Scrappy stuff

Happy Friday!

Here's a layout share for you - it's for the Show Us Your Stuff monthly challenge in which you must take your creative cue from this image:

I liked the idea of recreating a pinboard, and was also inspired by the hanging camera straps....

My handmade items are the Charms Creations star and a Nellie G button.

Bits and pieces like the emblem, brads, rubber clothing tag and calendar card add to the pinboard idea.

Find out how to enter HERE. There's a nice weekend project for you!

I had the pleasure of being involved in a special tribute to The Year of The Farmer this month over at Red Earth Scrapping.

Operated by the lovely Helen, city-turned-country-girl, the site has been featuring "country" scrappers all this month - and now it's my turn!

Read my story HERE. 

What does the weekend hold for you?

Ours is shaping up to be rather full-on....

a play date, 

a house full of tweenie girls for a sleepover,

 a movie date, 

art class, 

baking for a school-do happening on Monday,

dreaded housework and grocery shopping somewhere in between.

Don't you just love the weekends???

Recipe and Art for you

In my kitchen this week....

A new favourite in our house,

Malted Milk Biccies

Cream together:

125 g butter, softened

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg

Mix in:

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1/3 cup malted milk powder

Sift in:

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Bring together into a dough (add a few drops of milk if needed).

Knead gently, wrap in cling film, fridge for 30 mins.

Roll out to 5mm thick.

Cut into flower shapes (or any shape!).

Bake on lined trays 15-18 mins at 150 degrees C.

Cool on trays.

Spread with icing:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

2 tablespoons malted milk powder

1 tablespoons milk, approx

Top with a choc melt or freckle.

Makes 36 irresistably yummy cookies great for lunchboxes or with your morning cuppa.

At Art Class lately.....

My first attempt at charcoal - very messy stuff!
The model chose mine as his fave - how cool is that!

A 30 minute sketch using my fave medium - graphite sticks...

Using my new Derwent Sketching pencils, which you blend with water....obviously not the correct paper - it buckled and "pilled"....you learn something new every day!

I have more, but not yet photographed.

Hope your week was dandy.
See you next time!

True "family" accommodation

Oh, and to add to yesterday's post about Newcastle......

If you need to take your family to Newcastle, I highly recommend Bluegum Apartments in Jesmond.

Having that 3rd child makes staying anywhere almost impossible!!! You either have to get a cabin at the local caravan park, have someone sleeping on the only couch or get interconnecting rooms at a motel - effectively doubling the cost of your visit - and by taking that option you still have to eat out.

We paid $180 per night (not much more than a scabby cabin at the nearest holiday park) and our apartment was BEAUTIFUL!!!

Modern, new and spotlessly clean

HUGE living area with enough leather lounges to seat all of us

Massive kitchen complete with "laundry in a cupboard" and all the appliances you would ever need (even oil, s&p and sauces in the pantry!)

6-seater dining table

Big TV plus FREE wi-fi (yes - free!!!)

Cordless telephone

Massive & very comfy king size bed and ensuite in our room (HUGE shower!)

Girls had their own room with bathroom right next door

Only 10 minutes drive into the heart of Newcastle

Own covered off-street car parking spot

Jesmond Shopping Centre on the doorstep

Yummy chinese restaurant across the road

Minimal traffic noise

I really was super impressed!

Mum and her hubby stayed in the same complex - and although they booked a 2 bedroom apartment also, it was much smaller than ours. Still beautifully fitted out though, and great for 2 or 3 people.

But ours was twice the size - I kid you not! So ask for apartment number 27.

A weekend to reminisce

I was so happy to revisit NEWCASTLE the other weekend.

I moved there at age 19 as a second year uni student (to this country girl it really was "the big smoke") - and left 4 years later as a career girl and newlywed. I worked days, partied nights and on weekends spent all my wages shopping! No mortgage, no kids, no responsibilities......oh those were the days!  

Was fun driving around showing the girls our old haunts - first apartment, fave restaurants, the foreshore, where we shopped and where we spent our time.

We went for State Gymnastics - Kate made the team for North West by default, there not being enough competitors in our area to hold trials at zone or regional level. So there she was - her very first competition - carrying the banner as the lone NorthWest rep - in the midst of the best high school gymnasts in the state!  

Was she worried? Was she shy? I would have been petrified! But not our Kate. She took it all in her stride, chatting to the other girls, doing her thing and performing her best. Amazing girl. So proud of her!

We braved the cold and took the fam to the footy on Saturday night - Knights (Tim's team) vs Bulldogs. Had great seats and got caught up in the atmosphere - while we watched the Knights get smashed! 

Bessie and Tim:

 Mia was impressed by the Cheerleaders (did I tell you she started Cheer classes this year?)

 Close to the action: 

Thanks for popping by.

I'll be back soon with some new drawings and what's been cooking in my kitchen!

xxx

Dot Coms I Love

1. Donna Hay Recipe Search

Feeling uninspired in the kitchen? Haven't a clue what to cook for tea tonight? Days like this I call up my good buddy (it's true.....she just doesn't know it) Donna Hay's site, type in a bunch of ingredients I have on hand, and see what Donna suggests!

Last night I typed in chicken, ginger, coriander and noodles.....and ta-da!

Half and hour later we were tucking into a yummy meal and I had a new recipe to add to my repertoire.

Donna Hay is just fantastic - the undisputed Queen of Simple, Healthy and Delicious!

2. Styling You

Nikki Parkinson's fashion and beauty advice is AWESOME.
Why do I love her so much? A......she's Aussie, B........she's around my size and shape (ie not a skinny stick), C......the clothes and products she talks about are actually affordable for the average person and D......I can't get enough of her So You Want to Dress Like Nina Proudman articles....

3. Good Reads

If you love books, this one is a must! Here I keep a track of what I've read, browse reviews and write my own, chat about books with other book worms, see what other people are loving, make a list of what I want to read next.

It's also fun to check out the Listopia section. See what's made it on the Best Books of All Time, Books That Should Be Made into Movies, or how about Romance Novels That Jerked the Tears Right Out Of Ya!

4. They Draw & Cook

This site inspires me no end. Food and Art merged into one.....too fabulous for words!
Just take a look at some of these amazing "recipes as art" then go check out the site for yourself.

5. Making Australia Happy

"Choose Happiness" may sound like something from a Wham revival, but research shows that 40% of the happiness pie chart is entirely within our power to control........we can influence our happiness through what we do and how we think. Just as we train the body to keep below our "set points" for weight, we can rise above our happiness set points.

I came across this site while researching MINDFULNESS - which is something I try to achieve in my own life. Try it yourself!

The site has heaps of ideas and activities to give you control over your own happiness.

6. Kids-In-Mind Movie Reviews

The amount of profanity, sex and violence at the cinema these days gives this protective mother the horrors! Kids-in-mind is the best friend I consult before deciding to let my girls see a movie, especially now that Kate believes she is old enough for M's. Let me tell you, many a day out with friends has been thwarted by this practice - but when it comes to monitoring what our kids are exposed to, we can never be too vigilant.

The site rates all the latest movies, as well as a huge catalogue of older movies you may potentially hire on DVD, giving a detailed account of every scene that may contain stuff you don't want your little darlings seeing.

Now it's your turn - what are your fave hangouts on the www?

SUYS Revamp

I do enjoy my spot on the Design Team for Show Us Your Stuff - the challenges are always something a bit different from other scrapbooking challenge sites, and the best part.......the focus is on HAND MADE elements.

The site has had a snazzy update recently.

A new look plus a simplified format for challenges - just one per month, plus one Young Scrappers (Sophie's Corner) challenge per month.

Check it out!

And have a go at the July challenge while you're there:

this month we're asking you to create a page inspired by this ultra-cool image....

Here's mine:

As you can see, I went with the colour scheme, the newsprint and the circles.

All the papers are old scraps.

My handmade item is the photo mat I created using 9 punched circles sewn down with my sewing machine.

Some Thickers letter stickers and some hand lettering for the title completes a very simple (and inexpensive!) page!

Thanks for popping in.

See you soon!

Almost over

School holidays, that is.....

I have one more day (hopefully of sunshine) to get all the washing done, then it's back to the usual routine on Tuesday.

Here's some of what kept us amused:

Celebrating Princess Mia's actual birthday....

...and constructing all the LEGO she got!

A visit from Mum and my little brother.....which included a paddock bash to find all our new calves....

(that's Mum in the front seat looking spookily like the Queen).

Baking, baking and more baking.....like this old-fashioned APPLE PIE....

for hubby's birthday (his request instead of a cake!).

Trips to the cinema to see....

....both were unbelieveably fantastic!!!

The girls sewed these sweet little dolly kits....

....fabulous felt friends, easy for the girls to make with all the holes pre-punched. A present from their aunty - the kits are by My Studio Girl.

Played multiple tournaments of.....Boggle, Scrabble and Guess Who Mix & Mash.....

and I had a lovely BookFest, finishing....

....and with NO fingernails left after ripping through that last book in one night.....I'm now starting this 750 page brick of a novel.....

....I'm one third the way through and I reckon I'm gonna love it!

Work and meetings carried on as usual.

Thank heavens for a job that lets me work flexible hours!

Love school holidays!

10 weeks til the next!