Stuff and Things

An Example

2012-02-11T19:57:00.005+11:00

for Scraphappy Kats Friday Night Challenge

and a challenge I wanted to do

This Is the example for the F/N Challenge

and a couple of close ups

love this cute little mouse

You can enter the F/N Challenge

HERE

Everyone is most welcome to enter young,old, it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or have been scrapping for years, all entries have the same chance of winning as we draw a name out of a hat

couldn't be any fairer than that

Here is my entry for the Scrap it with Attitude Challenge

You had to use Buttons,Circles and Twine

I think this little birdy is so sweet

look he's winking at you

I so enjoyed scrapping these pages and I would like to thank Mr Mojo for stopping by and helping me get these done

Now a quick report on the saga of the Eating of the Elephant,

a little progress was made this week not as much as I would have liked as I had a couple of things to do that took priority

Keep watching this space????

oxo

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Nikki's Sketch Challenge

2012-02-10T13:28:00.000+11:00

This is the Sketch and it had to be done in the colours of Pink and Green

This is what I created

I rotated the sketch 90 degrees and simplified it
(I loved the bones of the sketch but it was a bit to busy for my taste)

This is a photo of our son Jesse when he was 3 maybe 4 years old
Yes Pink does work for boys I have chosen a reddy pink to complement the green check

This Challenge closes at the end of the month, you can enter the challenge

HERE

Happy Scrappin'

Goooood Moooorning

2012-02-04T07:23:00.000+11:00

How are we all???

I've had my coffee, and am now ready to get my day under way

I have a couple of jobs from yesterday's list to finish off then I can get stuck into today's list

If all goes to plan I will have the housework finished by mid morning and then I can start gnawing away at the Elephant

I had intended to take a couple of nibbles out of it yesterday but it didn't happen??

I had promised to take Miss Anna op shopping in the morning and then Miss Bella had her interview and photos at Senior Secondary in the afternoon, when that was done she wanted to go op shopping

I think she was just a wee bit impressed with the bargains that Miss Anna had got and wanted to grab a bargain or 2 herself

After 2 trips to the op shop I ended up spending a grand total of $14.50 for 10 items

That's my kind of shopping!!!

I also had to get the example done for the FNC and get it up on Scraphappy Kat's blog

You can enter the FNC

HERE

There is also a Challenge pack give away that you can enter and a card stock sale happening

It's now light enough outside for me to hang out the clothes that I got washed late last night and then I best get stuck into getting my to do list done

oxo

OMG!!!!!!

2012-02-03T08:26:00.001+11:00

Emergency here

Things are worse than I thought

My life is a huge MESS!!!

according to my handbag

?????

Let me explain

The eating of the Elephant has come to a stand still

I'm at that stage where you just want to shut the door and forget about it

So I went looking for tips and inspiration to get back on task

On one of the sites I visited it was suggested that your handbag is a reflection of your life???

Oh boy my handbag is so messy!!!

So according to that theory my life is in a bigger mess than I thought

First task for the day

Clean out and organise the handbag

after coffee

(nothing happens here until I have my coffee)

Now according to this theory once I get the handbag sorted my life should be sorted

Neat, tidy and organised just like I wish it was

If I had a handbag like this

my life would be perfect

A Pinch and a Punch

2012-02-01T08:21:00.003+11:00

for the 1st of the month!!!

February already???

I have planned to get so much done Jan/Feb, the biggest job being the eating of the Elephant (declutterig and reorganising the craft space)

January's now a distant memory and I'm probably a quarter through

I have a big day planned for work so it is very likely that I may not even take a look at the Elephant today, depends on how I feel when I get home

I am going to be as busy as this bee

Wishing you all a wonderful and productive day

Don,t forget to leave a comment to be in the running for a chance to win a handmade gift

(explanation in one of the posts below)

Oooops almost forgot ScrapHappy Kat has another PRIMA give away you can enter

HERE

oxo

Words of Wisdom from a Wise man

2012-01-31T20:57:00.001+11:00

It is because of my wish to be helpful that I share my ideas and experiences;

being helpful to even one person is valuable.

~Dalai Lama via Twitter

Last Nights Update this morning

2012-01-31T11:03:00.001+11:00

I can multi task but not while I'm watching TV through closed eye lids!!!

So that is why I'm doing yesterdays update on the eating of the Elephant today

Progress is slow but it is getting there

After spending an hour or so sorting and chucking out this morning

(I was up way before the birds so I put the time to good use)

I estimate I have eaten half way up one of the Elephants back legs

Have found lots of stuff that makes me wonder

What frame of mind were you in when you purchased that??!!!

I think a Kinda will be getting a box of craft goodies

I have also found lots of good stuff that I know I will never use, so that's going up to the market to be sold real cheap

If you live in the Bendigo area and are interested in real cheap Scrapping/Cardmaking stuff I will have some for sale at the

SundayBendigo Show Grounds Market

I have Patterned Papers, Cardstock, Embellishments and Off the Page stuff

While I was tidying up this morning I found my January list of jobs I wanted to get done

It was a long list and to my surprise when I crossed off the jobs I had completed,

I was surprised and amazed that there were only 2 jobs that were left on the list

Feeling a bit pleased with myself for being so productive

One I haven't started and the other is in the progress of being done

It's the eating of the Elephant!!!

Thanks to those that have left me comments I really appreciate them

They are helping me keep on the job and as a thank you to you, when I have finished decluttering and reorganising the first thing I will be creating will be a gift for a lucky someone

It might be something like these

or these

or something completely different

It will be a random draw and the way it will work is every time you leave a comment your name will go in a jar (a few of you already have your names in the jar) and when the job is completed and item has been made I will draw one name out of the jar who will receive a crafty gift from me

oxo

My Baby

2012-01-30T09:22:00.000+11:00

turned 14 yesterday

A sleep over on Saturday night with a few friends is how Miss Anna celebrated her Birthday

Don't know why it's called a sleep over as very little sleeping is done

Saturday night we took the girls down to the Chinese Museum as 2 of the old Dragons were coming out as part of the Chinese New Year Celebrations here

It was something very special to see

Lots of pictures were taken (silly me forgot to take the telephoto lens) so they are not as good as I would have liked but on the positive side I did remember to take the camera

Yar Loong

(Night Dragon)

Loong

(known as Old Loong)

He is Heritage Listed a Special Dragon with a very interesting history

Loong is the oldest Imperial Dragon in the world

Bendigo is known as the home of the Dragons, at Easter time they come out to play

That is when Sun Loong the Longest Imperial Dragon in the World comes out to parade around the streets It is a magnificent sight to behold

If you are a lover of Chinese Dragons this is the place to be at Easter time I guarantee you will not be disappointed

Happy Chinese New Year and may the Year of the Dragon be a very special year for you

Got a little side tracked with the Dragons back to posting about the birthday girl

Miss Anna and her friends that helped celebrate her Birthday

The Birthday cake that Miss Sierra (Anna's friend) made

It was delicious

For those of you that are following the process of the eating of the Elephant (decluttering and reorganising the craft space)

I will give you an update later this evening

Have a fab day

oxo

Is this Quote

2012-01-28T10:56:00.001+11:00

telling me something??

"Don't own so muchclutter

that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire."
Wendell Berry (Farming: ahand book)

Had a Nigella Moment

2012-01-27T19:51:00.001+11:00

yesterday

Cooked Roast Lamb and Pav for Dinner last night

Yummo!!!

can't get more Aussie than that...well may be a burnt Barbecue Snag in bread with lots of dead horse (Tomato Sauce)

and I cooked it all from scratch, no cheats yesterday

Roast Lamb,Potato's and Carrot's

Pav filled with whipped Cream and topped with Violet Crumble and Twirl

(definitely a no go if you are dieting)

I even put a good white table cloth on the table, got out the good dinner set and put the silver candle stick (with candle) in the centre of the table.

The look I got from the girls when they came to the table was you've really flipped your lid this time!!!

I don't care what they thought

The table looked very nice and the food was yummy

Just had a thought I hope Chris (that's my other half) doesn't expect me to go into Nigella mode to often

Lemon Curd that I made from the egg yokes left over from making the pav

4 egg whites for the Pav 4 egg yokes for the Lemon Curd a match made in heaven

No waste gotta love that

Got totally side tracked from dealing with the Elephant yesterday

Did a bit of house work you know the stuff that greets you everyday

Dyed Anna's and my hair, Anna is now a very dark brown almost black and mine is Passion Red!!???

well that's what it said on the packet

Had a wee bit of drama over at the neighbours last night one of their cats was playing with a Brown Snake

it was only a little one15+ inches long

I heard Trav yell out, he need someone to watch that the cats didn't try and get it again while he ran to get a shovel.

Matt and Kylie where at a friends celebrating Australia Day and little brother who is 17 and not so little was in bed sleeping the sleep of the dead

So me being the good neighbour that I am watch (from our Balcony) while he ran an got the shovel

I a matter of seconds the head and body of the snake parted ways, ( that's when I ventured over the road) the detached head bit and body were still wiggling like they wanted to find each other for quite some time

Yuck not a fan of snakes at all

Puss is fine he was running around our back yard stalking Maggie's this morning

After all that excitement last night it was time to watch Storm Chasers then Capitan Jack (Torchwood)

and that was my day

Today went in to Domestic Goddess mode

Washing up to date, Ironing up to date until the washing came in off the line, Laundry cleaned, dusted, vacuumed and a a brief Nigella moment, made Lemon Cup Cakes

I did get a bite of the Elephant only because I needed some space to do the example of the Friday Night Challenge I set for Scraphappy Kat's Blog and I have a canvas that is a custom order to get done for Sunday and 2 others to finish so that they can be delivered next week

I was very good instead of just dumping the stuff where ever I could find a space I sorted and threw out now I have both the rubbish bins I have in there full to over flowing

The recycle and garbage bins only have enough room in them for the house rubbish and recycles

They go out on Monday morning so eating the Elephant has been stopped by lack of space in the bins

I could put all the rubbish/recycles into garbage bags, I sure I would get the ute filled up enough that it would be worth going to the tip

Think I will sleep on that one??!!!

This is the example of the FNC

I almost forgot to set one, with yesterday being a public holiday I got my days confused

which is not hard for me, I seem to be confused most of the time

I remembered this morning but all thoughts of it exited stage left until just after 3pm

I had no idea of what I was going to do so I went down to my still very messy craft space and grabbed a few products and Shabby Chic came to mind

2 hours later I had completed this page

OK get it photographed

I was snapping away when I realised I hadn't put the butterflies on

so I race down stairs cut out the Butterflies and stuck them on

It's just after 6pm now

So I quickly take a few snaps, down load them, edit them

and do a blog post I was very grateful that I had no issues with blogger or attaching the Mr Linky

All done before 7pm

Phew minor miracle

You can enter the challenge

Here

Happy Scrappin'

and have a wonderful weekend what ever you are doing

oxo

Not much

2012-01-26T09:21:00.000+11:00

to report on the eating of the Elephant today

If you haven't read my last 2 blog posts you are most likely thinking

What the hell is this crazy woman on about!!!

A brief explanation is the Elephant is my craft space and the eating of it is, the decluttering and reorganising.

I have made such a mess that a good clean and chuck out was needed badly, so that I once again have room to create

Are we all on the same page now???

What did I do yesterday??

Well the day started off with coffee and a bit of net surfing, did some ironing, washing, made the bed and a quick tidy up.

Miss Anna and I went to church with the lovely Mrs Down, after church we went for coffee with the ladies who attend the Wednesday service. We had a delight full time.

Then it was home again, a quick bite to eat then to work for me.

Had a bit extra to do at work so that took care of the afternoon.

Chris, Bella and I did some supermarket shopping, by the time we got home it was early evening

I hadn't planned on cleaning out the pantry, but it had to be done as a little visitor found a packet of popping corn and had a nibble, so much chucking out scrubbing and disinfecting was done.

Didn't get that job completed last night, finished it this morning

Now we have a very clean neat tidy pantry

I'm getting side tracked here I was telling you about the eating of the Elephant

One of the tips I read on How to Declutter and Reorganise was to visualise your finished space, that was what I did yesterday so technically I was still on the job
(that's what I'm telling myself)

are you seeing the same sort of crafting space as me???
These pictures should give it away??
Soft pretty and Shabby Chic

Oh who am I kidding it will never look like that
Shabby yes but with out the chic
Because my crafting space is in the garage, correction it's supposed to be half the garage and at this stage it has taken over a generous three quarters

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie followers I hope you have a fun filled day
oxo

Just a wee nibble

2012-01-25T07:14:00.001+11:00

was had of the Elephant (the cleaning of the craft space) yesterday

I knew it was a big job but it's turning out to be even bigger than I thought

Before I started I research some decluttering and organising tips

The one on time suggested that you double the time you think it will take

I thought about 3 or 4 days should be enough so I doubled it so now it's about about a week to get this task done

After spending a few hours yesterday sorting I'm now thinking I need to triple or may be even quadruple the time

I'm going to be brave now and show you a couple of pics (not that brave) only the least embarrassing bits

I have 4 tresle tables that I can work on and this is the cleanest bit

the rest of them are pilled high with stuff

these shelves could hold lots of stuff if they were organised properly

This is my least embarrissing bit, the peg board (it's hard to pile stuff up on a wall)

that is the only reason this has stayed resonably tidy

I filled this a few times yesterday so now our recycle and garbage bin are almost full,

garbage day is not untill Monday so I will have to put all the rubish into bags, then a tip run can be done.

I'm sure if I get into it over the next couple of days I will have enough rubbish that it will be worth paying the tip fee

One thing I know for sure is I going to have lots of scrap stuff to sell and give away very soon

just have to decide what I will sell and who I will give to

The only thing I am going to decide right now is

Time for the coffee pot to go on, have coffee and then get stuck into the day

Have a wonderful day

oxo

How do you eat an Elephant??

2012-01-23T20:15:00.000+11:00

or how do you declutter, clean and reorganise a craft space???

One bite at a time!!

I'm begining to think that the eating of the Elephant is a hell of a lot easier.

My craft space has got into such a mess.

Imagine a teenagers room and then x by about 100

The picture you have in your mind is a rubbish dump

(Am I right??)

That's my craft space

I can no longer put it off as I promised myself that I would have it done by the end of the month and that's approaching at a rapid pace

I was really getting into the purging thingy this afternoon when my youngest asked me to take her to Spotlight

Well you know what happens next

Mum drops everything and off we go to Spotlight that was the end of any productive decluttering today

I did pick up a gorgeous piece of fabric out of the bargain bin for $3.00

and Anna got what she wanted so a successful shopping trip was had

I have had to be hard on myself so that I stay sort of on task

( as you can see I'm easily distracted)

So there is NO creating anything new until this LITTLE (who am I kidding it's a huge task) job is done

I will still be doing custom orders and FNC examples for Scraphappy Kat

That is all!!

There will be

NO playing with scrappy stuff

NO playing with fabric and the sewing machine

These Pretty fabrics are my motivator to keep me on task as I'm itching to get the scissors into them

I have so many new ideas floating around in my head and yes I have been writing them down and doing sketches so I don't forget

Best get back to this eating of the Elephant thingy cos the sooner I get it done the sooner I can start creating and share with you

Until next time take care

oxo