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Scrapbooking Memories Blog
Saying goodbye…from JoIt may come as a shock that this will be my last blog entry as part of the Scrapbooking Memories team. After a very exciting year with the team I have decided to accept a new position within the Express Publications company, so while I won’t be working with the girls anymore it’s comforting knowing I will only be one building away in a different office!:)
Brisbane scrapbooking expoWOW! What a rollercoaster weekend full of trials, tribulations, excitement and, of course, scrapbooking! This was my first year at the Australiasian Scrapbook and Papercraft Convention and I have to say that I was thoroughly impressed and satisfied despite the big dent I managed to put in my bank account buying so many new goodies! The weekend, however, was not all going to be smooth sailing as Cassie, Kristy and I found out very early on when our morning flight from Sydney to Brisbane was cancelled!
^ Kristy and Cassie at Sydney airport ready to depart ^
^ Our flight is CANCELLED!^ Fortunatley we were able to catch another flight that left only an hour later then our booked flight, but unfortunately Kristy and I were told that our checked baggage wouldn’t make it to Brisbane until at least 2pm. I wasn’t too stressed since our plan was to head straight to the convention centre from the airport and set up anyway so as long as knew I’d have some clean clothes (and my make-up!) to freshen up with before dinner, I was happy. Flying into Brisbane I was amazed by the bright blue skies! It had been raining in Sydney on and off for a couple of weeks so sunshine and a near clear sky was a nice change and after enjoying a relaxing and scenic taxi ride through Brisbane and arriving at the Convention Centre, it was a bit of a rude shock to have to stop day dreaming about how beautiful the city was and get down to buisness of unpacking and setting up our various areas.
^Kristy and Cassie on thier way to Expo Hall 2^
^The "fun" task of unpacking begins…^ ^ Night sky after a long day^ We finished setting up for just after 6pm and still no sign of our luggage! After unsuccessfully trying to find out where our bags were Kristy recieved a phone call - the bags had arrived in Brisbane! - but, we wouldn’t get them till late at night. Feeling every bit as tired as we looked, we set off to find our hotel which, thankfully, was a convienient 5 minutes walk from the convention centre. After checking in I decided there was no way I could take a shower without been able to put on fresh make up and brush my hair after (I can be such a girl;) so I set off to Coles for some supplies. Feeling very re-freshed after a rest the girls and I went to dinner to a cute place called The Jazzy Cat resturaunt and even though I was trying to be healthy by ordering the grilled salmon, I still mamanged to scoff a packet of tim tams later in the night before going to sleep eager, and a bit nervous, about what the first day of the show would bring the next morning.
^Eager scrappers try to catch the first bargain Saturday morning^
^ SBM classes filling fast!^
^Map of the expo floor^ Saturday at the convention was SO busy and the crowds didn’t let up until closing time! But everything went well including all our classes so a BIG THANK YOU is definately in order for our tutors Mel Kennedy, Cassandra Glass, lovely assistant Lu Benson, Rachel Richter and Andrea Thompson!
^Mel’s LAUGH OUT LOUD layout class^
^Cass and Lu teaching the Brag Book class^
^Rachel Richter’s from camera to print class^
^Andrea Thompson in the SBM studio^ After a long but very successful first day we set about to explore the city a bit, however we were all so tired that exploring the city turned into dinner at South Bank and then straight to bed!
^Kristy and Cassie looking fab despite a tiring day!^ Sunday and Monday the crowds definately eased and I was able to get out and about to meet people and do some shopping! After the CraZy crowds of Saturday’s rush we were all able to enjoy the show and Brisbane before heading home Monday night. Here are a few more pics from the weekend:
^Me dutifully manning the SBM stand^
^Kristy and Cassie at the stand^
^At dinner Sunday night with (CW from left) Cassandra Glass, Melissa Kennedy, Lu Benson, Cassie Bellemore, Joanna Romanowski, Kristy Evans, Leanne Stamatellos^
A new roleIt’s been a little while since I wrote something so thought I should get into gear and get on here! (wow that rhymes!) Unfortunately I lost my camera (I’m so upset) so I don’t have any pictures to put up. Oh and my computer at home decided to crash and I’ve no saved pictures either - I wonder what I did wrong in a past life to suffer twice?? Anyway, as most people know Claire Stewart has left the Express team and I am now taking over her duties as Marketing and Events Coordinator. I’ve been working in this role for about a month now - and I’ve got to say, I’m loving every minute of it. I still get to do the things I was doing before; writing features, editing text and organising editorial work, but now I also get to organise competitions, challenges, events, any PR and marketing and basically keeping up with clients and contributors. How have I been doing?? One of the newest tasks to fall upon my lap is the Brisbane scrapbook convention - who’s going? I’m excited to finally meet in person those who I usually correspond with on a regular basis - you! It looks like its going to be a big, and great, event. Fingers crossed all of the SBM team’s hard work goes to plan and the event is hiccup free! On a side note to scrapping, I’ve been thinking lately about life and how we view it. I sometimes wonder if I’m wasting time when I think to myself, get up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and then do it all over again. Are we wasting precious minutes when we say, or think, "I can’t wait for the weekend"? Are we trying to rush through the ‘boring’ bits too much? I’d hate to think that when we get to the end of this life, that most of us are going to wonder what it would have taken to wake them up and tell them to ’start smelling the roses’ (pardon the cliche). Why is it that most of us won’t work it out until it’s too late? I’ve thought these kind of thoughts before, so why hasn’t it stuck? And why do I think it’s going to this time? Has anything really changed siunce the last time I wondered if I was wasting my life? Not really. I’m older, but I can’t really say I’m much more wiser. I guess all I can do is keep trying to think this way and hope that it sticks. Hope that this is my wake up call, instead of something too upsetting to think about. Even if it’s not myself I change today, I’d like to think that changing somone elses, even just one person’s view on life, is enough to help me start in the right direction. So instead of saying "I can’t wait for…", how about living in the moment? Enjoy the more boring, dull, tiring, uneventful moments as well as the ones we savour. Isn’t life full of ups and downs anyway? So why rush through half of these moments? I hope I haven’t bored too many of you reading this - but then again, appreciate this post too! It may not be the best read, it may not have pictures but hey - this boring post may just help you look at things differently, better. I hope everyone is well, healthy and happy, and that I see most of you at the show!
LAST POST - From ClaireHi Everyone! This will be my last post with Scrapbooking Memories magazine. After 3 wonderful years with this fabulous title, I have decided to take a new direction in my career working as Account Manager and Presenter with Living Creatively. Thank you to everyone of you whom I have met along the way at shows or events, for being so lovely and making my time at Scrapbooking Memories so memorable. Even those of you whom I haven’t met, thank you for your emails and supporting the magazine through entering competitions, watching our DVDs or visiting our web site. Without you, our valued readers, we wouldn’t have this fabulous magazine to bring you every month! So for now, goodbye and happy scrapping! Cheers
PRINTS CHARMING FABRICS - From ClaireSomething many of you may not know about me is that I was making quilts for many years before I started scrapbooking. Through high school and university, I worked in a patchwork and quilting store – it sure beat McDonalds as a part-time job for pocket money! But, of course it soon became more than just a job and after making my first quilt at age 15, most of my wages went towards feeding my fabric addiction! This month I had the absolute pleasure of meeting two of my favourite fabric designers, Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor from Prints Charming Fabrics. Their studio is in Annandale, Sydney, and being my first visit I was like a kid in a candy store! Their designs served as inspiration for my next quilt which I’m planning at the moment.
I hope just by looking at these fabulous colours and designs a new idea springs to mind for a project. And if you want to check out Prints Charming for yourself visit www.printscharming.com.au You won’t be disappointed! Until next time, happy creating! Cheers,
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS - From CassieAs the warmer months come to a close, and the party season seems to be disappearing, I’ve realised it’s a good a time as any to start scrapping the highlights of summer! For me it was a busy one, with many 21sts, get-togethers, weddings, Christmas breakfasts, lunches, dinners and any other meals you can fit in the festive season! I am a sucker for a themed party, so when it came time to dress up for my friend Michael’s “Your dream costume” 21st, the ideas were flowing! My boyfriend Andrew decided that his dream costume was Hugh Hefner, the Playboy billionaire! I was a little disappointed at first, as I didn’t think he dreamt about multiple girlfriends, but then I thought what a great idea for me to dress up as a bunny and play along too! My family came along too; wonder woman (my Sister), Elvis (my Dad) and Russell Coight (my Brother). I can’t wait to scrap these pictures, and journal about more dream costumes!!
Another 21st that we attended was a “School Days” theme. It was great to visit the local op shops to pick up a bargain or two. We found some great costumes, and we had so much fun dressing up! And of course, I bought two big lollipops, one so I could have whilst getting ready and one so I’d have it for my costume! Gotta love sugar!
New Years Eve was the perfect opportunity to head to the races for some drinks, and gave us girls a chance to dress up yet again! My good friend Shannell and I made our own head pieces to match our outfits. Mine was modeled on a hat style, and hers was a fascinator. We had so much fun bringing in 2008!
Another thing that I love about the warmer months is that it’s a great time for people to have their weddings! Every girl loves to dress up, and observe anything slightly romantic, so I loved being able to attend the wedding of Alison and Paul in February. The weather was gorgeous for the afternoon ceremony, and I just had to make use of the gorgeous light for this photo of Andrew and I.
A multitude of ideas are rushing through my brain on how to scrap these photos! And with Easter fast approaching, and the bunny photos of me I think I’ve got that one down pat! So as I go off to start sleuthing materials, I hope you enjoy your scrapping time and get a chance to dress up every once in a while, it’s so much fun!
How time flies! From JoFor those who, like me, feel like all they had to do was blink and – BAM! – there’s another month gone, this year seems to be flying by all too quickly. Around the office particularly, we have been getting so caught up in our work each day as we furiously try to meet deadlines that it’s not uncommon for the girls and I to not even notice the end of the workday sneak past – and on many occasions I’ve only realised it was time to start heading home when others have streamed past my desk and said goodbye for the day! With this in mind I decided to reacquaint myself with my digital camera, which has been enjoying a relaxing break since the New Year’s celebrations, and try to capture some of the candid everyday moments which I have been taking for granted.
Kristy and Cassie were so engrossed in their work that neither of them even noticed me taking their pic!
Sneaking up on our savvy marketing girl Claire was not such an easy task – I had to make do with this blurry shot and run!
Even my poor phone can’t escape my scrapping addiction!
Taking some time out of my busy schedule to take photos of the routine parts of the workday got me thinking about other times in my life that I now wish I’d recorded – the empty house before moving in and cluttering it with my belongings, treasured but long gone childhood toys which were donated to charity years ago, and even the uneventful weekend days spent doing housework. These are the things I realise are all too often missing from my photo collections, but they are memories which are just as much a part of me as the smiling, happy and posed times I have photo albums, digital memory cards and even shoe boxes filled with! A couple of years ago I watched Oprah interview Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, on her show. The episode has stuck with me because I remember Jeff talking about how he carries a camera with him wherever he goes and takes at least one picture each day. The reasoning is that you want to be able to remember your whole life – not just the edited glamour of birthday parties and holidays. As scrappers, I believe we are well equipped to appreciate the little things that make up everyday life. We view the world more acutely and take notice of those moments which to others may seem insignificant – but which we know to be very special. Not only that, scrapbooking provides us with the perfect platform to showcase these things to others and show that even an empty coffee cup or toys left scattered on the floor after play tell a story. I’m going to try taking a leaf out of Jeff’s book to take at least one photo each day. Perhaps having more photos of everyday happenings in my collection will inspire me to start scrapping more than just the picture-perfect times - because I know that through scrapping I can turn the ordinary moments into extraordinary memories. Till next time happy scrapping – and snapping!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! From KristyJanuary is all but over, however I’d still like to wish everyone a very belated Happy New Year and wish you all the best for 2008! We’ve been back at Scrapbooking Memories Headquarters for almost a whole month now but I just can’t seem to shake myself out of holiday mode! I don’t know about you, but the summer holidays for me signify all that is fun, exciting and relaxed - not to mention New Years Eve! And every year, no matter what I’ve done over the break, it always takes me forever to get back into the everyday routine of work. This year for my summer break, like most years, I headed off on a road trip down to The Falls Festival in Lorne, Victoria. It’s a three day music festival held in the middle of the rainforest just out of town. For me, camping and relaxing in the sunshine with live music and friends is my ultimate escape from the city and hussle and bussle of everyday life. This year we even took a few extra days to enjoy the trip along the Great Ocean Road and hang out at the beach before heading back to Sydney – it was heaven! The weather was perfect, the music was amazing and the memories and stories we’ve got to tell after our adventures will be with us forever. Now all I have to do is sit down and scrap them! My advice to anyone feeling the stresses of life is to take a break, jump in the car and head to a place where the worries of work won’t follow. Take some time to put everything into perspective – you’ll feel on top of the world! (even if it is only until you get back into your daily routine.) Here are a few li’l pics I took while I was on my summer break…ah the memories!
So once again, Happy New Year and while I’m at it I hope you all celebrate Australia Day is true Aussie style, I’ll be having a lazy picnic under the Harbour Bridge – weather permitting of course! Enjoy the long weekend and ‘till next time, take care and have fun! Cheers
I absolutely love this time of year!Well, not even all this rain we’re having in Sydney at the moment can dampen my Christmas spirit! I absolutely love this time of year and have been bursting to get my Christmas tree up for weeks! Reluctantly, I waited until the December 1, but then I happily spent the afternoon listening to carols – and decorating the whole place. There’s something so great about listening to these familiar songs for the first time each year – that is, of course, until you hear an absolute classic butchered by some vamped-up re-mix in the supermarket! This time of year also inspires me to start scrapping, not only pictures of Christmas day but events leading up to it as well. You see so many loved ones around this time, and it’s a marvellous opportunity to get the camera out and start snapping! Here is my friends’ gorgeous little Milly, helping her Aunty Claire decorate the tree! It’s also a time for new additions to our extended family – and my partner’s family got a gorgeous little black labrador, Bessie. We ‘babysat’ her one night and she helped with the decorating too – or rather, she chewed everything in sight! But with a face like this – who could stay mad at her?
So, however you spend your Christmas, remember it’s the people you’re sharing it with who make it all the more special! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year Cheers
Welcome to our fresh-look websiteWe have some exciting news here at Scrapbooking Memories - our fresh-look website and online gallery are now live! Many of you would have already seen the fabulous new look that is just scrap-a-licious and Scrapbooking Memories online also has some great new resources for you to indulge your scrapping tastebuds - including inspirational quote and tips pages - to give you loads of added information and ideas. Plus, there are even more goodies on their way over the next few weeks (I can’t give away any secrets just yet), so make sure you stay tuned to check them out! Our fabulous online gallery, Scrap Room, is also up and running now, and if you haven’t checked it out already, you definitely should. It’s great for sharing your fave designs and getting some inspiration and feedback from other scrappers! Just visit our homepage and follow the links to create your own personalised album. I’d love to hear your thoughts and look forward to seeing some of your works on display. Anyhow, that’s all from me right now, but I look forward to chatting with you all again very soon. Happy scrappin’! Cheers, Blog Layout thanks to Rosemarie of Sillyish
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Here are some pics from thier classes and studio talks:
