Long time no speak

So it seems a really really long time has gone by without a blog post. Where to start?
I was going to come and blog in mid 2012 when I was lucky enough to meet Tim Holtz and do one of his classes here in Australia. I had so much fun and it's something I often look back and smile about. Somehow I never found the time to blog (actually my stupid blogger program stopped working and I HATE using the site to blog).

I posted many a meal here that I ate while doing the CSIRO diet, I ended up going off that, and putting back on most of my weight. Over the last 2 years I've done a mixture of diets/eating styles and am currently doing my own thing, but enjoying recipes from Symply Too Good To Be True (Annette Sym) and also 12WBT, I also get inspiration from Skinny Taste and Slender Kitchen. I am down 56kgs.

Along with the losing weight I've also been getting healthier. I go to the gym most days and even participate in the local Parkrun. I really love the event and I recommend it to everyone! It's a free 5km timed event, and best of all you don't have to run! You can walk, crawl or run :) The kids can be involved and even your dogs!

I haven't been that active in the garden in the last 6-12 months, I had a poor result with my spring plantings last year (due to going away for several weeks at a time in Aug, Sept and Nov), so I ended up with bought seedlings, but then I had friends come and stay for a 'couple of weeks' which turned into 5 months, and somehow routine and things got turned around and I didn't head out to the garden much.

Craft also suffered having people stay, as we only have a small house, I had to pack away my craft table so for about 5 months I didn't get anything done, unless I went away. I'm back on crafting though, and I've been having a lot of fun with that lately. I recently did a "Supplies on Hand" course with May, which I learnt some new things and can't wait to try out.

In January next year I'm heading off with my mother and one of my bestest friends for a craft cruise! We're going on the Voyager of the Seas with Rachel Greig from Darkroom Door! I am so excited I can't wait!!

OK that's enough blathering for me! I will be back soon and post some of what I've been up to. I promise not to be a stranger :D

Busy Busy

Wow where do the months go? Last post for inchies was at the start of July. I never realised when I decided to take photos of each individual inchie it was going to amount to over 1000 photos LOL. So I must admit I’ve been a little slack picking up the camera. My ‘4 a day’ plan for inchies fell away too LOL. I’ve still got about 20 inchies to take photos of, but at this rate I’m going to have to step up to 6 inchies a day if I want to get to 1k by the end of the year.

August was a fun month.
Start of the month I went to C4AC with my local girls. We had a great day, with some scrapping achieved, but mostly talking :D
Went up to Brissy to surprise my best mate for her 30th birthday. It was so awesome, the look on her face still makes me smile to myself. We had a lot of fun and managed to stay out of mischief… We must be growing up?? LOL.
After I came back from Qld I stayed 1 night at home then was up to mum’s house for a 1/2 a week and then to our retreat at Cave Hill Creek.
All in all August was a spectacular month.

  

43-48/1000 and retreat!

Well I should be packing for the retreat, but I am procrastinating something chronic lol I’ve even moved my fish into another tank in another room, a job I’ve been going to do for weeks. I am so excited about the retreat, just hate the packing part lol, worst still in a few days I have to pack everything up again to come home :o( Here are some inchies, this will be the last post (I think) until I am home from the retreat! Have a great weekend!

Long time no blog…

wow it’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. I have been making ATC’s every week for the challenge blog, though I have been running behind. Sometimes I just don’t know where the time goes!

I’ve been in a few inchies swaps. I haven’t taken photos of a lot of my swaps, so I’ll have to find the bags and take some. I did a undersea swap and I have got photos of those. It was lots of fun! I can’t wait to see what others came up with.

Off to a retreat on the last weekend of the month with my mates. We are really excited about it! Went to a crop a week ago. My friend Kylie won a pink Cricut Expressions!! Awesome eh? She’s so kind, she’s lent it to me until the retreat to have a play :) Already cut a few things and I’ve only had it a day hahah! 
I am really hooked on inchies. I am going to try doing 1k of them before the years end…. LOL That is crazy talk! It’s only 4 a day.. going to try. Some will be for swaps, but I will only be counting the 1 that I keep, not the 5 etc that I make :) Gunna be one hell of a challenge! I shall try and post my progress often!

Stuff about Stuff

Car Accident/Insurance

Well I am really happy, mum got a call from the insurance agency and it looks like the lady’s insurance will pay out $3,400. The assessor actually looked at the car as a whole, not just the paint job, which honestly surprised us. We were expecting them to be stingy and go the low end of her market value, even though her car was in excellent working condition. One good thing, in August/Sept while mum was O/s she wanted us to go and get it repainted for her, but the cost was quiet high, so we didn’t.. Good thing too or a few months later it would have been a waste!!

Local Scrapping

Have been having a lot of scrapping with some of my local scrap-a-holics lol. It’s really great to scrap with others, I never achieve much, but I have a good time none the less. I got sick of carrying my stuff around in plastic bags, so I bought myself a tote. It was $62.50 from my LSS, it was down from $125 ;)

Retreat

I am going on a local retreat. It’s held just out of Bacchus Marsh and is at the end of May. I am really excited. Kylie let me know about it, but quiet a few from our scrappy circle will be going. So it will be great!

ATC Challenge Blog

The girls have been doing so well keeping up. We’ve already given away a few prizes. Some more will be coming up soon. Week 26 is our big give away (you have to have done 26/26 ATC’s but if you haven’t been with us since the start that’s ok, you just need to get them all done by week 26.)

The way the year’s flying I’d best think of something for week 52 lol.

Inchies and ATC swaps

There’s another inchie swap on the group. Theme is Nature. I can’t wait to see what the girls come up with!! Signups are open until the 7th of March.
There is also a Wings ATC Swap, signups close on the 10th of March.

Finished Renovating

Some of the mess that we created while we were doing our renovations. Quiet disturbing lol!












I did most of the undercoat on Friday night after Michael went to bed. Looked really patchy, but came up a treat when the top coat went on.







Our brand new lounge :) I went out Saturday night to a crop, and when I came home (at 3.30am lol) Michael had painted the whole lounge while I was gone. What a sweetie hey? He had ulterior motive though, he wanted to go out Gold Detecting on Sunday :D

September Goodies.

These are my goodies for September from the lovely Ebony. Unfortunately I was sick when I got them, the went to the retreat, and life got in the way of taking photos. My October pack is due to arrive soon, and as Ebony was lovely and gave me a voucher to spend I know what I am gettng for that month. I am really excited about it too as I just about got 100% stamps :) With this pack, some rubons are missing as well as a packet of brads which I gave to mum.

 

 

Retreat Time

Michael and I drove up to Murtoa 2 Saturdays ago. Michael left me at mum's so we could drive to the retreat together.

Had an absolute blast with the girls off my table, they were fantastic! The hostess, Michelle, who I have know for many years online, was really different this year. Welcomed us but then pretty much ignored us. I am not sure if we did something wrong, but it was really disconcerting, even a member of her DT was not the same as she was last year. Michelle's husband on the other hand was just as friendly as I remembered and we had a couple of really good chats. He's a hard worked like Michael and also goes looking for gold like Mick.
This year, I took NO photos to the retreat to scrap, my goal was atc's and Cards. Did no Cards (well one in class), and about 20 ATC's. Did however do 2 Lo's which I was amazed about as I wasn't going to do any this year. Last year I was going to do Lo's only and only did one haha.

Anyhow here are some photos from the retreat..

Mum and I taking a break from the drive. (Snow up the back mountain)

Our Table, clock wise from left, Rosanne, Mel, {Jo, not in photo}, Lana, Maria, Liz, {Yvonne, not in photo}, {Lesley, not in photo}, Kim, Denise, Wendy, {Me, not in photo}, Mum, Rae.

All the excitement of a hail storm, quiet large balls, but luckily very soft!!

Me, Mum and Rae, working hard.. Of course ;)

Lana loving her ink, Maria working hard, and Liz running a muck :D

Class over. Notice it is only girls from Our table in this class...

This was our photo swap. The idea, put 3 photos on a desk face down, then when everyone had done that. Go and pick a pile of someone else's photos and scrap them. Above was the page I made for Julie. I was lucky as I didn't bring any photos (as I wasn't going to scrapbook), but mum had the 20 free ones I had picked up for her at Scrappit. Below is the second LO I did, it was for Rosanne, she loved the one I did for Julie, and asked me to scrap her one lol. Her's is blue as she wanted the water paper to be on the page.

Us holding the LO we made for someone else

Us holding the LO that was made for us.

Mum and I last breakfast.

Group shot!

Hope you enjoyed checking out my photos. I am going to get myself organised and put up all of the ATC's I have ever made.. but give me a little bit lol.

Cheers
Liz

I forgot..

Ages ago when Allcraftz had the NSD I took the photos of my classes that came, I forgot to post them haha.. mind you some are still in this form. WHOOPS LOL. I am going to complete at least ONE of these things on the Scrapbookit retreat

	"Mini" Album
Card Class
	Basic Grey Mini Album
Lo Class

I found this really cool site yesterday, it has so much SCRAPPING info on it, links to publication calls, Dt calls, competitions, retreats, challenges, sales.. pretty much everything scrapping that us Aussies can join in on. If you know of an event, you just email the lovely Gabbie. She will do her bit, and get it on the site for you.

As for the competitions, the have links to other off site competitions, but they are also holding somen themselves. They held one yesterday for these YUMMY stamps... Donated by Lime Tart. Aren't they cool?? To enter all you had to do was leave a message on Aussie Scrapbooking's blog... Well some lucky so and so won them and... ok ok the so and so was ME :O how cool!!! I am really really excited. I don't often win anything, so I am totally stoked. Today's competition entry requires you to spread the love for Aussie Scrapbooking. With the chance to win a pink Smiggle tin, filled to the brim with some yummo goodies!! So why not drop over and try your luck?? You never know what the scrapping gods might give you.

Big thanks to Aussie Scrapbooking and Lime Tart. I can't wait to play with my new stamps!!

I am a bad Blogger

I haven't blogged for ages... ok.. what has been happening... I will back post so I can add photos, but here is the run down..

• Went to Wangaratta and up to Harrietville for the Scrapbookit Retreat (View photos here)
  
• I didn't scrap much. I spent alot of time talking.
  
• Met some lovely people there.
  
• Made some cool altered stuff
  
• Did a couple of classes
• Went to Paperific
• Met a cool scrapbooking pom named Zoe, we plan to meet up again
• Got to see a few of the ladies I met at the Scrapbookit Retreat
• Made lots of Makes and takes
• Bought lots - lol
  
• Went to Bundaberg for my best friends commitment ceremony (view here for pictures)
  
• Got to visit all my old mates
• Got somewhat drunk on one night
• Had a night out with a new boy (a 6 year old, lol)
  
• Went to Brisbane with Mum for an early Christmas present in late Nov-early Dec
• Stayed in the City
• Walked 700miles to a scrabook store for a free class... which nearly killed mum and I
  
• Went to a free class at Scrapbook City, had a lot of fun there, bought a lot!
  
• Ate out every night for a week
• Went to the Casino
• Entered Scrapbookit altered item comp and came in Runner up, won a lovely paper pack.
  
• Went to Murtoa for Christmas
• Got some LOVELY earrings from Michael. The Diamonds in my earings are larger than the stones in my engagement ring lol.
• Got a pretty pendant from Mick as well
• Mum gave me some yummy Scrapping stuff
• Mum also gave me an altered word - Create which I love.

I can't think of anything else atm.. I am going to post some of the things I have scrapped lately.

Scrapbookit Retreat 2007

Mum stretching her legs

Mum and I having a break at Glen Rowan

Lesley, Michelle and Me after Michelle broke Lesley's Sizzix

Explosion box class Card class, this one was SOO much fun and easier to keep up with, even though we didn't make all the cards we were supposed to :)