ScrapShack Design Team

Well I got the news yesterday... and..... NO sorry I didn't make it :( better luck next time I reckon. But hey I'm VERY chuffed with the stuff I made for my submission so reckon that is enough consolation.

Our first task was to create a single page about myself... so I found a photo of me doing what I normally do... take photos!

Our next task was to create a double page showing three techniques. I did hybrid scrapping... added a frame on the main photo before printing. Secondly I sanded and inked all my photos. Thirdly I made a mini album. Oh and for added fun... I used LOTS of photos and even added flowers.

Our last task was to do a mixed media mini album. Well this involved quite a bit of detective work to find the album to start with... and in the process I visited a new scrap shop (new to me!). And so here is the album I made... all about me turning 40.

The front page is a transparency on which I painted, stamped and stuck the "FORTY" off my birthday card
This is the inside of the front page and then the one opposite which peaks through

Next two pages... also a transparency page... full of dots... so I used stickers on some of them.

The back of the transparency where I did some journalling... and then a huge enlargement... this peaks through the transparency too... nice effect.

And then there is also felt pages... how do you attach photos to felt???? Well I stitched a frame on and then stuck the photos to the paper.

But sneaky sneaky... I actually did this side of the felt page first... sewed the photos on and then hid their stitching on the other side. Another transparency page too... added a rubon for extra effect.

The other side of the transparency. And then as a small surprise I made a mini-album of some of the scenery photos
Here's the inside of the mini album... each pocket was stitched around the photo to enclose it.

The next two pages... patwork patterned paper and then stitched photos onto felt

The last page... the stitching frame here is from the previous page... also enclosed the photo into a pocket with stitching and stickers.

A lot of these ideas I found on the Fancy Pants website gallery and so thanks so much to them for the inspiration. The sketch for the double page was from Nuts about Sketches blog... a great place for sketches.

And so all I can say now is.... good luck to the three girls who did make the design team... especially Sophia!

It's nice to scrap

The one really nice thing about my "mom's holiday time" is that I get to scrap from the time I get home until I decide to call it quits ... usually around 6:30 when it's time to make supper. So yesterday I did just that... but it really was only finishing off two layouts.

Did the journalling on this one... had made the layout about two weeks ago and on Saturday did the title.... it was a slow process of dithering as to the"how"

On Saturday afternoon, Judi came to scrap and this is the other layout I started... but it was another slow day and I eventually dithered and faffed over the layout yesterday and got it done... journalling, title and stickers.

Now this afternoon I hope to tackle some of the 30 layouts I planned a few weeks back... will see how far we get and will show you once done.

Just an update of sorts..... I'm STILL waiting to hear about the Scrap Shacks Design Team... once I hear I will show you what I made.

Spoke to Aaron on the phone yesterday... he is having fun with his cousin (my brother is up from Durban for three days and brought his oldest daughter with him who is 16).... Aaron has got Kelly doing all sorts of things she doesn't normally do at home... like building puzzles, playing Old Maid, War, Go Fish and Snap... fun being 7 and being "the boss"!!!

I'm on holiday....

from being a MOM that is... hehehe.

Aaron is away at my folks for the next two weeks and I've now got two weeks to sleep late, no early morning school run, no rushing here there and everywhere..... just time for me and time to do the things I want to... like meet with friends, go to the bank (something I've put off for a while now), sew, scrap, read, sleep, etc, etc.

EXCEPT..... Aaron phoned at 10 to 7 this morning and WOKE ME UP!!!! hehehehe.... so even when he is away from home, he still wakes me up.

More holiday club fun

Today's fun for holiday club is... CRAZY HAIR DAY....

Well Aaron and I visited a few shops yesterday looking for coloured hairspray... the only colours available were yellow or gold and I didn't think either would work on his blonde hair so we didn't get it. I then did a few internet searches to see what other options we might have... you know food colouring or some such... it all sounded WAY to messy and time intensive.... and Aaron had just said "spiky hair".... so after lathering him full of gell and then applying hairspray to make sure it stuck, this is the result:

One of the leaders said he looked like a porcupine! hehehe.

There were some very crazy hairstyles all over the school this morning.... ponytails in odd places, coloured hair and even multiple ponys.... the girl leaders got hold of one of the guy leaders who has fairly long hair and made LOTS of little ponies all over his head... looked scary never mind crazy!!! Didn't get photos, sorry!

Holiday Club

Aaron has gone to Holiday Club at school for this week... it is run by Northcliff Union Church with the help of youth from various other churches... including 8 youngsters from our church, Strubensvalley United. Each morning Aaron is very excited about going, so here's a bit of the goings on for you to enjoy too....

On Monday afternoon he came home and said that he had to have a crazy hat for Tuesday... so with some help from Mommy we made him a paper hat, wrote bible verses on circles and cut them into spirals then stapled them all over his hat. He actually got to go up on stage and received a chomp for his effort... well done!

This morning I took my camera along and took a few pics of the goings one.. this is the hall that has been done up...
Aaron is in the Troopers team.

Early morning madness... registration and collection of name tags... plus each day the kids have a memory verse to learn and have to recite it as soon as they arrive... on Monday Aaron forgot totally so it wasn't done but we did practice yesterday's one ... Romans 3:23 and so he recited it this morning.

And today is "Inside Out" day... the kids had to wear their clothes inside out... Aaron had lots of laughs about this.
One of the other things that they can do is write letters to each other... so Aaron wrote to one of the girls ... nope not a girlfriend just a friend from Sunday School.... and he proudly posted it this morning too.

Will find out later today what tomorrow holds in stall.... plus I still want to get a few more pics during the week.... will make a nice scrapbook page I'm sure.

Our little maestro

Friday night last week was Aaron's first ever piano concert... he was sooooooooooooo excited. And looking at him play you would think he was a pro at this... he made me VERY proud.

Aaron was only one of six performers and the only boy! He was also the newest player, having only played for eight weeks... well done my boy!

The songs that Aaron played were: My Clever Pup, Sailing & Skating and a duet of Old MacDonald with Angie his teacher.

And then as an added extra note: Aaron loves tinkling the ivories at home on the keyboard that we borrowed from a friend.... BUT he is not content with just playing in "paino".... no he has to try out ALL the different instruments (about 100) and also the different tempos... wow it can get rather noisy.... and it sure is funny to hear Old MacDonald played in synthesizer, harp or some other wierd space noise... hehehe.... never a dull (or quiet!) moment.

School Concert

Last night was Aaron's turn in his school concert... Stories Out of a Box.... the school divided the grades into two groups... one on Monday/Wednesday and the other Tuesday/Thursday. I unfortunately couldn't see my way to going to the other half and so only have photos (on the school blog) to look at. BUT here are pics of Aaron's play:

Aaron was one of the narrators... he was very cute and did well... until he found Mom in the audience and then he nearly lost it but recovered well... only waved at me as they were leaving... too sweet.

Well their play was a new take on the original Hansel and Gretel story... all about Aunt Greedy who LOVES sweets... she sent the children off to the woods where they found Candy Sugar and Spice who lives in the candy house. Aunt Greedy followed their sweet trail and ends up having to stay in the house while Candy, the children and their father live happily ever after... moral of the story... Don't be Greedy!

Was lots of fun.... to see more pics see first night and second night over on the school blog.

An interesting read

It's not often that a book will make me think and think and think some more... but this one sure did.... I finished reading it last night:

Escape by Carolyn Jessop is her autobiograph and describes her life as part of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)... and in a polygamist marriage.

What really made me identify with her is that she is virtually the same age as me... born on 1 Jan 1968. So each time something happened to her I would say to myself... where was I at that age... etc.... scary!

By the time I had done matric and started college... she was married!

By 22 she had had a few kids already.... I had just finished college and started work

Her one son is the same age as Aaron.

She left the cult in 2003 and has had an uphill battle to survive since then too... single mom to EIGHT kids!!!

This book has really made me VERY thankful for the life I have... that I was brought up with Christian values in a Christian and loving home.

For more info... you can go here or here

Get this book and read it... it's eye opening!

Last night's scrapping

I scrapped again last night... yippee... and did the last two pages that I had planned for Saturday's scrap day.

So now I need to start some more planning... just mainly picking out papers... the photos and sketch are already done... for the next batch of pages to do... 88 left in 2007 and 118 for 2008 plus all of 2009 still to be decided (oh and not to forget the odd one or two for 2004, 2005 & 2006!).

Oh and in case you didn't see it on my sidebar ------> I've leaped in with both feet and decided to join Twitter... so now you can follow my chirps there too... www.twitter.com/cathysanders_za (just yet another website to keep visiting and writing nonsence on!)

I scrapped some more

If you remember a while back I said I was entering the PageMaps anniversary competition... well I didn't win so here now is the layout that I couldn't show you:

This past weekend was our monthly girls scrap day... and I managed to do three pages on Saturday...

And then yesterday was a holiday and I put the time to good use... yip did some more scrapping... and made four pages...

All these pages are from my 2007 album... I am now down to 90 layouts still to do! Yip it's a lot but slowly but surely I will whittle it down. There is a school holiday round the corner and then i plan to do lots of scrapping.

Just a few updates too....

a. I'm all better and over my sniffles from last week... thanks for all the well wishes. Dosed myself with Sinumax, vitamin C, Viral Guard and a few panados... oh and about half a box of tissues!

b. We have managed to borrow a keyboard and now Aaron (and I) are happily practicing the piano... he has his first concert next Friday

c. Aaron's school is putting on a concert next week and they are all very excited and busy practicing like crazier... not sure how much school work is actually getting done... hopefully we won't have too much homework this week.

d. I've been sneaking around my blog reader and reading all the lovely blog posts, but sorry I haven't been leaving that many comments.... yes I love to get comments so I try very hard to leave them for others... will catch up soon I hope.

e. Been doing lots of baking too... have actually run out of flour now! We had a cake sale at church two weeks ago which was a huge success... and then because the cookies I made were so yum, I just had to make some more... snickerdoodles... found the original recipe over on Ro's blog, but then found a slightly easier one (or should that be less confusing?) that used only marg... mmmm now where are my cookies?

f. And just for a change... I've been sewing too... made some polar fleece pjs for Aaron and a mohair jacket for me... the mohair we had bought years and years ago down in George/Knysna at the factory shop... a whole bunch of offcuts. Have also cut out a pair of pants and have four other bits of material waiting to be cut.

So now you know... I'm happy as I've scrapped, sewed, read lots (yip done that too!) and now my blog is updated I really feel good.