Mini Albums

It would appear that I have a few followers who have been checking into see what I have been up to, only to find nothings changed!  I caught up with some friends to crop with last week and heard about my lack of blogging lately, so, I got the point lol!  Incidently we were cropping in what has turned into an amazing cropping space without really meaning to be - my friends husband had turned the back of the garage into an office for work; office space being the premium that it is in Christchurch since the earthquake, it makes sense to use whatever space you can find! So it was built with four work stations the perfect space for us to crop in too - I wonder if her Dh foresaw that happening :))

I have had quite a bit going on lately, with work, MIL moving house for what seems like the hundredth time, really its five moves in 8 years but it seems like a lot!, my health and my stepfathers health. But I have found the time to scrap!

Ive made three mini albums lately, two using the small rectangle Kaisercraft albums, and another using an old Creative Imaginations album and box. Ive also been determined to start using up old stash, some of which I bought because I absolutely adored it, but I did'nt want to get into the situation where in time to come I'd pass it on because tastes had changed and I would wonder what on earth I was thinking when I bought it!  Believe me that has happened :(  I have also stuck to my habit of making a card with the leftover scraps - I like the way it ties the whole project together, especially if giving it as a gift.

Be warned this post is long and is very photo heavy!

The first album I made was for my sisters best friend, her daughter was getting married, and she thought this would be a really nice way of holding onto those memories.  The bridesmaids were dressed in a lovely sage green colour, so I chose to use an old range from Kay&C0.

The lid has a magnetic closure to it. The gems dangling down from the corner are part of a Prima Angel Eyes   range of flowers, I just separated the flower from the gems and used the flower  inside the album.

Lastly the scraps were used to make a card and decorate a gift bag.

The second album is for another wedding.  Ive used a Kaisercraft mini album and allowed for only a few snaps - this wedding is quite small with just the respective parents, at a ceremony in a Registry office in England. The paper and embellisments this time are from Basic Grey Capella.  Apologies for the quality of these photos, I needed to get this in the post quick smart and the weather was not co-operating!

The album this time was placed in a little wooden book I found ages ago. The card is made from the left over scraps from the sticker sheet and canvas tags.

The final album I have to show you is for a friends son's baptism.  I used another Kaisercraft mini album and this time I used the Little Darlings range of paper and chipboard embellishments, with some Kaisercraft rubons that I have rubbed onto transparencies leaving enough room to pop the photo underneath, so that the rubon still shows.

Phew! Finally you can breathe a sigh of relief Ive finished :)  Hope you enjoyed!
Have a great weekend!
Megan

St Bathans

I have a particular interest in history, not any topic in particular, I just find it fascinating, all of it!  It was Forbes's idea to head over to the Blue Lake and St Bathans while we were in Cromwell.  We had planned an extra day into our trip to have a look around the district, and I had never been here before.  I had no idea it was part of the  Otago Goldfields, and predictably I loved our wee visit - there was land for sale which I was dying to buy to build a holiday home on, of course my idea of a holiday got squashed pretty quickly, since I wanted to research what was there and try to rebuild it, Forbes said he should have known I'd take a simple idea and turn it on its head lol, that and the bank balance would shriek at the idea.  But you know dreams are free!  Its so peaceful there and the scenery is beautiful, sigh.

So, a bit of history.  2834Kg of gold was extracted from this area, which encompassed three mines, one of which was the Kildare Mine and it was this mine that later formed the Blue Lake.  It operated the highest hydraulic lift in the world at that time with two vertical lifts, one 165ft and one 60ft.

By 1864, 1000 people live in Dunstan Creek.  In 1866 the Dunstan Creek was dropped and renamed St Bathans, the original name given by the first surveyor of the district.  In the late 1860's it boasted 15 hotels, a number of gambling and dance halls and many businesses.  Many of the miners came from Ireland, and there were also 50 registered Chinese miners.  Most of the dwellings disappeared after WWII.  The sun-dried brick buildings, like other dwellings in St Bathans suuccumbed to the weather after their roofs were removed for their iron.

I love this photo! does'nt the sky look so dramatic in the background?!  Thats our beloved 1967 Mustang parked in the front by the way.

The Vulcan hotel was originally called the Ballarat Hotel, built in  1882.  Its name was changed after the original Vulcan Hotel further down the street was destroyed by fire.  The shamrock you can see in the middle of the facade is an original relic from the times of the rivalry between the Irish settlers from St Bathans, and the Welsh settlers from Cambrian just down the road.  Their rivalry was known as "The War of the Roses".  Theres also a friendly ghost that is said to have taken up residence in Room1!  In 1967 all 22 residents voted for 10 o'clock closing - it was the only place in NZ which had made a unanimous decision.

On a clear gorgeous sunny day the lake apparently is the loveliest shade of blue - a shame the sun was'nt playing ball that day :(  You can drive right down to the lakes edge and canoe, speed boat etc in the lake.  The colour of the lake is a direct result of the mining that went on.

We did'nt get to see everything and so we're going back.  You can stay in the Policemans cottage, which Im dying to do! and wander through the old cemetaries - theres two, one for Catholics and one for Non-Catholics.  So much history still to discover, we will back next year!

I discovered when we got here that we had left the memory chip for the camera at home so I only had room in the memory for four photos - the rest was taken up by car photos and  there was apparently no way in hell I could delete those lol!  When we left here we went to Alexandra for lunch and found a camera store - you can't go to a car show without taking loads of photos.  How exciting!  Im kidding, really!

Have a good week

The Annual Trek to Cromwell

Last week we did our annual trip to Cromwell for the Classic Car and Hotrod Show.  This is one of Forbes's favourite shows and seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year.  700 cars this year, Forbes's idea of heaven :).  I on the other hand go because he goes, not because Im  so enamoured with looking under car hoods lol!  And I get to catch up with all the girls in the club and do some shopping.  There is this shop that Karen and I always go to and never fail to buy something from, most importantly they stock small sizes!, so I love going there, but this time I found they were gone!! Karen said thats it we're going home :) and then we spied it, it had moved!  And yes we did grab a bargain, I bought a gorgeous handbag that Forbes doesn't understand why I could possibly need another one, and just quietly they sold quite a few more after some of the girls saw mine!
Im not going to bore you with loads of car photos but when I get the camera fixed - I can't seem to download my photos at the moment - I will show our trip down to St Bathans, but I'll have to save it for a later post because you have to see the photos!

On the scrappy front I have busy trying to finish my class for Scrappin Patch's March Retreat, and I'll show you some sneak peaks when Im done.  I've also had a friend at work getting married back home, so had an idea to create a brag book for her as a gift.  I know when we got married I was given everyones photos, and ended up with loads of them, so Im guessing she will have the same thing happen.  I bought a couple of brag books from the Warehouse, and covered the front.  I actually bought two and decorated the other for another friend who has just had her second grandchild, so she could definitely use a brag book!

A friend of mine is very arty, she paints, and she paints really well - one thing Im at hopeless at.  I can't seem to do grungy/abstract very well either, probably because it goes against my anal neat and tidy nature :).  For her birthday I decided to give a canvas ago, with no photos, just an artsy canvas thing, and Im actually surprised how it turned out.  What do you think?  She loved it by the way.

Oh and of course a card!

So there you have it, now I just need to go sort out that camera!
Later

O Christmas Tree

I realise now I forgot to share my Christmas tree pics!  I love Christmas, its my favourite time of year.  Forbes can take it or leave it, and it was never celebrated which much gusto when he was growing up.  I on the other hand love decorating the house, and it always seems naked when the decorations get put away each year.  Forbes calls our house Santas grotto when all the decorations go up, which is such an exaggeration - shaking my head - if you compare our house to those that have awesome displays you can go visit, my house is naked!

Some people like my sister theme their trees.  Hers is a white tree with silver, glass and white decorations trimmed with white feather boas - it is just beautiful.  Im a traditional chick, but only in so far as the decorations.  I don't have a real tree, love the smell but the pine needles dropping would do my head in :) so I have a fake tree.  the decorations are in reds/burgundys and gold.  A lot of my decorations I bought whilst living in London - I have some very special sets that I bought in Harrods, that I just had to have!  And no they were'nt cheap at 8 pounds each and came in a set of six, but they're just beautiful - just had to quantify that :).  I have an addiction to snowflakes too, so theres a few on the tree.
This year I decided to forgo the tinsel and just covered the tree in decorations - I quite like it.  I am a bit of a tidy freak that could be why, grin!

So heres the tree and some of my favourite decorations.  There are lights on it I might add, you just can't see them - they up and down the tree instead of around.

The only down side to Christmas this year was the clanger of an earthquake on the 23rd.  I was on my way to work when it hit, I actually thought I had a flat tyre so pulled over and then twigged to what was happening - it was like driving on a trampoline that someone was jumping on, quite disconcerting.  When the next one hit I was walking to recovery to pick a patient up, walking along the link corridor which is an internal corridor that runs around the side of the building if you get my drift.  It looks out over Riccarton Ave.  The force was so strong I had to stop walking because I could'nt stand up straight, and the building was swaying violently - for a second there I contemplated jumping out the window because it just felt like the building was going to go.  I have'nt been at work for any of the quakes, but I can now appreciate why some people now have a fear of multistory buildings - it was not nice!  I guess you just dust yourself off and get on with it as best you can - of course I don't live in the eastern suburbs, if I did my outlook might be different.

Take care out there!

Theres nothing so good as a good book!

When I was younger I used to read all the time, every chance I got.  I would even stick my book under the covers with a torch and read when I was supposed to be asleep - of course I was absolutely certain my mother never knew which of course is total rubbish - she knew everything!  These days I tend to only get to read before I go to sleep and since I mostly work afternoons, then it only happens on my days off.  Lately Ive been spending any chance I get reading, Ive become addicted again :)  I love a good read especially those that are sooooo good you just can't put it down, and then when its finished you're almost gutted.
My niece enjoys a good book I discovered recently which was a surprise to me - just something I would never have picked about her.  I don't remember her being a reader as a child.  She has introduced me to an author called SJ Bolton, an english author who writes thrillers.  They are awesome!  I have'nt been able to track them down in Whitcoulls but I have found them online at Mighty Ape and ordered two - they're on their way, Im one very excited chick!
My husband on the other hand is not a reader, unless its a car magazine and then he will read it cover to cover.  The other week I was glued to a SJ Bolton book most of the day, just could'nt put it down.  Forbes made some comment about sitting doing nothing all day; say what?!  I was not doing nothing I was reading!  So whats the difference between reading a car magazine all afternoon and reading a book?  He did'nt have answer for that, but said I must've been bored - don't think he gets it do you ? :)
I have'nt scrapbooked about my obsession with reading, (maybe I should!) except for the Twilight series and I confess Im reading it again for the fourth time - so much better than the movies, although I still have to watch them!
Im also a bit anal about my books, and now won't lend them out, after happily lending them to people in the past, and they come back damaged or lost or in one case taken by a daughter to read also who then passed it on to her friend and of course I never saw it again!  I have learnt my lesson, and I love my books too much to lose any more.

Time to get back into a good book!
Have a good week!

Birthday, Wedding and Christmas Presents

Sorry in advance, time seems to have runaway from me and two weeks have flown by since I blogged!  I have been a  busy wee bee and not just at work.  You would think that the hospitals would calm down now and surgery lists would decrease, but no thats not how it works, it seems to go the opposite, with trying to get as much through as they can by running extra theatre lists - well thats what they're doing on our ward anyway.  I just worked a stretch of four days on, one day off, two days on, one day off and four days on! Phew! glad thats over :)

In between working I have actually found some mojo, and have been busy creating.  This time of year is'nt just Christmas presents for me, its a lot of birthdays too and a wedding present I wanted to get finished.  Theres lots to show you so sit back and relax!

My niece turned 22 this month - funny because it seems not that long ago I was feeding her a bottle!  She had a pretty low key celebration at home, and my gift to her was her favourite bottle of plonk, and a pair of earrings.  I had an old wine container at home from a previous Christmas, so I turned that into a gift container using some old MME papers that have been burning a hole in my stash for some time now - quite a satisfying achievement to get rid, sorry :) to use up some of those papers.  Ive also used a Tim Holtz ornate knob by drilling a hole through the lid of the box and popping some BoBunny flowers underneath it.

The other item I made was a mini album.  Another product I had in my stash for quite sometime - Maya Road heart shaped album.  The papers I chose were from Kaisercraft Chanteuse Collection - I used this because it matched the bridesmaids fabric (even though you don't see them in the album) and the dresses of Kims adorable little nieces.  I decided to keep it simple since theres not much room in them once you add papers and photos, and as it was I took a 'heart' out of the book, to give it more room.  I also wanted to focus on their family, so kept the photos and theme around that.

Ok, so after this I had some other gifts to make.  This wooden letter was an order from a friend of mine.  Again I used the last of my paper stash, this time BG Bittersweet - this one was one of my all time favourites.

For my lovely friend Karen I try to do something a little different.  Shes a scrapper as well, and has a shop in Invercargill called Inkspiration.  This year her whole family went for a holiday to Rarotonga, and put some of their photos on Facebook.  So rather than buy something I made her a Kaiser flipflop album.  She has been a very naughty elf and unwrapped it already lol.  And yes she loves it.
Over at Artistic Document I signed up for Secret Santa again this year.  My recipient who shall remain nameless at this stage, has been another very naughty elf and with some egging on by her fellow elf friends unwrapped her present early shock horror!  Im afraid Ive had to snitch and tell Santa on both of them lol!
My SS does the most amazing tree every year - this year she has hung it upside down.  So I decided my pressie had to be a bit different and considering she has enough scrapping stuff to open her own shop lol, I thought a Christmas decoration was in order.  I found this metal present in the chemist of all places and thought I could re-invent it.  The ribbon and metal tag I already had, and the wee Merry Christmas embellishment on the bow was an old piece in my Christmas stash from Making Memories.  The berry bunch on top and the glass bell inside the metal present I found at Crabtree and Evelyn.  I love it!  Was actually tempted to keep it, but don't tell :)

One of the last gifts Ive made is for a friend of ours who is as obsessed with Dr Who as Forbes and I are.  David lives in England so lucky him gets all the new releases way before we do, so he very kindly records them for us and sends them over.  We're very spoilt!  His wife Emma and I nursed together and I have always sent her something at Christmas, but this year I included David for keeping us updated with our much loved Dr.  He has posted a lot of heritage photos on his facebook page so I nicked one of them and made this frame for his office at home.  Its pretty safe on here - he doesnt know about my blog :)  The frame is Kaiser, the papers are Pink Paislee left over scraps, some Prima packaging, bling and flower, Dusty Attic chipboard, Melissa Frances resin heart, and seam binding ribbon. Ive sanded the frame to make it look a bit more rustic.

Phew! All done, a few other things to share before Christmas - 6 sleeps to go!!
Happy Scrapping