From My Scrapping Corner

Life is Back to Normal

I can't believe that it's December already. The past 2 months has been soooo hectic as I am part of the costuming helpers for the kids' dance school this year. Riley started his swimming classes at the start of October too, so I don't have any spare day off, especially since there is always something happening on the weekend.  I haven't visited the family for 2 months. Mum is concerned. I hope she doesn't think that there is something wrong with my marriage, since it is mostly Yung & Riley who come to visit them. Amanda & I are just too busy with dancing. We either had comps or events to go to.  "Kat, let Ngai know that we are good. Things should be back to normal now that the concert is over."

I guess since there are so many things happened, point system is an easier form for today's update.

• Riley finished his entry level of swimming classes.

• I haven't done anymore scrapbooking/cardmaking activity since the Christmas cardmaking session at Ruey's back in Oct. "Ruey, let me know if you want your stamps back".

• I resigned from my DT position at Love Scrappin. "Thank you for being so wonderful and understanding, Suzie." My last project was the October kit, which I think is still available from the shop. Here is what they look like.

 

• Amanda got 2nd place for her Classical Ballet at the West Gippsland Eisteddfod, and 3rd place for her Neo/Contemporary Ballet at Casey Comp. She also won a total of $130 of cheque and voucher as part of the prize from the Cecchetti's Coral Brown Memorial Award this year. So overall, she had a really great start to her solo dance. This is her with one of her medal.

• I sewed 67 mouse ears headband for all the Primary Dance classes + 2 of the mice boys' costumes + a few other costumes for the intermediate and senior girls.  This is Riley in costume back stage, on his concert day.

• I learnt how to sew a proper tutu. I pulled apart an old tutu, adding more tulle layers to it and turned it into a half tutu for Amanda.  (Note to self: the photo doesn't do it justice. Need to pick up a dummy from Kris's.)

I am now ready for a few days of rest, before starting on the pre-chrissy clean up. The house is still look like a sewing warehouse, threads and off cuts everywhere. I still don't have a proper dining table, and I have yet to catch up on my washing. But things are looking good from now on. I will have time to catch up on my emails, sort out the photos, and hopefully scrap again.

Take care and I'll see you all soon. Thanks for keep checking on me.

RAK winners

Today is the time for the RAK winner announcement, I think. ;) I asked Riley to pull names out of a hat this morning.

The Christmas RAK goes to ....

And the Glitzy RAK goes to ....

Congrats Agnus and Nina & thanks everyone for playing along. Please email me your address (email link is in my sidebar) so I can pop your pack in the mail.

I got to run now so I'll see you for more update in a couple more days. TFSB.

Scrapped Stories

During the past week, we were on turtle speed internet. With school holiday, the kids used up our remaining bandwidth within the week playing games online and watching videos on You Tube. They are into making videos project and uploading them to YouTube.

Amanda loves Club Penguin videos. It's kinda like music videos of penguins singing some songs which are loved by CP (Club Penguin) fans. The first time she shown me these videos, I was surprise that it has such a large fan base. Anyway, Amanda has made a total of 10 videos so far. This one is one of my fav.

Riley is especially fond of the train videos made using Trainz simulator software. It has been his intention for the past few months to make a video project and download it on You Tube. A few days ago (before the bandwidth totally ran out), he posted his first video. Yung helped him with the credits and account side, but the video was made totally by him. Check it out here if you want to. It's not as good as Amanda's video, but I am proud of him nevertheless.

So, with no internet, we have been shopping and catching up with the cousins.  I bought Amanda her first perfume. My girl has definitely grown. She is interested with perfume now and she loves the Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers. Check out the website and the tv ad. It's sooo cute.

As for myself, I have been writing and scrapping. It was awesome. I think I love this no-internet business. We can really spend so much time in front of the computer, can't we? And the little spare time we have can be easily spent on net-browsing. I don't have much spare time anymore, so perhaps I need to schedule my net time?  Tee hee hee...

Anyway, I got 2 stories scrapped. One about my yearly drive to Warragul for the West Gippsland Dance Festival. I know it wasn't too bad a drive, but when it's driven 4 days in a row it's enough to put a damper on anyone's mood.

The super cute cloud paper and the tree are from My Little Shoebox, available here at  Love Scrappin. Oh, while you are there, check out here for the new Fancy Pants Kraft Kuts. They are so cool.

The other story is about our house dilema. If you are a regular reader, you probably remember the time when I blog about our hunt for high schools and the way it effected our decision to stay or move house. It's one of an important moment of our life, which I reckon really need to be remembered. So, I scrapped it. I used an old photo (about 6 yrs old) of our house which I found in my photo box.

The background is Amy Butler's fabric and the funky birds are Scrapware chipboard I got from Ruey as part of my birthday pack a few months ago. If you like them,  it's still available at KitiQ here.

Do you see the similarities of the 2 layouts? I scraplifted the first layout. I did take #2. It made scrapping so much easier for me and I got 2 layouts done quickly. I've decided that I need to take scrapping less seriously. It is afterall just a hobby & what's important is for me to record a memory while having fun at the same time. I have very little spare time now, so if I still want to scrap... I have to be realistic. I need to keep it simple, scrap what's important, and not too hung up over techniques or products anymore.

This is my motto now. And just so I remember it, I make a layout of it.

Ok, that's about all I can post now. Time to check the casserole in the oven. Don't forget to post a comment on the RAK post here, if you want to play for the RAK. I will close it Tuesday morning next week and hopefully post the winner Wednesday. Take care & hope you have a lovely Friday and weekend. TFSB.

Term 3 School Holiday Update

I love this term's school holiday. Amanda only have 2 comps scheduled, 1 sleepover and 2-3 play overs, so we are quite relax. I can finally making progress on catching up on my washing & sewing. The piles of clothes that needs altering is mounting & I do wish to be able to make a good start on the mouse ears. 

Remember when I said I need to make 20 mouse ears headband for the end of year concert? Well, it turned out that I need to make about 70. Yup, seven-zero of this headband.

Pardon the silly model. He was in a silly mood when I asked him to put this headband on. It's for him alright, but I won't worry about the costume yet.  Anyway, each headband is quite simple to construct. The fiddly bit is just hand-stitching the ears to the band. Just need to get a production line going now - cut first then sew, stuff & finally hand stitch. 

I have also been playing with my new inkpad I got from P2P last Sunday. I don't really get excited about product anymore. It's been really hard this year with me so busy with dancing & school. But on Sunday, I fell in love (at first sight) with Tsukineko Splendor inkpad. It's a rainbow ink in 1 pad - so cool, so exy (for an inkpad), but I just have to have it. Here is a card I made with it.

Isn't the stamp image gorgeous? You can opt for a simple card design and still have a big wow factor because of the cool image. I made 6 of this cards in no time at all. I think this will simplify making end of year teacher's gifts. 

The Splendor pad works very well with solid image 2.5"x4" size stamp. The problem is that you can't double ink the stamp because the colours will bleed. So I have to clean the stamp after stamping each image. But it's so worth it. I just LOVE the result. 

Anyhow, that's about all my update this time. I better make a start on dinner. Cya all next post, hopefully with layouts (I have some layouts I haven't photographed yet). TFSB. 

RAK

As promised, I have made 2 packs for RAK. To play, just put a comment on this post only and say which pack you want (you can opt for both). Since this is quite a heavy pack, I must restrict the entry to Aus & NZ only. I will leave this post open until 5th Oct 2009. We are on school holiday for 2 weeks, so I will be busy with the kids.

Anyway, here are the RAK packs.

Christmas pack - which includes Scrapbook Trend 'Celebrate the Holidays' book, MM St.Nick alphas, Doodlebug Christmas rubons, some ribbons & trims, 1 pack of Kaiser wooden stars and a cute fimo ornament which you can also use as a gift topper (just pull the hanging screw off).

Glitzy pack - which has  2 packs of Melissa Frances glitter chipboard flowers, 1 pack of glitter black Thicker alpha, 1 Prima wildrose fleur vine, 2 Pink Paislee pixie sticks, 2 Heidi Swapp large sparkle brads, a strip of black shiny fabric & a Simple Scrapbook mag vol.7, issue.2.

Since I got busy these past months, I have changed my way of scrapping. I just scrap, because I want and need to scrap. I can't keep up with products from the latest CHA anymore, so I see products as it is, whether they fit my need and budget or not. I know the items in this pack aren't from the latest CHA, but they are nice and most of them are still NIP. So I sincerely hope you will play.

TFSB everyone. I hope you have a nice start of the week.

Some Solvable Problems

I am having some problems with the new typepad interface, especially the comment section. Usually with the old interface, when I reply to a comment that is emailed to me, my reply goes to the commenter's email. But, I just found out that with the new interface, my reply was posted as another comment. Anyway, I will need to have to read more about the new interface. I am sure once I am familiar with it, things will be ok again.

I am also having problems accomodating everyone's need this past weeks. Seriously, things never stop coming my way and every single one of them is important in its own way. Like sewing costumes for the Readers Theatre. Well.., they were important, otherwise we have to buy and it'll cost a fortune, right? Then there was also the rearranging of the kids bedroom, that's important too because if we didn't put the beds up, we would have no lounge room (the bed occupied our lounge room floor space - I mean, we couldn't even walk in/out without having to climb over poles and woods).  And there was also the packing & organising for Amanda's comp stuff which is equally important, because I already paid for the entry fee and the expensive tutu. So not going is like a total waste of money right?  I already opted out from 2 other comps because I don't want to overcommit. But Warragul comp is always a great one to enter, so we are going and that means I am packing. 

However, one other thing that took alot of my time this week is shopping for new clothes for Yung. Was it important? I guess it was in a way, because he couldn't do it during the day and since he is rather hopeless with clothes shopping, he will want me to go with him. So rather than dragging myself to accompany him to shop on the weekend (which is crowded and crazy), I would much rather do it myself during weekdays. So there was me, going back & forth to Knox buying & exchanging clothing that didn't fit him. And for that I earned myself a 1/2 day off this weekend to go to Picture to Page plus some spending money. Tee hee hee.

So yeah, I will be going to Picture to Page, more likely on Sunday. Melbournians, if you have nothing on this weekend, P2P is on again. Here is the detail.

FROM PICTURE TO PAGE

Saturday 19th Sep 9.00am-4.30pm
Sunday 20th Sep 10.00am-4.30pm

The Whitehorse Club
298-336 Burwood Hwy,
East Burwood Reserve,
East Burwood
Mel Ref: 62 C7

Entry fee $8.50 adults.
Kids under 12 free entry

Anyway, I am post-poning the RAK post until after P2P. I will get some nice things from there, so you will have a nicer RAK. Hope you don't mind.. ;) OK, Cya all next week then. Have a nice weekend, everyone.

Some Things That Need Doing

Photography Club. Our school has a new ICT teacher this year. He happens to love photography like me and has been embarking on a few projects with some students from gr.3-4 involving photography. I must say that their stop motion animation projects really are quite impressive. So, we are thinking of starting a photograpy club next year to maintain the kids interest.

However, apart from one brief conversation after assembly, we haven't really had much chance to talk about this. I know he would want me to be a part of it, especially when we go on photo shoot and photo processing sessions. So yeah, I really need to schedule a time when I can come to school to discuss this further. The sooner we can get the details sorted out, the sooner he can take it to the school council for approval.

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End of year concert. Eeek... it's only 2.5 months away. And this year, Iam more involved than before. I have agreed to help with headpieces, and for starter I have mouse-ears-headbands to make for the little kids (including Riley). Hehehe... this will be fun. At the moment I haven't actually asked how many, but I think about 15-20. So yup, another thing I need to put on top of my priority list.

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Readers Theater. One of the Gr.5-6 project this year is Readers Theater. It's where the kids form a small group, read some play, research about theater, then write their own play and perform it. Amanda's group is due for filming next week and I have to make 6 costumes.

I know ... siighh... it is costumes again. I reckon I have made so many costumes this year, I have enough to fit a small shop. :D.

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Osakana Festival. Monday will be Osakana Festival at school. Our Japanese teacher & I were thinking about having an activity for the kids to learn putting on kimono and tying an obi. And I forget to ask whether she has enough Obis. Ah well, I guess I will bring whatever I have at home.

Here is Amanda in her kimono which she wore at the end of year concert' 08. I scrapped the  photos a while ago, but I haven't taken photos of the layout yet.

I unfortunately forget how to tie an Obi properly, so I better You-Tube it again. Better not embarras myself, right?

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Well yeah, I guess that's all the things I need to put in this post. This way I hope I will remember to do something about them. At the moment my head is full of comp. Warragul Eisteddfod is coming and I have a few last minute things to organise.

Ok, got to go now... brekky time. Have a nice weekend everyone. TFSB.

A Little Love Goes a Long Way

We went to a friend's wedding a couple of days ago. They chose the auspicious numbers of 09/09/09. It was not a perfect day of a wedding- wet, cold, and weekday, yet it was perfect - the venue was cozy and wonderful, the couple was lovely, the guests was happy, the ceremony was wonderful, the food was delicious. It was perfect.

I especially love one part in their ceremony when someone read this verse.

Love  is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it does not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

 

It is such a beautiful verse, not just for married couples, but for everyone in every relationships. In this instance, it was meant for couples, but I think it is just as applicable for parents-child relationships and other kind of relationships. Love is universal and our world sure need more everyday.

If you have ever heard of a butterfly effect theory, perhaps it is time that we heard of a love effect theory. A little love given to someone, may means a great deal to that person and may in turn change the course of his/her life. A little kindness may go a long way too, but the only way to know is to do it and to hope for the best. ;) Like everything in life, sometimes we will never know the results of our action.

I suppose, it also wouldn't do without saying that a little thank you will also go a long way. And I am way overdues with my thank yous to all of you. So, keep an eye out for a RAK post next week. I think we should go with variety and option this time. What do you think?

Now, I will close this post with a digi I did last night. 

 

All materials available from Little Dreamer Designs.

Elements: C.D. Muckosky's Puddle Parade, In the Meadow: Mushies, Story Starter (Blog Freebie), Alphas: C.D. Muckosky's Happy Dance Alpha, Papers: Nancy Kubo's Hoopla: A Sweet Treat.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone. Hope you have a nice day.

For All the Guys in My Life

In relation with Father's Day this year, I'm tributing this post for all the guys in my life.

Yung, my soulmate... the father of our children. I love him dearly. Despite all his faults, he is a wonderful man - kind, generous, responsible, smart and loyal. I am thoroughly blessed to be his wife and partner for all these years.

Riley, my boy.... True to his name, he is my peace place. Spending time with him make me forget how raising Amanda can be such a whirlwind. He is my balance, with him I can centre myself again. He taught me how wonderful the world of little boys can be.

Dad. What more can I say? I admire this man. His kindness, patience, persistence, commitment to the family, and love of his children and grandchildren, are amazing. I am so grateful to be blessed with a wonderful father in-law. When I miss my own dad, his presence ease the pressure in my heart.

Matt, my nephew... a perfect addition to my life. To have met him is a relation thing, but to be around him is a choice I made a long time ago. I guess, we get along pretty ok, right Matt? He shares my love of photography and he makes me proud of what a wonderful young man he turns out to be.  

Thank you, guys. I love you for who you are and how you make my life richer and more fulfilling everyday.

August and September'09 123 Challenge Layouts

As per title, these are my layouts for 123 Challenge. I have always been a fan of 123 Challenge and whenever I have time to scrap, I usually check them out. If you want to play too, the link is on my sidebar.

August criterias: Metal, 5 staples, Blurry photo

This layout is a scraplift of Cheryl Manz's layout "Inspiration", published on Scrapbook Trend July 2009.  After a few weeks absent from scrapping, I really need help. So yeah, I scraplifted.

September criterias: Book paper, word "Smile", non-scrapping material

This is actually a lift of the above layout. Let's say take #2. :) I used a torn paper from a children's storybook. I love the sentence. It's perfect for the photos. Amanda tried many times to get a perfect shot with her baby cousin. Well, to me... as long as they are together, it's perfect.

The bunny is the non-scrapping material. She is a "Magic Fabric" bunny, I took from the kid's stash. They have been begging for their own set of Magic Fabric, but I wanted them to wait till Christmas. This bunny is the one Riley made at a promo in Myer City.

Ruey, if you notice... do you remember the purple Pink Martini paper you gave me back in 2007? Yup, I still have them. Hehehe... I know they will come in handy one day. :)

Ok, there you go. I scrapped again, yay.... TFSB & hope you have a nice weekend.  We are going to our annual performance at the retirement village today. Take care & cya next week.