Week 2: Organisation

Everywhere I turn at the moment people are talking about getting themselves organised. For some it means starting a new 2009 diary and for others it's having a big clean out!

Last year I bought myself a diary and by the middle of January I'd lost it!!! As a result, I missed several birthdays... including Dad's for about the 4th year is a row!!! I also 'remembered' events after they'd happened.

So this year I am determined to keep track of things! We've got a family diary so that I know what the girls are doing... and they know what I'm doing... and I've got a diary of my own as well. I also got a gorgeous calendar from one of my nieces for Christmas with her handprints on it so hopefully we'll know what we're supposed to be doing this year!

I'm also determined to get my craft room organised! I really get frustrated when I can't find things when I need them. How can I own 5 steel rulers and not be able to find even 1 of them???

The worst part about being so disorganised is that I can't even create properly!! I've been doing all of my Scrapfest stuff on the coffee table so that I don't have to be in my craft room!!!

But, sometimes the answers to life's 'problems' come when you least expect them... and the answers to my 'organisational woes' came in the form of a quote on this card:

It was made by Suzy (click HERE to check out her blog). So I'm going to 'create' a new and improved 'Shell'... an organised person who can find her own craft supplies when she needs them... and doesn't forget her fathers' birthday for a 5th year!!The journaling reads: Today while I was on the internet I came across a card that really grabbed me! It wasn't so mch the design... it was the quote... and it's been floating around in my head ever since!

Life isn't about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself.

That quote is powerful for me! It gives me the freedom to be who I want to be!

One of the things that I am going to achieve this year is being organised! I've bought myself a diary... one I like... one I will actually USE!

And tomorrow I'm tidying up my craft room! I'm going to really tidy! Not just the "I'd better tidy up because someone is coming" tidy... the "I want to be organised" tidying up!

Someone said to me "you'll change when the pain of not changing gets too much... and you've got a high pain threshold". And he was right!

The pain isn't physical... it's emotional.. and I've reached my threshold! So tomorrow I'm going to tidy!!! Yay me :) This is progress!!!

I actually wrote this last night... and YES I have started tidying up my craft room! It's going to take a while because I want it to be really, really organised... but already it's worth it just to know that I'm doing what I need to do for me to feel good again!

I also decided that I was definitely going to use the very last piece of my 'special' flax paper to decorate the inside front cover of my album... and I'm super happy with it :)

I've decided to add a few quotes to inspire me as well! The one at the bottom of the page is from this weeks prompt... and the one at the top was in the signature line of one of the girls in the forum... thanks Kirstin! It reads:

"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what is going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity..." Gilda Radner

And on that note I'm off to continue organising!! I hope you all have a wonderful week :)

Love Shell xx

Week 1: Just use it!

Happy New Year everyone! Does anyone else have the feeling that 2009 is going to be a GREAT year??? I actually woke up 'feeling' different this morning... almost like the weight of last year is lifting... I think we're going to have an exciting year ahead! I've created my cover for this album and I'll share it with you very soon... but first let's jump straight into the first prompt!

Week 1: Just use it!

Are you a hoarder? Do you save things for 'something special'? Do you buy things because you 'might' use them? If so then this prompt is going to be ideal for you!

My grandmother would have to have been one of the world's biggest hoarders! She kept EVERYTHING!!! She lived in a fairly big house but every single space had stuff in it... some of it was definitely treasure... but a lot of it was junk!

When I was little we always went to Granny's house for Christmas and all the grown ups would sit at the table drinking their wine from regular glasses because they weren't allowed to use the crystal glasses because they 'might' break them. She was saving them for 'something special'.

I remember looking in her china cabinets... yes she had more than one! She had so many glasses... and they were all gorgeous! But guess what... she NEVER used them!!! When she moved out of her house to go into the rest home, my mum and her brothers packed up the glasses and divided them up between them because Granny had no where to put them. So the glasses that were given to her never actually gave her any pleasure at all which seems really sad to me. And then I realised that the 'apple didn't fall too far from the tree' as the saying goes!Here's the journaling:

Do you buy lovely things (like paper) and save it for 'something special' only to find that you are still saving it years later?

I was sorting some things out in my craft room yesterday and I 'found' some gorgeous flax paper that I bought a long time ago! In fact the shop I bought it from has been closed for 3 years! So... I cut it! I used it! AND I loved it! I decided that 'something special' would be my cover for this album. And you know what?? That paper is special because I used it!

A few years ago my sister and I went to a craft fair and bought some 'special treats'... pesto, curry sauce etc. Within a couple of weeks she'd eaten hers and mine was still unopened! And... it's still in my cupboard! The BEST BEFORE DECEMBER 06 sticker mocks me! So now I have to throw it out! At least my sister got to enjoy hers!!!

So... I've come up with somthing that will work for me. Instead of asking myself if I want/need.... I'm going to ask "Will I USE it? Because curry sauce doesn't taste good if you're pouring it down the sink... and paper isn't 'special' until you've done something with it!

My new 'Will I USE it' has already worked for me too! I was in a friends shop yesterday and I saw some gorgeous Tim Holtz products... I LOVED them straight away and I wanted them... I even thought I needed them and then I asked myself... 'Will I USE them'? The answer was 'maybe one day'... so I left them there! It was a very empowering moment for me!!!

Now for the cover... I'm dying to show it to you because I really LOVE it!!!

It's made from thick chipboard which I covered with my 'saved' flax paper... (I've got one piece left which I think I'm going to use for the inside front cover)... The letters are from the 'Thickers' range. I stamped onto the letters with a crackle stamp and embossing ink and then I embossed them with gold.

The 'OPEN' door knob is from 7 gypsies... I bought a wee kit about 5 years ago and it had the door knob in it.... waiting for 'something special'... and the heart and wings are made from Grungeboard... I've had that for a year and hardly used it because I didn't want to 'waste' it!

I inked the wings with white versa mark and then embossed them with polysparkle... very pretty effect! The heart I inked with some Distress Ink and the swirl is actually a pattern on the grungeboard.

Down the bottom of the cover I put a photo of me 'wearing' a crown which Miss Krystal thought was a bit weird... but it's actually to remind myself that this is MY life... and I need to do what's right for ME! The crown is also Grungeboard and I embossed it with gold but it looked to 'perfect' so I added some more gold and then over heated it a bit so that it's got a tarnished look to it... that's to remind myself that I'm not perfect... I'm allowed to make mistakes!

And finally the charms on the side... I had a huge stash of bits and pieces that I've been 'saving' so I got them out and started working with them... the metal discs came from the same kit as the door knob.. I stamped words (inspire, dream, think, hope, love & create) onto them with Staz On ink... added some jump rings and then the chain which I bought ages ago in another kit. Then I added the beads and the key (from other kits) and finally the little Chinese good luck coins. I love how they 'tinkle' when I pick up my book.

I've taken this weeks prompt quite literally... I've actually USED lots of bits and pieces from my stash for my album cover and now I have 'something special' to show for it!

So the challenge is out there... what have you got that you're not using? Is it something that you need?... or is it something that is really just cluttering up your life? I've still got lots of things I need to use... but I've made a start!

I'll be back on Sunday with the next prompt so until then have a wonderful start to the New Year :)

Something new for 2009!

Well I didn't get the Paper Adventure finished... in fact I haven't done anything on it since April 08. It just seems like 'life' has been really busy (and challenging) this year. I'm looking forward to the start of 2009... there is a feeling deep inside me that this is going to be a GREAT year for me... does anyone else feel that way?

I've got a project that I REALLY want to do so I'm going to put it out to everyone else as well... feel free to join in or just have a read (and hopefully comment) when I do a new post :)

I've just finished reading a really good book... you know the ones that touch your life in a way that makes a difference for you??? The movie 'In Pursuit of Happyness' did the same thing for me :) Getting back to the book... it's called 'Burnt Toast' and was written by Teri Hatcher of Lois & Clark and Desperate Housewives fame.It's definitely not a book about being famous, celebrity parties, Hollywood lifestyle etc... it's more of a story about one woman's struggle (Teri's) juggling work, parenting and everyday life.

When I finished it a couple of days ago I thought... I really need to put some of the things from this book into place in my own life... and the idea has been forming in my head ever since. So I've decided to create myself a scrapbook of my journey to the life I want :)

I haven't made my album yet but I do know that I'm going to do my pages in an A4 size (8 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches). I think I'll make an album on rings so that it can 'grow' throughout the year. I've also decided that I'm going to journal by hand in this album... somehow it just seems 'right' for me.

So far I've done my introduction page because I want to remember why I'm doing this album:
If you can't read the journaling here's what it says:

You know how sometimes a book just 'grabs' you? When you pick it up and just know you have to read it? That's just happened to me!

I was in a little secondhand book shop last week and this book leapt off the shelf at me. It's written by Teri Hatcher and definitely not a book I would usually pick up. I've never even watched Desperate Housewives so why me??? But this book is FANTASTIC!

It's not about Hollywood lifestyles, flashy parties or 'problems' being famous. It's simply the story of a woman juggling work and motherhood and dealing with her own doubts, fears, insecurities and issues... someone not that different from me on the inside!

Every night I looked forward to reading more of her book and in many ways it was like having a chat with a close girlfriend after the kids have gone to bed. I laughed and cried. Felt angry and surprised. But most of all it made me really THINK!

It's made me really think about the way I've been living my life. It's made me question WHY I'm doing things I do and why some things aren't working the way I want them to. So... I'm going to make some changes.... some BIG and some SMALL! Now on with the journey :)

I've decided to call me album: Creating My Life... really love that title (and feel free to use it if you want as well)

I'm committing myself to doing a-page-a-week documenting my journey and using a prompt so like I said earlier... if you want to join in that would be great :)

I'll be back on the 1st of January with the first prompt and then every Sunday after that :)

Happy New Year

Shell xx

Operation 17

It's been a busy week here but I have managed to keep up :)

Operation 17: Something new - Tell me, what is something new in your life?
You may have actually bought something new. Or maybe you rediscovered something and it feels new to you again. Maybe you made something new that you are enjoying. Think about it. Write about it.

We've had a lot of new things happening around here... Miss Krystal has just started her first part time job - stocktaking for a craft store! She's loving it! She's working full time at the moment while she is on school holidays and everyday she comes home and tells me about all the new products I need to see LOL

I've been playing with some new techniques and styles... and of course I've bought a few new scrapbooking items (as you do) but the major new thing in my life is our new retaining wall!

At the beginning of the year we built a brand new patio area... and it's FANTASTIC! But during the building process the old retaining wall fell down so had to build a new one and last week we finally got it all done. It's a big relief... especially since it's rained almost every day since we did it!!! I took lots of photos so that I can make a mini album but my favourite photo of the project was a random shot of the wall with the shovels in front of it LOL

Click HERE if you want to check out the D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) project. Have a great week :)

Operations 15 & 16

Yes I'm playing catch up again LOL... but it's school holidays here in New Zealand so hopefully I'll catch up on all my projects and be able to stay that way... dreams are still free right??

Operation 15: What's for dinner? PIZZA!!! I LOVE pizza... all different kinds... I'll admit that wood-fired pizzas are still my ultimate favourites but I'm not fussy... home made, bought, takeaways etc so my page for this operation is dedicated to Pizza :)

Operation 16: Inspired - I'm inspired by lots of things...sometimes songs, or a layout in a magazine, colours, themes, texture, fabric. I love reading blogs (in fact I spend far too much time blog hopping). I love working with challenges, swaps, sketches and projects. Recently I made my Mum a birthday present (click HERE to have a look) and she loves vintage style. Now that is one style that I love looking at but something I thought I could never do... but luckily I was wrong... and right now I'm finding myself really enjoying this style so I hope you like my page for this operation :)Now I'm off to help build a retaining wall... our D.I.Y. is still going strong here... and hopefully I'll get the next operation done in a few days time :)

Operation 14

Operation 14: Looking Forward

Originally I was going to do this Operation about Mum's birthday present I'm making and she even said 'You can blog it.. I won't look'... Yeah right!!!

But on the weekend Dave saw an advertisement for a 'Beatlemania On Tour' concert! Normally Dave will say something like: "The gypsy fair is in town" and he'll point out the advertisement but this time he tore it out of the newspaper (and he was careful not to rip it because he knew I'd want to scrapbook it LOL) and asked me about going.

So yesterday after work I went down and bought us two tickets!!! We've got GREAT seats - Row F - which is only 5 rows back from the stage! I'm really looking forward to April 26th now!!!
I think I was meant to scrapbook this instead too because the whole thing came together in about 15 minutes... definitely one of my fastest layouts!!

Operations 12 & 13

I'm back... from school camp that is! We've just been away for a few days at camp and we've had a great time :) I went go-karting... went down a HUGE flying fox and even swung out of a tree on the Tarzan rope and landed in the lake! Lots of fun but EXTREMELY tiring!!!

Now I'm home and have totally enjoyed having a bit of time in my scraproom! So here's the next couple of Operations!

Operation 12: Luck - I'm a big believer that we make our own luck - the choices we make and the way we face challenges determine how much 'luck' we have in our lives. Something that I believe is pure luck though is Lotto! Would I like to win the lottery... of course!!! I buy a ticket most weeks and probably one of the things I really enjoy is daydreaming on a Saturday about what I would do if I actually did win! I never check my ticket until Sunday morning... that way I get a whole night to imagine winning! I've had a little bit of luck... around the $30 mark... but you never know... one day I might just win LOL

Operation 13: Spring - I love spring! I love the days getting lighter earlier... not having to light the fire at night... the beautiful blossoms and the sounds of birds in the trees. I think I must have always loved spring because Mum found a letter that I'd written to Nana (my great-grandmother) when I was about 5 and in the letter I'm telling her all about spring:

Dear Nana

How are you? I am well. In spring the blossoms are being pink and white. The Sinton's are having new baby lambs and daddy is getting cows in with our baby calves. Our house is nearly finished. It is being painted and when we went to the zoo.

Love from Shelley

I have no idea about that last sentence... obviously we must have been to the zoo LOL I really love the little sentence about the 'blossoms are being pink and white'... sounds so cute! It's a real treasure having these letters... thanks Mum for keeping them for me!