Blog Action Day (a little late!)

What is Blog Action Day you ask?

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

I found out about it on my friend Erin's blog Blossom Creations. Pop over to see what she has to say about this too.

As for me well I began my little business (as diverse as it now is) by creating greeting cards and hand made paper items with a focus on using recycled materials.
My whole life I have been exposed to recycling in some form or another as my parents owned a second hand and antiques business when I was a child and Dad was always very talented at turning old bits and pieces into something new and I kinda followed on in his footsteps using my natural creative instincts to re-do old furniture and bric-a-brac to decorate my home.
When I got into childcare, we recycled stuff to create the children's art and I guess it was a natural progression to do so in my own art.
When I began recycling old paper into new stationery It really made me sit up and take notice of how much waste our society produces. Just for our little household alone it is incredible how much paper passes through our hands. We have also begun to make changes at home to do our bit for the environment. Changing lightbulbs to energy saving ones, using recycled paper, turning old food containers into works of art, collecting water in buckets in the shower and when it rains to use on the garden and potplants....the list goes on.
You know ...it's amazingly easy once you start doing these things....why don't you give it a try?
Take care and keep smiling :)
PS: Those hail photos are still coming :)

Putting my money where my mouth is

Ok I made the challenge and now I have to put my money where my mouth is and complete the challenge myself.

This was very hard to do but also something I really felt I needed to do.

I am a month early but Angel's approaching birthday anniversary has been on my mind constantly lately so it just had to be done.

On to other things...

On Tuesday we had a wild hail storm here and the hailstones were the size of golf balls. The skylight in our laundry was shredded and the perspex in our pergola was too. Luckily one of Steve's mates was here when it happened because help was needed to hold up the roof of the pergola which was threatening to collapse under the weight of the ice and rain. While I danced around the laundry trying to clean up the waterfall in there.

We were lucky that Steve managed to get a felt cover over the car so there was no damage there but poor Ben's car was badly dented from the hail.

I will post photos of the pergola and laundry skylight when I get around to downloading them from my camera.

The positive's from all of this??...

We had our skylight replaced within 24 hours and we will be getting a whole new pergola roof...turns out that as well as the holes from the hail, the entire roof was buckled and warped so the whole lot will have to be replaced. Thank god for insurance!

Take care and keep smiling.

October Featured Designer Challenge

Go and check out my challenge at DID.

It is part of my job as featured designer there and the first time I have ever hosted a challenge so it will be very interesting to see what people come up with.

Life often throws us twists and turns that we least expect. Some are good and others are in fact quite the opposite. Regardless though they usually have a significant effect on us and to some extent change who we are and often make us a better person in the process. Next month brings the first anniversary of such a significant event for me so it has been on my mind quite a lot lately. I often find that scrapping about it can help me clarify the event in my head and if it is something that was not so good it can be extremely therapeutic; and if it was good then why not share it with everyone right!

So my challenge for you this month as featured DID designer....Scrap about a significant or life-changing event in your life that was either good or bad, how did it effect you and did it make you a better person?

The prize (see picture above) ... my new “hybrid mini album kit” (which can be found here). This kit features templates and instructions on how to make a mini album and matching box as well as a complete digital kit so you can match the theme of your layouts with the album.

AND

If the winner uses only products from my store they will get an extra surprise bonus...

So what do you think?

Can you do it?

Go on I DARE you!

Pop over to DID and have a go :)

October Featured Designer

I am the featured designer at Designs in Digital for this month which is pretty exciting.
I had to answer a few questions for the gig and some really made me think.
Anyway here they are.

How did you first get started designing?
I used to do only paper scrapping and card making. When I left full time work in the childcare industry I started up a little micro business making cards and scrapbooking for others. This led me to do a weekend course on how to use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator so that I could make my own graphics for my cards. Before you knew it I was hooked on the software and then one day whilst surfing the net I stumbled across digital scrapbooking. I started to make my own papers and embellishments and one day Robyn Gough (the original owner of Clickchic Designs) approached me to sell in her store.….and as they say the rest is history.

What do you love about being a digiscrap designer?
I am constantly surprising myself with what I can create. I love seeing what others do with my kits and feel it is a huge compliment that they actually want to use them. I also love the fact that by creating my own kits I have a never ending supply of scrapping products for my personal layouts.

Is there a particular creative process you go through when you’re designing?
No not really. I just go with the flow. Each kit generally comes from a different inspiration and once I start….the kit and the creative process take me where they want.

Where and when do you do your designing?
Any chance I get. I am lucky enough to have my own craft-room/office so everything is always set up and ready to go.

What inspires you to create?
It can be anything. I always have ideas floating around in the back of my mind. Sometimes it can be a layout that I am doing and I require a little something for it which leads to a whole kit. Other times it can be a colour or an advert or a song.

What is your programme of choice? Any favourite tools you like to use?
Photoshop is definitely my favourite program and I enjoy Illustrator too. It’s great when I can combine the two.I tend to use a lot of blending modes and I really must use my Wacom tablet more often.

Do you have a favourite kit you’ve made? Why is it your favourite?
I think my latest kit is usually my favourite, generally because I have often learnt a new skill in the process of making it.

Do you have any favourite styles for your designs?
Mmm, this is hard. I have quite eclectic tastes and I like to try my hand at most styles. I really strive to recreate that paper scrapped style though for most of my layouts and kits, but it can be fun doing something more digitally oriented.

What do you feel is your strength as a designer?
My willingness to try new things and experiment.

What do you like to do when you’re not designing or scrapping?
I am really getting into web design lately since I finished a Graphic design course. I am in the process of building up a little business in this area. I love to read, garden, restore furniture and of course anything crafty.

What are you working on right now?
I always seem to have a number of projects on the go at the same time. This ensures I never get bored doing the one thing and ideas that I come up with that won’t work for one kit will generally work with another.