Scrappy Chic Room

Awaiting Bubby Bear ......

Well only 4 days to go now.   Saturday is the day.   Yikes.  My brain is all over the place.  The house has never looked so clean, Mark and I got to it over the last two weeks, and it looks close to when we first moved in.  He has been so wonderful to me,  lately especially I think he is just starting to get how heavy this baby is for me to carry and how challenging the whole pregnancy thing has been.  He is the most supportive husband, I don't know what I would do without him. xxx

I've just packed my hospital bag and folded some little clothes for bubba - so incredibally cute and tiny,  I can't believe he/she will be wearing them on Saturday !

There are so many last things to do, but I think that I have covered everything.

Sleeping at night is a challenge, last night   woke up twice not being able to get back to sleep for a couple of hours at a time.  Its amazing how your body clock prepares you for feeding,  and as much as I appreciate that, sleep this week would be very welcome. 

Mark and I have been watching the Tour De France over the last three weeks, usually starting at 10:30pm and going anywhere to 2:00am in the morning.  Its been a real life saver for me, not being able to sleep - I love the sport (probabally the only one I do !!), and depending on who can stay awake, we love seeing all of the historic and beautiful sites of France that they show during the coverage.

I have been checking out all the new CHA stuff - wow - some of it has blown me away and I can't wait to get my paws on it !!  The ultimate for me is the new KI Memories Stuff.  Have you all seen the Pop Culture range ???  The lace cardstock is to die for and the colours - how the hell do you get on their design team ??  Between KI, Tinkering Ink and Hambly these and the international companies I would love to design for.  It would be a dream come true.

Oh and I have just started using the Magnetic Board from Basic Grey - for designing - its fantastic.  I got it from Aussie Scrap Source (yeah Cheryl) and I won't design without it.  Your design is still in the same place the next morning, and I love how I can take it from place to place without my design moving.  Fantastic for scrappers - can't recommend it more.

Ok enough drooling over CHA stuff.  I have posted two layouts that have recently gone public - the first one for Aussie Scrap Source 123 Steps published  in FK 57.

The second one is my first layout for "How Dare You" which I have just recently rejoined.  I am sharing a spot with Kate, meaning that I am only designing one layout every 8 weeks.  It would be impossible for me to do anymore with bubs and other committments that I have at the moment.  Our first topic was Spirituality which I loved doing, although if I created this layout at a different stage of my life, I think it would have been alot deeper and the whole look of the layout would have been different.  I just can't go deep at the moment, my brain is to scatty !!!

 

Anyhow the essence of the layout is a tiny glimpse into what I believe about Jesus and

how this spirituality effects my life.  I believe that we all have souls, and that there has to be a higher power, the body is too miraculous for there not to be.  Anyhow, Im not going there, not today anyhow, way too deep.

Last thing ..... I've been scraplifted.  I was asked by Kelly at MojoScraplift in the UK to send in a layout so their DT could scraplift it.  You can see the results here.  Great guys, so many takes on the design. 

Well better go.  The next post will be full of photos and stories Im sure and won't be till late next week.  Thanks for everybodies support on this journey of mine can't wait to share the weekend with you.

Just thought I would leave you with a drawing that Emma did for me this morning during breakfast.  This is going to be our new family...... from the left to the right, Emma, Daddy, Mummy and Baby.  How cute is that ???  She gave explained her picture to me while I lay in bed this morning, just before she left for Child Care. 

I adore my daughter.

Love ya and talk next week.

Steph xo

Waiting, Waiting......

Well Im kinda beating my head up against a wall at the moment. 

These last weeks could drive a woman to despair, the heaviness, tiredness and just the waiting.  I forgot how daunting it is just trying to get around doing every day things.  My body clock usually wakes me up about 3:30am and I just lie in bed thinking.  If I get up Im scared that I won't be able to fall asleep again, so I kinda lie there and hope Mr Sandman will visit and do some of his magic.

Best news of the week is that Janine had her little girl, Kaitlyn, and both mum and bubs are doing fine.  Go over and see the beautiful pictures of her, she is such a little angel and after 3 boys, I can imagine the dynamics of the Kozwara House will alter dramatically !!!  How wonderful for Janine having a little girl after waiting so many years.

I have stopped designing now with only about 3 weeks to go, I think I only have a couple of projects to complete and thats it.  Im quite looking forward to the break. 

The first layout of Mum and Em is for Aussie showcasing their Basic Grey "Phoebe" Line.  Such a gorgeous line of papers.

The next layout also for Aussie, is created around Scrapworks using their papers (arent' the B&W gorgeous), Chipboard and Alphas. 

The last layout is for a class I created for Scrapbook Station, scraplifted off of one of the layouts I did for the last SC.  Its so weird scrapbooking yourself, sometimes the results are so much better second time around.

Im really enjoying checking out the Sneak Peaks for CHA SUM 07, and definately have my favourites.  Queen and Co Felt Fusion, Tinkering Ink Botanical Line of Papers (Yummy), and Maya Road Clear Embellishments.  You can check them all out here at Lifetime Moments.

Great review on Lusi Austin at Scrapscene, go check it out.  Lusi is such a talented scrapbooker - I just love her randomness and creativity.

Not much to chat about, but I will have more layouts to post next week.

Have a great week.

Steph xo

the countdowns on - and I can't wait !!!!

Well Thursday was our 10th year Anniversary - I can't believe how quickly the time has flown.  My beautiful man and and I had such a perfect, romantic day.  He spent the day at work doing overtime and I stayed at home vomiting with a migraine.  Aaaahh the romance of the last weeks of pregnancy.  How I will miss it !!!--NOT.

Anyhow Mark gave me some beautiful flowers and card, and we have definitely taken a rain check on this important date.  Next year I'm holding him to a wonderful weekend away, complete with man servant, pool and luxuries.  Pregnancy will be a far, far, fading memory ......

Donna emailed me to let me know that SC Vol 44 has just hit the newstands.  I have an technique article on wire in their so here they are, I can finally can post these layouts after what seems to be a life time ago.

These are my layouts from Scrapbook Creations.  Had a ball doing these.  Wire is such a wonderful medium to use and it doesn't have to be bulky, to look great.

I especially like this layout above called "Pink or Blue", the circle is made up from lots of tiny little pieces of paper with wire wrapped around the middle.  It was nice to do soft colours again.

Well here's to the next month flying ........ if anyone has any words of advice or encouragement regarding c-sections send them my way.  Everything I have heard has been wonderful, so I have no idea why Im so nervous. Janine is due for her little bubs within the next 2 weeks, can't wait for that to happen.  Also congratualtions to Leonie who had a beautiful little boy named Jack.  SO incredibally gorgeous.

Have a great week and make sure you indulge in incontrollable laughter.  They say its great for the soul. 

Love Steph xo

 

Updates for June ......

Pregnancy News
Well, its week 33 for me, only 6 weeks to go.  Can you believe it?  Back in November I thought that it would be  a life time away but now it seems that very soon, I will be meeting my little one in person for the very first time.  Its an absolutely amazing feeling and I can't wait for the date to get here.  I am currently considering a Ceaserun because of complications that I had with the last birth, so at least that way, very soon I will have a more definite date.

Things I haven't enjoyed so far:

Reflux
Heartburn
Urinary Tract Infection
Asthma
Stitch under my ribs
Cramping in my legs
Constant Tiredness

Things I love:

The baby kicking
Watching my body change
The anticipation
Emma laughing (listening) to the baby with her head on my tummy.

The attention I am getting from Mark.
The excitement that Mum and Dad are sharing
Buying baby stuff ........

So here I am at 33 weeks (stretch marks and all !!!)

Family/General News

We have just come back from 3 days down at Victor Harbor where we stayed at McCraken Country Club.  It was sensational.  My gorgeous mum donated a night to us, because funds are really tight at the moment, and we so needed to just get away and relax before the baby was born.  Mark and Emma spent most of the time in the pool, and I re-discovered food (aaahhh the ecstasy!!!!).

We drove via Yankalilla, Normanville and the Scenic Route and it was just so relaxing.  So Im home now .....off of work and preparing for the little one's arrival.  I so want to tell you the sex.  Can't wait.

Emma Updates.....

She is writing the whole alphabet now and learning to spell.

She is so full of life, sometimes I think she is going to explode. 

Its getting her to wind down that's the trick.

She scraps with me, and I love seeing her creative side flourish.  All that messiness and colour - its just brilliant.

My friend Molly came down last week to take some photos, and these are a few that really made my jaw drop.  I can't wait to scrap them.

 

Scrapping News

Aussie Scrap Source - this is a layout that I have just done recently (the challenge was Hambly Products)......

Been doing alot of work for For Keeps and Scrapbook Creations lately, but can't share anything until it is published.

I have rejoined How Dare You, but only on a PT Basis, I have no idea if baby is going to give me alot of scrapping time or hardly any at all.

This layout was done for Scrapbook Station for a stamping class I'm teaching.  I love the pastels, although the crappy scan does nothing for the colours.

 

Anyhow just a short update, its wonderful having so much time to scrap now !!!! I don't miss work at all - (although I really miss the money) !!!!

Thanks for having a read.

Love and Hugs

Steph xo

Pink Locker Project Update

Official Update - Pink Locker Project

As you know Amy and I have been running PLP, since November last year. Well a lot has happened since then. Around December, Amy had to deal with family health issues coupled with personal issues she needed to sort through.  This made her participation in the project extremely limited.

l found myself pregnant and have had many challenges, psychologically and physically over the last 7 months. I had to endure not knowing if the baby was chromosonal abnormal and just recently went to hospital for a urinary tract infection, which found me on a drip for 72 hours.  On top of this I was working part time and trying to keep the family together.

Amy and I were doing the whole project by ourselves, with no help, so it has been really hard to keep it going. I needed somebody to run the blog and organise layouts for me, but that kinda met a cruel end. Everybody seemed so busy. We had two online classes, both very successful, but once again, I needed somebody to co-ordinate this for me while we were both sick with no luck. It was such a pity because we had the most amazing artists on board willing to teach and they feedback from the scrapping community was amazing.

So where are we now ?

Ngaire Bartlam has come to our rescue and been offering the most amazing support to finish the project off.  The good news is that Amy and Ngaire are currently preparing a online raffle with all money going to Women to Women in Africa. All donations for the raffle are donated straight to their official site. The girls has planned the raffle to take place in September.  Details will be posted on our official site ...... www.pinklockerproject.typepad.com.

I am in talks with a publishing house about an official book, but as you can imagine, I am co-ordinating this all by myself, and baby is due in 6 weeks.   The book -if it goes ahead - won't be released until next year - I will do my best to keep you updated.

The money that we have raised so far is sitting in a official PLP account gathering interest. It will be sent to Women to Women Officlal Donation Site once proceedings have been wrapped up.  Full details of money raised will be posted at the final wrap up of the project.

Both Amy and I apologise for the lack of communication about the Project's progress, health & personal issues both contributed to wrong timing.    I personally have found it so hard to do everything by myself, scrapping commitments, run a family, and try and keep this project afloat. The timing unfortunately was just not right, but we will be wrapping stuff up after the raffle.

If you have any comments or concerns please please contact either Amy or myself.

Steph & Amy xo

An interesting weekend ....

Well guys - I had an interesting weekend. Thursday I started to get pain just under baby which was incredibally unconfortable, and painful. So I rang my obsterician's nurse who suggested I had a bug in my bowel and just ride it through for a couple of days. I didn't think anything of till I went to bed. That night, the pain was so excruisiating I thought I was having contractions. The pain eased after a couple of hours, and I fell asleep. Woke up the next morning, pain was still there, So it was off to the obstetrician to get a check over "just in case". I was put on a mild antibiotic and had a urine sample taken. Saturday woke up and totally convinced myself that the antibiotics had kicked in and I had no pain. So I spent the whole day out shopping, totally oblivious to what was actually happening inside me.

On Sunday I woke up feeling not 100% but pushed on. By 2:00pm I was having trouble walking. 3:00pm I vertially collapsed. By 4:00pm I was in the Adelaide Women's and Children's Emergency Department. Both nurses thought I was in premature labour. The pain was like nothing I have ever felt in my life. I was admitted straight away and checked to see if I was dialating. Thank God the answer to that was No. It was then suspected that I had a severe Urinary Tract Infection with the possibility of it spreading to my kidneys. Kidney Stones were also mentioned. I was immediately put onto a drip and given heavy doeses of antibiotics. These do not hurt the baby - that was my main concern. Next was the pain killers. They took 1 hour to work but thank God they did. The pain came back on and off during the night, and more pain killers were administered.

At the end of the day I ended up spending 48 hours in hospital. I had a scan of my kidneys and no infection or kidney stones. The antibiotics worked wonders and now I just have to rest. I won't be going back to work. Just have to get through the next 8 weeks.

Just a thought though. Drink Water. Drink lots and lots of water. That was half my problem. I would never wish that sort of pain on my worse enemy. An severe urinary tract infection has a pain attached to it that is indescribable.  Has really opened my eyes to alot of realities of life.

Glad to be home and recovering. This pregnancy has been quite the journey - going to have some interesting stories to tell the little one !!

Steph xo

National Scrapbooking Days at 2peas

I received a email from Stacey Sattler, who is a garden girl at 2peas just letting me know that I had been chosen by their team to be highlighted on Two Peas in a Bucket in a special National Scrapbooking Day Feature!  How cool is that !!!!!

They are going to be featuring selected scrapbookers in several special events on May 5th, during their all-day National Scrapbooking Day festivities.  They will be highlighting my  gallery in their special feature, along with other selected scrappers from around the world.

Such a great feeling to be acknowledged.  So very very cool.

Steph xo

This is the layout I was asked to create for NSBD.  I have just noticed Loretta, Julie and Kerrin have been mentioned too.  Congrats girls.  Go check out their work.

Beautiful Textures and Colours ....

I really have been looking at what inspires me to keep on creating, and to create with colours and textures that I really adore.  Coming from an interior design background, most of my influences come from that field, but lately a few new ones have popped up.  They are all way too cool !!

Have you seen the new range by Amy Butler for K & Co.  It blew my mind.  I fell in love the bold patterns & colours.   So I jumped on the net to find out more about this amazing designer.  She is actually a fabric designer, and has paper patterns for the most gorgeous bags, hats and clothes.  She is so talented.  Check out her stuff here.  These are just a few of her fabrics that I love.

Carolyn Quartermine was always the driving force for me to get into interior design, colour and textiles.  She is so French eclectic; her script fabrics are all printed on silk and so luscious.  Have a really good look at the way she uses colour.  It's divine.  She intergrates black and white to her designs giving them a really dramatic angle.  I love the colour stories she uses - a mix of pastel and neutral, so feminine and lush.  I so want that Louis XVI chair with script writing.  (In my dreams baby...)

I really have a little place inside set aside for bright (in your face colours).  Tricia Guild has been another favourite, and her use of colour just blows your mind.  Her designs transcend contemporary design, and her use of colour is unexpected but stylish and bold.  I just love it. Check her out here.

Lastly you can’t not be affected by the founder of Shabby Chic – Rachel Ashwell.  I love the way everything just moulds together, all these beautiful pastels, florals and stripes, faded, preloved and whimsical.  Aren’t they gorgeous !!  My other love of Rachel's is the way she brings fresh flowers into everything.  Their textures, smells and shapes kinda get you in each of your senses.

 

 

 

Whenever I get stuck for colour stories or inspiration, it’s usually one of these amazing women who inspire me, so I grab my respective scrap book and flick through their designs and colours. 

I just really wanted to share their talents with you. Aren't they beautiful ? !

Steph xo

Princess Emma's Birthday Party.

My little girl is 4 !!!  Well party day finally arrived after so much preparation and thought.  Emma's first official birthday party !!  It was quite the lead up, deciding on colours (princess colours ofcourse), what party foods to have and trying to guess how long 14 four year old concentration spans would last!!! In the end we decided that two hours was long enough and betweent the excitement and mayhem, it should go fairly quickly.

Here is Emma on the morning, she was so excited....... she woke up at 5:20am (lucky us) and came into our bedroom..... nudging me ..... "mummy..... let's talk about my party !!!".    We tried so hard to get her to go back to sleep, if only for an hour, but OH NO, she wanted to play with the helium ballloons and chat chat chat.  SO up we got !!!!!

You can see by this photo what a

Princess she looked like.  What is is about little girls and pretty stuff?   I just wanted to plant kisses all over her all morning, and it got to the stage that she knew when mummy was going to come up for a kiss attack.

This is Emma's best friend Georgia, they are so cute together, and it was lovely to finally meet Georgia's family.  They are a couple of mischief makers and I know that their friendship will develop into something gorgeous over the years to come.  We had a face painter come in and the kids had fun playing pin the tail on the donkey and a wonderful game called Elefun !!! I can't recomment it more to parents.  It is a elephant you by at the toy shop witha 2m plastic trunk that shoots hot air up its trunk.  As it does this little paper butterflies come out and the kids have to catch them with their nets.  Too much fun !!!!

The cake was quite an interesting prospect, in the end we decided to go for an ice cream cake, with a Disney Princess (Arial -  the Little Mermaid of course) planted firmly in the middle.  The night before we where all having heart attacks because everytime the cake came out of the freezer for us to decorate it would start to melt!!!   In the end we left it overnight and it was rock solid by 9:00am the next morning.  Don't you just love the Prima and Heidi Swapp Flowers..... go the scrap supplies - I cant believe the difference they made on the cake !!!!  As for poor Ariel, she was kind of seperated from her lower body for a couple of hours as she was planted in the middle of the cake.  I think it worked well though, Emma totally loved it.

I gotta tell you, I think I could organise parties for a living - have you every been to a party shop.  OMG the colours !!!  Every plate, serviette and cutlery in a different colour.  Just gorgeous.  I found some divine serviettes to mod podge and for those of you that live in Adelaide check out Planet Party in City Cross.  Amazing.   I bought way too much stuff from there.

OK just one layout to share this week, from Scrapbook Creations Issue #41.  We had to do a layout on our favourite handbags and what we would keep in in.

 

 

I have always had an obsession with handbags for as long as I could remember, never shoes, clothes or anything else.  So when I heard the topic I could n't wait to get it onto paper.

I had to laugh when I read the article - I sounded well off - with a list of designer bags - which is hilarious - we have jack all money ever since we came back to Adelaide !!!! with Mark working 3 different jobs at the moment!!!.  That was another life - over 10 years ago and life in Sydney was so much fun and prosperous  compared to life in Adelaide which has been a  challenge on just about every level you can imagine.  The only thing Mark and I ever argue about is money - and how the hell we are going to survive from one week to the next .... know the feeling..... ??

Well I have my little family now - and that is the most important thing in the world to me.  I would not trade it for life in Sydney ever again.

Well better go - I am going to do a very long OVERDUE layout for Scrapbook Station today if it kills me.

Have a fantastic week -

Love Steph xo

Lotsa News....

Im so sorry again...... for being so SLACK with blogging.  I have a pregnancy brain and life has kinda just taken over at the moment.  There has been alot happening and alot to deal with.

Pregnancy News....
Well I have had the results from my amnio and there is no chromononal abnormality whatsoever.  What a relief.  The 9 day wait - waiting for the results was sheer hell, there is no other way to describe it.  I am so glad that is over.  From this test I also found out the sex of the baby and Mark and I so HAPPY.  It is a little ......  well, I have to keep that to myself.  But let me tell you it is a blessing.

   

I also had my 20 week scan and everything is perfect.  The baby is so happy wriggling around, it was so beautiful to watch.

Scrap News.....
I have just rejoined Aussie and will be churning out some classes and layouts for them over the next 4 months until bubba is born.  It has taken me this long to get my head around bubs and creativity, not a combination that goes well together !!

I am now teaching at another South Australian Scrapbook Shop called the Scrapbook Company.  Here are a couple of classes Im teaching.

The first one is Glitzy Glamour using lots of gorgous bling in a spray decorating the layout.

The second is centered around Serviettes and Mod Podge (thanks Kate !!!) a technique everyone has to experience.  It is so much fun !!!

Got a couple of layouts in the next Scrapbook Creations magazine, my first in nearly 6 months !!!!  Just a tad excited.

Home Front.....
Emma is turning 4 in two weeks and I have just sent out the invitations for 12 little tykes.  Can't wait.  Going to be so much fun, my first official party for her that I have organised.  Of course everything will be Disney Princesses, hats, balloons, food etc, fit for the little princess that she is.  Emma is so excited abou the baby, she has lined all the baby stuff that I have bought out in the spare room.   

Cute little story alert:  Mark and I were chatting the other day and noticed that Emma was missing.  I searched everywhere for her and eventully found her in the spare room cuddled up to a toy bought for the new baby.  I asked her what she was doing and she quite proudly told me that " I just wanted to be with the babies things" - how beautiful.  I can't wait to see her little face when the baby is eventually born.  She is already so incredibally excited.

Other Stuff of interest...

Check out this site.........

.
http://aussiepubcalls.blogspot.com
Fantastic Idea Michelle.  Go Girl.

and:

Check out this cause:

Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW.

There will be a 12hr crop in aid of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of NSW.  Two amazing women, Lauren and Mandy have come together to raise money and awareness of this amazing cause.

They have created a blog to help promote the  cause and it explains a little about them, why they chose to support Muscular Dystrophy and the journey they are taking to prepare for the  fundraising event on July 14th, 2007.

You can find more information at http://www.newcastlefundraiser.blogspot.com.

Check out this site !!!!!

Till my next post.
Hope you are all well and loving life. 
Steph xo