They've Arrived

My 2 new Cricut cartridges that is. Fabulous Finds and Going Places. Who knows, perhaps I'll find myself going to fabulous places, LOL.

OK. Off to have a play and see what I can do with them.

The Birthday Crop

So, last weekend was the PaperArts birthday crop, held over 2 days. Friday from 10am to 10pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm.

To be honest by the time Friday rolled around I was so NOT in the mood for scrapping and it took quite an effort to get myself out of the house and enroute to the village of Brimscombe (home of PaperArts). I had a lot of work on last week and absolutely no time to get myself organised for the crop. It took all my energies just to get to grips with pulling my own classes together let alone think about what I was actually going to scrap over the weekend. To give you some idea of how busy/bad last week was I didn't take any photos for Shimelle's class until Thursday and I finally got around to uploading them Thursday night, around 11pm-ish! Quite clearly I wasn't going to be going to the crop armed with those on Friday morning...

And Friday didn't start too well either. I woke up at around 7am to the realisation that I hadn't done the class instructions for the class I missed teaching at the end of January (the one where I had laryngitis - hmmmm, that sounds like an episode title from Friends). Fiona had, albeit very gently, nagged me about this earlier in the week but I just hadn't had time to do it. And as I didn't feel that I could in all good conscience go off to the crop without putting something together 7am Friday morning found me at the pc trying to type up instructions. The problem though is that it wasn't a basic class and I knew that I would have to do a step by step set of instructions with accompanying step by step photos. Which in theory sounds simple right? No. It would have been if I had still got some of the supplies left! Cue me ripping my layout apart trying to retrospectively record/demonstrate how I had put it together in the first place - not good! To say I wasn't in the best of moods by the time I had finished and then realised it was 9:30am, the crop starts at 10am and I have yet to have a shower, pack my scrapping stuff up (and here you need to imagine that my stuff has been spread to all 4 corners of the room in my attempt to find stuff to complete the retrospective class instructions!) and I have no idea of what photos I'm going to need/take.

To wrap this up quickly, because by now even I'm bored with my typing, I arrived, somehow, miraculously at around 10:45am, feeling not a little grumpy and wishing I could have a quiet day at home. But I forgot about the power of the people, the people at PaperArts. I can count on these great friends to make quick work of a 'blah' mood - I defy anyone not to have a good time with friends such as these, not to mention gorgeous Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a couple of Shimelle's famous cupcakes thrown into the mix and fish and chips! Yum. By the time Saturday rolled around I was well in the right frame of mind.

As for the classes, I can't speak for my own and what people thought of them (people will say all the right things to your face - LOL) but I can say that I loved Shim's. I have yet to finish either one of them but that's the nature of a scrapbooking weekend when you are not only teaching 2 classes but also have the lovely pleasure of completing 2 layouts for other people as a raffle prize (although not sure if getting me was more of the consolation prize???).

Friday I taught my acetate book class and once people got over their initial shock/horror I think they enjoyed it. I must make a special mention of Cherry, whose take on the class, with her New York brown bag book, was absolutely gorgeous and I love, love, love the bags she used. FAB! I can't post any pictures of this as yet as it is due to appear in an upcoming issue of Scrapbook Inspirations but once it's been published I will scan and post it.

On Saturday I taught a class on beading. Quite an old technique but one that hasn't been used in quite a while and you know the saying, what goes around, comes around. To be honest the layouts are not my usual style (if I have a style) but I thought it would be something a little bit different - and it had the added bonus of keeping all those rowdy scrappers quiet (you know who you are!!! LOL). We used the gorgeous My Minds Eye, Bohemia range of papers and the Queen & Co, Beadifuls and I completed 2 class samples. The first was a little more simple and the second a little more complicated. I am by no means a beader but the beauty of this class is that you can keep it as simple or make it as complicated as you'd like:

Hair

I forgot to say that I've had my hair cut - again! Another one of my radical cuts that I immediately after wish I hadn't had, especially as when the children all troop home they invariably walk through the door with mock looks of horror on their faces and announce "you look like a tom-boy, I suppose we'll get used to it!" and other such moral-boosting words of comfort.

I can understand some of their reservations though as currently my hair is on a journey. It hasn't reached it's destination yet but had to arrive at it's current stop before it can move on...  Although I was then muchly encouraged by the number of really positive comments on Sunday as I walked in to church - I had the thumbs up from quite a few people and even some of the men noticed AND made all the right sorts of noises too.

Tomorrow I'm having the hairdresser around again to inject some much needed colour. I always feel like a need a little bit of this at around this time of the year.

I should probably then update my photo (along with a new blog header - Christmas is over already!)... so watch this space.

Scrapping Like Mad

Breathe, girl, breathe. I must keep reminding myself of this.

Next week is PaperArts' 4th Birthday Crop and I'm lucky (or should that be unlucky?) enough to be teaching the weekend, along with the fabulous Shimelle. Obviously I can't speak for my own classes, because I'm just not that way (self-promoting LOL) but I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that Shim's classes look fantastic!

So I'm busy scrapping away, trying to produce something that won't look too shabby next to Shim and on top of that I've also put the additional pressure on myself of producing no less than 3 sample LOs for one class and another sample of my acetate book. No pressure there then.

On top of that I've got a CJ to complete (the last and it's all over, hooray!) and I do really need to get it out in the post this week. Not to mention putting together some class notes for the class I missed last month due to laryngitis. On the one hand I thrive on challenges/pressures like that, well, I say I do but I'm beginning to think that I used to but that as I'm getting older (oh, so old) I'm not thriving so much as stressing.

So, I've promised myself that as from next weekend, when it's all over with, I'm going to take a step back. Some time out. Get myself organised. Not take on too much. Part of which has sort of already been set off in motion as I've handed in my notice at work (although at the moment it looks like they don't want to accept it...) and hopefully will be the first step in de-stressing (which will please my doctor).

OK, nose...grindstone...me...later!

Wiltshire, Eh?

Which will go over the heads of most Brits but is aimed at my Canadian friends.

So I get woken up at 7am by the excited voices of the girls getting dressed. I hear the words "warm", "layers", "gloves", "scarf". I tried to ignore them and go back to sleep (after all a quick one eye open look at the other side of the bed confirms that Richard is up - he can deal) but nope, I just couldn't.

I pull back the curtains, and blow me down if we haven't magically been transported back to Nova Scotia during the night. Around 3 inches of snow lies on the ground and it's still snowing. Going down into the kitchen to get a much needed mug of coffee, I get a feeling of deja vu: he is listening to the radio and the announcement of school closures. Yes, it's a 'Snow Day'. Can you believe that?

Typically it's today when I have to work and not yesterday, when I didn't but the girls have been out since 7:15am and loving it.

I'll post some photos later, once I'm dressed and gone out to take some.

Happy Snow Day...

A Conversation Overheard

Between Harriet and Noah whilst driving in the car:

Noah: Can God swim?
Harriet: He doesn't need to - he can walk on water!

Cricut Complaint

No, not that I'm unhappy with my Cricut - I'm not. I love my Cricut. But what I am annoyed about is that they've now announced that they will start shipping, in May 2007, a new larger format Cricut. One that will cut on either a 12"x12" mat or a 12" x 24" mat!!!! If I had know this I would have seriously have thought about buying that size as opposed to the 12"x6" one I have.

And they must have known for quite a while that this was going to happen. It really annoys me when they do this. Grrrrr!

On a happier note they are coming out with some FABULOUS new cartridges which I will have to have. I'm particularly loving these ones:

I know the last one is a bit left field for me, considering I have never been to Disney World - but I plan too! LOL.

I am also desiring one of these:
This will not only carry your machine but has room for 12 cartridges, tools, accessories and a cell phone. Cool!

Luckily I'm having a 'round' birthday this year so I am now starting to lay the foundations of my rapidly increasing wish list! Obviously all of these will feature prominently on that list! So, Richard, family, take note!