Some New Layouts...

Here are the two layouts I did in SA with my friend Cass.

Sorry about the image of the second one - I photographed it crooked - oops!

First one is of my son Jude. The journalling reads "I see wonder and delight in your eyes...with the little things that make life so wonderful."

The other one is of my sister Hayley giving Jude big smoochy kisses. Just loved this photo - had it printed straight off of my camera, no editing or anything. Love this paper - it's from one of the My Minds Eye Magnolia ranges - can't wait to get these papers for Kiti Q. They are coming - just not until late February :-(.

Hope everyone has a fantastic night, and I'll be back in 2007!

Take care,
Kell
xx

Home Again..

Wow - it's been a little while since I last posted. We just got back from South Australia last night after a huge 10 days away, which was just fantastic. A great break, catching up with friends and family, taking lots of photos and I did manage to sneak in a little scrapbooking too. Here are a few photos, but I had to limit myself really, which was hard cos I have some really cute and cool ones :-).

Ok, so the photos are *Me & my little sister Hayley, *My Dad with Alannah on his shoulders, *Jude at the playground, *Alannah at the movies and *My Mum and Caden, my nephew.

Alannah went to the movies for the first time ever on Boxing Day, with my mum and me, and we obviously saw "Happy Feet", and what a cute little movie!

I got to spend a couple of days with my dear friend Cass, where we tried to scrap although with three children to keep under control, it did prove a little difficult at times :-P. But we did manage to get a couple of pages done (which I will upload later).

We also had a huge family day at Noarlunga Beach on Friday, and the weather was just perfect and Alannah loved it, but Jude not so much. It was still a fantastic day out though. Love the beach!

I managed to get my hands on a copy of the For Keeps #50, and I was so excited to see one of my layouts right next to one of Charmane's. How cool! Congrats on your award Charm! And Congrats to my sis Teresa too - she won an Award in Creativity for her page of Jude entitled "Red Nose Day" - fab layout babe :-)

Well, I have stacks of new photos to scrap, so all I need now is the time to scrap them!

Also, while I was away, the Kiti Q Class Kits were launched. So far, there are only two kits, but more are on the way.

Will leave it at that, as this post is quite long as it is :-). Today might warrant another post with my layouts, but we'll see.

It's good to be home.

Big hugs,
Kell
xx

Time to Share

Yay - we made it. The drive from Melbourne to SA wasn't too traumatic for either us or the kids. Now we have a lovely nine days to spend with family and friends. It's going to be fab!

Well, I think I can share my exciting news now....I won two awards in the For Keeps Awards for Excellence!! One for Creativity and one for Design. The latest issue, #50, was due out yesterday, so I wanted to wait until then to share. I can't wait to get my hands on an issue!

Anyway, am making this just a quick post, hope everyone is well. Happy holidays and stay safe.

Take care,
Kelly xx

More Mini Layouts..

Only 2 left to do!

A Persistent Thought

I have constantly had this thought in my head, since launching Kiti Q in Feb 06, about how much I would LOVE to open up my own bricks & mortar retail store. And now this shop in Upwey is becoming available in January, and it would be perfect for it. Just perfect. Shop at the front, big room at the back for classes, centrally located on the main street, big window, etc. And I have so many ideas that would be arty and funky and fun.....and then the practical, real life stuff enters my head - money, set-up costs, insurance, time and of course, my family. I guess, for now, I will just have to keep dreaming...

Oh, and here are a couple more of my mini layouts for the calendar project.

Take care,
Kelly xx

Some More Calendar Layouts

My Little Project

In a week's time my family and I are heading over to S.A to visit my family. So, I thought I'd make a little pressie for my Nan & Grandad. The page entitled "Precious Family" is the title page for a 6"x6" Calendar that I've decided to do. I'm going to feature all of my immediate family in it - which is why this page of Ash is here too. Ash is Master March :-)

Had a quiet day today, doing house-wifey stuff - running errands, paying bills, food shopping and of course, the dreaded cleaning. And of course, doing these two mini pages.

The new Scrapbook Creations came out today, and in it my sister Danielle had a page in the Quick Grabs gallery entitled "Your Song". It's her first page published in Scrap Creations, so that's quite exciting. Keep an eye out for Dan though - Scrap Creations have got quite a few of her pages coming up. She's a very talented girl, my sister :-)

Something Exciting....

Happened today. But I'm not ready to share it just yet...not long now though and it will all be out in the open. Can't wait!

Just a Quick Post...

Today I got an exciting email. The New Zealand scrapbooking magazine - Up2Scrap - has accepted my layout "Summer Silliness" for their February 2007 issue. This was the first and only layout I have ever submitted to them and they picked it up - yay!! I was so excited that I had to get on the phone to Roh straight away. I know he doesn't quite get it - get why I get so over-the-top happy about my layouts getting picked up for publication - but he does try and share the joy a little. I know he supports and loves me, and that's the main thing.

Countdown to S.A trip - only 10 days to go!!

A Smoky Haze

With bushfires raging throughout Victoria, a smoky haze has now descended on Upwey. It seems very overcast, and a bit deceiving, as it is so hot outside today (up around the 38 degree mark).

As it is so hot, the kids and I have had a quiet day at home. Hubby had to work, so after housework, I scrapped - yay!

Here are two pages that I've completed over the last 24 hours... The first one is called "Just Falling Asleep" and it is of Jude sucking his thumb, when he was about 5 months old. I actually have scrapped this photo before, but have never been completely happy with it, so I decided to do it again. I'm happy now :-)

Then the next one is entitled "Photo Shoot", and I've played with the Basic Grey new Blush range, which is just divine.

Had a lovely day yesterday, with a trip out to Aspendale to visit Charmane and her two littlies, and of course to drop off one of the prizes for the 1,2,3 Challenge. Charmane and I talked scrapbooking while the kids played and actually got along which was fantastic! Good fun :-)

Anyway, must head off to get dinner sorted, and try and get one of Jolene's cybercrop challenges done - oops - was suppose to do that today but got carried away with the "Photo Shoot" layout. Oh well, we've still got til midnight tomorrow.

Happy Scrapping!

Aarrgghhh - An Evaluation

For those of you who don't know, my hubby and I are renovating a hills cottage in The Dandenong Ranges, in Victoria. Well, things are moving very slowly due to engineers, incorrect soil test reports and just other fun council stuff. Finally, it seems, after a year of having the renovation plans drawn up, things seem to be moving.
So today, we have our house evaluation. Fingers are crossed - hoping that they value it high enough to get the money we need without Lenders Mortgage Insurance - I'm actually a bit pessimistic that we'll get the value we want, but oh well. We'll see. But anyway, I've been madly cleaning inside while hubby tidied up outside. No matter what we do, it does look like a bit of a building site in our drive, but we are renovating - what can you do?

So that's at 10am.

At least the house is spotless, so today I can scrap - always got to look on the bright side :-)

1,2,3 Challenge

Just a quick post to share my layout for the 1,2,3 Challenge on Charmane's blog. Must use stars, ribbons and black & white photo/s - this is my take on it.

Still plenty of time for more entries, so why not check it out. Some great prizes are up for grabs too! (including 10 papers from the new Basic Grey range 'Blush')

Take care, Kell

It's a Cyber Life

This weekend has been great - I've been able to spend time with scrapbooking buddies, both online and in real life. I love the fact that I can chat to someone in another state, who has the same passion as me for scrapbooking, but also spend a few hours sharing some laughs and having a glass of wine with 'real life' scrapping friends. Such a great community, is this scrapbooking world!

Anyway, here are my two entries for the Scrapbooking Top 50 cyber-crop that was on this weekend. Of course, I had to do something with this adorable photo of Caden, but there is actually something I want to fix on this page, so might do that today. And the other is Alannah having fun at Tawonga, our annual family holiday. I just think she looks sooo cute in her little bathing outfit :-)

And just a small little note to one of my cyber friends who I've chatted with over the weekend - I'll be thinking of you and your family today and I hope all goes well. And thankyou for quoting me - that is a really sweet gesture and I'm completely touched. Take care.

Ok, off to do the usual Monday chores. Have a great week!

A Photo to Share

Isn't he adorable? This is my darling new nephew Caden, and I just wanted to share a photo. Danielle took this one when she was over visiting. Such a talented photographer.

Only a couple of weeks now and I'll get to give little Caden a cuddle - yay! Can't wait.

Kiti Q Garage Sale

I'm so excited. I have just finished discounting all this stock for the Kiti Q Garage Sale and I've also just uploaded the brand new Basic Grey range Blush. Yay!
If you are looking for some bargains, please head over to Kiti Q, cos there are plenty to be had! Although, you might have to be quick because just a moment ago, I sold out of about 5 items already. Just gotta love sales :-)

A Whole Lotta Pages

No, I haven't been super busy scrapping, unfortunately. I did do a new page today - the one entitled "Simply Radiant" but the rest are the rejects from the For Keeps Awards for Excellence competition.
Just thought I'd share, now that I can!

I can see now why they weren't picked - don't get me wrong, I still like them and I'm glad I've got them for my album, but technique-wise, nothing super stunning. I did love creating them though :-)

I really had fun designing today's layout too - it's actually a gift for my friend, Paula, the one pictured, so I hope she likes it. Nothing much else to report...

Take care,

Kelly

A New Challenge

For those of you who just love an online scrapping challenge, then this new blog is for you : http://ourbrightstarsandus.typepad.com/123challenge/.
My scrapping buddy, Charmane, and her friend Karlene have launched this ongoing challenge blog. The criteria will change each month, as will the prizes and all entries go in an online gallery. Sounds like loads of fun :-). And to get the ball rolling, Kiti Q have donated the first prize, but I'm not going to tell you what it is yet, but it's cool! So maybe jump online and have a look.

Take care,
Kelly

My Boy

I wanted to share a page that I just finished of my little boy, Jude. Had lots of fun playing with ribbon and the doodlebug paper frills :-). And I just adore this photo that my sis, Dan, took. She's so talented.

An Affair to Remember..

This is the title of the challenge I just completed for the Zig Zag 'Movie Mayhem' cybercrop this weekend. So far I've only completed one of the challenges cos we have been so super busy this weekend, but I've started working on another challenge but we'll see if I get it finished.

Anyway, the new page is another one of Roh & me on our wedding day, but this is an 8"x8" page for our wedding album. I haven't played with this size LO for a long time, so it was fun to do something a little smaller than usual.

So, what have we been doing? Friday night we had our lovely friends Rob & Jane over for pizza and a movie. Always a wonderful night when we spend time with them :-)

Then yesterday we were running around for house things/garden things, then had a bbq with friends for lunch, then Roh worked on finishing our retaining wall out the front, and then we went off to Pam & Den's (my in-laws) for dinner. So that was another day gone - so quickly too!

Today we are having a lazy morning, which is so nice. I'm hoping to scrap a little more, and then we are off to another bbq tonight at Nath & Reeze's. Might get a chance to share another page later.

Oh, and my sister Hayley and Caden are doing well. Will share a photo soon. We are actually heading over to SA in a few weeks - can't wait!

Take care,
Kell
xx

Welcome Little One

Well, my poor little sis has been struggling for the last few days. In pre-labour for two days, then a day in real labour, and then finally a c-section but the good news is - Caden Nicholas is now with us - welcome to the world, little one. And at a very healthy weight of 10 pds 1 oz. Can't wait to meet you, my little nephew.

A BIG Congratulations too, to Hayley and Alan - yay! you are now parents!

Lots of love on this exciting day...

So Hot

Today really was a hot, overcast day in Melbourne - forecast to hit 36 - so other than running the most required errands, it wasn't a day with much planned.

I did manage to finish the scrap page I started on Friday, which I am really pleased with and it's entitled "The Greatest Thing". It's of Roh and I on our wedding day and the quote I used is quite a famous one which reads "the greatest thing you ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Nat King Cole. I love the vibrant green and red. So fun!

Also, something else exciting is happening right now, as I type. My littliest sister Hayley is in labour, so soon my new little nephew should be greeting this world. Can't wait to hear of his arrival!

Will leave it at that, and hopefully my next post will be welcoming a new family member...

Hugs,

Kell

Happily Content

First of all "Happy 29th Anniversary Mum & Dad"!

I've been having a comfortably busy weekend. After a long fun night on Friday at Kiti Q's final Scrap'n'Chat for 2006, I went out for brunch with my great friend Kate (Lana & Jude came too) on Saturday and then spent the afternoon re-sorting, re-organising and re-shuffling my scrap desk & shelves - it's almost finished now, and I am really, REALLY, really hoping to scrap a little tonight. Then last night we went to Roh's brother's place for a Trivia Night which was a great laugh (and it really gives you an insight into some peoples competitiveness LOL). My team came second - oh well - like I said, it was a lot of laughs!

Today, we all spent some time out shopping and then had a yummy lunch out too. Lana got some new ballet shoes which are a little too big for her but she is still determined to wear them - such a funny little miss.

And I'm so happy - Roh bought me the dvd of Crowded House's final "Farewell Concert". I am a huge fan of Crowded House and I've been waiting for this concert to become available on DVD for ages and finally - yay - I've got it! I've got it on right now - at the moment 'Fall at Your Feet' is playing. So Good.

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday! Big Hugs, K xx

Green is Good

Green is not a colour I use a lot. Don't get me wrong - it's a great colour and I do love it, but just don't seem to use it as much as I could. But today, well today I decided to play. "They Love to Play" is the outcome. I had so much fun putting this page together, and it is amazing how much you can accomplish interruption-free :-).

Other than scrapping today, I didn't do a lot else. Spent some time with Reeze organising tomorrow nights Scrap'n'Chat evening in Belgrave South and then I did just a little housework. Scrapping vs Housework - no competition really!

Hope everyone's well and happy.

Take care,
Kell xx

It's Oh So Quiet..

It's one of those rare mornings where my hubby is working near his parents place and has taken the kids to spend the day with their grandparents. The house is so quiet and still. So many things I want to do, but where to start? Off to the scrap table!

Remembering the Datsun

My very first car, bought for $750, reliable for the majority of time. So many memories - the cow print seat covers, the numerous break-ins (not a really secure type of car), the quick trips down the mountain for a McDonalds fix with friends, the final break-down on a major highway in Melbourne, while I had interstate guests in the car and in peak hour traffic - and all I could do was laugh :-) I was sad to see it go, but I will always have fond memories of my first little car. My latest layout is a little dedication to the car fondly referred to as 'the mighty Datsun'. For those of you who remember my little car, I hope this little post makes you smile..

Playing with ATC's

Just sharing the first two ATC's that I have EVER made! When I started I really wasn't too sure of where to go with them, how to design them, what to include, etc. But then I figured that I just had to go with my style, and how I wanted to portray me, so I had a bit of fun, and came up with some funky (well, I think so :-P) cards. Two down, nine more to go!

Fun, Sunshine-y Days..

That's the title of my latest layout - just finished it this morning. It was actually suppose to be for the Scrap Top 50 CC, but I didn't quite make it :-)

Had some very exciting news this morning, my good friend Paula, gave birth to a healthy baby boy at 4am, and his name is Zekiel Flint - welcome to the world little one! Can't wait to meet you!

Nothing much else has been happening. Kiti Q is having a sale on all CherryArte stock - 20% off and there are definitely some bargains to be had. We are also getting some new uniball pens and some scalloped edged bazzill - am just waiting for it to be delivered. Yay - some new stuff to play with. Also, I've just joined an ATC swap through Zig Zag, just for something new and a bit of a challenge. I really have to get started on them - should be fun though :-)

Jolene's got her cyber-crop on tonight - the very first one for her store - Crafting in Style. I'm really looking forward to it. Just love having challenges to help get pages done. It's great motivation.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Big Hugs,

K xx

Yay!

I won Challenge #2 at the Scrap Top 50 cyber-crop with my page "Twirl, Dance, Shine". Am getting a prize pack from Acacia Paper Crafts - can't wait - so excited!!

Here's another page I did for the cybercrop.

Had a very family-oriented day today, with Roh's parents, brothers (2 of) and cousin Michelle coming over for a BBQ lunch. Unfortunately the sunny weather never came to fruition but we still had a nice time.

Jude's suffering from croup at the moment, so not getting a lot done other than the basic housework, cos he's very clingy. Hopefully he'll pick up a bit tomorrow. I think he's getting a tooth through too - poor little thing!

Saw a fantastic movie over the weekend (on DVD), the newest version of "Phantom of the Opera" - what a beautiful movie, sad in some ways, but still wonderful. I would definitely recommend it to any of you romantics out there :-)

Take care xx

Glitter and Bling

Not usually two things I use a lot of in my scrapping, but today I did - and I had fun! And I really like the results.

This was for the Scrap Top 50 Cybercrop - Challenge No 2, and I had such a wonderful time designing & creating it. Thanks for the challenge guys!

Some Surprising Mail

Something exciting happened yesterday which I forgot to mention - I received 3 contracts in the mail from For Keeps Scrapbooking Magazine for 3 of my pages. I knew about one (Big Mud Puddles) but the other two were pages from my Awards for Excellence entry entitled "This Love" which is actually a page I did on acetate, and "Olga Berg Bag" which is all about my fav handbag - he he. Anyway, they will all be appearing in Issue #50 which is out in January. Yay - can't wait. It should be a super issue with a couple of other friends - Teresa & Charmane - having pages published too.

Might have another page to share later today. Have a fantastic Saturday everyone!

I Pottered My Day Away...

It was just one of those days...didn't accomplish a lot...just pottered and got little things done.

Had a bit of fun doing this page in between housework, and playing/entertaining the kids. I just love these photos of Jude - he makes me want to eat icecream, cos it looks like so much fun!

Off to have a play with some of the Scrap Top 50 cyber-crop challenges... Night!

Finally finished...

this layout. I started this page back in May when I was visiting Mum & Dad in SA. All I had to do was the journalling and it would be done, and it has taken me this long to do it. I finally finished it on Wednesday night - just crazy! I know it's not a fantastic photo, but there is something about it that I just love.

Yesterday was such a wet day here in Melbourne. I think it only stopped raining for maybe an hour and that was it. My garden is loving it though!

Didn't get to spend my "me" day doing scrapbooking yesterday, as planned, cos I got called into work. Oh well - the extra money is good. I'm hoping to scrap today - the house isn't too messy and I don't have too much else to do on my 'to-do' list - yay!

Kiti Q has just got some new stock in - lots of new stuff to play with. The Urban Lily Summer O6 range is now in, as is a couple of the Autumn Leaves Stitched Rub-ons, which are just fab. I'm the only design team member not at the Sydney Papercrafts Festival today - lucky girls. I hope you both have a fantastic time at your Elsie & Zina classes, and of course, shopping!! Can't wait for you both to share all the tips you learn..

My Pete Murray CD is still getting a bit of a thrashing, and I think Alannah is a little over it. She keeps telling me "no more man singing" - so cute.

Anyway, better go get the kids dressed for the day. A home day - just gotta love them!

Loving these lyrics...

Yesterday I bought the new Pete Murray CD "See the Sun" and I am just loving it. I think I've listened to it about 5 times already!

Anyway, I just wanted to share the lyrics to the song entitled "Opportunity", because they just really touched me and made me think a little...

"Find your mirror go and look inside
And see the talent you always hide
Don't go kidd yourself well not today
Satisfaction's not to far away.

Hold on now your exits here
It's waiting just for you
Don't pause too long
It's fading now
It's ending all too soon you'll see
Soon you'll see

Your coffee's warm but your milk is sour
Life is short but your here to flower
Dream yourself along another day
Never miss opportunity

Don't be scared of what you cannot see
Your only fear is possibility
Never wonder what the hell went wrong
Your second chance may never come along."

Another new LO - 3 Cute Little Cousins

Here is another challenge from the Cyber-crop I was participating in this weekend.

Had some fun playing with the Basic Grey Romani papers and ribbons - just adore them!

Off to bed now....

New Page - You Make Me Smile

Finished this page this morning for Zig Zag's cyber-crop. This was for Challenge 1 which was - must use pink card/pp and green card/pp, have hidden journalling and use white paint. Using lace was optional. So this is the result. The colours are a little out, but the pink is actually a deep watermelon colour, and looks quite vibrant against the green.

I had some fun doing this LO. I've been wanting to scrap this page of me and Jude for ages, so I'm so happy I've now done it! Never actually done hidden journalling before, so that was something new.

Just all great fun! Will maybe upload another page today too....we'll see :-)

An Innocent Reminder

Last night we taught about 30 disabled people how to scrap - well, we really scrapped with them. It was such a fantastic experience. They were so excited about the page they created, each leaving with a page as either a gift, or to display in their room. It was such a wonderful reminder of why we scrap - to share our memories, to make keepsakes and to enjoy ourselves creatively.

Busy, Busy...but still I scrap :-)

Have had a hectic couple of days. Kiti Q is in the process of preparing for our first massive (40 students) class for disabled people. I'm really quite excited about it, but it's been a lot of work. Only one more sleep and it's all happening - yay!

I managed to get a page finished over the last 24 hours, that I am really happy with. It's called "Warm & Fuzzy". Photography is again done by my fabulous photographer sister Danielle (see side link). She captures so many special moments, and I'm addicted to scrapping her photos almost as much as just scrapping! Anyway here it is.....

Take care xx

Some Photos from the Zoo

Just a few happy snaps from our zoo adventure on Sunday...

Beautiful Spring Days

What a beautiful sunny day it was today. I just love spring! My garden is blooming with stock, chrysanthemum daisies, mexican orange blossom and lavender as well as multi-coloured lobelia, and I just love it's messy look. I can't help peeking out of our kitchen window every time I walk by, just to look at the gorgeous flowers.

And yesterday was also another perfect day which we spent at the zoo. It was Jude's first time visiting the zoo, and he just loved all the animals, especially the meerkats. Got to catch up with the lovely Cass and her family which was fantastic, and have now got lots of new photos to scrap - will it ever end?? :-)

New Page - Our Little Rebel

Just one of the pages I completed at Saturday's fundraiser, of Jude. I'm really happy with it. I got to play with some of the new Urban Lily papers (thank u Dan) and I just love these pics that Dan took of Jude a couple of weeks ago.


Aarrgghh - just realised I'm 28 today!