Currently.....

Hello, welcome, lovely to see you - I swear I blinked and a whole week just whizzed on by.....

Here is my around here, right now, currently ....

Listening to the wonderful sound of rain on a tin(colourbond) roof, music to my ears - I find it really soothing, a bit like the fan I have on every night all year round... I think I like white noise (so long as it isn't coming from a  television!)

Enjoying... still enjoying watching my young son take excellent care of his teeny tiny baby Indian Ringneck... as she (I have decided she is a girl) is growing so fast she is super hungry often waking him at 3am squarking to be fed... still syringe fed ....

Loving that he hasn't once complained or asked for help

Reading lots and lots of Project Life ideas and blogs... still

Losing weight finally, 2 major abdominal surgeries 9 weeks apart took their toll on me in lots of ways but the hardest to deal with is the lack of core strength and any level of fitness I once had sure disappeared, doing specific strength training - one has to be super careful as hernias are common after such extensive incisions. Lack of fitness and stamina has meant a gradual weight gain, as I am getting stronger I am more confident to lift and move faster and the weight is just naturally shifting... yeah!

Wanting to photograph my Project Life album - I have almost completed my youngest childs birth to age 3, embellishing and a little more journalling and I will call it done, then I can photograph and I will be sharing it here on my blog

Proud that I took on board the key points of Becky Higgins Project Real Life Week 2... prioritise and schedule... they are working for me ... I always have made lists but not necessarily were the items in order of importance, just that they were tasks that I knew needed to be done. Now I make my list and then number each item in order of importance... the importance is not decided by timeframes but more from peace of mind and peace of heart.... its not too late to join this class. You can find further info here.

Currently.......

I discovered this on Ali Edwards blog a few days ago and love her idea - I am going with ..... yep you guessed it.....

Currently......

Loving being indoors in the airconditioning - a very hot sultry and dry 37 degrees in my part of the world today

Reading a bazillion blog posts on Project Life and novel 'Beyond the Horizon' by Peter Watt

Watching the bank balance dip with the expenses of 2 weeks school vacation and

Looking forward to seeing it increase just as soon as I pay this terms Tuition Fees

Hoping Christmas isn't less than 12 weeks away and hoping also that I dont continue to stress over that fact

Watching my dear 12 year old son embrace all that is involved in caring for and raising a teeny tiny baby Indian Ringneck (named Amigo) including 3-4 hourly feeds, mixing the special 'baby' formula and syringe feeding him/her (Indian Ringnecks are 18mths - 2 years old before they get the tell tale 'ring' if they are male, females stay 'plain')

Planning for Project Life 2013 by almost completing my DIY Kit (see previous blog post for details)

Learning lots about 'cultivating a good life and documenting in' with Becky Higgings online class Project Real Life

Grateful, in fact incredibly grateful for the support, encouragement and friendliness shown to me in a facebook group (closed ie by invitation only) I joined recently called Project Life Australia.

What does your 'Currently' 'Right Now' or 'Around Here' look like????

I know.... its been a while.....

Hello blog world, I know it has indeed been a few weeks.... nothing dramatic happened or is happening just busy with life..... you know ..... and bam! you blink and days and weeks have just flown by.

School resumes tomorrow after a 2 week vacation and so routines will be re established and more regular posts will be made. I was also particularly busy with 3 online courses, none of which I have completed in the time frame of Sept 1 to Sept 30 but will get there in the end.

I am being super organised for Project Life 2013 - my album is here, I have prepared my kit of page protectors and inserts, I have started to pool embellishments and alpha and numerical stickers.
In the meantime I have justed started Project Real Life online class with Becky Higgins (you can find the details here and 22 October sees me start another class with Shimelle Laine. Shimelle's class hasn't been released to the general public yet and I only know about it having attended the Learn Something New Every Day course (previous blog posts of mine give you an idea of what that class is all about).

I wanted to share my PL 2013 DIY Kit - entirely from papers and cardstock in my stash - I have ordered a PL Kit but wanted to see if I could get one together and also keep a track of the costs - if you would like more info just contact me via a comment on this post and I will do a follow up blog post with much more info.

Here is my process in pictures:

Some Teresa Collins Tell Your Story here but didnt go with much of that collection in the end,
will most likely use the journaling cards for that... journaling

3x3 with rounded corners - the majority of my page protectors are 8 3x3's with one large 5x12 in the centre







The Album - WRMK Ochre Linen 12x12 - inspiration for the kit, and some page protectors.



I still have more cardstock to cut and round the corners - 6x4 and 4x4 sizes - as that is my second fave page protector configuration - 4 6x4 and 3 4x4 - perfect task for this Sunday afternoon, 37 degrees outstide so am inside in the lovely air conditioning.



Will be back soon with another post, amazing I know, not a peep for weeks and then 2 blog posts in the same day!

I am kicking off 'Currently' and will be posting that every Sunday.

Soon....

Learn Something New Every Day - Day 3

Day 3 arrives and I decided to begin creating before I knew what the prompt was - so determined am I not to fall behind - I want to get to the end of September and still be up to date and not rushing to finish or playing catch ups well into October.

Prompt 3: What can you learn from your own two feet?

One step at a time.... stay grounded....

These 2 thoughts immediately came to me when I considered this prompt and the follow up idea of what is your own personal 'moving forward?'

I tend to rush movement wise, doing lots of tasks in a somewhat disjointed fashion, flitting from one to the other..... usually via my feet... I live and work in the same space and so from bedroom to kitchen to office to kitchen to garage to laundry to office to outside back inside - these cycles repeat many many times throughout my normal day....

I have begun a very much beginners exercise regime - it's been almost one week now of exercise biking and treadmilling for 30-40mins each day - not a very lengthy or difficult regime but one that is necessary as I continue to recover from 2 major surgeries - one planned in April earlier this year and another, emergency this time as a complication of the first, in June. Extensive abdominal surgerys so I have very little core strength but am determined to return to some level of fitness in a medically approved manner.... once stronger I can move onto a more demanding exercise program.

I am very interested in reflexology, I do not have attractive feet size 10.5 with a wide fitting to boot (pun intended lol) and I very rarely go barefoot even indoors.

So my thoughts translate into slowing down, one step at a time.... and to stay grounded by not allowing my tendencies to flit everywhere be the undoing of my concentration and completing tasks. And to be sensible and not be too impatient with improving fitness and stamina.

Here is the layout I 90% completed before knowing what the days prompt was -

and a close up  of the right page

Funnily enough these pages had many 'steps' to them papers going down first, then paint daubers, then paint via a brush followed by labels and washi tape and more paint, buttons, letters more paint daubers and even after I took these photos I added a few more 'steps' with more washi tape and label stickers.

Learn Something New Every Day - Day 2

Day 2 arrived ever so fast - I am in a different time zone to where the class teacher Shimelle is based - Shimelle is in the UK and I am in Australia.

Day 2 Prompt - Inspirational Teachers - who and why?

This took me ages to narrow down the most worthy of individual mention - almost everyday someone somewhere teaches me something - from the person who wrote the recipe book I am using, my children who teach me far too many things that could be listed here, the writers of the courses I am currently attending online, the man who teaches me First Aid every year for my 'other job' etc etc.
Travelling further back in time there were bosses and mentors in various places of employment, the teachers from secondary and primary school, and as far back as my memory can take me to my parents, relatives, neighbours and last but not least my valued friends - this group of people span my lifetime.
The most inspirational teachers in my life were my father who taught me many a practical skill - how to wash a car 'properly', how to mow the lawn, how to use a whole shed of tools and how to stand on my own two feet. Sadly he passed away 14 years ago at the age of 60 but he continues to remind me of those life lessons often - the biggest one that rings in my ears every now and then - "Michelle, you make your bed, you lie in it" and many a time it has stopped me in my tracks before making a not so great decision.
My mother rates a mention but not for her positive input into my life but quite the opposite, unsupportive, uncommunicative, martyrdom. Her style of parenting ensured I raised my older children very differently and continues to determine how I raise my youngest child (12yrs).
Thankfully I have a wonderful Aunt who fills that motherly role for me, who is always there at the end of the phoneline, who doesn't sugarcoat anything, just simply tells it like it is. Forgiving, generous of herself and a very talented crafter to boot.
Here is the layout from my SMASH book that I created following from my thoughts and notes of Day 2.
My journaling is in the envelope under the big purple flower, the quilt on the left page is a tribute to my special Aunt - boy does she know how to make a patchwork quilt!

The title reads

I am.

all that I can be right now.

Learn Something New Every Day - Day 1

I signed up a little over a week ago to join this years Learn Something New Every Day with Shimelle Laine - Shimelle runs it every September every year and has done since 2006. You can go here and read in depth what, when, why and how to join me - its not too late.

Every day for all of September we are given a prompt.

Day 1 Prompt: - What was your last big adventure?

Immediately my response was the purchase of my online store

The Stamp Spot.

An adventure from the beginning, and even today some 18 months from my very first day it is still an adventure. I love what I do and do what I love.... lucky I know and not one day goes by that I don't count my blessings and appreciate and value being part of the Crafting World.

You can find my last big and ongoing adventure here.

And now for my 'layout' following on from todays Prompt -

I am using a Red SMASH book as both record keeping of  my notes for the days prompt and also for the creative step that culminates in a layout, page, or whatever you would like. Lots of 'spots' on my page and my logo colours of pink, green and brown.

Learn Something New Every Day is the 3rd online course I am undertaking during September and my choice of a ready to use, portable book like SMASH reflects my fear of falling behind in all those classes.

PS Did you know my online store The Stamp Spot sells some of the SMASH range - you can find them here.



Now.... where was I? ....... oh yes ....

.... I remember I was going to explain the guilt I discovered when I was processing the guilty feelings of not having scrapbooked for several months.....

This newly discovered guilty feeling I believe is what will keep me on track - taking photos, writing stories that explain those photos and in that process I will be able to indulge in pretty papers, paints and all manner of crafting things, and put part of me into every layout I create.

This guilt is best described as - if I dont tell the stories of the photos then who will. 

For many years I have sole parented my children, they dont have contact with their biological fathers, all grandparents, save for one grandmother who chooses not to stay in touch, have passed away.  There is no one who can pick up their baby photo albums, their childhood photo albums and explain why that day was important, or why that photo was taken, or who those other people in the photo are..... no one..... only me ..... so if I dont take the time, make the effort, who will?
All those photos will still exist but they will seem one dimensional to my children, they wont seem as important or special or significant if they dont hear and read the details.

As I scrapped my first few layouts after having so much time away from this papercrafting that I love, I realised how much time has gone by and how I may struggle to remember the details even if it has only been a year or so. And then I felt the deepest, saddest emotion of...... guilt ...... and the lightbulb moment of why I scrapbooked in the first place.... so that my children will have more, much more that just photo albums, they will have stories and details that they wouldn't otherwise read, hear or know.

And I will do my best so that they, and their children and their children will have insights into the lives of those that have gone before them. 

And they will be in the form of photos, stories and lots of paper!

Scrapbooks.....

And lots of them!

Change of plan.....

I have finished my second layout.... that's 2 completed in 4 days.... talk about one extreme to the other - barely a handful in the past year or so and now very much on track to completing 3 per week.
Perhaps in time I will complete more per week but for now the entire process is taking a few hours, maybe more. Of course, this scrapbooking time is fitting around my normal work and home duties.

Yesterday I selected my 'kit' for the layout and I must be a tad colour blind because I thought the Teresa Collins line "Tell Your Story" was teal, orange, white and grey - I got the teal and orange part right but the grey was much more like a taupe (grey with some brown thrown in), the white was more an off white. The grey cardstock I had selected just didnt go, I also had to re think the embellishments as some were a stark white and some grey/silver.

The inspiration for the background of the photo mat came from my all time favourite card maker Kristina Werner. Kristina does a video every Friday called "Finally Friday" and her most recent one was called "NEW Card Sketchbook". you can see it here where she uses strips of 2.5cm/1" paper strips cut from a 6x6 paper pad. I used some 6x6 paper pad sheets for the 'collage' behind the photo and this allowed me to save the Teresa Collins "Tell Your Story" journalling cards small and large for embellishments. It turned out to be a good Plan B when the original selections didn't co-ordinate.

I very much enjoyed making this layout and will certainly be scrapping lots of black and white photos in the future. I loved the freedom of choosing a colour palette without worrying whether it would clash.
The title and journalling were added after I took the photos for personal reasons. I can share that this was my dd very first Mothers Day and her 21st birthday all on the same day.

and some close ups

Next, I am scrapping a page that is part of the "Blogging for Scrapbookers" course I am doing, if you are interested you can find the details here - best $15 USD (yes less than $15 AUD!) I have ever spent!

Finally...... finished

Finished, done and in the album..... I just don't cross the finish line in a hurry, in fact I am inclined to think this is the longest part of completing a layout for me...... the stumbling block on this layout was I just didn't like the look of handwritten journalling on display so I have saved that for the tag that is tucked under the photo (on the left with twine through it and buttons on top).

I also didnt like the placement of the cluster of cardstock attached with a red heart brad.

So.... a few changes from my 'in progress' photo of yesterday, nonetheless I am now officially calling it done!

A few close ups - I like to see these on other crafters blogs -



I am 99% happy with this page.... given that I haven't scrapped in so long..... my next project is a black and white photo of my dd (dear daughter) and gg (gorgeous grandson) using Teresa Collins Tell Your Story small and large journaling cards..... here is a few pics of what I have pulled together to get started with -

For the title, I am waiting on the DIY American Craft Thickers that I saw for the first time here- an informative and unbiased demonstration by Glitter Girl, Shimelle Laine.

I intend to use my copic markers in the Blue Green family - most likely BG10 BG15 and BG23, shall decide once this layout is well underway.

Bye for now,
Michelle.

Finally.......

Today finally saw me achieve something of the scrapbooking variety.... having dealt with the guilt of not having done much in the way of scrapbooking for many months now.... as a result of purchasing The Stamp Spot, an online stamp specialist store www.thestampspot.com.au  and a huge list of other distractions/tasks/obligations ... well...... I achieved a 90% completed page today!

Not everything is stuck down yet and typically of me I have decided the current 12x12 backing sheet will be trimmed down and will be matted onto a black 12x12... I think. There is just too much grey for my liking and I like to work in threes and at this point there are 2 solid black elements - the photo has black in the background and in shadows and the letters are black felt thickers - yes there is black and white checks in the photo and I have teamed that up with 2 placements of bakers twine (in black and white). Oh.... I have just realised I have left off the second bakers twine embellishment from the photo - a white paperclip with twine looped through it - it will go with the top right hand corners cluster of embellishments.
I also have the journalling to complete but the tag that I will be writing on is in place, Other than that I am going to call it done.

Its also just a snapshot for this blog post - I needed to take the photo quickly as daylight is fading fast in my part of the world ..... so yes ..... they are floor tiles underneath the page!

A few times during the creation process I sought reassurance from any of the many videos expertly put together by Shimelle, Glitter Girl at Two Peas in a Bucket www.twopeasinabucket.com to no avail, their server has been down for most of today. As a result, ironically, I stayed on track, I kept focused on completing as much of this page as I could.

I simply wanted to complete as much as I possibly could in the timeframe I had allocated.

However.....I discovered another type of guilt during this process....... more on that tomorrow.

5 things

I am putting my spin on one of the prompts in the course I am doing - 'Blogging for Scrapbookers' - it comes as the result of an email I sent Shimelle - the writer of this tutorial - about a bit of a confession I felt the need to make - Confession or Excuse - yesterday if felt like a confession today it feels like an excuse.... here's why.....

Firstly you need to know my confession..... I feel like a fake when it comes to scrapbooking,. Since purchasing an online store in March 2011 I have done very little ... although I do feel very happy and a sense of pride for what I have done it just doesn't seem enough to be taken seriously as a scrapbooker. I felt my main block was because suddenly I was surrounded with all things paper - endless sheets of beautiful 12x12 papers, stamps by the hundreds, sticker sheets, journalling sheets, embellishments seemed wall to wall (funnily enough they are actually wall to wall in the room I have dedicated to stock). So every time I would want to scrap some photos I was simply overwhelmed with choice - some may say "hey dont complain" or "every scrapbookers dream come true" - well it wasn't for me, quite the opposite.... or so I thought.
24 hours after my confession email I got to really thinking about why I haven't/don't scrap and suddenly all sorts of other reasons popped into my head - perhaps the confession has made me accountable - by sharing my thoughts with a talented and dedicated scrapbooker I wondered what Shimelle would think of my email, my confession and was it a good enough reason, not for Shimelle but for me.

No, it simply wasn't. Once that reason was put aside, I discovered plenty more - things like

1. feeling guilty for indulging in such a pleasurable pasttime when there was housework needing to be done
2. feeling guilty that I hadn't yet completed my tax return (end of financial year in Australia is 30 June and its now August 20!) personal and business
3. feeling that I should devote whatever spare time I have to my family
4. feeling that if I did have spare time then I should be spending it on my online business and website
5. feeling guilty that I hadn't baked something special for a few weeks
...... guilty guilty guilty guilty and guilty .....

So... there is 5 of the many reasons I came up with as to why I haven't scrapped for so long.... GUILT.
Which so happens to be a 5 letter word!

Then I decided to make a list, a visual point of reference that would make me feel accountable for all those reasons.....

Well, in the 12 hours since I made that list -
1. housework is up to date (and in front if that's at all possible)
2. both personal and business tax returns are completed and ready to be emailed to my Accountant
3. attended to sales and posting of orders for my online business and devoted 1 hour to tidying up my website
4. dedicated 2 hours to my dear daughter and her sweet baby boy, my grandson
5. baked a decadent chocolate slice creation without following a recipe but added the favourite ingredients of my youngest gorgeous son

It truly is amazing how much you can pack into 12 hours if you put your mind to it.
A little weary and will certainly sleep soundly tonight but this feeling, this smile that is a result of getting rid of guilt is completely and utterly AWESOME.

Guess what is on my TO DO list tomorrow....................

Prompt 1

My task for this section of the course is to upload a photo and then detail what we hope to achieve over the next few weeks - I would like to use blogging as a way to record the details of photos I take so that when I come to scrap them I wont struggle to recall the things I want to say and share, I am guilty of having photos sitting in albums and drawers that havent seen the light of day for months, even years and the thought of scrapping them makes me put them back where I found them.
I also wish to achieve confidence in posting here on my personal blog and also on the blog attached to my online store The Stamp Spot - I seriously lack that confidence and ability so blogging regularly here I hope will give me a little confidence .... maybe a lot!

I chose this photo as it represents quite a bit to me, yes its a stock standard lavender bush but everytime I see and pass this bush (which is in a garden closest to my front door so I pass it often) it never looks the same, the foliage changes from grey to green depending on the time of day and whether it has rained or been watered, there is a constant hum around it with many bees, and it is a testament to adversity - something everyone has faced at some point in their lives - no matter how much or how little water, fertilizer, weeding, trimming this plant gets it has survived for at least 4 of the 6 years that I have lived here. It is not in its original location and many a person told me it wouldn't survive being shifted from the back of the house to the front - it did and it has thrived, year after year.
I liken that to life in general, we dont always remain in our original locations - town or city or country of birth, facing little or lots of what life throws at us - health, illness, births, deaths, employment, financial struggles, personal growth or challenges - I for one intend to thrive no matter what.
Yes this humble lavender plant by my front door is more than just a plant to me.

My first Post

Currently undertaking a 'blogging for scrapbookers' course via shimelle.com and this is my very first post - hopefully I have paid enough attention in class to actually get this post up on my blog.