Reflections

Go Karting - Rookie Driver

Well - the 2010 Go Kart season has begun and whilst James had a great days racing and came home with a 1st trophy, it was somewhat uneventful because he was the only one racing in the Rookie class!

At the end of last year and since James had been the one to win the Midget class, we decided to move him up to the Rookie class - not only to give him a challenge BUT to also give the younger children still in the Midget class the opportunity of success.  The Midget class is for children aged 7 - 11 years BUT as you can imagine, children with 3 years of driving experience are so much faster on the track than someone who is just beginning, so whilst James could have remained a Midget for another year, we felt it was just the right time to make the move!

James was most enthusiastic to give it a go; so after noting our intention to others in the Midget class, two others were also going to make the move to the Rookie class which would have meant 3 to start off in the class at the beginning of this season.

Well - what was discussed and what has actually happened are two completely different things - one child isn't racing at all and one is remaining in the MIdget class meaning that James is now all on his own in the Rookie class!

Not much we can do about it now though - James had a great day and really enjoyed his driving! Here he is out on the track in his very first Rookie race!

Oh well - I guess he will have a year of driving experience under his belt with his new kart and his new engine at least!  Perhaps we might even mix up the year with a little racing at the Morwell track as well?

February 'ScrappIt Now' - Easter Mini Album

Today I thought I would share another of the projects that I created for the February 'ScrappIt Now' Newsletter and that I'll give to my niece when I see her in a month or two!

It's quite a simple album BUT it will mean that it is perfect for little hands too!

The album itself only measures 2.5" x 4" and has chipboard pages inside that I've covered on both sides with pattern paper.

I used a few clear alphabet stickers to add the 'Easter 2007' on the insdie and then every page thereafter features a full sized photo!

I had intented to add ribbons to the rings but it just made it too difficult to open the album. I'm thinking I might add a little collection of charms to the top ring instead - I'll just have to keep my eyes open to find something suitable!

In other news, I've still been keeping up with my daily appointment with the treadmill and I've also been getting out into the garden more too - it's amazing how quickly the weeds start growing when you get a little rain! This weekend sees as at a 40th birthday party tomorrow night and then James has his first round of Go Kart racing as a Rookie driver on Sunday!

A Healthier Me

For the past couple of weeks I've been sticking to a routine of walking 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes on the Treadmill and I have to say that I am feeling so good! Combine that with watching what I'm eating and have already dropped a little weight too, it's always encouraging to keep doing it too!

A friend and I began a weekly walking routine today, so ontop of the 30 minutes of walking I did on the treadmill this morning, I've done an extra hour and a bit for the day! Yay for me! *grin*

Sorry - no - they're not my walking feet . . . just an image I nabbed from the internet - *grin*

Thanks for the lovely walk today Mel - it was not only great to catch up on all the goss, but getting in some exercise at the same time was fantastic! I can't wait until our walk again next week!

Before I sign off for today too, I just wanted to wish a couple of friends - Janice and Robyn - a wonderful birthday for today - here's hoping you get spoilt rotten!

February 'ScrappIt Now' - Imaginisce

The February ' ScrappIt Now' Newsletter has been released so I can finally share my creations from the newsletter with you! This month the 'ScrappIt Now' kit featured the very pretty 'Lucy Bird' collection by Imaginisce!

Here's the page I created for a friend of mine - Jan - and that is featured on the cover of the February 'ScrappIt Now' Newsletter - the photography is by a very talented lady - Linley Gordon.

Aren't the colours just gorgeous?

Just check the Newsletter if you're interested in the complete instructions for making this page - it's such a simple design with a number of horizontal strips that I've decorated with ribbon, rubons and hand stitching forming the base of the page and then a scattering of hand cut flowers and chipboard across the top!

On the homefront, well - it sure was a warm one today! We took a drive to Sperm Whale Head Beach at Loch Sport for a social day which didn't end up happening because of lack of support. It was such a shame because it really was lovely down there!

None-the-less, the boys had a swim, dug for pippis and tried to catch some baby fish - with their hands I might add - *grin* - before we then had our picnic lunch and returned home for another swim but this time in our very own pool!
   

12 Days of 2010

There's a new competition running for the next 6 months at Scrappit:

To enter all you need to do is create a page (any size is acceptable - 6 x 6, 8 x 8 or 12 x 12) per month about your day to day routine.

Each month for 6 months we will be giving away a Scrappit shopping voucher for $20.00 to a RANDOMLY selected winner.  Each of our monthly winners will then by put in the draw for our biggest and best prize yet - the major prize will be;announced soon.

To register, just email Scrappit with your entry.

Even before this competition was announced, I had decided that this year I was going to create a '12 Days of 2010' Mini Album which would showcase one day in every month throughout the whole of 2010.

The album I've chosen to use measures 6" x 7.5" and has a ring binder enclosure inside.

Rather than randomly choosing a day to document, I decided on the 9th day of every month so that firstly I wouldn't forget to do an entry one month AND also so that one of my entries would co-incide with my birthday later in the year and I can document it.

I've decided that both the inside and outside of my album will be decorated with the same pattern paper - Kaisercraft - thus giving the whole thing a uniform kind of look despite each entry being of a different page design.

I'll be featuring my January and February entries in next weeks Scrappit Newsletter, so you'll have to wait until next week to see what they are like!

Sewing - It's a Bag!

Do you remember this *sneak peak* I shared last week? Remember I said I'd been sewing . . .

Well - here is the finished product and I have to say that I am quite pleased with the results!

The top has a casing which allows you to either leave the bag open or draw the strings in to close it it up!

I saw Melissa's finished bag yesterday and I love how, despite us sitting side-by-side at the sewing day last week and using the same directions, our bags are totally unique . . . her bag was a gorgeous butterfly print in dark red that she then teamed up with a bright yellow plain print! Melissa also added some of the butterfly print to her casing and used the same fabric for her handles too - it looks fantastic! I love both of those ideas!

As you can see from the close-up image below, the bag itself has a thin wading inside it (and in the handles too) and it certainly gives it a great feel. I tried it out yesterday at the School Swimming Carnival and despite everything I had in it, it sat on my shoulder quite comfortably and held everything I needed too!

It may not be 100% perfectly sewn but I love how this bag has come out! Another sewing day has been planned for next month and I'm really looking forward to going to that day as well.

What are you making I hear you ask . . . well - it's going to be another bag BUT of a completely different design and style! I can't wait! I just need to organise some fabric before then!  

School Swimming Carnival

Today was my fortnightly Longford Crafters day BUT due to our School Swimming Carnival falling on the same day, I had to leave early - I must admit it was strange only being there for a couple of hours and then hacing to go whilst everyone else was sitting there being creative and chatting! I hope they all had a wonderfully productive afternoon!

James had a great day with his swimming picking up two 2nd placings and one 3rd - it will be enough for him to qualify for the District Swimming Sports which come up in a fortnights time, which was what he was hoping to achieve. I think he likes the idea of representing his school!

Congratulations James! Such a wonderful days' swimming although I still reckon you should have had a go at the Butterfly . . . *grin*

On the homefront, we've been busy harvesting more produce from our vegetable garden - I can't believe that our Zucchini plants are still flowering and producing more fruit . . . and now we're starting to get Continental Cucumbers, Lettuce (the absolute best I've ever grown - so sweet and clean) and also some Banana Chillies (which aren't really Chillies - they are a Mild Capsicum but just shaped like a Chilli) . . . it's all just so delicious! It must be all that good goat poo we've bee adding as fertilizer - *grin*

February 'ScrappIt Now' *Sneak Peaks*

Whilst I can't share the full projects with you just yet . . . I can give you a few *sneak peaks* of things I've been creating with the 'soon-to-be-released' February 'ScrappIt Now' Kit!

It's actually already available on a *pre-order* BUT I don't think it will be one that will hang around for long! Be quick if you want to secure a kit for yourself!

I'll be back later in the week to give you another *sneak peak* or two!

AC DC 'Black Ice' Concert

Last night we went to see AC DC in concert at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne and WOW!  What a spectacular event it was too - definitely well worth going to!

For a group whose members are now in their mid to late 50's/early 60's, they sure put on an energetic performance! I couldn't believe how little Angus Young has changed . . . of course he's aged BUT he has near enough to the same energy as he did back in the 1970's!  Quite impressive really!

Another thing that amazed me was the wide variety of ages reflected in the audience - from kids around 8 - 12 years old right up to people in their 60's and beyond - the band certainly appeals to a wide variety of listeners!

Happy Valentine's Day!

With today being Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a gorgeous Heart-shaped Rasberry album that I recently made AND that is featured over on the Rasberry Blog!

A big thank-you to Mary Warner for allowing me use photos of her gorgeous two daughers throughout the album and that were originally taken by Linley Gordon. Thanks ladies!

Rasberry has a wonderful array of chipboard albums and shapes that can be covered with any of the fantastic Rasberry pattern paper ranges to make a quick and versatile gift for anyone!

I lightly sanded all the edges of my album pages and then applied a light swipe of ink as well which has added to the Shappy Chic appearance of the album.

Don't you just love the colours in these pattern papers? To add to the 'little girl' appeal, I added some pearls along the joins of the pattern paper on the album pages as well - it's really lovely and tactile!

You might also notice that I've added some 'doodling' with my pen around the inside edges of my album pages too - it just adds a little more dimension . . . I've never been really good at drawing a straight line, so to solve that problem, I always wiggle the pen a little and never draw really long lines - I keep them short with a dot or two inbetween and then they always seem to look alright! 

Here's hoping you all have a lovely Valentine's Day!