One word.....

There is only one word I can use describe the Escape 2 Create weekend I just attended...."WOW!!!!!!!"

I honestly can say it was the best fun I have had on a retreat. The organisation was impecible, the location beautiful, the company inspiring and entertaining, the food delicious .....all round just a retreat that is in a league of its own. Amanda Hall and Meredith Treloar should be SO proud of how far their retreat has come and the time , blood , sweat and tears that clearly goes into every last detail is so evident!
I was so honoured to be asked to teach at this retreat and I hope to return year after year!!!


I don't know where to start with sharing all my photos and layouts so today I am going to start with telling you about 3 amazing, inspiring, crazy, fun, loving ladies who I now can call my friends (physical friends LOL!!!...sorry private joke!) These ladies helped to make this weekend amazing.

I must start with this crazy lady!!!!!! My travel buddy Sharmaine Krujiver. This lady is SO talented and SO hillariously funny!!! I couldn't have picked a better travel buddy! She is so much fun and so inspiring!

This lady you all should know!!! Kim Jeffress. She is one of Australia's most sought after scrappers over seas and she deserves it as she is one talented lady! She is also so sweet!!! It was so amazing to get to know Kim better and I loved our chats!

Now this wonderful. funny lady who too is extremely talented, Gail Lindner! Oh you are adorable! Loved laughing with you and so glad we got to meet!!! I will remember your "isms" forever!!!!! LOL!

                                     So we all shared a room and a table.
                                                  We laughed..............
                                                ( sorry unedited pics here!)

Laughing so hard she cried!!!

 Kim,Sharmaine and I taught and supported one another in doing so. Their support and encourgement meant a lot to me.

And we dressed up like crazy people for some cool photos on the photo booth!!!

 We all decided to scrap this photo in our styles and today you can visit these ladies blogs to see their creations too!!!!
                                                            SHARMAINE
                                                                  KIM
                                                                  GAIL

                      Just click on their names to head
                                             over and check out their blogs!

So here is my layout! Bright, funky and crazy just like all of us!!! Love these girls!  It's weird when you can meet people for the first time but feel like you have known them for a lifetime. We all just gelled so well.

Gail was so kind and I gave me one of her Flair buttons to use on my page as a memento. You can access her shop from her blog! Check them out!

I also did this layout with the same photos!

Check out Gail!!! Its like "Where's Wally!" These make me laugh !!!!

And I wish we could relive the weekend all over again!!!

...

I have so much more to share......will be back soon!
Eb xx

A Piece of cake.....

Hi everyone! Sorry! Bad blogger!!!
Just popped into to share the awesomeness that is this month's " A Piece of cake designs" kit!
Scrummy papers and colours mixed with stunning embellishments! makes scrapping so easy when its all in one kit!!!!

Here are two layouts I have created so far!!

I love this photo of Maya on her last day of kinder last year with all her closest friends! So adorable. They all got along so well.

                                                LOVE this patterned paper!!

I did add some old "making memories' rubons to create the title as I neede it to be black!

Also loving the wooden "Studio Calico" veneers  that have been in all the latest kits. i use mine raw but you can paint, mist or doodle on if you want!

And of course i had to use the cool "cherry flair!"......love these!!!!!!!!!!! Another cool embellishment are the "Studio Calico" stickers!

And I never thought I would say it but I really enjoyed adding the little sequins!!! totally cool little touch for clusters!!!

This layout is about Maya's love of Lalaloopsy dolls!!! She transforms our rumpus room into a huge lalaloopsy town and she has a certain spot where everything goes! a lot of time goes into setting it up!!!

 How sweet is this script paper by Maggie Holmes ( Crate Paper)??? Added lots of washi tape and torn pieces of paper as well as messy painting and stamping!

                                                   Another awesome "cherry flair".........

 While I'm here a little reminder that you still have time to do this months "SHOW US YOUR STUFF challenge!'

This month as per usual you need to include a handmade embellishment and include the word Excite, Exciting, Excited on your page! here is my layout sample.

A layout of Will having fun jumping off the Short Point jetty in Merimbula with his friend Georgia!!!

                                        Of course my handmade embellie is a "Cherry flair!"

Thanks for popping by, Eb xx

Better late than never!!

I am sorry I have been a slack blogger lately. Last week saw my last baby go to school and to be quite honest I have felt lost!!! It's been a roller coaster of emotions. The realisation that that part of my life is over and I don't have my little "wingman" ( or should I say lady) beside me. I REALLY miss her. I am trying to think of all the positives though like studying and working again and regaining "myself" I guess.
So I honestly haven't felt like blogging or even being on the computer much for that matter but I really have some shares I want to show you so here we are!!

The first is my sample for this months challenge at "Show us your stuff". It is based on this inspirational picture.

 So I created this layout of Maya clicking away on her camera!!!! She is such a mini me! she sits and sets up the shots and takes her time focusing, ( well most of the time). But I LOVE how she is creative in so many ways! The other day she came to me and said, " Mummy....I need to create!!!"
So I set her up at my scrap desk and let her go!!!

                                                             Here is my layout....

We were lucky enough to receive some cute little felt embellishments by "Scrap this". Mine are the series of numbers!!! Cute aren't they!!!

I have also been creating with the awesome "A piece of cake designs" kit for February! Awesome colours of blues and greens, wooden embellishments , cool alphas, washi tape the list goes on! I think there are a couple left if you want one! Head here!

This is just one of four layouts I have created!

This photo was taken of Will on AFL grandfinal day last year. He is a big Hawthorn supporter so he was very hopeful this day....wasn't meant to be though:(
But I had organised a scrap weekend in a town close by and one of the ladies attending was the very talented "Bronny Koch" from Rinrinka face painting. Bronny painted not only Will's face but Maya's and my two nieces. How cute do they look!?

So I have used an instagram pic to create this layout!

Once again I have used a white cardstock background and added lots of misting, texture paste and stamping. I then used the patterned papers in the kit ( I have added a yellow scrap of my own) to make some arrows on my page! I LOVE the "studio calico" wooden alphas and stars!!!!

I also created this fun layout about Will's christmas present!

 Used lots of different strips of the patterned papers ( plus a few scraps from my stash) .
Also LOVED these wooden arrows found in the "studio calico" alphabet! I used the three bards in the kit in the centres of them!
Also used the arrow and heart stickers and the sequins! add some stamping and there you have a layout!
Can you see that awesome "Cherry Flair"? This one is part of a pack you can buy from the store! So awesome!!!!

Still time to do Show us your stuff challenge....

Have you had time to do the "Show us your stuff " challenge yet???
Well you still have time. Here is the inspirational prompt for you.........

Yum hey???? These colours didn't really inspire me so I decided to use the circles as my main inspiration and also I love aqua so that was easy!
Here is my interpretation....

Last week I was lucky to have a visit from a scrappy friend Sophie Koschman and we spent the afternoon scrapping!! Here are 3 layouts I managed to get done!!!

This one is for a quote challenge at "Scrapbooking from scratch". I LOVED this quote!!!

  I LOVE using Dylusions sprays at the moment and once I had used it on this layout I wanted to try it again and the orange is so bright and fun!!!

This one is for the first of the month sketch over at "Stuck! Sketches"
These children are some of our friends (well their feet anyway lol) who we don't see very often but we love when we catch up!

How cute is this flair button!??? Its one from "a piece of cake designs"!

Lots of different mediums and embellishments here....it's nice actually using up some older stuff from my stash!

I also managed this one which is really a just because layout! Used some beautiful Tim Holtz peacock feathers distress ink on my background and a cool Imaginarium designs chippie designed by Louise Nelson!

Since then I have also completed my entry for Kraft it up this month.

Please use the swatch for the colours and make sure your layout is created on Kraft cardstock or Kraft patterned paper.

And here you go....Red, white, blue and orange!

 Will was chasing this butterfly just outside our front door amongst our potted plants so when he called me to show me of course I had to snap a few shots!! A bit tricky though because as soon as Will would open his hand to get a photo he would fly away!!!! 

                      And this one for the second sketch at "Stuck!"
                      This time head shots of our friends! LOL!!! 

                            Another awesome "cherry flair button!"

                 

 And lastly a layout based on the sketch at "Anna's craft cupboard"

                         Lots of washi tape , stamping and doodling!

Well thanks again for all your kind comments! I really appreciate them and I promise I will try and return the favour!!! Eb xx

A piece of cake....

Just me back again to share another layout I have created using the latest "A piece of cake designs" kit.
This one is another layout using a photo from this christmas. I always try and do a mini christmas photo shoot with my kids and this year I only manged a few snaps down at the beach.

This is one is of Will..................

I really loved the "crate paper" tags sheet in this kit! I have used most of them on this layout! As well as the cute birdie washi tape, the super awesome "cherry flair button", the tiny "studio calico" wooden veneer trees and a few sticker strips and tabs from the "crate paper" sticker element sheet.


I also did this layout for a sketch challenge over on "Skissedilla"but I missed the deadline!

        And yes I used a flower! I know......shock horror!!!

I have completed a few more challenges lately too so I will be back to share soon!
Eb xx

Happy New Year!!

welcome 2013!!! This year is a year of changes for me. I am heading back to study to update my skills so that I can go back to working in kindergartens and childcare. This brings so many mixed feelings. It is an end of an era where I have chosen to stay home and care for my family and now I am heading off to school everyday to not only drop off BOTH of my children but also heading off myself! Very scary thought at the moment! It also means I have slowed down a lot on my Design team commitments until I settle into my new routine.
But one Design Team I am happy to stay on is "A Piece of cake designs"! Have you seen the latest kit? I must say though it is sold out! It was sold out in minutes!!!

Kit contents

I love this kit!!! I am not a person to scrap with traditional christmas colours so this kit is perfect!!! I LOVE all the different, bright colours and the versatitlity of the embellishments. I not only created 3 christmas layouts.....and with this christmas' photos I must add ( a first for me! Normally takes me until next christmas to scrap them!) but I managed a funky , summery layout too!!! 

I have two to share now and I will share the other two over the next few weeks.

                                                 So this is the first of my layouts to share......
                              My two cheeky children, one being naughty the other being nice!!!

You can see I have used various paper strips from the kit's papers but I also just added a few strips of washi tape that I had in my own stash. 

The alphabet in the kit is so cute but I wanted a brighter feel to my layout, So I grabbed some of my mists and I sprayed them to the colour I wanted. 

How cool are the new "Cherry Flairs"? These are exclusive ones for this kit! 

I have also used the tag sheet by Crate paper and the very cute kraft sticker hearts by Studio Calico.

Now this one is a non christmas layout just to show you that you don't need to only use for your festive layouts! This is my entry for "Scrap the Boys " this month. 

        This month the challenge is to scrap a layout featuring your son's favourite              holiday/summer activity and use that to inspire your layout!

(Sorry , can't seem to get a good shot of this layout :/)

Yoy can see how you can use the kit to create fun, bright layouts that are not christmas related!

Love this yellow triangle background paper! Just add some strips of paper and choose tags that are not too christmassy , add some stencilling and stamping and voila! 

I have added some left over cardstock from cutting out circles on my cricut, and some arrows that I cut from black cardstock and just some black and white spotted tape.

   I love this photo of Will that I took just before christmas building sandcastles so I created another layout with it but this time following the criteria for the "White with 1" challenge.

WHITE + COLOUR SWATCH (AQUA + RED) + SUMMER PHOTO

So here is my entry this month............

 

                                   And just a closeup. Lots of doodling and stamping.

              Lastly I want to share my entry for "Scrap Friends" sketch challenge this month.

The sketch

                                       
                                                  I actually pulled out the sewing machine!!!!!!
I used lots of washi tape to create the chevron effect and just grunged it up with lots of paint and ink!

Well I have probably bored you enough!! I will be back though! So thanks for popping by!
Eb xx

STUCK!

I managed amother sneaky one in while the kids were playing with their new toys!!!!
This the December 15th sketch over at STUCK!

                               Created this layout of Will blowing out his 9th Birthday candles!

So christmas has come and gone again for another year! We had a lovely day and the kids were spoilt rotten as usual!!! I am still editing photos (not that I actually took many as I was just relaxing enjoying the day!). But here are a couple to share.........

Naughty and nice!!

Maya Rose

Will Thomas

Can you guess what Will got from Santa!?

And of course Lalaloopsy dolls and house for Miss Maya...


Bye for now! Eb