It’s Almost ‘THAT’ Time Again

Nov14

I just realised it’s halfway through November !

Where has this year gone to so quickly ?

When I was a kid…like every kid…I loved Christmas. It was magical…fun….and stress free. Decorations and carols in the shops. Visits to Santa and lots of being good in order to stay on the ‘nice’ list.

My how times have changed.

Christmas is hard now….Lots of money flying out of my pockets at a rate never seen before…stressing over what gifts to give this year. Will they like them? can I afford them? Will Eric break them on day one, or will they last a week or more?

For those of you who don’t know, I have seven kids, and Eric is my 11 year old with Autism. His rules regarding possessions are the same as those of a 6 year old :

  • If it’s in my hand…it’s mine
  • If I saw it first…it’s mine
  • If I had hold of it before you did…it’s mine
  • If I like the look of it…it’s mine
  • If it’s really yours, but I want it…it’s mine
  • Anything that’s mine remains mine until I no longer want it
The problem is, most things Eric touches end up broken.
I wanted to share with you this wonderful poem I found before I share today’s digital scrapbook kit.
And, as promised, I created a vintage Christmas kit for you.

$3.00 Australian

 

 

Damask Rose

Nov11

A little while ago I was asked to design a kit for a client.

She asked for pink, yellow, grey, black and white with a damask and antique theme.

What I find when creating my kits is that I see a picture in my head…the colours I want to use and how I want that kit to look and feel.

What I found when trying to design a kit for someone else is that it’s really hard to see what’s in someone else’s head.

It was actually quite a challenge but I really enjoyed it…even if I nearly tore my hair out in frustration when I showed her the kit and she told me that, to her, it seemed more ‘Victorian’ than ‘antique’……Victorian is antique isn’t it?

Anyway…this is the kit, which I named ‘Damask Rose’.

 

$3.00 Australian

 

It may not have been exactly what she wanted….and I did go on to make another one for her which she absolutely loved (I’ll show you tomorrow)….but I really like this kit.

So I used it to make a layout.

 

 

Have you ever used a kit which you thought had a particular feel (Victorian, antique, whatever…) and made a layout with it that has a completely different  feel?

Rustic Memories

Nov9

I started researching my family history some years ago now, and one thing which has stood out to me is the fact that…they never smiled in photos!

Every photo I have of my ancestors and their families show them as stiff, proper, and very very serious.

It’s a shame really, because I’m sure they weren’t really like that all the time. They would have laughed and smiled and joked around like we do today. I wish they could have recorded themselves that way, like we do, so we could see today what they were really like. Their character and humour, or even sadness and anger.

But no…we only have them at their Sunday best…so we have to make the best of what we have.

My great great great grandparents came to Australia as free settlers (not like a lot of my other ancestors who were naughty and were sent here as convicts). They settled in a small town west of Sydney by the name of Carcoar and became prominent citizens of the town.

John was a blacksmith, actually Carcoar’s first blacksmith, and of course Martha stayed at home and ran the household. He went off to the goldfields for a while, and came back with enough money to buy a house and blacksmith’s shop….but I still don’t see them smiling about it.

I had to restore the photo I had of them before I could use it.

 

And used it to create this layout.

 

John and Martha Gorringe

 

I created this digital scrapbook kit especially for them.

 

$3.00 Australian

 

Have you ever taken a look at your family history?

Are you the exception? the one with ancestors who are actually smiling?

I’d love to see them.

 

Egyptian Dream

Nov8

I have a new digital scrapbook kit to show you today.

I love ancient Egypt, how about you?

$3.00 Australian

 

And I thought my cousin looked particularly beautiful in this layout I made with it.

 

 

All my kits are available for sale using the ‘contact’ tab at the top of the page.

I’d also be happy to talk with you about any particular designs or themes you may have in mind.

Do you have favourite colours you’d like to see in a kit?

Pretty Pink

Nov7

My eldest daughter’s 18 years old now…. time certainly does fly.

What hurts though, is coming across photos, irreplaceable photos, which have been damaged. It’s like you’ve lost something and you can’t get it back.

I felt like that after discovering Jessica’s pre-school photo was in a sorry state. So, I set about finding a way to do something about it………..PHOTOSHOP

Have a look at the results !

My beautiful daughter

 

It’s amazing what you can achieve given the determination, and time.

Do you have any photos this has happened to?

Would you like to see them restored to their former glory?

I can help. Leave me a comment here, or use the ‘contact’ form at the top of the page.

 

 

So….I was so happy with the results I designed a digital scrapbook kit……

 

$3.00 Australian

 

And created a beautiful keepsake layout of my daughter with it…..

 

 

I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think.

 

In The Beginning

Nov6

Have you ever started something which has led you on to something else, and before you know it you’ve discovered an exciting new world?

That’s what happened to me after years of researching my family history. I had so many photos and no way to show them off….until I discovered the wonders of digital scrapbooking and photo restoration.

Now here I am, designing digital scrapbook kits and absolutely loving it.

I think my style is a bit different to the norm. My layouts seem to be more like photo showcases than traditional scrapbook pages…but I like them that way.

So…I’d like to introduce you to the first kit I made…..’Adore’

If you’re interested in purchasing it just use the ‘contact’ tab at the top of the page.

 

'Adore' digital scrapbook kit $3.00 AU

 

And here are some layouts I made with it.

 

 

 

Here I am! Look at Me!

Nov5

Well….I’ve done it! My foray into the technological age is complete.

My friends said to me, “start a blog, it’s easy.” Ha…easy.

But I did it, and now I’m here. I’ll learn the rest as I go along, so you’ll have to bear with me.

The thing is, I know what I know, and I’m good at what I know….so soon I’ll be good at this too.

Until then, all you critics out there…feel free to criticize…I’m a big girl, I can handle it.

I’ve uploaded a picture of one of my kits, just so you can see what I’m about.