hmmm, I think my camera is packing a sad....all photos are turning out with a pink tinge to them. White is pink, blue is a delightful shade of who-know-what, green is still green with a pinkish hue to it.
What I am trying to say is....my birthday card for the 1 year old isn't gonna be posted tonite. I may have to take it into work, take the photo with their camera (good use of work time!) and try to post tomorrow instead. I know, I know - you are all disappointed with me, but it is, people, out of my control!
Try again tomorrow...

Jamey

Well, I feel totally refreshed from the Christmas/New Year break - NOT!
I worked through, only having the stats off - me being the new girl who only started in June, I thought I would offer to work for the department, and also cover for the receptionist in the main office - she has been really patient and helpful, and did I mention patient with me when I first started, and I thought it was the least I could do. And, for the record, that was my good deed, my thoughtfulness, and my only act of kindness for the rest of 2010.  :)
So, I haven't actually had any holidays yet...and my new manager started at the begining of the month, so I don't think I can abandon her just yet! (is that another act of kindness???)

I have a good friend Janine, who sold and moved into a new house over the last weekend. She did this ONLY because she is 8 months pregnant, it is school holidays, and she has her 2 other children running around, and she does not have enough stress in her life - no other reason! But, I thought it would be nice if someone acknowledged that she has moved so I whipped up this card for her on Sunday afternoon:

I used some American Craft paper, on SU cardstock and ink, the image is from a  Heidi Grace set - the first time it has seen ink I might add!
I added a personal message for her and the family and popped it in the post this morning. It might be her first letter to her new address!

I also made a birthday card for my ahem-greatnephew-ahem who celebrated his 1st birthday earlier this month. I will post that tomorrow after taking a photo. Man, did I stress out on that card - you would think that a birthday card for a boy would be a piece of cake - but no. I alternated between a car theme, dinosaurs, bugs, turtles, planes and monsters. 2 hours later, I finished - and it turned out like nothing I pictured in my head (but does anything I must ask?)

Anyway, its great to be back in blogland.
Until next time....

Jamey

No photos or creations this time......Christmas has finally caught up with me!
Even though I have done something Christmassy every day - I still have not wrapped all the gifts, still have a couple more to sort out, haven't brought the sponge for the trifle - which son #2 thinks I don't make the same as Aunty Ruth, even though it's her recipe! - and there is still the housework to do - only because little pixies do not come in while I'm at work to do it for me!

But to all my thousand of readers (yeah, right!) I hope that you all have a lovely, happy, relaxing, fun filled, Christmas, and you all stay safe over this holiday period.

Jamey
xx

I know you have all been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see the finished result, so....

TA-DA!

Finshed the garland - all 5 gingerbread men, all different, hand drew the faces - not my forte I must add! -

and added a couple of rubons...

...and placed them decorously - is that a word? - in the tree that P decorated.
(my camera is still acting up and there is a dark line running down the side of the photo. Why? I do not know!)

So, another Christmassy thing crossed off my list!  Several more to do though...

Tomorrow night is my work's Christmas function, and everyone drew out names from the hat for their 'secret santa'. Luck of the draw I get the receptionist -yay!, AND the big boss - not so yay.
J, the receptionist was easy - got some handcream, nail file, polish and a lil choccie bar and have wrapped it in a Christmas cracker style - complete with a snap.
A, the boss, was not so easy - but I finally found a coffee mug with 'World's Best Boss'. He'll know its a joke! I did offer to put my resignation in a frame for him - I try to quit at least once a week - and he never accepts it!

If you are interested - Warehouse Stationery have a pre-xmas sale 50% off all Christmas Essentials - wrapping paper, cards, bows etc and I managed to get some wrap, 6m length for $1.00. Yes, $1.00! And, I also managed to get some American Craft xmas ribbon for 50% off, cos after all it is a Christmas Essential! cute little brown ribbon with white gingerbread men on it, white ribbon with happy holidays, and dots!

well, off to make dinner.....beef done in the crockpot, with salad and potatoes - yummmmm.

see ya later alligator
Jamey

Starting to feel Christmassy at my house - the tree is up, decorated, nativity scenes dusted off and set up, countdown calendar is counting down the sleeps, strange shaped parcels are being hidden, ham ordered, carols being played, and I'm checking out Christmas cake recipes!

I started a new project today in my quiet time (is there such a thing in my house?) Something I purchased last year specifically for Christmas 2008, and never got around to starting, so I bit the bullet and just did it.

This kit came out last year, from NZ Scrapbooks using Kaisercraft products - 5 gingerbread men, the Christmas papers, the wood embellishments, paint, rubons and other bits & peices. I had a play, and changed a few ribbons & buttons - but basically kept it the same. I will continue to play around with those things though before I actually stick them down, and draw on the faces etc, but it is a garland to string up.  Obviously haven't finished it yet, but I plan to do so this week and have it up hanging - where, I dunno yet - but I WILL finish it. (One of my failings - and I have many - is that I start things, but don't always finish them!)

I also have to do some more cards - finished the 14 I started a couple of weeks ago. I won some blog candy a few weeks ago, and am enjoying the bits and pieces from there. But tonight, when P is in bed, I will write them up and will send them off tormorrow. I made a promise to myself on the 1 December, that I will do something Christmassy every day - and so far, I have! But real life does intrude - so P needs to go to bed, the washing folded and the dishwasher stacked, and I have a couple of auctions coming due on trademe.....

Jamey

Christmas is coming - and every so often I surprise myself! I started a Christmas project AND finished it in the same year! And, its not even December yet!

Whilst browsing the zutterzisters site months ago I saw this cool idea, and thought I could do that. So I did. Admittedly, I did start it half way through the year, and have only just finished it, but, in my defence, I did play around with it for awhile - creating the base, redoing the santa, and choosing the Christmas papers (try getting those in June!)
Soooo - what do you think????

The original idea was posted in January 09, by Fleur Smith - although I couldn't find it on her blog, it was on the zutterzisters site. Those ladies on the zutter site are very clever, and think outside the square!

When I first started making it, I thought this would help my daughter with her counting backwards skills (trying to be a good educational mummy), and I don't actually like the commercial advent calendars (why get a piece of choccie every day until Christmas, then have nothing but choccie on Christmas) and with 4 kids, it doesn't work out to be very exciting for them to have only 3-4 pieces each (cos I would have to have a piece or two myself!).

Now that I have finished it, I can see how to improve on it, and what I would do differently next time (next time?) But, I also started my Christmas Cards for this year, and again I must reiterate, it's not even December yet! I have so far, made 14 cards, with a few more to go.

I am either super organised, (yeah right!) or I have no life...

I have been busy this weekend - I did some ironing,  tried to learn how to do a french braid (still can't do it - my fingers don't co-operate with me), baked a batch of choc chip cookies, a coffee slice, and  a chocolate cake. I also did the grocery shopping - no small feat with husband and 2 teenagers in tow, and spent....... $544.45 (and I still have NO food in the house!).

I am absolutely knackered, so I am off to crash on the couch.

Until next time...

Jamey

I decided to show some more of my CD book that I made.
I used mainly prism cardstock - but cannot remember what colours, two shades of ink - a grey and teal (from SU) and used my quickuts alpha dies (Abigail font)
The pages are 12x6 cardstock folded in half to make 6x6 pages - but the open ends are bound at the spine, so that when I turn the pages I don't see the inside of the cardstock (where there is no texture). This also reduced the number of pages in the book.
I seem to have scored craft cd's from various places - and thought this was a cool place to keep them altogether.

This last week I made some autograph albums - will be giving these to my friends 2 girls for the end of the school year. I can remember when I was at school - friends went around getting 'autographs' from other friends (by hook or by crook I'll be the last in your book). I thought this time round I up it a notch and suggest that they take a disposable camera to school and take photos of the friends to attach to their pages. Can't wait till my daughter is a couple of years older and I will get her to do this as well.

I used scraps of paper from various sources - Bella, American Crafts, K & Co, and cardstock from DCWV and SU, and a mix of apha stickers.

(why is the picture rotating like this???? it's not like this on my computer!)

Anyway, that's it from me today - must pick up number 2 son from the city (shooting practise) and pick up my brother & sister-in-law as we are going out for dinner tonite!

Jamey