Bring it on!!!

Yay I love this time of the year for more than one reason!
Not only is Christmas the time to spend time with your family and friends for me it is the longest holiday of the year with my work taking a compulsory shut down of 3 weeks plus stat days so take a guess at what I have been up to today????
SCRAPBOOKING!!!! Seriously it is SOOO good to be getting back into it even though the layout was a very simple one - it still took me about 2 hours (that includes the the time to dry the letters).
But talk about stuck, I didn't know what to do to finish it off so i decided to stick the journalling on and just leave it, its not the best work I have done but since I have made Beck happy because for once I didn't scraplift and BOY does that show lol.
Anyway here is it:

Jamie was to hot so he decided to go outside but he didn't think that if he put shorts on and took off the THICK socks that he might just have been cool enough inside? He loves the cat, his computer, chocolate milk so he was having a blast!
I just did lots of paper curling and layering, if nothing else it is another one done!

Christmas day was really nice having lunch at my Mum & Dad's place with my big brother,his 3 kids, wife and my Aunty Lyn who joined us from Australia (I hope she has booked for next year already?)
I took photos but not enough and mostly on Dad's camera at his place but here is one of Abby at 6.00am!!

(see the raindeer on the tree - that was from Trina as part of my secret santa)
She couldn't wait to wake her brother up so we could open presents - should have let her ring her grandparents at that hour! My mum used to get up and slam doors to wake us kids up - who is the kid I wonder (and she has not got any better!).
Abby got a guitar and she just can't wait to start lessons, Kenny her drum tutor is going to start her off on the guitar and when she is going they will do alternate lessons each week - I apologize to the neighbors in advance but hey at least the guitar is not as loud as the drums!
Jamie was so hard to buy for this year and in the end he got what he asked for - money!
And since it is only 6 more sleeps until his 14th birthday and he only wants MORE money - that should make it easy too!

I also was busy trying to get some more things in to the Up 2 Scraps magazine for publication and was stoaked to have 2 off the page items accepted and published in the current magazine and have got one accepted for the up and coming issue.
Here is the ones that I did that didn't make it:






Well I think that's about it from me for the minute.

I hope you are all still enjoying the break and if I am not back before the new year -
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wow one more sleep where on earth did that time go?

I made a few Christmas Cards - not many just enough to say that I did it, here is a peek



Abby had to bring a $5 gift to school - they played a very cool game everyone got a number, 1 to how ever many are playing and number one goes first. He or she gets to pick a present and open it, then number 2 decides if they want to steel #1's gift or take one from the middle of the pile - and the games goes on.
This is what we made for her $5 gift

I went to the final assembly and then back to the class to watch the game - talk about laugh!!! Her house got picked 3rd and got stolen 8 times (including once by herself?) One of the boys ended up with it at the very last steel - bet his mother was pleased with us!
While Abby was making chocolates she also crushed up candy canes and put in white chocolate (this was on Tarosita web site) and made these:

There should be a warning about these - YUMMY!!!! And yes i felt sick I ate that many of them!

While she was doing that I made this for our Christmas table:


I also had to do two different secret santa's one for work and I can't show you any pictures of the chocolates I made for that one as they are VERY naughty!! I brought the chocolate moulds in from the United States and brought some extra's in so if anyone is keen to purchase some - drop me a line!

And Trina also held one - you wouldn't believe it but I got Beck - now don't take this the wrong way - yay for Beck BUT BECK??? lol Her and my taste's are on POLAR opposites and she know's everything I have here.
So I thought I was being really secret I had just got an order in from the states so I thought how wrong can you go with Prima Flowers? Just as I was thinking that beck txt to say she was coming around so I threw the flowers (all of them) into my bedroom and shut the door, Becks had a squiz at the new stuff minus the flowers lol.
The next morning I got Abby to address a courier bag and we dropped it in the letter box. That afternoon I get a "thanks for the secret santa" phone call from Becks???
Man that woman should be renamed - Sherlock homes!!! I thought I had done a great job lol.
Any my seceret Santa was Trina - but I will blog about that once I have taken photos of all the lovely cards Trina made for me - they are so nice all bundled up in ribbon I don't want to undo them he he. Also some chocolates (not scared to un do them - they went in 5 mins!) and a tin full of bits and bobs to add to my stash - thanks so much Trina - I LOVE THEM!

Also friends of ours - David & Gi Young, had a baby boy this morning so welcome to the world - Joshua I can't wait to met you in person! They live in Wellington now so I hope they will be settled in soon so we can skype and get a glimpse of the new wee man and his "big brother". Hugs to you all!

Well think that is about enough (post was long enough should have warned you to get a coffee - nah it's Christmas a wine!)

From all of us here at Embellish It - I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!!!

*hugs*

Rachel

Want Nic Howard for Christmas?

Well not literally just perhaps for Christmas you might like to book yourself in for Nic Howards Class's!
We have finalised the details of what we (or more to the point Nic) will be teaching and are delighted and excited to announce that Nic Howard will be teaching both a layout class and a Canvas Class!

So if you can’t think of what you might like for Christmas choose these!
When: Saturday 27th February 2010

Where: To be advised but in Timaru
Cost: $58.00 each Class

Here are the descriptions:

Layout Class:

The Summer Double with Nic Howard

Summer is here and with it will come all those fabulous fun summer photos. But where to put them?! Join Nic Howard as she constructs a layout with room for multiple photos as well as the all important summer story. This class will include all those things Nic is well known for, patterns and layers, dimension and detail, but most importantly it'll help you pull together some of those super summer pics you've been waiting to scrapbook.

Level: Intermediate.
Length: 2 hours.
What to bring: Details to follow in the New Year.

Canvas Class:

Creative Wilderness

It's messy and it's fun, it's a super layered canvas class! Nic is well known for her layout classes, but she's ready to walk you through something decidedly different! Starting with a blank canvas, Nic will use a variety of products including Tim Holtz and Ranger, and she'll add the messy stuff; gesso, stamping, glimmer mist, inks and paints. The end result will be stunning and you'll learn several valuable techniques along the way!
Level: Intermediate
Length: 2.5 hours (split over morning and afternoon)
What to bring: Details to follow in the New Year.

Now the tricky bit! The Canvas class is going to take time as the base needs to be completed and then let to dry so we can build on it; we will then have a break of probably an hour then have the layout class.
After the layout class there will be a break again for lunch for about one hour and then we will complete the rest of the Canvas class.

So start time will be 10.00 am but the times after this will need some consideration so please BOOK NOW and then when I have more of an idea on how many just want to do the layout class we will be able to make a guess on times – please be a little flexible with this just because of the nature of the class, Nic suggested that if you choose the canvas class that you do both that way times won’t matter so much.

I am more than happy if you would like to pay for your class’s in installments but these will be considered as deposits and will be NON refundable, so we are not turning away others as spaces will be limited.

Confirmation of your place is by way of payment for you class.
So don't miss out on this magic opportunity to do a Nic Howard class LIVE!!!

If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact me, and if you would like to be put on our e-mail list also just let me know.
Hope you all had a great weekend!

Take care

Rachel

Timaru Christmas Crop

Once again I have to say a big thank you to the lovely ladies who support us crop after crop especially those who travel to join us - you girls ROCK!
We had 26 ladies join us for the day - Not including the wedding party! Fantastic turn out for the time of the year so once again thank you so much!

We had a fantastic day last Saturday - it was our annual Christmas crop & with some help I had made Popping Christmas Crackers for all the tables complete with lollies, poppers and a joke (all hand picked after hours of trawling the internet). All the ladies got a Christmas present, the template for the Christmas cracker so they can go home and make their own and many joined us in dressing up.

The prize for best dressed goes to Christine - most won't be able to tell it is her with the blond hair, Chrissy went all out and I think she looks so angelic but she really is a little devil inside lol! Here is a peek at her:


Here are a few more pics from the day:

Jaynie, Andrea and Kathryn

Steph & Jayne

Bronwyn and Her Friend (on the wall behind her) who we might add had lots to say during the day lol. He sang and barked christmas music and was really fun!

Now we also had a special bunch of visitors for the day - check this out not one to miss out on a crop Nic got married on Saturday and she called in with her wedding party to visit us - Nic you looked GORGEOUS!! And these are just snaps as our resident photographer Beck's was away she was the photographer for the wedding so maybe with Nic's permission we might be able to share some "professional" photos when they are all sorted!

and the group - these girls just looked stunning:


On that lovely note - I will leave you to your day and will be back soon with all the details on the up and comming visit from Nic Howard for some class's to be held in Timaru in February!

Catch you all soon.
Take care

Rachel

Christmas Poem

Bronwyn Sent this to me in an e-mail - now I know I have had it before but it is a goodie!

Will be back tomorrow with some photos from the crop yesterday, but for now I will leave you with this!


Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or inkpads or lace?
Or some stamps I said, with a smile on my face.
And that`s when I heard him...."Hi Santa", I said.
He replied,"You know... good girls should be in their beds".
"I know I should Santa, and now I've been caught.
But i was just so excited to see what you brought".
"Well let's take a look in this room where you work"
He shook his head quickly and left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear
"You've got enough crap I'll see you next year!".