It's been one of those days...

T-shirt re-styling. The pinterest way.

So there was this post a while back where I declared my undying love and extreme gratefulness for the abyss of knowledge that is Pinterest.  Now it's okay, it's not taking over, but it is finding it's way into my day in small doses.  haha something funny - I just bought the window up to get the pinterest link, got lost and totally forgot I was blogging.  Seriously.  Now where was I?

So I'm doing my usual cruise and I come across some really cool t-shirt restyling.  And I go searching, start clicking blog links and find this tutorial showing me how to make an old t-shirt into something new and fun.  So I decided I had a spare 10 minutes in my day, which is a lie actually because it's 6pm and there is no dinner made, in fact nothing even thought of, I never have 10 minutes spare in the day, but actually I made 10 minutes become spare because I was so freakin excited about this idea.  So watch this.  How cool is this. 
(Original idea comes from Kelsey Inspired, but apparently she got it from elsewhere also, I love the internet)

Firstly, the old t-shirt.  I got an old one I have worn til it's faded and it's been in the bottom of my drawer forever, or at least since I lost a lot of weight a few years back. 

Cut the sleeves off, and then straight across, just below the neck/collar.

And then fold the top inch over on the front and back and sew across to create a place to thread your strap.  Yes.  I got the sewing machine out.  I didn't change the thread though. I had nothing to match so figured white would do. 

Then I got the old neck-band from the t-shirt, cut it once to make a long strip and I threaded it through the front and back of the -tshirt, using a skewer, pencil or knitting needle. 
And then.  Then you realise magic has happened.  You have this.  Oh yes.  Lovin' it.

At which point my hubby walks past, stops, and says "Pinterest, right?" haha oh yes.

A few tips, firstly, don't use your super tight t-shirts.  Baggy is better.  I think also next time I do this, probably in about 5 minutes despite the lack of dinner, still,  I'll look for a t-shirt to do this with, I'll try and find one with a logo down as low as I can, because as you can see I ended up with the 'Wisconsin' word around my neck - a lower logo would have been better.

Look at the possibilities.  Like using strips of material taken from the sleeves and plaiting the neck cord.  Tying bows at the shoulders.  Cheap dollar plain coloured t-shirts that all of a sudden become freakin amazing.

Oh yes.  Pinterest.  I think I love you.
Laters.

Join me for a photo a day...

I'm a very routine orientated person.  My alarm goes off at 5.09 every morning.  I am out of bed and out the door to the gym by 5.20 each morning.  The theory being that if I'm still asleep as I step in the gym, it'll be too late to leave.  I leave the gym at 6.25 each morning and I drive past a bakery on the way home.  Every.Single.Morning I decide how jealous I am of the streams of people coming out of that bakery with little brown paper bags of pies and cakes.  Food envy by 6.25am.  That can't be healthy.

Anyway.  I thought for the eight thousandth time this morning how I wish I had the freedom to buy a freakin pie for breakfast like all those other people.   I quickly tell myself how awesomeley healthy I probably am compared to them - clearly I still want the pie, it's just a way of dealing with my food envy.  THEN it occured to me how I have this same thought process every morning and how incredibly routine orientated I am.

All this within the 4 minute drive home. 

Then, still thinking, I decided that I haven't done enough telling of stories through my photos lately.  Considering the layout below was in 2008, and still is now, my most favourite ever, I should be doing more of this type of scrapbooking.  I love this for the simple way it tells the story, it was a candid pic, not set up, just taken as I walked past one day. 

And so today I put something to you.  I've searched out a photo-a-day challenge for March. 
It's one photo taken a day, no deep and meaningful thinking or setting up of photography equipment.  I plan on using my phone and not overthinking the prompts. 

Does anyone want to join me?  Take a look at the prompts below. 

I'll post the pics here.  I'll create a layout at the end.  It'll be a fun change in inspiration.

It's a week away though, so for now I'll find a few other things to take pics of.  Like these shoes.  I'm clearly in need of new ones.  Don't laugh at the way I wear my shoes out through the top.  These shoes have gone a whole lot of miles.  They've seen me through many walks thorugh the gym door at 5.25 each morning.  They deserve a layout, no?  Perhaps I could even add the journaling about my daily battle with the bakery. 

Laters.

Puppys are fun. No really, they are.

Puppys are so much fun.  All cute and waggy tails and all.  Puppy dog eyes and floppy ears.  Irresistable.  I keep telling myself, convincing myself, of this every day as I struggle to tell Penny for the 8000th time that the bone stays outside.  My toes are not chew toys.  No I do not want to play a game of "Around the lounge without touching the floor".

Ahhhh the fun times... I love her really, we all do.  We look forward to the days when she's less play and more companion though. We were prepared to work hard, and work hard we are.  She's a feisty type and it's taking some strict rules to try and keep her in line while she is learning.

Here is a layout done with some LilyBee Designs products - notice there is not one scrap of teal on this anywhere.  Go me.  It's a little different to my usual, but it was fun to tap into my more graphic side.   Actually it was hard to find, but it was fun all the same.

 

 

Supplies:
Patterned paper by LilyBee Designs.
Kraft Cardstock sprayed by Studio Calico Mr Huey's Mists in white.

Chipboard Letters - American Crafts
Washi Tape (black stripe with green paper through the middle) Queen & Co
Small letter stickers - LilyBee designs.
Punches - Martha Stewart
Little Doilie - a free gift from Scottie Crafts when I ordered something recently (Cool!)
Baker's Twine - The Twinery
Brown swirl transparency - an old 7gypsies one.

Just a note -  my layout was inspired by a layout I saw online and I can't tell you where or who created it, but the photo positioning with the circle embellishments were inspired by one I saw online.  I drew a sketch when I saw it and didn't note down who it belonged to.  Apologies for the lack of linking to the original!

If only you could all see what is going on in this office right now.  Seriously. I type a few words, lean down and say "Penny, no bite!"  "Penny, leave the electrical cords!", Penny NO! and on it goes....

Puppys are fun.  Really.  They are.

Laters

 

 

Rainbow cake. The yummiest ever.

Along with an amazing kid turning 13, we also celebrated Abby's 8th birthday over the weekend.  Since I'm a newly addicted convert to Pinterest, I figured that I'd try something I had seen on there. 

So I bought a few boxes of Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake mix.

And don't get me wrong.  I'm an OK cook.  I can bake a cake from scratch.  I'm down with the eggs and the flour and stuff.  But this cake saved me a whole lot of time and besides, it's super yummy.

So I mixed up a couple of boxes of this stuff and I seperated the mix into 6 different bowls.  Then I got colouring.  That was the fun part.  The kids were out, I put the music up loud and mixed to my heart's content.  I made purples and blues, greens, yellow, pinks and reds.   I wondered at the time if the mixing may have been better if I'd played Doodlebops or High Five, but I think I did well.

And then I baked.  The cakes were way thinner than a whole cake, so I cut the cooking time right down.  Then I let the cakes cool.  Then (and this is my favourite part) I made mock cream for inbetween the cake layers. 

Yum. Yum.  500gms butter to 1kg icing sugar and mix.  Yes that is a lot of butter, but we know we'll all get over it once we take the first bite. 

I trimmed the round parts off each layer.  And I layered.  I added cream and layered more.

And then I added more icing sugar to the mock cream mix to make it a harder frosting mix.  And I covered the whole thing.  And this... this is what happened....

It was possibly the most yummiest cake ever.  Worthy of the two amazing kids that blew out the candles.  Jacob turning 13 and Abby turning 8. ( Abby was born on Jacob's very first ever day of school ...talk about a big day for this Mummy!)

Leaving you with a pic of the cutest 8 year old ever, taken soon after finishing the yummiest cake ever.  I'm off to the most addictive yet informative website ever.  Perhaps I'll find an idea for next years' birthday cake...

laters

A teenager in the home...future journaling recorded...

When one becomes a motherof a teenager, one might be inclined to feel old.  A teenager at high school?  How did that happen?  I'm not that old? Surely it was just yesterday that I was chasing potential husband candidates around the busline after school myself ?  Yes I married him... apparently chasing him around the busline wasn't a complete waste of time..

Then again, one might celebrate the oldest son's coming of age.  Along with reaching 13 years old, he has also reached my height.  Well, nearly.  And that's kinda cool.

Because this weekend I lost my jandels.  Flip flops for those of you that don't speak NZ-ese - apparently it's abbreviated from Japanese Sandels - betcha didn't know that?

Anyway.  This weekend I lost my jandels.  And since Jandels are my summer slippers, this was quite the dilemma.  As it turns out, I fit Jacob's jandels though.  So now I have jandels.  And Jacob does not.

Handy having a teenager in the home.

This weekend I also encountered the most scary of arachnids in the bathroom.  Lucky I have a teenager exterminator.  What would I do without him?

This weekend I was also at a friend's house celebrating that it was a holiday Monday.  It got a little late and I couldn't leave on account of my glass being full.  Again.  The washing was still drying outside.  No problems.  Send the teenager.  Because he can reach the line. 
The road was hot though - that must have hurt his bare feet crossing it - lucky I had my jandels for the short walk home.

And so I celebrate the teenage years.  Bring on the amazing and most clever 13 year old that can reach the washing line, the ceiling in the bathroom and who doesn't mind that his mother has stolen his jandels.  Or maybe he hasn't lifted his eyes from his phone long enough to see that his jandels are on my feet.

Love you, Jake!
Laters

A new class and a freaky little alien guy.

It's here again - True Scrap ... the THIRD installment!  Those of you not 'in the know' yet, True Scrap is a weekend long festival of Scrapbooking classes from amazing teachers, everything is done from HOME, it's all recorded and available to you afterwards as well.

This event just keeps getting bigger and better.  Click here to see the line up of teachers this time, and to see my class for this time around - (Who will be teaching?  Am I teaching?  Can Katrina Kennedy really show me how to take better pics in low light?  Can Shimelle Laine really show me how to use my favourite collection to the very LAST scrap? Will Tiffany Tillman really show me awesome step by step digital designs so I'll understand it?!!!!)   That last one would be pretty hopeful for me - I'm not so good on the computer - but apparently she is awesome so maybe there is hope yet. 

Don't forget to join up the email list while you are there for special discounts and offers.  Registration isn't open until March 1st, but if you sign up for the email info now, you'll be kept up to date as things are happening!

Here's the link again - Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the class topics - I know many of you will LOVE mine!

Laters (check out the freaky little alien man - Lain, you scare me sometimes - your events are always fun though!)