This Blog has been out of whack for two weeks and last night I got down to finally fixing it. On Safari, Chrome or Firefox it's perfectly fine which explains why MAC browsers have no problem viewing, it's just pc users who get this weird, skewed version.  HTML is tricky, I'm really not the best person with it and Xanga seems to get more complicated with each option offered to its users. I've deleted the skin and am now using just a plain template ..... hopefully this will resolve the viewing issue.

Resolution 2552/2010 - get more oragnised !!!

Yesterday was spent at the warehouse trying to tidy and sort out all the accumulated bits and bobs from classes the past year. I should have done it all before the stuff moved to the warehouse as then it would have saved me having to trawl through a whole load of stuff piece by piece, finding WHERE to return them in an even larger storage space. The class packs have been sorted out, and I've got the products for the new class in March.

So ....... layouts or mini-book ?




 
Some pics from the Opening Celebrations of the new Sizzix Center ....

Aleene (the youngest Big Shot owner), myself, Irene, Pooi Pooi and Emeline.




The effeverscent Hani who looks after the Sizzix store.






Today - spending the day at home, get cracking on more Imaginisce projects, there's also Urban Lily to finish.

See 'ya !!

When I make these,  I am reminded how the simplest things in life are so, so good !

Roast potatoes With Sea Salt.

 





Made With Love's Discover Canvas Class sneak.
Class schedules are almost ready, watch out for them !

Want some  Cocoa Daisy February Sneak Peeks ???














 
February will be my final month with this wonderful kit club. After almost three years, it will be hard not to miss the company of fabulous personalities, the stellar creative talents, mostly the generous warmth of the team. Tricia is one of the most open, the sweetest person to work with and really brave for taking the chance of opening doors to unknown scrappers from outside the US. And the Daisies in the forum ...... they are from all over the world, they are so much fun, they keep the forum rocking !!!

Many, many thanks Cocoa Daisy.
For the friendships, the laughs and the encouragement.

Isn't she beautiful ?? My 17 year old Rock Chick  ........






 
She needed the photo for an audition for an Iskandar Ismail mentoring program.

Do you remember the time when these were so hard to find ?


 


7 Gypsies Gaffer Tape - now they are like collectors items almost *LOL* as the newer designs seem to have moved away from the vintagey looks, still good but different. Stasha counted how many I had in the jar and went *WOW ...... Mum ..... !!!!* And nope, I'm not giving them away, am keeping them (for what projects I have no idea) probably to remind me of the time when I first started scrapping and how I could'nt afford to buy much back then.

Over the past two days I cleared away papers and *stuff* ....... some used, some still in unopened packages, much of the older Autumn Leaves Clear stamps. A batch was given to a new scrapper, but most of them will usually go to teen students who really can't afford much, they are probably the scrappers most happy to get any products. Friends and teens who come by our home are welcome to rumage through the stuff set aside and take home whatever they want.

Augs asked why I don't sell them ? My answer is : it's too much of a bother to organise all the stuff in packs, with the taking of photos, letting scrappers know about the stash sale, answering emails, and yes sometimes you get those who insist on bargaining over a new, unused product priced at $2. I have a family, a home to clean, meals to cook, scrap layouts with deadlines ..... planning a stash sale is beyond me. Many of the scrappers I know are really good, they have enough of their own stuff, some have plenty, more than I would ever have, they seriously do not need the stuff I have.

It's Wednesday, the day you can't quite decide if your week has been good or not ?



Look what I did with the i-Top ......




LOVE Imaginisce's Scooter's Vacation papers !!

Hey all ....... how have you been ?


The Made With Love Sketch Challenge #2 is open, so get your layout in the Gallery before the 4th February. This for scrappers in Singapore and the prize is a $30 cash voucher, perfect for getting started on your 2010 stash.





My take, where I got to finally break out Basic Grey's Origins that has been calling to me since I got them *LOL*






It's been scrapping ....... and more scrapping for me.  Imaginisce sent a super large box with tons of new goodies in the Lucy Bird and Scooter's Vacation lines and it's been fun working on them ! Am far from done. Here's a look :





And we all got a huge bag of silk flower clips as the company that manufactures Imaginisce also makes silk flowers ! I love the roses and the gerberas, just beautiful .... had to wrestle some of them back from Nura. The Dark Teal Gerbera was added to a vacation mini album which fitted in surprisingly well.






Hope your weekend was good and the week ahead a great one !!

 

Want to see some Urban Lily ?
Drop by the  Urban Swank Blog to have a look k ?
My projects will be up later today.

 



Feel better today and with Stasha having a day off, we are going for some Thai food *yaaaaaaay !!!*  And the unbelievable happened - I ran out of tape glue, thank goodness Urban Write is in Tampines.

See 'ya soon !

 

One of the window display projects I've been making the past two days. The colour theme was pure Sante Fe .....bright, sun drenched, earth and sky tones. It's all really exciting and you'll soon get to see the wonderful craft and decor  **YES .... decor**  ideas with the
Sixxiz Big Shot !!






Dance, school and pigeon-holes .........

Sometimes when decisions are made it's almost impossible to predict all the consequences. As parents we have the best of intentions for our kids taking into account existing school schedules, their needs (serious or frivolous) and how everyone has to fit into the family routine without stressing anyone out.

Nura made the decision to quit Choir and this meant she can't be in the dance school's Performing Group - no special events, no trips overseas with the group, definitely no competitions. Did she think through all of this ?  Hopefully she did, but more than anything I hope she learns that decisions once made, have consequences both emotionally and socially. This is a particularly *big* decision - leaving a group she has been so attached to for a long while. Her friends outside school have always been her dance pals and over the years, they've become a close, fun social group sharing the dance interest. Not being in the performing group means seeing alot less of them as some of the dance classes will be at different times Learning to move on, be happy for them when they have special events, to get over feeling excluded or regretful in any major way ...... Nura would have to be all of this.

This morning Nura a was a little quiet, perhaps mooning over the situation.

School has been good, she is making friends and enjoying it. Perhaps what triggered the decision to move away from the performing group was the fact there is ALOT of dance in the school, there is home work to complete, required reading to catch up on and the longer hours at school. Each day Nura gets home from school at 5pm. Ballet classes at the CC are now 6pm Wednesdays and Thursdays, Tap is at 2.15pm Saturdays. Being in the performing group means on top of the regular classes, it's another EXTRA late evening at the CC. In primary school it was manageable ...... now it's looking less so.

Realistically something has got to give.

Children bit by bit must learn as they grow older they have more on their plates, there will be less time and choices must be made. Parenting books say that teens making decisions in a supportive family environment learn to be independant and unafraid, more resilient and empowered.

I know for sure she will adjust to being out of the group,
she just needs the time and space.

How COOL is this ????
Kristy's Peranakan paper is in Cocoa Daisy's February kit,
can't wait to see what the Daisy Divas create !






It's my turn on the Urban Swank Blog with two projects for Urban Lily. The post goes on at 9pm Singapore time
(for the morning in US/EST) and if you'd like to see the work by the Design Team, hop over there !
Below is a sneak of an altered board featuring Hani's cute little guy Reezwan.




 

Today I'm taking mum for lunch at Swenson's, I hope she enjoys it !

Looks like a scrocher of a day, keep cool k ?

 

Today I am cropping with a bunch of ladies I love,
they are funny, sweet .... and loads of fun !!

More for Cocoa Daisy's  New Beginnings  January Kit :





 


 
 




Thanks for dropping by !!!