September Zva Blog Hop Winners announced

Here's one more layout that I would like to share with you. I have used Martha Stewart doilies as stencils, with Glimmermist Cosmos Pink and Coffee Shop for my background. Chipboard, papers and stickers are from Crate Paper. But my finishing touches are, of course, from Zva Creative. I have used bling flourishes(CR-02CA-110 and CR-03CA-118), silk flowers (FL01CB106), bulk flowers (sweet blossoms) and foam dots (1mm and 2mm).

We'd like to congratulate the five September Zva Blog Hop winners! Their names will be found on the following blogs:
Kim Hughes: Paper Hugs
Julianne McKenna-De Lumen: Jules The Bling Princess
Wendy McKee: My Ordinary Life
Benedicte Raphalen: Scrap Sweet Scrap
Lisa Johnson: Poppy Paperie
One winner from each of the 5 blogs will receive a Zva prize package worth $30.00. Congrats winners!

I ran the numbers through the Random Integer Generator
And the random number winner is:
28
Timestamp: 2010-09-29 08:22:13 UTC

Congratulations to Rae Barthel, our lucky winner! Could you please contact me with your mailing details so we can get your prize to you.

Zva Creative September DT Blog Hop!

The Zva Designers are joining together again today to share a project that we have created using some of our favorite Zva Creative products. I am hoping that you will take some time to join us for a little bit of fun again this month!

The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blog: Paper Hugs. She will have the complete list of all blogs that are participating in case there is a glitch along the way. If you would like to play along, I am linking to one of the Zva designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on.

Be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on 5 of the blogs is a Zva Creative prize package ...WOO-HOO! Those blogs will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs as you can along the way.The Blog Hop starts now and runs through midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, September 28th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 29th on each of the five winning blogs. The full list will be found on Kim Hughes‘s blog as well (linked above). We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.




I wanted to share this recent layout with you because it has some new Zva Creative products on it. Yes, some of those glorious products that were released at the recent Summer CHA. Particularly, those rhinestone leaves that you can see below the red flowers. I love using leaves on my projects, but rhinestone leaves - well, that's just the BOMB for me!!! And the colours - so many new flourishes and swirls, in so many new colours. Absolute heaven, I tell you!

Products Used: rhinestone leaves (CRW-03CB-101); rhinestone alphas (CRP01CB102); mixed rhinestones (CR-02CB-101); pearl brads (BRBK02CA103); gem brads 1/4" (BRBK02CA101); silk flowers small (FL01CB113); silk flowers large (FL01CB105); clear rhinestone strips (CR01CB109); pearls (PE-02CB-102); black rhinestone flourish long (CRB-03CA-102); and black rhinestone flourish short (CR-03CA-112). Cardstock - bazzill dots swiss: papers - GCD; paper doily; Martha Stewart Monarch butterfly punch; and white gel pen.

The blog hop begins here: Kim Hughes Paper Hugs.


Your next stop is here: Teri Anderson A Bit Of This. A Bit Of That.

Thank you SO MUCH for joining us. I hope you have been inspired to get your scrapping supplies out and to have some fun!!! If you have any questions about the blog hop or my layout, please feel free to email me or leave a comment. And hopefully, we'll see you again next month for more fun and inspiration!

Pencil Lines Sketch 206

Sketch #206 is up over at Pencil Lines. This week's guest designer is Wendy McKee. Wendy also designed this week's fantastic sketch. The design team have had a great time working with it. Please drop by and check it all out.

Here's my take on the sketch. I have used Crate Paper goodies and Zva Creative bling (including some new mini rhinestone flourishes CRW-02CA-105). I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to showcase some of the new Zva Creative products. Please come back at 11:00pm tonight AEST (or 9:00am USA time) to see some more goodies during our September blog Hop.

New Addictions...

Right. This is a bad thing. I have a new addiction, and no, it's not scrapping related. (-: I've discovered Jolly Ranchers Sours. OMG!!! My mouth just waters thinking about them. Yummy! They are SO GOOD and I can only get them from one store in Brisbane that I know of. And they blackmail me with a $6.50 per packet price tag. It's so unfair!!! I hate to think how much one packet costs in the USA. Probably $2.00 or something like that. And to make it worse, I have also discovered Coca-Cola Cherry Zero. A box of 12 cans just cost me $20.00. Talk about being ripped off!!! I'm going to have to be a good girl and make these a very occasional treat. Yeah, right!!! As if that's going to happen, lol!!!

Color Combos Galore Ch#161

Challenge #161 is up over at Color Combos Galore. This week, we have a palette of white, brown, taupe and red. Deliciously warm and fun to play with. The Designer's Challenge is handwritten journalling. I hope you come and join in the fun!!!

Here's my layout for this colour combination. Titled: She Is All Things Girly. I decided to keep it simple and divide the page in half with a line down the middle. I then scrapped on either side of the dividing line, keeping it balanced. I really enjoyed this week's challenge. It was a nice change from purple!!! LOL!!! Products used: Crate Paper, Zva Creative pearls, Collections chipboard shapes, Carolees Creations alpha stickers, Kaisercraft chipboard alphas, and Hambly stickers.

Noel Mignon Challenge...

I decided to join in the "I Gotta Be Me" challenge over at the Noel Mignon site. I used the Sweet Sue kit and added some Zva Creative pearls and flowers from my own stash. The aim of the challenge was to recognise and scrap in your own style. I have established that I am a "details" kind of gal, who likes pretty, romantic things. I also like bright colours, white space, and smaller size photos. And you can't forget the bling - I've always got to have some of that. (-: I often veer towards layering and stitching too. So I have combined all of that to create this layout - "What Would Freud Say". This was such a fun challenge - loved it!!!

Guess What I Made?

I made a video - yes, I did! My first ever video. Scary huh? I know nothing about making videos, so this was a whole new experience for me (and my hubby because he got roped into helping me upload the video to YouTube). It was a HUGE learning curve for both of us, and I have to thank my hubby for staying up until 2:00am in the morning, trying to get this video uploaded. Anyway, if you would like to view my first ever video, you can find it here. I created this video as part of my application for the Shimmerz Education Team. And I am so glad I did - I've overcome one of those things I've always wanted to do, but never had the courage to do. (-:

Wet? No Problem!!!

It is the start of the school holidays, and one child (Malayla) is already sick (she has a nasty cold). We can't go anywhere until Malayla is better. Plus it's been raining and drizzling in Brisbane for the past two days. And it is supposed to continue for another 3-4 days. So Keana is stuck inside because of the rain. Or so I thought!

Here she is, in the rain, on the trampoline.

Bouncing, twirling, and flipping...

A little bit of water never hurt no-one. (-:

I remember doing this sort of thing when I was a child, and I loved it.

So I decided to allow her the same pleasure and experience.

(Plus I knew I would get some good photos for scrapping - yes, I'm a bad mummy!!!)

She even does hand-stands and cartwheels in the rain...(-:

Don't worry, I made sure she hopped into a warm shower and warm clothes

as soon as she came inside.

The girls went to a friend's birthday party on Saturday (just before Malayla got sick). And they both got to wear new dresses. Don't they look so pretty! Well, Keana had managed to tear a huge rip in her dress in less than an hour. So I had to go get her another change of clothes.

Guess I will be sending the dress (and a torn school jacket)

to Nanna for repairs. Sigh...she is such a tomboy at times.

Pencil Lines Sketch #205

Sketch #205 is live over at Pencil Lines. Our guest designer for this week is Liana Suwandi. And the design team have been busy creating loads of inspiration for you this week.

I hope you drop by to join in the fun!

Here's my take on the sketch. I have turned it upside down, and used lots of My Little Shoebox goodies to create this layout. To finish it off, I have added some pearls from Zva Creative. This is another of those layouts that just came together easily. Got to love that!

CCG Challenge #160

We've got a beauty for you this week! Challenge #160 is up over at Color Combos Galore. The colours this week include royal blue, periwinkle, lavender and lilac. And the designer's challenge is hanging or suspended items. So, if you like me, and not a huge fan of purple, then this one will really push you out of your comfort zone, lol!!! (-: Come on, join the fun!!!

Firstly, no, I did not do a "Kate Mason" and have a baby without telling anyone! This is my gym trainer's little girl, Jai-ana. And she is just beautiful. Her proud parents, Jane and Justin, live just down the road, and their eldest daughter and my youngest, are best buds. So I spend a lot of time at their place. And I just couldn't resist having a cuddle, or several!!! Yes, she is so gorgeous that it almost makes me want to have another one - almost...

But onto the topic - the layout!!! I really, really, really struggled with this week's colours. I don't like purple to begin with, and I don't use dark blue often, so finding papers and embellishments to create a layout was not easy. I managed to get this one done but I am not fussed with it. I don't like the design, I don't like the colours, and I just couldn't get it to gel. So I called it quits, sighed in resignation, and moved onto another project. (-:

Last Layout for SFS...

Here's my last layout for Scrapbooking From Scratch. I've used nearly everything in the kit, except for one sheet of paper. This is one of those layouts I love - you know the ones that just come together by themselves. (-: I've added some Zva Creative pearl flourishes and rhinestone strips from my own stash. If you would like to purhcase one of these kits, please go here.
I want to thank Peta for allowing me this opportunity to play with the MME Lost and
Found kit. I've had an absolute blast!!! (-:

Pencil Lines Sketch #204

It's time for another sketch! This week over at Pencil Lines we have sketch #204 for you. Our guest designer this week is Leah Farquharson. Why not come and drop by, and check out all the inspiration created by our Design Team. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

I just loved this week's sketch. It had so much room for interpretation. This is the layout I created, titled: She Loves To Be Centre Stage. I'ved used lots of My Little Shoebox goodies, plus some Zva Creative rhinestones and flourishes. I wanted a bright, happy, girly layout, and I think I managed to achieve that. (-: I must say, I am loving the new ranges from My Little Shoebox. For someone who has girls, they are just gorgeous. Although, I do miss their circular paper. This year they have introduced a square paper instead. )-:

Zva Creative Project 2 September

Here's my second September layout for Zva Creative. I have used my Noel Mignon Sweet Sue kit and combined it with lots of Zva Creative goodies. I had a lot of fun creating this layout. It just kind of flowed together. The circles all came together by accident - but I love the end result - they remind me of the skate wheels going round. Zva Creative products used: CR-02CA-106 (rhinestone flourish); CRW02CA102 (small heart rhinestone flourishes); CR01CB109 (rhinestone strip); BRBK02CA101 (1/4" gem brad); BRBK02CA102 (1/8" gem brad); BRBK02CA103 (PEARL BRADS); FL01CB110 (silk pointed large flowers); FL01CB104 (silk round large flowers); FL01CB114 (felt flowers large and small); and FL-01CB-116 (felt flowers medium).

Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Keana. (-:

Mummy, Daddy and Malayla love you very, very much.

Here's to a day filled with love, sunshine and happiness.

We are so very blessed to have you in our lives.

CCG Challenge #159

Challenge # 159 is live over at Color Combos Galore. The colours are mustard yellow, white, grey and dark royal blue. Definitely not an easy combination for me to work with (I have girls, remember!!!). And the Designer's Challenge was to use school photos.

I ended up creating two layouts for this challenge because I struggled so much with the colours, and didn't like my first layout (below). This is my second layout, titled "Home Made". I'm happy with this one. (-: Just had to take a different approach and style to make it happen.

Here's my first layout, titled "Ready For Adventure." Yep, I really, really struglled with this. I wanted to keep adding red or orange to the layout to balance it out, but that would defeat the challenge and the purpose, wouldn't it? Blah!

10 Years Ago, Today...

It was exactly 10 years ago today that Antonio and I got married. Happy Anniversary honey! And here's to another 10 years (and many more...)...

I thought I would share a couple of photos from our wedding day.

To think, I now have red hair.

And Tony looks like he hasn't changed at all (except for a few more grey hairs). Which is what happenes when you now have...

two of these darling sweeties.

And my parents. So much changes in 10 years. They are now divorced and don't even speak to each other. So here's a lesson to be learnt - never take each other for-granted. Time can change anything, often without warning. Make the most of every day together. Enjoy life. Be happy. Have fun. Live. Don't have regrets.

Lucky Me!!!

I'm a lucky girl. Peta from Scrapbooking For Scratch has asked me to be the Guest Designer for September. And because I said yes, I get to play with a lovely kit full of the new My Mind's Eye Lost And Found range. Isn't it pretty? If you like sweet and girly, then this is the kit for you. But hurry, stocks are limited. My first layout is titled" She Is Our Quirky Girl". I have added the Zva Creative bling flourish, rhinestones and pearls from my own stash. But Peta has said that she can get Zva Creative in, if anyone needs bling.

My second layout is simply titled "Sisters". I wanted to concentrate on using the MME die cuts and shaped paper. Throw in some hand-made flowers, and more bling from Zva Creative (flourishes and pearls), and it is complete.

My third layout is titled "Family". It's not often that I get to scrap a photo of all of us, because I am usually the one behind the camera, taking the photos. I have used a new Prima stamp and Zva Creative bling (pearls) from my own stash. And yes, more hand-made flowers, just because I can!!! LOL!!! (-:

Zva Creative September Project One

There's nothing I love more than mixing my Zva Creative products with a Noel Mignon kit (Office Party). The results are always fabulous. This is my first Zva Creative project for September. Products used: PES-02CB-102 and PE-02CB-119 (pearl flourishes); CRW01CB101 (rhinestone word); BRBK02CA102 (gem brad 1/8"); FLBK02CA104 (sweet blossoms blue 3/8"); PE-02CB-101/CR-02CA-127 (pearls); FL-01CB-115 (large felt flowers) and FL01CB117 (Medium felt flowers). For my background I have used glimmermist and a piece of lace. The transparency is from Hambly and the chipboard butterfly from Maya Road.

Miracles Can Happen!

I'm a slow scrapper. Always have been, always will be. Most layouts take me 3-5 hours on average. Sometimes longer if it complicated with techniques, or I keep getting interrupted by DH, children and life. But occasionally, miracles do happen, and I will complete a layout in 1-2 hours. This is one of those layouts. Titled: Missed. I created this layout using the Noel Mignon Office Party kit (sold out). I was in a creative rut and just staring at the papers. I thought to myself, "this is ridiculous - do something!!!". So I forced myself to just pick up a piece of paper and tear it - without over-analysing it - and place it on the base. Then I picked up another piece and did the same again. Then I added some scraps from previous layouts, and built this layout up from there. And guess what? It just came together quickly and easily. So next time you are stuck, just give it a try. Pick up any piece of paper (or scrap paper) and just tear it, then work from there. It's easier than it looks. As they say, "sometimes the first step is the hardest!!!".

It's Time For A Giveaway!!!

I'm bored, so I have decided it's time for a giveway. I have three paper packs/kits up for grabs. One kit is from Wicked Princesses, another kit is a vintage kit that I received at a recent retreat, and the third is a mixture of stuff (papers, ink, bling, tags etc.) that I cannot remember where I got it from. I will also throw in some Prima flowers and bling (Zva Creative of course!!!). I've just been too lazy to photograph those items. (-: The competition is open to everyone.

Here are the rules:
1. For one entry, leave a comment on this post.
2. For two entries, become (or already be) a follower (and leave a comment to let me know).
3. For three entries, post this on your blog and link it back to me, and leave a comment letting me know.

Simple and straightforward? And if I can find any other goodies to throw in, I will, just because I feel like it. (-: You have until the end of September to enter, then I will draw three lucky winners. But you have to be in it, to win it!!! Good-luck. (-:

You Did What???

I learnt a lesson today - NEVER, NEVER, EVER forget to set your alarm clock when you have young children. NEVER!!!!! My alarm didn't go off at 6:30am as usual. My fault - I forgot to check it before going to sleep (I have a young daughter who just can't help herself and loves to press the buttons on my alarm clock any chance she gets). But I was lucky (so I thought), and woke up at 7:00am. Just leaving me enough time to get the girls ready for school in a hurry. Anyway, as we are going out the door at 8:10am, Malayla says to me that Keana rang Jacinta. Say what??? I don't remember giving permission for Keana to ring Jacinta. Keana doesn't even know how to use our phone (Ha! Ha! Ha! Silly me!!!). With a few more questions asked and answered, we establish that Keana rang Jacinta this morning at about 6:30-6:45am. Yep! You heard me right - 6:30am-6:45am this morning. Oh, crap!!! So, not only did Keana work out how to use our phone (you have to press a button to get a dial tone), she actually managed to get Jacinta's phone number right too (Jacinta's number was pinned up on our fridge). This girl is just too smart for her own good. I am so going to have my hands full with her as she gets older. (-: So I rang Michelle (Jacinta's mum) tonight and apologised. Fortunately, they were already awake this morning, and she saw the funny side of it. On the bright side, Jacinta loved chatting to Keana this morning, and proceeded to invite her over for a sleepover. Sigh! You've got to love being the mother of a social butterfly - NOT!!!

August Zva Blog Hop Winners announced

We'd like to congratulate the five August Zva Creative Blog Hop winners! Their names will be found on the following blogs:

Lynn Mercurio: http://www.stamperosity.com/
Susan Lui: http://www.luv2scrap-pages.blogspot.com/
Ingrid Danvers: http://www.ingriddanvers.com/
Camilla Ekman:http://camillaslillasida.blogspot.com/
Tara Orr: http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com/

One winner from each of the 5 blogs will receive a Zva prize package worth $30.00. Congrats winners!

Here's a little inspiration I would like to share with you to finish off the Zva Creative blog hop. I created this layout by spraying some Strawberry Shortcake Glimmermist Chalkboard on the background paper (GCD) (cut to 11" x 11"). I then added a little tear to the top right corner of the paper, and placed another coloured piece of paper behind the tear. Next, I attached the background paper to a piece of lime green cardstock. I then stitched a circle in the middle of the page, and a border around the outside edge. I added some papers (GCD), a piece of Hambly transparency, a journalling block from Bo-Bunny, and some photos. I added a chipboard bracket, sticker die-cut, and some alphas. Then I finished it off with a whole lot of Zva Creative goodness. (Products used: felt flowers FL-01CB-116 and FL01CB114; silk flowers FL01CB106; green pearl flourish PEB-02CB-108; rhinestone heart flourish CRW-02CA-103; rhinestone dragonflies CRW02CA111; large gem brads BRBK02CA101; and small gem brads BRBK02CA102).

I really hope you have had a fun time with us, and that we will see you back here again next month, for our next blog hope. Until then, cheers and happy scrapping!!! (-: