It's been one of those days...

Autumn, shadows and pretty packing tape.

If i didn't know better I'd think it was Autumn.  It's too dark in the morning to walk at 6am.  I know, it's an awful predicament to be in.  It's got that crisp Autumn feel in the air, the whitetails are out and about - look at my new friend Mum, he is friendly, he crawls across my hand!, and the heavenly, not, small of onion skins being burn after harvest hangs in the air and gets right into my washing.  The days are getting shorter and the firewood fairy has filled the woodshed.  Winter.  I see you lingering in the long shadows. 

Talking of shadows... that could have been some great lead in there but I have nothing to talk about with shadows.  talking of nothing to talk about... oh my.  Abby has some amazing new expressions since she has been at school.  I have to get a pic of the *hands on hips and look of disgust on her face* Oh. my. GOD Mum.  That is so.not.cool.  It's a weight watchers Muesli bar in your lunchbox.  Who's going to know what it is?  you are FIVE years old!!

Anyway.  New discovery this week. A friend showed me this website.
 

 

It's packing tape.  From Tapeswell. Probably not acidfree, but really.  Honestly.  Is anyone here 100% acid free?  Genuine question there  - feel free to let me know - I mentioned to someone the other day how cool the tape was and she mentioned it being not acidfree. I hadn't heard those words in ages and it struck me that I guess I'd relaxed on it a bit.
cool tape though.  And heaps of super cool designs. 
I might even make a mini book JUST so I can use the damask one on there.

laters.

Rain, Crusty Demons and those little dotty easter eggs.

Years ago when Paul and I were considering dates to book our wedding, we thought we might book it for mid February.  We talked to our photographer to see if she might be available, and she said she was - except under no circumstances were we to book the mid Feb date, because that is the Pukekohe Annual A&P show weekend, and it always rains on that day.  We took her advice 14 years ago and we booked our wedding for earlier in February.  And since then I always notice when it rains on the A&P show weekend.  And this past weekend, rain it did.

So we stayed home on Saturday, ventured out to Crusty Demons on Saturday night (Anyone else go to this?  Goodness me it should have been R13 or R16 or something.  Way to educate my young boys!) and had a quiet day again today.  I'm running behind with my Big Picture Scrapbooking workshop deadlines, so I needed to work a lot.

We just got Cosmo Cricket sponsorship for the Autumn Escape.  I'm still working on others.  So far we have Cosmo Cricket, Prima, BasicGrey, Tattered Angels, Stampin' Up!, Queen & Co, Pink Paislee, Scrapbooking Innovations Magazine & Fiskars. 

I'll leave you with a layout I did of a favourite photo from 2007.  I've used this photo before but - and I hardly ever do this - I took the photo off the layout, threw the layout away, and scrapped it again.  I used the February Kit from Tarisota.  Done with a sketch.

Before I go though, I have to ask - whatever happened to the little easter eggs with the filling that matched the colour of the foil on the outside.  What happened to the little eggs covered with green dotty foil that were green on the inside?  And the ones that were yellow and tasted like Pineapple?  And the ones that were red and tasted like strawberry?  Who is responsible for the decision to stop making those?  Anyone know where I can find them? r have they really gone.

I found this recipe for making my own marshmallow easter eggs - but then I remembered it's much easier to buy them.

laters

Timaru, Creme Eggs, the Zoo and the GST

While I enjoy the balmy 18 degrees, probably creeping up towards 28ish later today, I'm thinking of Timaru.   Today I think of Timaru because I'm going there next month and they were having highs of only about 14 last week.  Don't think I didn't notice.  Imagine now the cringe look on my face as I saw the highs scrolling across the screen.   I don't cope at anything less than 15 degrees.  Timaru.  Please.  Try and hold Autumn back until I have been and gone.  Or at least try.

Creme Egg count.  Four.  Likeliness that I'm even going to tell the truth right there?  Zero. 

Exciting day for me this week?  Wednesday.  Paul gets to stay home and do the office work while I hit the zoo with 100 year 1 and 2s.  If my most carefully, strategically placed piles of crap around this room are moved when I return, there will be trouble.  Then I have a date with Kelvin Cruickshank that night.  It's all go.

Talking of Paul - he had a skin cancer removed last week and is sporting 12 stitches in his nose.  Not just any stitches, these are specialist plastic surgeon type stitches...I don't think it's any excuse to ignore the GST return I might accidently leave on his desk, and while he is hopefully taking the hint, perhaps I'll leave the PAYE return there too.  It's not excuse to ignore those , although he will because he has no clue what to do with them, but it IS an excuse to preach to others about covering up in the sun.  This is paul's second specialist surgery for skin cancers.  Cover up, people!

And still the GST won't get done.

Creme egg count... five... I'm kidding.

Tarisota Studio.  I have a new class up there called Shabby Boy, it's made with the latest Tarisota Kit

Here is the official sneak.

Just adding Cosmo Cricket to the list of sponsors for the Autumn Escape.    Giveaways open til Feb 20th.  Also adding Scrapbooking Innovation Magazine, the exciting new magazine that is due to hit our shelves in March.... visit the website, scroll down a little, take a look at the submission themes. 

So much to say, so little time.  And I'm out of Creme Eggs.

Leaving you with images of a 5th birthday box I made with the latest Tarisota.  It'll soon be filled with pictures of Abby's 5th birthday party in that cute little accordian thing.
Laters
 

     

Humidity, Taupo and the Gym.

I'm over it.  The humidity.  The heat.  The picking up a melted 5 year old from school and having to take her to the cold tap to soak her hat and head just so we can make it home without her keeling over.  I can't remember having weather like this before.  On the scale of 1 to 10 in the list of things I really dislike, this humidity would be right up there in the 8s with such things as the little bits of icky bits on the banana when you peel them and the ants in the recycling bin.  It's not quite up there with Avocado and seafood, but not far away.

But then we shouldn't complain.  Everytime I moan about the heat/humidity I quickly remind myself of everything they are going through over in VIC with the fires.  The thousands of people affected.  The enormity of it all.  And then perhaps the humidity isn't so bad.

Autumn Escape - Lucy and I travelled down to Taupo recently and finalised planning for the Autumn Escape.  We sorted seating for the classrooms and for the main cropping room.  We put our names on seats by the bar and made sure we had room for all the plans we have.  Lucy made sure I knew where the gym was - even the conference organiser laughed at that one - do I look like the kind of person that wouldn't go to the gym? It was a very successful trip.  I've come home and updated the Autumn Escape blog with a draw for giveaways for those that have registered by 20th Feb.  It's a blatent attempt at trying to get registrations in.  Not because we don't have enough (it's filled up nicely!) but because we need to finalise some planning details and need a better idea of numbers. 

Happy Times, Happy Times, look what are in the stores.... Cadbury Creme eggs.  And while I'm a chocolate creme egg persom myself, any of them will suffice.  It's a dangerous time of year for me.

Valentines day on Saturday.  Anyone have plans?  Being taken out for dinner by their partner or hubby?  Exchanging expensive gifts?  Tui moment.  Yea right.  Talking of special people in our lives, I created this layout recently for the Aussie Scrap Source blog.  Careful, it's all sentimental-like.  Happy Valentines Paul.  That's all you're getting.

5 year old parties, cherry trees and melting.

The new year resolution to update more often didn't last long did it.  Although with Abby's party at the weekend I have now said goodbye to all the time consuming type social events of the year.  Thank goodness.  And what about this heat!  We spent one of the days over the past weekend putting a big bench seat under the biggest tree on the street.  We set up sprinklers on the road and the kids got soaked riding their bikes.  We felt we had to do something like that before the kids keeled over in the heat.  If I was energetic enough to get up and get my camera I'd show you a pic.  I was too busy looking after the drinks and ice under the shade of the new street meeting place.

Abby started school happily.  She has since decided she doesn't like school though as it goes for far too long.  I guess it does.  Especially in this heat.  I go to pick her up at the end of the day and she just about melts out the door to meet me.  She can't swim with the school at the moment as she only got grommets 6 days ago.  They have the doors all open but the breeze (when there is one) is hot.  I so love summer!

Here's a layout i did at the end of last year after her first school visit.  It's a bit of collage press and a bit of Sassafras lass. 

 

hey.  The Autumn Escape Blog has been updated.  New sponsors, prizes, giveaways...

laters

  I think I'm ready for the summer activities to die down.  I don't mean the heat and the fun and the socialising, I don't think I'll ever get enough of that, but the lack of routine, the eating bad food and the jumping from one event to the next - that is what gets me.  Saturday was Jacob's 10th birthday and we had a day at Rainbow's End and then a BBQ with 30 people which went well into the night and most the way down a bottle of Rum.  AS it sometimes does.  Today Abby had surgery - a very minor operation to get grommets in her ears, which is hopefully the end of the glue ear issue, and it's her 5th birthday tomorrow.  AND all the kids go back to school tomorrow after their summer holidays.  Throw in a 5th birthday party on Saturday for a dozen little fairies and I think I'm about done with the extra-curricular events. But then of course the after school ones start. 

This week I plan on being busy creating a new class for Big Picture Scrapbooking.  I also have more sponsorship etc to follow up for the Autumn Escape and put plans into action for some of the events for that weekend.  Wow the registrations are flying in - it's going to be so good! I'm going to spend a lot of time creating projects with the new Tarisota February Collection and even more time wishing Mr Whippy was in the area, if this heat carries on.

Congrats to Ruth Ross and Heidi Barclay on their addition to the Sketchbook Contributors.

Man it's hot.  Roll on Mr Whippy.  If I wish hard enough do you think I might hear that music?

Leaving you with Basicgrey Marrakech.  And lots of my fav photos of Abby from the last few years.