Scrap Therapy Challenge - 'SCRAP THAT OLDER STASH' Challenge!

I decided this weekend would be a perfect day for a challenge and with only three days to complete the layouts, what better way to get stuck into it then start with one that I tend to avoid, as I spend a lot of money on new pretty products.

While my stash isn't large enough to really have an old stash [ as I got rid of all my old scrapping stuff when I moved in my teenage years] I did manage to find some old trinkets with the chipboard buttons you see on the tree's and on the bottom of the page. I cannot for the life of me remember who they are by as I remember getting them from spotlight sometime last year and disposing of the package straight away. I knew straight away I wanted to use them in the layout.

I have used a basic mustard card stock from the neutrals pack by DCWV and the pattern paper you see at the top is downloaded from a site I found while searching for inspiration. Don't ask how I remember finding it, because I have no idea, but it was a blessing because it was perfect for what I wanted. You can find the collection at:

http://www.mygrafico.com

This particular collection is called: Fall Owls and Tree's.

The rest of my page consists of strips from MME- Lime Twist- Fly A Kite range, a Jenny Bowlin Month flag sticker and Black Rocketeer Thickers, oh and a black piece of cardstock from DCWV as the matting behind the photos.

I am certain you can find the Lime Twist collection in the Scrap Therapy Store - I used Spring Zag paper –

http://www.scraptherapy.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=LT1006

& Rocketeer Thickers you can find here:

http://www.scraptherapy.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=43066

I printed my photo’s in wallet size print and I love how I manage to incorporate them onto the page.

This might be not what the challenge called for, but since I have only started scrapbooking again and I still don’t know my way around the site or the challenges I think it was a brilliant first short and I enjoyed making it regardless.

22 Days Off Me - 30 Days off Challenge, Drawing to and end early

My challenge has ended a bit short to the end of the month, but I am not to disappointed. In fact I have achieved quite a lot. From mastering new recipes, starting a new short story, finishing many projects and layouts and having a blast creating and growing and most importantly doing something I love.

I realized as the approach of my new course was drawing closer that I needed not to stress, but to wind down and appreciate the time I have, for I am going to love it more come study and work [I know I will get a job..no work towards a career by starting to work towards my dreams.

I am looking forward to packing a notepad in my handbag to jot down the experience and bringing the camera to capture candid every day moments and milestones as I journey towards my goals in life, because I also learned that while it is great to take time for myself, there needs to be a balance to appreciate it more.

Meanwhile...I have been rather busy with...layouts...and random doobies and a mini album... and I will show you some progress photos now. I am still working on the album but I created a page with the scraps left over and the many photos that still remained. It was going to be along the lines of a Gothic poser page but I decided to document me at 17.

Oh and I have two projects I hope to share pictures with later as well.

xx Blair

Challenge Update - Day 16-19 - May 2011

Should Be Back Soon ....

Meetings, course planning, friend and family guests have taken up most of my time and thrown my schedule out the window. For the next few days I will be challenging myself to make the time for myself and I will continued to share my progress.

Here is a picture of a card in progress and of an alteration on a photograph I took a while back at the market. I love the side where the image looks like a woman if you look closely.

Happy creating, living and loving.
Blair

Reading:

Slowly getting there with my reading. I have started forming my review to post tomorrow and I have until then to finish reading Voices on the waves. I also pulled out Glory in Death [?] by J.D.Robb to get stuck into again. I am hoping it might get me out of this slump I am in to read something a little more intense, and I am avoiding reading the Van Allen Legacy at current because it is so slow to read with my current mood.

However I did get excited and get a little kick out of choosing some books I plan on reading soon, or in the future anyways. I also decided to film a book topic and what I want to read video for my youtube channel, which I hope to have up tomorrow.

Writing:

Let me tell you when I get an idea in my head I usually cannot sleep until I follow through with it, but this idea to rewrite my first novel ‘The Apparition Man’ has been going around in my head going on three years now. I have tried countless attempts and It suddenly occurred to me, with the help of my partner and my writing group that I have to take the skeleton of what I do know about the story and keep it in the background to completely rewrite my story from scratch.

This realisation is a revelation and something so freeing that when I pulled out the old brown paper and colour markers I knew once I had finished laying everything out and putting the past to the side [or hopefully in a cardboard box for the garage] I could look at my baby with new eyes when I was ready and begin something fresh with the characters I loved so very much.

I did this by mind mapping. I put the title in the middle, then the characters names on either side. Also in the middle I put the links between the two. Such as, the car accident, the jetty scene and the rehabilitation clinic that they both go too. For a novel this complex, that deals with parallel universes and sci-fi & paranormal themes it is important for me to get the basics down so I know where to go with it.

The outcome of 20 minutes was an achievement I have been striving for and failing to do for three years. Here is my mind map, where events over the four parts of the book I have written so far for the novel are dot pointed. It surprised me that there was so little when it came to actual plot points, but I know I will fill them in and continue the journey of writing once I begin.

For now it is enough to know I have made progress.

Home Made Cooking:

Tonight I decided to make good old Potato Bake. I used a sachet of potatoes bake sauce [Any brand will do] and then I followed the basic recipe for potato bake. Only I used onion and diced bacon as well in the middle of the potatoes and the sauce to give it some extra flavour. I topped it with tasty cheese and yum yum Iooks tasty doesn’t it.

You could alternatively use this recipe: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Easy-Potato-Bake-L160.html

Crafting:

I have been taking a somewhat break from actual crafting itself and have spent most of today waiting on my favorite youtube channels to submit more videos [thus procrastinating] however early morning [like 3 am] I finished a layout with a photo I took at random and I am pretty happy with it. I think I ruined it with the arrow stamps, but it was an experimentation layout with masking tape and some form of crackle pain oh and the messy freaking embossing powder. [NEVER AGAIN]

30 Days Of Challenge - Day Fourteen - May 14th

No progress to tell you today, but I did finish [sorta] a layout for Easter and went for a little shopping experience at Paperartzi. I found a lot of half price things there and I was really excited about what I did purchase.

30 Days Of Challenge - Day Thirteen- May 13th

30 Minute Parma

Writing:

Oh how I am exhausted, but in both good and bad ways. I woke myself up in time to make it to my local writing class this morning and by gosh despite being sleepy, I am glad I did. While we didn’t make too much personal progress, we did help a fellow writer out with their story in progress.

I also picked up a lot of good information about structure and found myself asking a lot of questions about an old novel that keeps recurring in my project spectrum [the first I wrote] It is a complex one, and I am scared of facing it, but each time I do think about it, I develop more of an idea about where to take it.

I have been thinking lately, that it might be time to get the brown butchers paper out and start doing what I do best, plotting. [Okay I don’t do it the best, but I love getting sheets and plotting things out. So my number one goal for writing this weekend is getting the paper rolled out and starting to make a mark of progress where my novel is concerned.

Home Made Cooking:

Tonight I have a recipe to share with you guys tonight. This being one I have been meaning to cook for some time, ever since I got the magazine. Daniel and I are big lovers of chicken and a good cooked parmaigiana and this one looked divine.

30 minute Chicken Parmigiana Bake

Ingredients:

· 1 and a half tablespoons of Olive Oil

· 6 Breast Schnitzels uncrumbed halved crossways [I am using two herb crumbed ones]

· 1 Medium brown onion chopped

· 2 garlic cloves, crushed

· 340 jar of Fire-roasted pepper strips, drained

· 230 tub antipasto chargrilled eggplant, drained

· 1 and a half cups of tomato paste sauce

· 1 third of a cup of Fountain spicy red sauce

· 1 quarter of a Cup of Basil leaves [fresh]

· 100g mozzarella cheese thinly sliced [ I am using tasty]

· 1 third of a cup of fresh breadcrumbs [I am sure packet will do]

Method:

· Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan over medium heat and cook chicken in two batches. [One if your only using two] Cook until brown and cooked right through and transfer to a plate.

· Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, until onion has softened and add peppers and eggplant. Cook, stirring for one minute. Add pasta sauce and spicy red sauce. Bring to boil, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

· Place half the chicken into a 10 cup capacity oven proof dish. Pour over half the sauce mixture. Top with remaining chicken and sauce mixture. Top with cheese and sprinkle on breadcrumbs.

· Bake for 10-15 mins or until golden and serve with basil [or a nice fresh side salad]

Reading:

I’ve been giving this one a go sparingly. I know I should be well and truly into the 30 book limit right now with my 50 book challenge, but I have been reading books that aren’t all that exciting and it is hard to get involved with the characters. Not to say they are not good books, but I am coming to realise even more that The Van Allen Legacy is becoming another information loaded book and I am more interested in things happening action wise at the present moment. After all I do need something to pick me up and lift me out of this reading blockage.

Crafting:

Not a lot of crating today actually, none. I did however get an excellent package in the main today and you can find the video of my haul here: I was super excited to know it came in so quickly. I also went to Hobby sew and picked me up a lot of red products. My favourite being some pattern paper and Tim Holtz distress ink. It’s not so much that I have been avoiding it, but I did want to give myself the chance to try different things today, even though for the most part I just wanted to create so who can deny the urge to do so?

Exercising:

This is pretty non-existent at the moment and I am not going to shame myself.

30 Days Of Challenge - Day Twelve- May 12th

I have decided today to forget about filling you in on the smaller details and share with you some photo’s of the progress I have made with some layouts over the past few days. Two are completed. I will also show you a small card I made and link you to my youtube channel where I have uploaded a scrapbooking haul.

As far as reading, writing and exercising concerned I haven’t been keeping to it. I am not ashamed and I am enjoying the experience I am having with other means. I am back at my home now, so I plan on spending the next few days working on finishing Voices on the Waves for the Jessica Chambers Blog Tour, and maybe working on my DCBB fan-fiction project. No promises though.