as it is shown, a 12 x 12 interpretation or even a card, give it a whirl, scan it or take a decent photo of your creation (see note below) and then email it to me, and I'll post whatever graces my inbox, here on the blog. Here's your sketch from which you can interpret as you please.

You have until the end of next weekend (28th Nov) - that's about 9 days from now and I will post whatever arrives on Tuesday 30th Nov. Now no pressure, people. If it's only my own interpretation that gets posted, that's quite okay. A little boring, but okay! I know we are headed into manic season. See if you can manage it.

Chat soon xx

Nicole

NOTE: Tip - When taking a photo of your layout, place it on the floor or short stool, beside a glass door/window. Get directly above it and looking through your camera, try to make sure it is square and the edges of the layout are lined up with the edges of your cameras view finder, so that your pages isn't looking like it's on an angle. Might need to brighten your photo a little in your photo program if it takes a little dark. I tend to 'enhance' my photos of layouts and even sharpen the image a bit. It depends on your photo editing software.

a sketch and a layout.

I have a new layout to share today, since it is 'Friday Scrapbooking' and it's so super easy, and effective that you should definitely give it a go. It's suited to one 4x6 horizontal photo, and even made a sketch for you. It could easily be converted to a 12 x 12 layout. Here's the sketch:

And here's a layout to show you how it can work.

I used some new patterned paper under the strips of journaling. Regarding the journaling, I just double or triple space the space between the lines (also known as 'leading'), or you can just hit 'return' two or three times between each line, then print it on cardstock, then just trim with with a blade & ruler or paper trimmer, so that the strips end up about 1cm wide.

The layout is about the best buds that Amaris does dancing with. They are her best buds at school too, and their presence at ballet has been helpful for Amaris. They are a sweet little trio. Very funny together! Here are some other photos that I took of them that day - really should scrap the humour, shouldn't I. They were actually, I hate to say it, all taking turns in burping. Nice. So ballerina-ish!

Sketch challenge coming up soon!

Winners and red chairs.

And the winner of my 'Scrapbooking Boys' ebook giveawy from last week is 'Rachael' whose son puts on 3 pairs of socks so he can slide better on the floor - hehe, I can just see it now.

BUT. WAIT. I actually have TWO of these books to give away and I could not go past 'DebF' who has FIVE boys! Wow, the mind boggles, and life must certainly be, as Deb puts it, very interesting!! Rachael and DebF email me and I will will send you your secret codes! And congratulations, hope you can make much use out of this book! For anyone else who's interested, it can be found here.

Now I have to tell you a story about a red chair.

I love red. I have a thing for red. I have a red handbag, red wallet, red diary, red most things. About 15 years ago, I did a modern oil painting of red chair just cause I felt like it, and often if I wanted something, I could get it out of my system by painting a picture of it. So instead of buying an actual red chair, I painted a painting of one, loose and Van Gogh style. It sold just after I painted it, so I can't show it to you.

Several of years ago, I noticed an old wooden chair, painted bright red, under an old carport, belonging to a little old house, belonging to a little old married couple, about 20 houses down my street. There was an retro orange vinyl chair next to the cute wooden red chair, and sometimes the little couple would sit in the two chairs watching the street. Whenever I walked past on the way to my girls school, I would look longingly at that red chair. I considered going and buying an old chair and painting it bright red, but just never really got around to it, and really, what was I going to do with an old red chair anyway?? Always the practical realist am I.

So years go past, I am still loving the dusty old red chair in the old carport down the street, and I start to think I wonder if I could knock on the door and offer to buy it? Every now and then, I would see one or both of the married couple (who were both 90) out side, and just do the friendly neighbourly wave and 'how are you' and I would always chicken out about asking them to sell it. It certainly wasn't worth much, but I could hardly steal it in the dark of night, could I? I Though it did cross my mind. Just kidding, of course it didn't. Well maybe. Just once.

Over the past month I have started taking photos of families (and actually being paid for the first time ever!) and I'm starting to think about 'props' for my outdoor shoots. I realise I really want that red chair, because now I actually have a reason for wanting it. I can put it to use. I figure I should ask the old loves to sell it to me, and if they won't, I'll head to St Vinnies, and just buy myself a chair and paint it.

I pluck up the courage and knock on their door...deep breathing. I am such a chicken like that.

Having never officially met, I say 'Hi, I'm Nicole, from up the road, how are you??' The little old lady says 'Oh my husband just died and the funeral was yesterday'. Oh good Lord! How bad is my timing? I'm trying to wrack my brain to think was the red chair the chair that the old husband sat in under that carport, and if so, I can hardly ask her to sell it they day after his funeral! How do I get myself into these situations! I abandon all red chair desires, and ask her if there's anything I can do for her, would she like me to take her grocery shopping, or can I get anything for her. We have a quick chat, and I ran away, mortified that I want her husband's chair.

A week later, I knock again. I'm slightly horrified at my motives. I ask her how she's doing, and if there's anything I can do for her. Then I pluck up all courage, once again. Though this time, I figure I shouldn't try to get hold of it for good - just borrow it, in case of deep sentimental value.

I said "I've been noticing your lovely red chair for a while now. Can I ask a huge favour? Can I pretty please just borrow it for this afternoon (I had a photo shoot) and I promise that I will return it tomorrow morning!"

And guess what she said in reply: "That old thing?? Just take it, I don't want it!"

Really?? Really, truly?? SO excited. I left her my number, told her to call me if she needed anything at all, and threw the red chair in the back of the car!

Oh. Yay.

And here it is, sitting on my front porch, between my two white chairs.

Looks a bit weird, and will have to move it to my garage in another day or so, but I have already made good use of the red chair.

P.S Did you ever notice all the crazy colours of council sheds around worksites like this one above? It might just be our local council that has these weird colour portable shed things, but I'm kinda liking them. They are ugly in real life, and my families that I photograph do look at me strangely when I ask them to sit in front of one.

P.P.S I popped a copy of the little girl on the red chair into Gladys' mail box, so she could see I was putting her chair to good use.