Busy Busy times with Excellent Changes Ahead

Well life for me over the last year has been very topsy turvy. In July last year my husband and I decided to swap roles for a while. I earned more money than he did in his job so I went back to work full time while he stayed at home with the kids. It wasn't what either of us really wanted but it was what was best for us at the time. In November Hubby decided that he wanted to take us home to the United States and re-enlist himself into the US Marines. He thought it would give our family stability and opportunities we could never get in NZ, so off he went to America. 8months later he returned back to New Zealand downhearted and disapointed. Due to the economic situation in the US the Marines were no longer taking re-enlisties ... 8 months of hell wasted. Hubby didn't know what to do. He re-appiled for both the NZ Police and NZ Prison Corrections and after taking many tests, filling out countless applications, having many down moments we have finally hit the jackpot!! Hubby got a job at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility in Te Kauwhata!! Sadly it's an hour and a half drive from where we live now so time for a move. We found a house in Pukekohe and move in on November 7th. Sadly, since hubby had to start training for his job he has had to go away again, but this time he can at least come home for weekends! So things are on fast forward now! There is packing and planning and oh so much to do! The one sad thing about us moving is leaving the friends we've made here behind.
Soooooooo .....
The last couple of weeks I have been crafting gifts madly for everyone at my work. These people have been not only my co-workers but most importantly my friends. They supported us when Abbey was born, when we were car-less after our car was stolen, through my 8 months of sadness with Jason away, and even now helping us out with a second car and major support through our latest journey. Now I have finished the gifts I will have to sadly pack up my craft space ... in the new house I won't have a craft space anymore ... I'll have a craft ROOM!!!!!
Anyway ....
Here are the gifts and things I have been madly making over the last couple weeks ....

These are for all the little girls and boys that I have had the pleasure in teaching over the last year and a bit ... also for Riley and Abbey's favourite friends. The Pink for the girls the blue for the boys (teehee) they have a little chocolate inside each one.


For each classroom (Cherry Bytes, Small Babies, Babies, Toddlers, Pre-school 1, 2 and 3, the Kitchen and Office)I made a clipboard.


For Abbeys teachers Jan and Sofie I made note pad holders and for Becki an art work holder, all to go on the fridge




And also one for Riley's teacher Nina


So I'll be a bit quiet for a while but I promise my first post in my new house will have pics, or even a video, of my new craft room!

Until then ...

Happy Scrapping :)

Big Box of Goodies ....

Arrived on my door step yesterday afternoon, sadly it wasn't all mine! It was the Stampin' Up order from the Party I had! I have some very cool stuff to play with now.

I have done a few LOs since I last posted so here they are ....





Now I need to think of some 'Goodbye' Gifts for the kids teachers for when we leave ... any suggestions?

Busy Busy Girl :)

I have been very busy today ....

I have completed two Lo's, made Homemade pizza for dinner and a lasagne for tomorrow night. I have baked a choc/coconut slice and we spent the afternoon at the beach with the kids, I feel like a domestic Goddess today hahahaha
Here are my LOs ... it has been a day for Riley :)




Now off to decide if I am going to cook a banana cake, ice my slice or curl up on the couch with a movie!?

Creative Day

Yesterday I had a lovely creative day. The weather was horrible so we were inside all day and it got my mojo on the go! Here's what I created ....

This canvas has the little prints from our annual Positive/Negatives photo shoot we do through my work/the kids daycare, Kindercare. The photographer gives you a tiny print of each photo they take with the order number on it. This year it was very hard to pick which ones we wanted to buy, but the little ones are very cool to use too!



And I also did a LO ... keeping with the Black & White photo theme!



I'm having a Stampin' Up party on Monday night with Jacquelyn Pedersen on Monday night so I'm quite looking forward to that, I'll let you know how it goes, until then lets hope I have another creative day today ... although now I've said that and see the beautiful sunshine coming in my window ... maybe not!

It's Halloween Time!!!!!!

I know it is a teeny bit early but it's my FAVOURITE time of year so I get excited early!!!
Every year we throw our kids a Halloween party and I have already been making invites and goody bags for this ... however due to the fact my hubby may be getting a new job out of town we might be moving before Halloween so sadly our Halloween party may have to be cancelled this year. I am very sad about this but I know the reason why is a good one.
So to all those Halloween Junkies out there HAPPY HALLOWEEN PREPERATIONS!!!

Layout

First one in a while hopefully it has unblocked my LO block ....



My hubby seems to think that this LO needs something else ... I dissagree ... what do YOU think?

Wedding

aToday my friend Katrina is getting married. I haven't had a wedding to go to in a LONG time!! I got quite excited about it! I get to make wedding stuff!!! I made her card and I made her a horse shoe ... this horse shoe is a real horse shoe covered with fabric and lace. It has given me an opportunity to use my sewing machine, which by the way has been used a bit lately! I am becomming a sewer which is making me feel rather clever hehe! I have hemed and fixed several pairs of pants, sewn the inside lining for a beanbag and now made the horse shoe cover. I'm quite proud of myself!! So here are the pics ... One Wedding Card and one Wedding Horse-Shoe ...





***AFTER NOTE***

The Wedding was fabulous! Katrina looked amazing (as all brides do!!) and the rain that was threatening all morning at least held off for the whole ceremony (it was outdoors) ... Just a couple of pics involving the Horse Shoe!




Abbey posing with the Horse-Shoe before we left this morning and her giving it to the beautiful bride!

Kids Stuff

Well my friend Jennie made a box for her daughters hair ties and clips. I really liked that idea and wanted to do one too, but I wanted one with compartments to seperate the clips and ties. So I found this plastic box in the junk I have (hehe) and decided to alter it. Well I have never altered a plastic box before and I found it much more difficult! But here is the finished (not so fine) project ...





Now Riley wants a Hair Tie Box, I did mention to him that he doesn't have any hair ties and he decided he needed a car box then! Best get to work then huh!

More Crafting

someone must have sent me a 'round tuit' because I am finally getting 'around to it' on alot of projects I have wanted to do for a long time!! When I was pregnant with Abbey (gee didn't she just turn 2?) I got a friend take some pics of my baby belly. I have wanted to do something with those pics since they were taken (two weeks before Abbey was born!) I did scrap them for Abbeys album but I wanted to do something else ... and here is that something else ... Finally!!!



This altered canvas is now up on the wall above Riley's belly cast which I really must get around to doing something with!!!!

now off to get onto MORE unfinished and unstarted 'wish list' projects!!!

Busy Busy Girl :)

I have been very busy today and completed a few 'On-My-To-Do-List" things ...
Ages ago I bought a big wooden A and R to decorate for the kids bedrooms. Last night I did the A and showed Abbey this morning, ever since Riley saw the A he has been nagging and moaning and harrassing me to do his R!! So that is now done too!! Here they are ...




Riley insisted his be Yellow (his favourite colour, he's obsessed with it!) and they are both hanging above the kids beds in their bedrooms now. I'm very pleased with how well they turned out.

The reason why Riley was harrassing me about doing his R is because I was busy with another project this morning. In the night last night I woke up with an idea ... I have been thinking for a few days now what I could do for Jason for Fathers Day (which is on Sunday here in NZ)and the idea sprung up on me in the middle of the night!
If you have been following my blog you will know that late last year my darling hubby went to America planning on re-enlisting in the US Marines. He turned into a Marine right out of High School and ever since he has been in New Zealand I have heard and re-heard every Marine story he has to tell. As much as he wanted to re-enlist to help out our family to be in a better position, he also wanted to do it for himself ... as the saying goes "Once a Marine, Always a Marine". Well 8mths later with the US in a state of Economic crisis, and the Marines cutting back heavily on their enlistees my dissapointed and down-hearted hubby came back to New Zealand. I know he is really dissapointed he couldn't re-join his comrades and have his family live in his Home Country. Jase has a loyalty to the Marines like nothing I've seen before, I dunno if it's a military thing, an American thing or just a thing! But he is very proud of all his memborillia he has from when he served his country. I have started a scrapbook for his photos and such things but there are a lot of bulky things that I can't put in an album. So for Fathers Day to say "I love and appreciate all you have done for us" I made him this ....




I am soooo pleased with how it turned out and really hope he likes it!! Now his ribbons and medals etc can be in a little safe place :)

I'm on a real crafting roll at the moment!! Lets hope it continues on!

Clip Boards and ATCs

Ok so this started out as a gift for a friend, sadly I didn't have any papers the colours she said were here favourite so I ended up doing the clipboard for myself opps!! Hehe darn now I have to go shopping! ok so here is the finished product ...



I used Kasiercraft Blushed paper range

And as promised here are the Twilight ATCs

I almost forgot .....

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!

in the southern hemisphere anyway!!!

Sewing

I am not a sewer ... I know how to sew a simple line and that's pretty much it lol I know the theory of sewing but haven't had alot of practice. Earlier in the year my Aunt upgraded her sewing machine and gave my Mum her old one which was in turn an upgrade on hers and so I got my Mums old one. I have been the proud owner of a sewing machine for a while now but until this morning I hadn't used it. I took a deep breath and I hemed two pair of trousers before the needle broke!! I am gutted .. but also inspired!! I just found a really cool beanbag pattern HERE and it looks really easy so I'm going to give it a go ... after getting a new needle of course!! I really want to do one for each of the kids bedrooms so I'll be on a funky fabric hunt on the weekend! Wish me luck!!
PS to all you sewers out there any hints tips and advice is MOST welcomed!!!

Absent

from my blog for too long!! Sorry ...

I have been doing stuff and I also haven't!!
At the moment I am doing a bit of gallery surfing and searching for ANZAC projects ... I know ANZAC day is a long way off (April) but I have recently received some photos of my late Grandfather in his Army uniform. When he was in Egypt in the 2nd world war he wrote many letters and poems. One of his poems called "Words" was read at his funeral and means alot to my family. I wanted to make an altered canvas for my Mum with the pics I have of Grandad and his poem ... I am having some major issues coming up with ideas of how I want it to look. Of course I want it to be a masterpiece and really don't want to stuff it up! Any ideas, or if anyone comes across anything they think would be worth me looking at I would LOVE for you to leave me a comment!
This Is My Grandad .. Arthur John Church always known as Jack



and this is the poem he wrote ...

WORDS

"To put them on to paper and send them on to you,
Is all that circumstances will so far let me do,
Words are so inadequate when written down in ink,
They don't express one-millionth part of what I really think.
But the time will come eventually, when I am back with you
And then you'll know just what I mean, what I've tried to do

In the hell that's Egypt, I first knew what friends were
When mail came in every week they always caused a stir
Friends had not forgotten that I was overseas
They wrote me cheery letters of things they'd done and seen
It was a glimpse of home to me in Egypt's sun
To get those newsy letters with such a cheery tone

The months and years have passed since then and letters still arrive
As fast and regular as the P.O can supply
to have those friends, to know their worth, is something well worthwhile
That thought alone has helped me through many a dreary mile
When I return I'll do my best to let them know how much
It means to boys from home to get that homely touch

So friends if pen and ink have not said all I meant
Be sure the time is not far off when letters won't be sent
I will call and tell you, show you then and after
How you helped me through this hell, gave me joy and laughter
Thanks on paper don't mean much, but there's years yet to come,
When I can show you without words the wonderful job you've done."




I have also been working on Halloween projects .. again a little early! But since I am working almost full-time now I want to be ahead of myself so I don't get behind! Does that make sense?? Danice called me a Nerd for it but I know I'm a nerd anyway! I am working on goody boxes to take home from the party as well as party invites.

I have done a small amount of crafting Finished a couple of LOs and am going to show the awesome True Blood ATCs.




I have some Twilight ATCs to show but my camera batteries are flat so can't go there at the moment!!
I'm a terrible birthday rememberer ... I really want to make a birthday chart thingy so I can get Birthday cards and presents organised and away BEFORE the loved ones Birthday .. this is a project I really want to get done, also Fathers Day is a week away and I have done nothing! AHHHH need ideas for that. Plus I also want to alter a clipboard for a work friend ... so LOTS on the plate so fingers crossed I'll have some awesome projects to show soon :)

I promise that I will not be so long in blogging again!

Happy 2nd Birthday Abbey xxx

It is my sweet baby daughters Birthday today ... I don't think I can really call her my baby anymore but she is, I think, always going to be my baby!! Here is a pic from today in her birthday dress and her very first photo...


Boy has she grown up, I'm a little sad that I no longer have a baby, but it is exciting that shes growing up too!!

Well my Husband is back in the house and it's great having him home!! The kids are very much enjoying their Daddy and I am enjoying having my hubby and best friend back :) Jason bought back a HUGE suitcase of scrapping goodies for me, which I am ever so greatful for. Lots of neat tools, papers, embellies etc. Since I have been hanging out with hubby I haven't done so much crafting ... here is what I have managed to get done ...


This is Sketch #25 at 52 Sketches .. I'm a bit behind there as I think they are now up to sketch 29 or 30 opps!! I used my new cuttlebug alpha on this 'You're Not the Boss of Me' thanks Sandra!


This was using some of the new papers hubby bought back from America :) And my new Flourish Stamps I bought at SENZ.


I used my new Fiskars Threading Waters Border punch on this and another new cuttlebug alpha 'Hippy Chick' (thanks again Sandra!)

As well as scrapping I also have been working on Abbey's birthday present. Jase painted and I decorated ... before and after pics ...


That's about it for now so hopefully now I have had two weeks with Jase I might get a bit more crafting done!!

Long Time No Post ....

First news of the day

****** MY HUBBY IS COMING HOME *******

He arrives back in New Zealand in 5days :) I am very happy to put it mildly!! I am sad things didn't work out for us to be moving to America but I am just so glad that with him been away for 8mths we are finally going to be a family again!!

Ok onto the crafting ....
For a weekish I put all LOs aside to work on a couple of ATC swaps ... One was my favourite Tv Series of the moment True Blood ... since we are still waiting for one set from America I won't post a pic of the cards yet but they are pretty darn awesome!! Another ATC swap I have just finished is a Twilight one. The cards are all enveloped up and ready to post :) So no pics of them yet either!!

LayOuts ...
I have done three this weekend .. catching up with my 52 Sketches ... here they are ...





I often wonder, should I be writing descriptions of techniques I used and products I used on my LOs that I show? I dunno I've never been one to give instructions lol