And So I Don't Forget...

CHA Splurging

I love checking out the shiny new scrapbook products as they're released at CHA. (Scrapbook.com has a range of videos; Scrappy Jedi has booth photos and links to manufacturer's sneak peeks.) Thankfully I'm a lot more discriminating about what I buy nowadays, paying more attention to the type and style of products I actually use, rather than just because something looks pretty! But there were a couple of collections that captured my interest and some of them are hitting scrapbooking stores now. 

This morning I went shopping! Thank you Christmas money. :)

Although I'm not generally a huge fan of themed products, I fell in love with Crate Paper's Little You collection. (Only a month till Chip is due now!) The line divides into a pink based colour scheme for girls and boy tones for boys. Brand new in store at scrapbook.com AND currently on 20% sale with an additional 10% discount code available, I had a great time selecting my favourites. Among my purchases: 

The chipboard stickers and cardstock stickers aimed at baby boys. Not knowing Chip's gender I've selected from both sides of this collection, but favoured the blue tones a little as I find them more versatile. There aren't that many pieces in either pack that specify boy, some of which I could cover if necessary or use on cards.

At a better price point than the chipboard stickers, I didn't resist ordering the ephemera packs in both girl and boy. You can see the contents of the packs here at Crate Paper.  

This gold vellum is adorable. I can see cutting it up to use as page titles, maybe even framing a section or two for Chip's room. (Actually, I'm already wishing I purchased an extra sheet of this!)

Enamel dots, including a good range of the littlest size, in the girl scheme and the boy. I use these on so many pages, enamel dots are the easiest purchase for me to justify to myself. 

Almost the exact opposite of Little You's pastels, On Trend 2 was another of my favourites from the CHA show. Again, 30% off My Mind's Eye at scrapbook.com right now. I've had great shopping karma this morning! (Just need the Australian dollar to improve against the US and I'm all set.) 

I liked enough of the papers in this collection to justify buying the 6x6 paper pad, which does include some gold foil pages. Many of the designs are so bold I knew I'd struggle to use them as backgrounds or in large portions, but the scaled down 6x6 size makes chopping into paper for little pops of colour so much easier. I just went with two single sheets as full 12x12, and I'd really like to see what I can create using the chunky green stripe as a background. 

Enamel dots and hearts, of course. There are more of the littlest size than any other so I'm definitely sold. And I rounded out the embellishments with cardstock stickers and die cut pieces. Although there are a few flamingos and cactus pots - this might be motivation to scrapbook our trip to the Galapagos Islands as I've no idea in what other context I'd use flamingos! - the majority of these packs are simpler shapes and sentiments.  

I'm still on the look out for Basic Grey's Hillside and Paislee Press' Fancy Free, the other two CHA collections that caught my eye, but I finished up my shopping with some metallic sequins (I think this is a great price for the amount), vellum with gold foil hearts, a ridiculously cute onesie transparency, new cutting mat and blade for my Silhouette Cameo and a Wink of Stella glitter brush marker. It's something new for me but Jennifer McGuire uses it to great effect as a finishing touch on cards. Oh, and a few more packets of enamel dots. :)  

Paper Goodness

My stationery purchases from Japan.

Given the 5 floors of stationery at Tokyo store Itoya, I think I was quite restained in my selections. 

Love papery goodness.

Anyone have a spare $2450 for me?

 
This is a Geisha girls make-up lockers from a nightclub in Kyoto. I'm not kidding. See...

 

I really, really, really want it. Unfortunately I don't have a spare $2450 so I had to leave it in the shop.

Given I have a sneaking suspicion that geisha girls make-up lockers don't come on the market that often, I may have to set my future sights on Japanese shoe lockers instead.

 
Unless someone has a spare $2450 for me, that is.

Oh, baby

On the weekend I bought a new camera. My first DSLR. I think I'm in love.

 

Reoccurring Mess

This is my bedroom, also known as my scrap room, as it looked on Saturday. Note the clean floor and desk. It's not spotless, but reasonably tidy.

 

 

  

I could post a photo for contrast but I will leave it up to your imagination to picture the state it is in now. There are stamps and punches all over the desk and a pile of scrapbooking things have migrated to the floor. (I seem to have a perpetual cycle of moving things from the desk onto to my bed when I want to scrapbook. That's fine until it comes time to go to bed and the desk is too messy to put things back and they end up on the floor!)

 

There is also a tangle of electrical things, a bottle of wine, a couple of handbags, some books, three pairs of shoes and a few changes of clothes dumped on my floor. Also worth mentioning, the ceiling light isn't working at the moment as the globe blew the other day and I haven't had a chance to replace it. I have to be careful when I enter the room at night, trying to negotiate all that stuff in the dark! (I feel the need to reassure you that the rest of the house is clean - I have a housemate so things may get strewn all over my bedroom but rarely anywhere else.)Friday night I came home from work and tidied my bedroom. Saturday morning I cleaned the desk and sorted through the pile of paper that always seems to accumulate. At 1pm Saturday, when I took the photos, my room was clean!

 

It is only 6pm Monday. That is only 53 hours later. 17 of those hours I spent sleeping, another 9 was spent at work. How on earth do I make so much mess?!

 

Okay, I did have a busy weekend.

 

Saturday night I went to a friend's 3oth birthday dinner at Quaff Restaurant. I thought we were just going out for dinner and didn't realise they had hired a room, his family had flown down from Queensland and we were all being shouted to a delicious 3 course meal. (I had duck sausage, falling off the bone tender veal shank and a vanilla panna cotta with berries.) I'm feeling a little guilty; I would have bought a better present if I'd know!

 

Sunday I met some friends for breakfast then headed off with Lucy to do some antiquing (love that word) while the guys did manly things.

 

Although there were a few things I considered, I restrained my purchases to this cutlery tray. Future home of something scrapbook related I'm thinking.

 

The drive home had a few mishaps - the righthand turn I couldn't make, necessitating me getting on and off the freeway, and later taking the wrong exit and actually driving away from my place - which had Lucy and I giggling away. When we stopped at Anaconda, an outdoorsy store, people must have thought us loopy (or high in Lucy's words) we were laughing so much.  

 

I made it home in time to dash inside, throw on some clothes, pack a bag and arrive at the gym for yoga. Unfortunately there wasn't time to drop off Lucy (and her husband was having too much fun to pick her up) so she waiting in the car outside for the hour. Sorry Lucy!

 

Afterwards we all meet up again at an Indian restaurant for dinner. I had actually arranged to meet Nicole, another of our friends, there but we hijacked the plans, changed the reservation, and all trooped along.

 

Nicole and I were having dinner in celebration of our 18 years of friendship. We met in Grade 3 when we both moved to Melbourne within a few weeks of each other. As we were leaving the restaurant Nicole's husband Paul commented that we reached 18 years last year but we both denied that.  After doing some calculations today (on the whiteboard at work) I discovered Paul's right. So, Happy 19 Years of Friendship Nicole!  

 

So you see, I was a little busy this weekend. It felt a bit chaotic in fact. I actually came home from dinner and went to bed, turning the light (bedside light as the overhead one isn't working) off at 9pm. I was a little tired! I heard someone once say a chaotic mind leads to a chaotic space and my bedroom is prime evidence of that!

 

I should be cleaning my bedroom right now - I'm in the middle of a spare 2 hours between getting home from work and heading out for a session of climbing - but I don't think the tidyness would last 53 hours yet again. I'm out every night this week!

 

Monday night – Going climbing

Tuesday night – Seeing a play with my Mum

Wednesday night – Having a massage

Thursday night – Having dinner at Mum and Dad’s

Friday night – Going to the first of the football finals

Saturday and Sunday – Going camping

 

Where is my scrapbooking and puttering around home time? Not until next Monday? Oih - I'm feeling chaotic again!

 

I could tidy my bedroom, I know I should, but all that tidyness will just get consumed by my chaos enduced, reoccurring mess. I think I'll just look at those 53 hour old photos of a nice clean bedroom and pretend. 

A Weekend of Unplugging

This weekend I headed away with friends, staying in a house in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Powered only by a generator, we had to leave all our electronics at home. That was what I was most looking forward to -  switching off.

 

I want to remember how much fun it is to sit around and laugh over board games, trying not to be too competitive.

Browsing antiques in Castlemaine.

 

 

 

 Amazing corn beef sandwiches on delicious parmesan and chive bread. 

Meandering through the bush, through fences, up and down hills and avoiding the sheep dung.

 

Exploring a cemetery, noting those who came before.

 

Sitting around the fire, cross-stitching while others browsed the newspaper, occasionally chatting. So easy, so comfortable.

Our Monopoly showdown (after Gareth trounced us the night before) where Chris and I pitted hotel against hotel and I landed in jail at least 5 times in a row.

 

 

 
 Riding in the RACV tow truck after the car wouldn't start. Sending Lucy and Chris to find some lunch then eating fish and chips on the car bonnet. Working out which items I could live without for a week or so as we abandoned the car in the driveway and hitched a ride home with Lucy and Chris. 

 

A weekend I want to repeat, often. Good friends, no set schedule. Chatting and laughing, no electronic distractions. Wouldn't mind a hairdryer next time though. 

Climbing, Eating, Shopping and Watching

As I begin writing this blog post there is only 40 minutes until the final of Masterchef begins. The Election Leaders Debate is on TV at the moment, an hour earlier than originally scheduled. Sensibly, the politicians decided they didn’t want to compete with Masterchef for an audience!

My housemate Paula has almost finished preparing a special dinner of lasagna, garlic bread and salad for us and a bottle of wine is already open, ready to celebrate the winner. I’m an Adam fan, have been for weeks, however Paula has a bit of a soft spot for Callum. Watching a winner announced will be a great finish to the weekend, although it’s going to be unusual having nothing scheduled at 7:30pm, 6 days a week.

My weekend hasn’t revolved around Masterchef though; I didn’t even watch the episode on Friday night. Instead I went rock-climbing. Yep, you read that right, indoor rock-climbing.

With my only other experience rock-climbing being on a school camp at least 15 years ago where I vaguely recall stepping two pegs up the wall before deciding I couldn’t do it and giving up, I was somewhat apprehensive when my sister gave me the voucher for Christmas. I wanted to think I could do it, but really wasn’t feeling so confident. It took us a while to get organised (did I mention the present was from Christmas 2008?) but finally Friday was the day.

With harnesses in place, Jenna’s done up especially tight after the instructor mentioned the possibility of flipping upside down in mid-air, we went through our safety guidelines. (On an aside – just discovered the thesaurus on my new laptop is in French. Not particularly helpful!) Double loop through the carabineer, end of the rope through the harness loop and recreate a figure eight knot. Hands move in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, rope down, brake on. With all that in mind we took to the wall.

Jenna climbed first as I belayed. Although fine on the short wall under the instructor’s supervision, she climbed not quite halfway up the 12 metre high wall before deciding she was high enough. Have I mentioned Jenna’s scared of heights?

Then it was my turn. I took to the wall with trepidation but after hesitating as I worked out how on earth to actually begin, I climbed. Hand after hand, foothold after foothold, up I went. I was so proud of myself!

I could see the point Jenna had reached looming up above me, providing motivation. I was determined I was going to pass that point and I did, managing a few footholds further before my fears kicked in. I don’t have a problem with heights, I just don’t like falling! The higher I got, the more likely it seemed I would slip. Letting go and dangling mid-air didn’t concern me (unlike Jenna who had to close her eyes before she could release her hands) but the idea of slipping and beginning that dangling unintentionally freaked me out.

We climbed for about an hour, going up again and again but never managing to go any higher. The height didn’t get easier for Jenna and as my arms tired I worried more about slipping. I really enjoyed it though, or at least I’m pretty sure I did. Regardless, I’m going again next week with a friend who likes to climb. Even Jenna wants to go again – that 12 metre wall is challenging us both, waiting to be conquered!

After the activity of Friday night, Saturday was much more about eating. For lunch I wandered to a café around the corner with Paula and her old housemate. Love having places like that only a few blocks away - it feels decadent! Dinner was a bit more of a trek – an Indian restaurant on the other side of the city but the food (and company of Lucy, Chris and Mike) was worth it. I got a text message today from Mike telling me he had eaten too much and I have to say it was mutual. So much food but so delicious. Before I began the drive home we played a few rounds of Just Dance on the Wii. Challenging (and beating) Chris really got my energy levels up.

Today Mum and I headed into the city for the Craft and Quilt Fair. I was happy enough to go after Mum suggested it but didn’t think I would find much to interest me and had no plans to buy much of anything. Oih, was I wrong! We were there for almost 5 hours, wandering the isles, admiring the quilts, finding lots of fabrics and things that we would like to buy and some that we actually did. We were reasonably restrained in our purchases but gathered a list of shops to visit soon!

We had lunch together in the Crown Food Court before enjoying an icecream in the sun by the river. Pretty idyllic but make me yearn all the more for summer. I was home in time to make my yoga class which I really enjoy but often wonder why – remind me to explain tortoise position to you sometime – and that pretty much brings my weekend to a close. Except to say Adam did win Masterchef but Callum became my late favourite after being behind all night. Not to worry though, they offered him a job and scholarship too.

Is that the Mailman?

 As I headed off to work this morning I opened my front door to find a parcel sitting there waiting for me. I have no idea how it came to be there – I certainly didn’t hear the mailman buzzing or a knock at the door – but I really didn’t care. I was just excited my parcel had arrived!

 

I couldn't bear leaving the package unopened so I quickly hacked through that packing tape and started oohing and aahing over the contents, including this:

Source: Papier Valise 

I'm just planning ahead!

The trip to the train station gave me just enough time to flip through all the little bits and pieces (I was the passenger, not driving!) before I, sensibly, had to leave the parcel in the car.

I get such a buzz when a parcel of scrapbooking stuff arrives, much more than from shopping in a store. Sure, sometimes it's a (unpleasant) surprise when I see something in person for the first time, but I love that anticipation and sense of discovery. I may have assessed, considered and ordered (and paid for!) the items only a few weeks earlier but it still feels like opening a present, every single time.

 

With the CHA show coming up and lots of new scrapbooking products hitting the shelves soon, I'm on a self-imposed prohibition from purchasing at the moment. No buying old product when there will probably be new things I like more (and I can buy it all at once to save on shipping!) I can look though, as long as my willpower can stand it, and I'm certainly scouring those sneak peeks to see what I like.

 

All the collections from My Mind's Eye have caught my attention, particularly Alphabet Soup and I Believe. I'm a bit surprised, they haven't previously been one of my favourites.

 
Source: The Scrap Review

 
  Source: The Scrap Review

There are some Halloween papers that I think are gorgeous, however given I am Australian and we don't celebrate Halloween, I will be able to restrain myself from purchasing those.

A package may have arrived for me this morning but somehow it's really easy to start looking towards that next purchase.  (At this point I will add, mainly to my mother, that I do stick to a budget and my spending is NOT out of control). I love scrapbooking and will use what I buy (well a significant portion of it, at some stage, somehow) but there is no denying it's incredibly fun to search through all those pretty, colourful scrapbooking products and purchase some. The aim of this hobby isn't to collect pretty, colourful things, but it is a very enjoyable side effect. (I even enjoy organising them all!)

Anyway, before that diversion I was about to own up to buying something else online today. Yes, I received a package them made sure another will soon be on it's way. (Not a normal course of events I promise.) You might have noted that my prohibition was on purchasing SCRAPBOOKING stuff - no one said anything about this:

 

Source: Modish Vintage - Hands off though people, that D is a one-of-a-kind vintage D and it's on the way to me! I had been looking at D's for a while but when I saw this one was 12 inches high - scrapbooking size! - I knew it was meant to be. And yes, it is safe to assume I have a style crush on Ali Edwards. 

I got my confirmation receipt this afternoon - that D will be arriving at my door sometime in the next week or 2. So you'll have to excuse me now, I'm off to listen for the mailman.