I Want Out

I want to scream.

I want people to stop passing the buck.

I want to resign.

I want to sell up and move somewhere remote.

I want people to understand me.

I want control of my life.

I want to hide.

I want peace.

I want good health for those close to me.

I want to cry.

I want quiet.

I want out.

Now.

A very crafty weekend

One thing I love about my new hobbies is that I can lose myself in them for hours at a time.

One thing my Husband hates about them is that I do it for hours at a time.

Oh well…

I’m currently doing “Finding your way” class with Big Picture Classes to help me find my own style. One of the key requirements is to do a lot of pages. I’m also participating in a Crop Bootcamp being run by Blue Bazaar (an Australian online store where I get my kits and other supplies) where we have to do 30 pages from 01-Apr to 31-May. While I’m scrapping I like to listen to Paperclipping Roundtable for ideas, inspiration, product tips and lots of laughs.

So here are 2 pages I completed this weekend…..

Waiting ~ 2nd April 1998 Graviee was due to be born. 13 years ago. As you can see I was huge. I was hot (and not in the “I’m so hot right now” kind of way). I was tired. I was over it. She arrived 2 weeks later.

For this layout I used the Page Maps Layout 9 provided in the Bootcamp handout.

Supplies:
Papers~ Pastels Cardstock Stack by DCWV; leftover scraps from the Craft Spot
Alpha~ W the Craft Spot Chipboard Fonts; Marjolaine Micro Mono stickers by Basic Grey colored with Opera Pink ink pad by Versa Color
Embellishments~ Artisan Paper Tape Black Dot by Pink Paislee; Paisley Road Essentials by Prima Marketing; Road Show Brads by Fancy Pants; Pink Embroidery thread
Stamps & ink~ Ali Edwards Family Circle by Technique Tuesday; Opera Pink by Versa Color

Fly Away ~ 4th December 1988, when I finished high school I went on my own on a 2 month holiday to England. This is a family photo at Sydney airport before I say goodbye.

For this layout I used the Kit and Design by Blue Bazaar.

Supplies:
Papers~ Oden Weave by Basic Grey; From the Heart Botanical Collection by prima Marketing; Charcoal Cardstock
Alpha~ For the Record 12×12 Alpha Sticker by Echo Park
Embellishments~ Artisan Paper Tape Black Dot by Pink Paislee; Black Lace; Henna Precious Metals Flowers by Prima Marketing; Dimensional Stickers Butterfly by American Crafts; 95% complete Sticker Home Again by 7Gypsies; Buttons and Tags; thread for sewing

Have a great week!

 

#AusBlogCon2011 Hangover

A week ago today Sydney was invaded by over 170 women (and a few men) for the inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference. Now, I had originally planned on writing up about my take on the conference immediately after the dinner/dance but as they say “it’s the quiet ones you’ve got to watch out for” and I partied on until 3am with Colin, Glen, Liz and a nasty bottle of champagne or 2. And there was NO WAY you were going to get anything out of me the next day either! So instead I have had a week to ponder over the event and what I have taken away from it.

Before I get into that though, I’d like to say firstly a BIG THANK YOU to the organizers : Brenda, Veronica, Nicole, Tina and Karen for putting on a fabulous event which seemed to run so smoothly without any hitches. Dreams can come true! Thanks also to all the moderators, panelists, speakers, volunteers and bloggers who made the event what it was.

getting ready for the conference to begin

I was so excited to be going to the conference you have no idea….or maybe you do if you saw this.

I was also scared shitless. You see…

• I hate crowds.
• I’m a quiet, introverted person who went off the chart on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator thingy.
• I’m hopeless with names and putting them to faces.
• There were so many bloggers there that I admire that I didn’t feel worthy to be there.
• I was petrified I would blabber on (as I have a tendency to do when nervous) and say something really stupid or that someone would take me the wrong way.
• I was petrified that I would clam up and not say anything at all.
• I’m not a “Mummy-Blogger” unlike most of those attending the conference.

As predicted when I walked into the room I could see groups had already formed… Dang! I knew I should have gone to the drinks the night before! I set up my laptop, downed 2 coffees, and waited quietly for things to start. One thing I do love about these conferences is that it is not considered rude to be typing away on your laptop/notebook or tweeting on your phone. Most of the things discussed by the panels were things I already knew, however it did help me decide on the direction I want to take.

Tina, Kelley and Me

• Paid reviews and sponsored posts are not my thing. I don’t (currently) have any advertising on my blog either. If I review something it’s because I like it and want to talk about it….and it’s just my opinion. Of course this is my blog, my space, and I reserve the right to change my mind as many times as I want.

• I would have loved for the panels to talk about copy-write, or have an expert on the subject there. It was mentioned briefly with regards to recipes and patterns. This is something I need to look into more as I never want to be pulled up on it. Of course I always give credit, but for some things you need to actually seek permission.

• I know I need to be a lot more social on Twitter and Facebook. It can get a bit overwhelming for me (see point 5 and 6 above). For most people the majority of their traffic comes from Facebook… not so in my case but now I can see why and I’ll try to resolve this so I can be more engaging with you guys. Hey I’m still learning, always learning.

• I’m not the only person who struggles with time management. I need to manage my time better so that I can allocate it properly across family/home, crafts, blogging and full time work. I am working on a schedule that I’ll implement in April where I plan to have a craft post on Monday’s, Wordless Wednesday on Wednesday’s (obviously), a written post of sorts on Friday’s, oh and I’m joining in on another photography meme called Sunday Selections with Kim at Frog Ponds Rock. I’ll also still have my daily project 365 posts. And there will also be a monthly blog hop I participate in for OLW.

• Follow people in the industry you want to work in. This is a big one for me as I am trying to fine tune my niche, working out where I fit in (I seem to have always struggled with fitting in!). A lot of blogs that I read, I read because I like the way that they write or what they write. Unfortunately not many of them are crafty bloggers. I’m not going to stop reading my favorites, however I do need to start following more bloggers in my niche. So somewhere in this time management plan I need to start adding “read more blogs”, and comment on them too.

Me and Kim

My favorite moments…

• Catching up again with Tina at morning tea …. sorry I blabbered on

• The whole My Blog, My Story segment. This is why we blog people. You must check out My Three Ring Circus, Magnetoboldtoo, Miscellaneous Mum, Frog Ponds Rock, Tune into Radio Carly, Random Ramblings of a SAHM.

• Catching up with so many wonderful people throughout the day and at the dinner. (The hallway was the place to be)  I’m not going to mention all the names because it’s highly likely I’ll forget someone and offend them and I don’t want to do that. Love you all!

• Having in depth discussions with new friends

• Walking away knowing that I am worthy to attend these and other conferences, even the pro ones. Everyone has to start somewhere.

And finally I have signed up to the Little Bloggy Blood Drive being hosted by Liz. The first group donation will take place on Saturday, 30th April 2011 at the new Town Hall Donor Centre in Sydney. Come and join us if you’re in the area, or maybe pop into your local donor centre.

Can’t wait for the next conference!

PS if anyone has seen that dress before, I spent all my dress money at the craft expo