New banner

Hey, this is a bit exciting, for someone who know next to nothing about digital scrapbooking. I created a little banner for my blog! It's a work in progress, as I learn more about digital art, but this was created very simply in Photoshop Elements, just by creating a banner size new file, (note to self: this needs to be a bit shorter!) filling it with some background paper that's free with that program, adding some text (1942 report and CK Ali's hand) and a photo and wacko-the-diddlo. The little typewriter is a pencil sharpener, made of metal with a little roller that works - that's real paper rolled in! - that cost 99cents on ebay.

I would LOVE any advice you can offer me on making banners, or digital art for blogs, or anything I can do to improve on this.

Have a great weekend xxx

8.40am

It takes a while to wake up in the morning. This is what our house looks like, in the morning, on coffee number two... I love having Ian home in the morning- I love the morning coffee ritual on the couch.

There's usually a sprinkling of toys on the Facari rug from the night before...

Tasmin munches on fruit, Angie crawls around working up an appetite...

The bottles left to dry on the sink, from the night before... I love to wake up to the sight of clean dishes. It's not common...

ahh bliss... this is what I was up to last night, like most nights... I almost completed a whole double layout...and I bravely tried paint on my page which I LOVE. 1am was a bit late to finish though.

"why am i always the last to get fed around here....?"

Ah yes, the new pile of washing.....

The towels I hung out to dry YESTERDAY...

And now, I'm off to take Tassie to her swimming lesson. Hope we won't be late :-)

Thanks for visiting!

How do you spend your mornings?

Remembering Dad book

I got a bit fixated on making a book in time for the funeral. It was supposed to be eight pages, so I went to Spotlight to get some smaller O-rings and a Space Bar which are designed to bind smaller books with the Zutter bind-it-all. No one was surprised when I emerged on the day of the funeral with a 50 page book!

I'd stayed up til 4.45 am printing pages and binding it all together. I'd somehow imagined I'd even make four copies, one for everyone else attending, and that it would all be done in two hours. Where do I get these crazy ideas and what drives me to keep going? Well, I felt the need to document all my thoughts about the fortnight leading up to Dad's passing as well as more general memories, so that is done now. Relief. And the material is all organised and printed reading for binding so I can make the other copies in my own time.

I found images of his favourite music on Google images (above);

I included messages received by SMS and email (above), as well as my own eulogy at the funeral, and some of his - and my - favorite quotes. I'll also include the notes from Ian, my sister

and her husband.

I included one sample of Dad's handwriting, from an old letter that I'd recently rediscovered in one of Grandma's holiday scrapbooks (above);

I scanned in the beautiful portrait painted by my talented cousin Noni Clarke, (with only a portion of the portrait showing);

I included scans from his favourite book of poetry, above and his beloved Scottish ancestry below;

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I finished a little album about Dad's childhood and early adult years and made a slideshow of photos to go with it. Even though he wasn't terribly interested, he knew I made them to remember him, and it was the closest we came to having a conversation about how we felt. So I'm as satisfied as I'm ever going to be. I wrote a few pages of memories and anecdotes from my childhood which I'll use in Part two of the album, which will focus on my relationship with dad. Part three will focus on his relationship with the babies, and there are many lovely photos, which I am really grateful for. These will each be housed in their own little album.

Farewell Dad

My dear Dad passed away just over a week ago so my little world ground to a halt. Even though he'd been very unwell with cancer for a couple of years, two days before he passed the doctors thought it would be weeks. So in a way it was all a bit sudden as I thought there'd be months left. So of course I spent a lot of time thinking about the day before I saw him and how it should have gone. But that day I do remember greeting him properly, grabbing his chin and giving him a really big kiss. I took Tasmin along and she was pretty good that day. His wish had been to see the babies as much as possible and I scheduled my days around the hospital visits. It's always difficult taking toddlers to the hospital.

The call came at 2.30am on Thursday 15th October and it was an emotional journey that day as I, my sister and her new husband sat by his bedside, holding his hand, reminiscing about the past and recalling his favourite jokes. It was wonderful to hear him chortle and laugh a few times even though he was in a light coma by then.

All in all, it was a peaceful passing and I was very grateful to be there with Dad holding his hand.

The funeral was on Wednesday and attended by me, Ian, my sister and her husband and Mum. My in-laws very kindly stepped in to mind the babies back at our house. It was an amazing and very simple service, with just the five of us looking out at the beautiful water garden atrium, cradled by a beautiful blue, almost cloudless, sky. We all spoke, and laughed, and cried, and all wore colour. Afterwards we went out into the gardens for a picnic. It didn't feel strange at all. I felt compelled to take pictures of the roses as they felt like his roses: they would look different the next day, and the day after that, and these will be a reminder of the beauty of infinite life.

Sneak peek - Tasmin and Angus's little zoo book

I'm very excited about my current project - which is about two-thirds of the way through. I'm making a little 8" mini-album book of our first trip to the zoo a few weeks ago. I'm dead keen to get it done quickly while the babies still remember it! It's about 30 pages and this is the first album I'll have made myself - the pages are cut from buff coloured manila folders and the album itself will be bound together with my groovy new Zutter bind-it-all. I stayed up late last week practising with it and made a little notebook using recyled paper for Tasmin to draw in.

I feel like it's more a children's picture book than an album - I'm giving my clouds-and-grass stencil a flogging and paper-piecing trees, flowers, animals and sticking in ribbon, pipe cleaners, mesh, anything with texture. It seems a bit silly in a way as the babies may end up ripping it all out as we read it but I want them to have a tactile experience and to be able to touch the different surfaces.

Hope to finish it soon then I'll post the whole album up. Have a great Sunday!

Debbie :D xox

Christmas cards - never too early to start

I was treated to Ruth Cameron's cardmaking class today and came away with four Christmas cards. There should have been five but we chatted a bit! I've decided to try and get my cards done in November this year as it's always done at the last minute and there's always a panic about getting them to people in time for Christmas. I usually come up with one master card then copy it 50 times... I can't imagine making individual cards for everyone. I am definitely inspired by the card at the top, with the three baubles - green and red by the way, but the scan didn't really pick up the red very well. I'll probably incorporate a family pic as well I think.

I used some new products and techniques too -

1. Several of the cards used Kindyglitz or Ice Iccles and I was loved the effect, which was actually quite subtle. Some sequins were used too, on the baubles.

2. There's corrugated metallic card too - I have a little machine on order at Seriously Scrapbooking that crinkles paper for you but you can apparently buy the card like this.

3. I also really love the simple scalloped edging achieved with scissors. I was thinking about buying a scallop punch but I think scissors would have more uses - you could do straight and curved lines, or circles, I think.

4. The Christmas tree was cut from scrapbooking paper and I've seen similar papers in the shops, and the little reindeer was purchased from a pack of gift tags. I love the creative thought that went into those!

5. And finally embossing powder melted with a heat tool - the white powder shines like thick lovely snow. Will have to think about adding some to my stash...maybe next year.

The Christmas letter will be different from usual... we normally do a boring old text only letter but I want to include fewer words and some pics this time. There must be 1000 to choose from so that will be easier said than done.

Isn't it crazy though, to see Christmas stuff in the shops already?