Things to do on a chilly weekend

Find a sunny spot... Snuggle up nice and close... Have a mad soccer match in the backyard... Contemplate life... Put your feet up with a good book... Wear a cute woolly hat... Chuck a snag on the barby (and a few spare ribs too)... Be led down the garden path... Rug up in your fave winter coat... Gaze at a waterfall... Cuddle a puppy dog... Hold a Uno tournament on the top bunk... Brave the cold and enjoy the view... Go wombat sighting... Have an afternoon stroll with a buddy... Life is good. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Hope your long weekend was as wonderful as mine...

June Workshop

Something a bit different from my usual "cute and bright" designs..... ...using the new "Market" papers by 7 Gypsies, the stunning Art Flowers by Hero Arts, hand made cork embellishments and heaps of distressing. It suited a wide variety of photos, from the lovely heritage baby shots that Lee had brought along, to Chris's gorgeous travel snaps of Indian architecture, and everything in between... Rosalee Rhonda & Meleah Lee Jennie Gloria & Libet Di Chris If anyone was after this as a Class-in-a-Box...I'm so sorry but I don't have any left! Enjoying some long-awaited rain here at last. When everyone else has been inundated, we seem to have missed out. The sound of water trickling into the tanks is a very happy one indeed! Any plans for the long weekend? We'll be spending time with some very good friends of ours over in Armidale....so I'm busy packing winter woolies and extra quilts! Hope you all have a good one, whatever you're up to. Hugs xxx

May Workshop

I was just about to show you the photos from this week's class....when I realised I still haven't put up the ones from May! So here they are..... Rosalee Rhonda Meleah Lee, Lisa W & Chris Katrina, Tracy & Debbie Jane & Lisa H Di Dana & Libet It always amazes me...in a good way...how one class can produce so many different-looking pages using identical supplies, techniques and instructions.

Girl Power

The past six days have been an absolute whirlwind of activity in the Hackney household. My girls amaze me every day, but this week I am an especially proud Mum....

This girl, our darling middle daughter Bethany Mae....


....turned 7 on Saturday and played the perfect hostess at her first ever sleepover party. Two days earlier her and big sister Kate performed "Walk the Dinosaur" with their school at the Inverell Dance Eisteddfod complete with wild green hair, crazy caveman moves and a tonne of energy and enthusiam.....they got the biggest reaction from the audience, and have been asked back to dance at the Gala Concert finale tomorrow night!

This girl, our sweet little Mimi Rose....(with the most extravagant eyelashes ever seen on a human being)....


....fought her nerves to appear on stage at her first ever Eisteddfod. Dancing with her group in the Under 6 years Classical, she remembered all her steps beautifully and did so with the biggest smile on her face! She raced off stage full of excitement saying "that was the best dancing I ever did!" I had to agree!

And this girl, our lovely Kate, blew us all away with her achievements this week....


Wednesday: first place at the Zone Cross Country - now she's off to Regionals!
Thursday: danced her heart out with her school in "Walk the Dinosaur"
Friday: an extra long clarinet lesson and learnt 4 new keys
Saturday: recruited to the school soccer team at the last minute to play at a local carnival and came runners up
Sunday: performed a stunning routine with her ballet group at the Eisteddfod in her gorgeous red tutu.

You can understand why I am bursting with pride......:)

All this hectic-ness has thankfully taken my mind off the fact that I am NOT going to the Brisbane Scrapbook Expo next weekend....boo hoo....hopefully next year I'll be more financial.
However, this layout....

....IS going! It will be on display in the centre of the convention hall in the Inspiration Corner....(excitement!). Be sure to let me know if you see it there!

With hardly time to scratch myself on the weekend, I was pleased to achieve this....


....using one of Pip Prosser's fantastic Takeaway Packs. The perfect solution for a creative fix when time is short! Most enjoyable and very pretty....gorgeous Heidi Swapp papers....and a lovely trip down memory lane with photos of Mia's christening 4 years ago.

I'm looking forward to another Scrap With Penny class tomorrow night....I'll be back later in the week to share the photos with you.

I'll leave you with this thought:

"Memory is the land of enchantment which belongs to us forever."

Night night and thanks for stopping by.........xxx

May Class-in-a-Box

I have fallen in love with the My Little Shoebox range of papers....so much cuteness on a 12x12 square!!!

This month's Class-in-a-Box features my favourite - "My Neighbourhood". Included in the box is everything you need to recreate the above layout, including papers, cardstock, stamped title "Home", template for the paper-pieced house and instructions.

Cost is $15 plus $5 postage. Paypal or direct deposit accepted. Drop me a message if you want to snap one up.

P.S. This layout has been accepted for publication in Scrapbooking Memories mag, so will be removed from my blog very shortly!

A Big Catch Up

Lots to catch up on.....so I'll make a start. Had a fun family holiday end April/beginning May.......stayed here at the Moby Dick Resort in Yamba for almost a week - we love Yamba! Heavenly! Then we went here.......... Seaworld Resort for a night....went to Seaworld both days and it was amazing. First time the kids had been to a theme park of any description and they were out of their skins with excitement! Here are just a couple of pics from the trip: Bethany, Mia and Kate "pigging out" (ha ha) at the Hogs Breath at Marina Mirage....I mean it - they really did eat the most I'd seen them eat in ages!!! The gang coming out of the big splash at the end of the Viking Flume ride - too funny! The wonderful "Imagine" dolphin show... ....had the kids engrossed and wondering why we couldn't have one for a pet! My little country kids looove the feel of sand between their toes......playing a game of chasies at Turner's Beach - the perfect sheltered beach to hang out at Yamba. When we got home it was all systems go with the carpetlayer arriving to carpet Kate's new bedroom and Beth & Mia's bedroom.....we moved furniture about and I sorted and chucked out toys galore ALL DAY! Kate picked this glorious turquoise hue for her walls "Seashell Lagoon" by Wattyl. She's all moved in now - and what a relief that is. Bedtime is so much calmer now without 3 girls together in the one bedroom! Bethany played her first ever game of soccer....... ...how good does she look in her red (rather large!) uniform? She played so well...really got in there where the action was...following in the footsteps of her Grandad (my Dad) perhaps? I have it all on video for the family library. Mothers Day was a bit of a non-event....just the ususal old Sunday with good old me doing dishes, laundry, cooking, etc. No - I shouldn't whinge....I was woken by 3 excited little faces who bestowed upon me precious gifts handmade at school and preschool. I wore my drinking straw and string necklace all day.....I may even wear it again! I haven't much scrapbooking to share.....quite a few have been accepted for publication so I can't just yet! But here are a few I did this weekend as part of the Scrapawhile "Celebrate the Feminine" Cybercrop...... That's all for now. Busy again til the end of the month with dance Eistedfodd, Fun Run, Education Week and goodness knows what else.... More photo opportunities! See you then. xxx