the midnight scrapper

a trip down memory lane...

As part of my Library of Memories class, I have been sorting things like mad (see earlier post) and now I am in the process of sorting my layouts into albums. Now you know what this means? Yes, visiting your older layouts.

Like the rings on a tree, I can pinpoint what "era" a layout was from because I have a little cluster of layouts that all look mighty similar LOL

Case in point...I give you my " 8.5" x 11"  - multiphoto - button - simple stage"

 

Then I found this little gem (a 2 pager no less) which was part of my entry for the MM competition 2 or 3 years ago:

   

And to finish up there is this from back where it all started. I think we should just go ahead and file that under "I just got my hands on a 1996 issue of CK and look how great my layout looks" Ha!

Do you know how much that tilted photo is bugging me?

I've tried a lot of styles in my time, but I am a simple girl at heart.

Now it's back to memory lane and my time capsule layouts :)

a quick roadtrip, finally saw the bridge & a haircut...

At 4.00pm on friday, byron begged to go to sydney overnight (we stay at my sisters) for one last school holiday adventure. By 5.00pm we were on the road! A good time was had by all (just being away from home is fun LOL) and I got to take a quick stroll round my favourite shops to check out their new displays. Love this shop - Papier D'Amour, and it's only a 5 minute stroll from my sisters house.

For more inspiration check out their windows in my easter post.

Ashamed as I am to admit it, we live about 15 minutes from the new seacliff bridge and I have never, ever driven on it or walked across it (hangs head in shame). Well today, on the way home, we stopped at one end and walked that bridge both ways. As fantastic a bridge as it is...I really needed to be out at sea to get the great photos LOL

And to finish up, oscar had a run in with a pair of clippers. Ha! Well he asked his mama to shave his head just for a bit of a change (and we are a house of boys, so really hair issue do not exist) so I whipped it all off in about 3 minutes flat.

He didn't like it, but it has grown on him (no pun intended).

His nana hated it.

Me, well I think it looks fine and as we girls know only too well...it is hair and it will grow back!

 

I have 1 day left of my holidays and the to-do list is still a long way from completed. I know that I will waste tomorrow away just thinking about going back to work!

school holidays, a frenzy of sorting and cleaning and 101 other reasons why I have been a bad blogger...

I know I have been a very bad blogger and I can practically see the tumble weeds rolling through "the midnight scrapper" but I am here now and that's what counts. Well maybe!!

I was lucky enough to have the second week of the school holidays off, so we have been busy with lots of different projects. We watched "Waitress" for family movie night (which we all enjoyed) and byron and I decided that we needed to make ourselves a pie. Not any old pie, no, we set out to make the "best damn apple pie ever" pie.

After downloading the theme song "baby don't you cry - the pie song" from itunes, we got to work. We made 2 pies and we have to say that they were indeed, the best damn apple pies ever! We gave one to nana & da and they agreed with us, so it must be true LOL.

I have been plugging away at my Library of Memories class and I now feel like I am making progress. I would like it known that I am officially SICK TO DEATH (yes, I am screaming!!) of sorting my photos as the piles do not seem to be shrinking, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel (just a tiny little speck, but it is there!).

I had got to the point that whenever I would go to scrapbook I would have an idea and sort of know which photos I wanted to use. Then I would have to go hunting them out from all over the place and well, I just couldn't be bothered (so much easier to sit and browse bloggy land and look at what everyone else is doing. Ha!)

This new system should put an end to that, and my lovely category drawers are ready to be filled up with photo goodness. The idea is that we divide some of our photos into "categories" with the main ones being:

all about US / PEOPLE we love / PLACES we go / THINGS we do.

Stacy has a book out called "Photo Freedom" which explains this system and it is a good read and makes a lot of sense (well to me it does).

And to finish off, a quick look at my scrappy space. Firstly, I live in a very tiny 2 bedroom house that has very little storage (and I am not one for clutter, let me tell you LOL). I don't have a craft room to call my own so I have to find / make space where I can.

In a moment of sheer genius, I removed half of the hanging rail in the dining room cupboard and put in a book shelf (I had to keep the other half as gary keeps his work clothes in there - you should see how small our bedroom wardrobe is). See how well that worked!

...but if I take a couple of steps back and take that photo again, well it's not such a Martha moment now is it? I think every scrap space should feature a dyson!!

 

The second & third cupboards are shelves that housed all the kids toys and "stuff". They were thrilled when I told them that mama was taking over the top 3 shelves.  The bottom 2 shelves are now home to only the best loved lego and warhammer. Double Ha!

I also have a desk behind the lounge which is where I sit to scrap...right in front of the TV, computer to the left of me, itunes to the right and in winter, the heater at my feet. Can't complain about that now, can I.

Now it's back to the photo sorting once more... 

what happens at the scrap retreat, stays at the scrap retreat. ha!

I have just spent 4 wonderful days away on a farm in Maitland, scrapping with a great bunch of friends. Can I just say...lots of fun!!

Yes, it is indeed a barn, but there is a loft coversion out the side so we had room to put up 4 trestle tables and the computer / printer table and still access the kitchen. We were miles away from civilization although we did have a few trips to downtown Maitland and we did manage to have a little retail therapy in a few very nice shops!

This is pretty much how it looked 15 minutes after we arrived LOL. We also had the TV front and centre and we ploughed our way through at least  a dozen rom-coms so we were all bursting with happiness. The ipod also got a thorough workout and inspired some very "interesting" dance moves (got to stand up and stretch those muscles a few times a day. Ha!)

We laughed, talked, laughed, ate, laughed, ate some more, scrapped, sorted, ate and laughed a bit more. Perfect.

And let me not forget the food. Man did we eat well...and daiquiri hour was also very popular :)

Alas, I have no layouts to show as I spent my time catching up on my LOM class over at Big Picture Scrapping. So glad I did, as I made wonderful progress by working on my assignments for 4 solid days.

Back to work today, still basking in my happy scrappy  glow :)