So Kind!

I just wanted to make a quick post to say a HUGE thank you to each and every one of the 20 lovely ladies who left a comment at my last post! Your kind words and your joyous sharing in my win is very much appreciated!!!

Here's a personal thank you for each of you (here's hoping I can actually count to 20! LOL!!!) ... thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a great week!

OMG!!! I WON SYTYCS!!!

I won! I won!!! Woo hoo!!!













Thank you so so so so much to everyone who voted for me... without you my dream would never have come true! You have made me so very happy!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Rach and everyone else at Scraptacular for running this comp. Rach... you rock girl! You have done an awesome job! Thank you for your hard work and help over the last 3 months! Go have yourself a wine and enjoy your mental breakdown!!! !

Kirsty and Kelly... congratulations for all you achieved through this comp! You guys have inspired me more than you'll ever know and your friendship has been so greatly appreciated. I hope we continue to stay in touch!!!

To all the other contestants... well done also! It has been great getting to know you all and seeing your beautiful work week after week! A special congrats to the BIC girls! Good on you for continuing to inspire us all!

Lastly, I'd like to thank James, my daugther, and my Mum for their support and patience throughout the comp. It's been as hard on them as it has on me.

Well, that's my Grammy speech done with! Sorry for blabbing on!!! I'm just soooo excited!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Now It's All Up to You!

I have just submitted my final entries for SYTYCS!!! We had to create a single and a double, but that was all the criteria we were given, so as to allow each of us to properly showcase our own individual styles.

Given the fact we had only 5 days to produce the required layouts, we were given the option of submitting an old layout. I took the soft option and submitted this layout which I completed some time ago;


















This layout has to be one of my all time faves! I just love it's energy! The fun, bright colours, the layering, the felt embellishments, and, well... all of it!!! LOL!

I have had an idea for a Grand Final type layout for some weeks. I thought it would be really cool to do a double-page spread that includes small photos of each of the layouts I had created for the comp. So...guess what I did for my second page?! Yep, you guessed it! Here it is;










I had a wacky idea for this particular design... I thought I might use the Scraptacular forum colours as inspiration for the colours used for the pps and page elements, AND(just for fun?!) I also decided to include one criteria from each of the first 8 rounds of the competition. These are the ones I used;
1. non-standard photo sizes
2. journalling strips
3. mix of different pps (not from same story)
4. rub-ons
5. ink edges of all pp and photos
6. at least 200 words of computer-generated journalling
7. at least 2 different stitch types
8. a colour blocked layout design

This page was a lot of fun to create, and I am so glad that I will always have it to remind me of the trials and tribulations of my SYTYCS journey. It has been a blast!!!

Now... here's where I start the begging! Voting lines are now open at Scraptacular. Please, please, please, if you are a member of the Scraptacular forum and you like my work, head to the forum, pm my name to SYTYCS_Votes, and cast help to make my SYTYCS dream come true!!!

I'll be back tomorrow night to share the results! Wish me luck!!!

Tag... I'm It!!!

I have been tagged by the lovely Anna! Here's the rules;
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

You've all learnt a few random things about me in my last post with the 'Totally Random' LO I created for SYTYCS, but I'm sure I can come up with another six! Here goes...

1. I am a perfectionist... and I hate it!
2. Given my issues with noise, I used to wear earplugs to bed every night! My dad still has half a box of earplugs that he bought for me from the hardware store to prove it!
3. I love rain, lightning, thunder, and hail! We had a big storm here the other night. I couldn't help but run outside in my pjs to enjoy it!!! Needless to say, I'm not a summer person.
4. I have done about 1.5 years of a veterinary science degree. I started it a year after leaving highschool but then had to give it up when I developed PND b/c the uni would not extend my deferral while I got better.
5. I have a crush on Woody from Toy Story! Ooh la la!
6. Anna, I too used to play the cello (I played for about 5 years).

So now I must tag 6 more people. I will tag;
Julie
Mel
Kirsty
Kerryn
Sarah
Tina

So girls, it's over to you! Can't wait to read your answers!

By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin!!!

I have made it through to the Grand Final of SYTYCS!!! But... only just! The very talented Kelly went through no probs, and, unfortunately, Kassi had to leave due to family reasons, and Debbi was eliminated (you rock guys!!!). That left two contestants but just one place in the Grand Final... my good friend Kirsty Piper and myself finished up this round of voting being tied on the same number of votes!!! I am very grateful to Rach for deciding to put both of us through to the Final, rather than putting us back up for sudden death voting. Not sure my nerves could have handled that!!!

So here begins the final leg of my SYTYCS journey! I am nervous, excited, and also a little relieved. It would mean so much to me to win the title of Australia's Favourite Scrapper... but, with the talents of Kelly and Kirsty in my company, I am going to have to wait until Sunday to see if that dream will come true. Either way, I have achieved far more than I ever imagined, I have learnt, laughed, and... I have actually started feeling good about my own work! That's better than any prize... believe me!!!

So... now to scrap my final entries! Wish me luck... I think I'll need it!!!

Another Round Bites the Dust!

Yep, despite my horrid flu, I managed to get my entries done for Round 11 of SYTYCS.

Our first challenge was to create a page including at least three self portrait images and journalling about three quirks or fun facts that wouldn't be known about you. Here's my take;


















My journalling reads;

I prefer teaspoons over all other forms of cutlery; I am seriously irked by repetitive noises. On several occassions, I have been known to remove the batteries from a wall clock because its ticking was driving me temporarily insane; I hate closed-in shoes and I detest socks. I practically live in either thongs or barefeet... even in winter!

I really enjoyed doing this page, right through from taking the photos, to compiling the journalling, to scrapping the actual page. I've not really done any pages of myself before now, so I am really thankful for this challenge. Now there is a page all about me in my family's album!!!

Our second challenge this week was to create a LO that was based on any subject other than people. I chose to document my love of Starbucks!

Here's my take;


















And here's the (somewhat ridiculous) story behind my layout;

I fell in love with Starbucks in April this year when we visited Brisbane for a two week family holiday. Then, when I visited my friend in a Melbourne a couple of months back, our love was rekindled! We don't have a Starbucks in Perth. It's not fair!!! I crave Starbucks almost everyday but I'd have to get on a plane to get it. The funniest thing is... I don't really like coffee!

Should I get through this Round, next week I will be participating in the Grand Final! Holy Crap! It would be so cool, and a dream come true... but we'll just have to wait and see! Cross your fingers for me!!!

Thanks for popping by!

I Have the Flu!

Blah!!!

Holy Guacamole!!!

I have made it through to the Semi-finals of SYTCYS! I am joined by the wonderfully talented Kelly, Kassi, Kirsty, and Debbi! I am blown away and so honored to have made it this far, and to be surrounded by the talent that make up the remaining conestants. Goodluck to you all this week! I wish each of you the very best!

Now to scrap my entries...

With Time to Spare!

I made it! I finished my layouts for this Round of SYTYCS... and I did it with a day to spare! I might not be able to call myself the slowest scrapper in the world anymore b/c it seems I'm getting a whole lot quicker! YAY!

For the first of the two SYTYCS challenges, the Lift It genre, we were asked to scraplift a member of the Scraptacular Design Team. I chose to scraplift Kim Nutley. Her gorgeous LO Addicted just screamed for me to lift because it's off centre, bright, and well-embellished. Here's my take;


















I stuck very closely to Kim's design, but moved the title further upwards than in the original, left off the journalling strips, and added a few extra embellishments.

Next up is my entry for the Music to My Ears genre;


















I chose to use the black, white, grey, and yellow colour scheme of the George album cover. I was also inspired by the basic design of the cover (a large central block embellished along one side), and the use of white space.

Before I go I'd like to share a super cute pic of my DD, which I took on Halloween (this one's just for you Mel!!!);


















If you have been living under a rock for however many years and are not familiar with The Wiggles, DD was dressed as Captain Feathersword, the friendly pirate. I also put a cut throat tattoo on her neck during dinner with friends that night, which you can see here, too. Ain't she just the cutest?!

Busy busy busy!!!

Dear oh dear... too little time... so much to do! Well, only one thing to do really but I'm still feeling under the pump! I have so far completed one of two challenges for SYTYCS. The first one, a scraplift, came together in one day! Yay me!!! I don't usually scrap that quickly. However, the second challenge has me a little stumped. We have to use an album cover as inspiration (I have chosen Polyserena by George) to create a LO that includes song lyrics in some format. I have chosen words taken from a song called "I Hope You Dance". I had never heard of this song until I began searching the net. I am so happy I stumbled upon it because it says everything in my heart that I might never have put into words...

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

Beautiful words huh?! Exactly the things I wanted my DD to know someday down the track.

So, as you have read, I have all the bits I need to create the page for the challenge, but I am having trouble mashing it and moulding it into a LO I like. Not to worry - I have until Monday night to get it done... maybe I should get off the computer?! LOL!

Before I go, I have been dying to share with you a double-page spread I created for my dear friend Toni's Circle Journal. She was the owner of Keep'n the Memories, the online store/forum where I was guest DT in August of this year. When it closed down a couple of months ago, it was decided we would create for her a CJ that included photos of ourselves and some basic info about each of us. Until a week or so ago, when Toni finally received the CJ, this project had been our little secret, but now I can safely share!








































If you'd like to see what everyone else came up with, follow this link to Nic's blog.

I'm off to get dinner done, and DD bathed and bedded, then it's scrap time!!! Wish me luck getting my SYTYCS entry done!!!

Thank You!

OMG! I have made it to Round 10 of SYTYCS! I am in the top 8 of about 40 very talented ladies! I am speechless. I cannot even begin to describe the excitement, fear, elation, and joy that I am currently feeling! I never EVER thought I'd make it this far.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ANYONE WHO VOTED FOR ME THIS WEEK! YOU ROCK!!!

Now... onto Round 10... eek!!!

Put Down Your Coffee...

...cos your in for a shock... here comes post number 2 for the day! OMG!!!

Now that we have all picked ourselves up off the floor, I would love to share with you my *entries* (yes we had to do two layouts this week! Eek!) for Round 9 of So You Think You Can Scrap.

First up is the Photo Focus challenge. The idea behind this one was to use a 10 x 8 inch photo, together with a title and journalling, to create a simple layout i.e. the focus was to remain on the photo rather than on other distracting embellishments. Funnily enough, although doing very little should be easy, I actually found it a struggle to hold back on the embellishing. Generally I go to town when it comes to embellishing... I kinda enjoy it and I love the busy, well-adorned look. I am still itching to add to this page, but because everyone keeps telling me... "Just leave it alone!!!" I shall exhibit some self-control and leave it. Enough rambling from me I think, here it is;

The second of the two challenges was to create a layout based however loosely upon Sketch #81 over at Pencil Lines.

Here's the sketch;

Here's my take;

Well that's it for today... I promise! And don't go expecting two posts in one day again anytime soon... I doubt very much it'll happen again for some time! LOL!

I Nearly Forgot...

...to share the photo cube I made recently for my friend, Jodie. She has recently given birth to her first child; a little boy named Hudson. She used to scrap but after a few break-ins at her home (during which her beautiful scrap room was trashed), she has been a little reluctant to get back into it. I thought, then, that it would be fitting to make her a scrapped gift because she may not get around to making something similar for some time. Here's a couple of shots of what I created for her;

This side of the cube is the bottom. I included it so Jodie could journal her son's birth details;

I have also very nearly completed my entries for Round 9 of SYTYCS! I'm still fiddling a bit with the Photo Focus challenge (I'm worried it's too plain, but then it was suggested as part of the challenge to keep it simple, so I'm in two minds as to how to finish it. Help!?!), and the Pencil Lines challenge is complete with the exception of the journalling that I still need to add. I will upload them as soon as I get the chance... might even surprie you with two posts in one day!