Everyday Insanity and Delight

spunky subjects & another pie...

I really don't know how I have managed not to steal anyone's babies so far.   I mean really, I just adore them and every bubba I photograph makes me CLUCKY! 

I really loved it when my kids were babies.  They were so much hard work from one time to another but it's a really lovely time having a baby in the house and often I miss it.  There's something so amazing about new life and their lack of being able to talk back, their gratitude for even the tiniest gesture, and as a parent, you're made to feel like a hero rather than an idiot who knows nothing.  Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the pre-teen phase in my household mostly but OH how I love babies!!

And how could I not when they are as adorable as this?  It would be completely understandable if I took her home right?  Of course....however...watching her beautiful Mum and Dad in the phase of new baby smitten-ness, I'm thinking no-one could love this baby more than they do...

  And I want to share this spunky family with you too.  This is actually a pre-wedding shoot for Mum and Dad but we couldn't leave out their adorable girls.  Aren't they going to be the cutest flowergirls ever?

I have a stack of different pregnant tummy shots to edit and another pre-wed session.  Bliss.

I also FINALLY opened my online store choosing Made It over a self-hosted store.

I registered the domain cherrymumma.com.au some time ago and have been mucking around building an online store but to be honest, this is all I need so I went with it and made heaps of sales on opening night last night.  Find my store at www.madeit.com.au/cherrymumma .  I'll be adding all sorts of bits and pieces as I create them.  I'm planning on more hair accessories and some sketch books, fabric jewellery and some homeswares using my artwork.  I've been selling these hair flowers and headbands at a hairdressing salon here recently and will also be at the Rosedale Maker's Market on October 23rd.  I can't help but make stuff, my hands don't enjoy being idle and while photography is my main passion, hours at the computer can drain me.

It's been a bit tricky to juggle everything of late as I've had Alex home for TWO WEEKS off school with a pesky ear infection.  I cannot believe the stubborn germs that we are all dealing with this Winter, grrr...

He's going back to school tomorrow no matter what.  I'm so stressed this time away may have affected his learning.  He's had around 40 days off this year with different illnesses.  Not only is it awful for his education but honestly, it's a pain for me too just quietly....

I'm still struggling on and off with my "stuff" day to day but still have an unwavering determination to beat it.  Still.  My shrink has set me a couple of daunting tasks to complete before our next session which I'm trying really hard not to dig my heels into the ground and avoid it like mad. Sucking it up and just gonna do it.  Yep really I am. Yep...

And the winner is....

Untitled from Nic Finlayson on Vimeo.

Apologies for the delay.

Congratulations girl, I'll get this to you soon!

flying bunny & matching frocks

I've been sewing this week while we're all still on holidays.  I haven't gotten anywhere near as much completed as I'd hoped.

I've spent a lot of time refereeing squabbles, catching up on housework and just doing things slowly.  It's been nice. The slow, not the squabbles, they're doing my head in!

Madeleine has been nagging and begging me to make a dress for her fluffy Zhu Zhu plush.  I was excited to think she wanted to learn how to sew. Um no.  She just wanted to tell me what she wanted and then wait while I miraculously created these imagined designs just the way she wanted them.  Yikes!

I ended up making a dress for her Zhu Zhu pet but didn't get a pic oops and later these matching dresses for both Maddy and her favourite Bella-Boo.  She picked the fabric out of my stash, I've been hanging onto it for ages.  Isn't it gorgeous and cheerful!?

Could I get her to give me a "normal" photo?  Um NO.  She's mad! All she wanted was to throw Bella-Boo into the air and have me photograph her in the air.  I thought she was crazy but humoured her.  Looking at the outcome I think they're pretty cool.  Maybe she has an "eye" for a good photo :)

Don't forget you still have a couple of days to enter my giveaway!!

Art Journal and a New Year giveaway

Ooh I started, I really did!  The Art Journal project here  There are over 200 participants, it's HUGE!

Here's my first offering:

For whatever reasons, over the years, quite often when I get totally involved in being super-creative, some event occurs that takes me away from it for a while then I miss it so I go back and then something else happens, blah blah blah.  I KNOW they're not related but it's like my mind has this stupid link between them.

I plan to resolve my "issue" with this in 2011, starting with the journal.

Okay enough waffling...way back in mid-2010, I created this little bag for Aussie Scrap Source using their delicious Michael Miller half yards.

It's cute and I adore it but the colours just are not me, so I'm thinking that I'd like to give it away to one of my readers, provided I still have any really :)

Leave me a comment on this post and I will let my Miss Moo draw out a winner on Thursday January 6th. :)

It is fully lined but doesn't have a hard base.  It's super cute though, Im sure if the colours are "you" you will love it.

Oh....and I will post it anywhere in the world so don't be shy, I'm really just nosying about seeing who reads my blog :-P

Happy New Year

So.  It's New Year's Eve 2010.  For the first time in forever, we are having a quiet one.  If we stay home we normally have friends over and drinks and the kids go mad squirting water pistols and I drink way too much and spend New Year's Day mildly hungover! 

This year we were invited to go away with friends.  We took too long to decide, the place booked out.  We were half-assed inviting friends over.  Nothing eventuated and when we finally got together to decide what to do, everywhere local was booked out!

We were invited to have dinner and drinks at someone's house.  We never committed.  Ah, they changed their plans.  Sigh. So here we are, home with the kids.  To be honest, I think I'm loving it.  I've had a huge tequila-fuelled margarita, apple pie and ice cream and I'm feeling FINE!

So 2010 has been an interesting year for me.  Not a bad year, but an interesting one.  My business has grown rapidly, my husband and kids have had a great year, it's mostly been fairly routine and okay.

I've been to some awesome concerts this year starting with Jimmy Barnes.

Seriously one of the best nights of my life! 

I've also been to Pixies who I have ADORED since forever,

and was completely gobsmacked at the amazing talent of The Eels.  Awesome!

Then of course I cannot forget taking my babies to their first live concert, seeing The Potbelleez.  SO cool!

I was incredibly lucky to be in Brisbane to witness the art by the amazing Ron Mueck.

And smaller exhibitions along the way.

My baby sister got married in an Indian-Australian ceremony and I wore my first (and I honestly hope LAST) sari...

I got to tour with Wendy Senger and Heidi Swapp when they came over from the USA to run their Mistified tour in Melbourne and Sydney. 

And then in their classes at SIA and also on the Aussie Scrap Source booth.  I got to hang with some old friends and met lots of gals I'd only known online.  I love that!

I got to do all that with my best scrapping, travelling sidekick Suz

Unfortunately we had to finish up our little Budget Scrapbooking business, but not before our last hoorah at the Scrapbook and Papercraft Expo in Brisbane.  It was a great show, and we got to see more scrappy gal pals but OH they are SO much work!!! :)  The shows, not they gal-pals!

My baby boy turned 11.

My baby girl turned 8.

I lost my beloved Grandpa and his funeral was one of the most awful experiences of my life :-( Having said that though, I was glad I didn't let certain *ahem* people walk all over me.

I won a weekend away in the city, just me and my gorgeous hubby.  We saw "Fame" the Musical and stayed in a swish suite!

We were so lucky that the next morning was Buddha's Day in Melbourne. It was an amazing cultural experience, I found it quite emotional and beautiful.

 

I FINALLY gathered the courage to join Road Trauma Support Services as a volunteer speaker and have spoken at several Road Trauma Awareness Seminars over the last few months.  I KNOW I have made a difference, even if only a small one.  My biggest achievement with it this year is speaking at Victoria University at an enormous Trauma symposium.  There were SO many faces looking at me, silent, engaged, some crying...it was amazing.  Afterwards many of the participants hugged me, talked to me, shared their own stories with me.  It was an amazing experience...and so cathartic. 

I like to think now that while my experience has been horrendous, it may have or may still prevent others being hurt on our roads.  After speaking to 100-200 people in a room too, I don't mind saying I left feeling like I could kick anyone's or anything ass!!!

And in light of this achievement, I got my first (and definitely not my last) tattoo.....

The photo is a phone one, pretty nasty pic, it looks better in this shot of me with my sisters...

It's just sort of over my heart.  The cherries are to remind me to stay hard on the inside, to stay strong and tough, to remain sweet and approachable as I can be but stay strong in my core being.  And I love that they're red and funky and the amazing tattooist at Warragul Tattoos convinced me to use my own drawing which she tweaked a bit until I loved it.  Tez is her name, shame she's not on the website because my inking is really fine and she rocked it and NO it didn't hurt. (Keep in mind I'm pretty fleshy right there)

I've photographed some amazing relationships, beautiful children, the miracle of pregnancy, couples tying the knot, nurtured my love of capturing connections between people and finding their true beauty, not just the cosmetic kind.  Aww makes my tummy so mooshy!

I got to shoot many images for this publication, the Tipping Foundation Annual Report.  I'm so proud to be associated with these guys, I NEVER tire of meeting their clients, and most of all I LOVE hearing their stories.  I find the clients here teach me SO much in such a short time about appreciation for what I have, appreciation for my children and most of all I love to witness their true beauty, their true love and joy of little things I take for granted.

On the scrapping front, this year I have been a bit slow.  Earlier in the year I was feeling seriously burnt-out creatively.  I'm currently on a break from my commitment on the Aussie Scrap Source Design Team.

 I am honestly starting to miss it now though.  I am glad I had the break though as I was really starting to hate it and that's the last thing I wanted. 

Here's my last few Aussie projects though...

I've done a bit of sewing, done some drawing and even sold my first piece on RedBubble

Right now though I'm feeling like I'm in a total creative funk.  In fact, it's scaring me because being creative is WHO I AM.  I have been since I was little, it's so much a part of my identity that without it I don't know who I am.

I've had a few margaritas for New Year's so I'm rambling a bit but of you'e the creative type you will know exactly what I mean when I say you tap into the "zone".  I remember watching a documentary on what makes people creative and someone described creativity as a direct line to god.  I'm not quite "there" but I'm having great difficulty tapping into THAT right now.  Sigh. 

So, anyway, instead of moping around whining, I've joined in with this starting tomorrow, erm today -

The details are here if you want to join in too.

Maybe it's my lack of ATTENTION to just being freely creative that is blocking me.

Maybe it's the silly "what's the point of making this stuff?" voice in my head.

Maybe it's the lack of confidence I have at the moment.  Grrr self-confidence is a fickle thing.

I dunno but I'm changing this in 2011.  The New Year has now ticked over and it's time to get my creative dacks back on.  For real.  Watch this space...

been making

I've been making lots of stuff on and off for the last few weeks.  It's been SO cold here that I've been rugging up in my pyjamas at night time and creating bits and pieces.  I can't share all yet but I can show you this sweet hair clip I whipped up for Maddy recently.

It's no lie when I say I've been promising to make her a cute kitty hair clip since 2006.  Bad bad mother! She asked for a pink kitty and apparently this is exactly what she wanted! :-D  I've been making her hair flowers too but they just don't cut it like the kitty clip.

Father's Day saw us on the hunt for kites to fly in the crazy wind but no-one that was open locally sold them.  We ended up buying a totem tennis pole and playing that this afternoon.  I managed to snap this at a local park while on the kite hunt..

Maddy wasn't co-operating much to my disappointment...:( Later that day though she agreed to let me take photos of her.  The thing with me is, that as far as photography goes, I lose my confidence easily.  Like anything creative it comes and goes and I just needed to get a fresh look at things before my wedding season starts.  Thankyou Miss-Mads :)

 

Grrrr...Typepad is not my friend tonight, I'm having trouble uploading so I'll leave it here with a Happy Father's Day to all the fab Dads out there!

More printer love...

Okay I know I already blabbed on about it here, and Canon talk about my review here but I really want to show you the latest  treasure I created with the amazing Canon MP990.  I never sew or create much for my husband but thought this might suit him well, and with Father's day coming up in a couple of months, I wanted to share this with anyone getting handmade gifts ready early!

I made this little lunch bag for my man from fabric so he can use this for his lunch instead of plastic bags.  I totally stole the idea from this tutorial here. I actually wanted to create fabric featuring pin-up chicks from the 1950s or something but he decided that images from Studio Ghibli were more his scene.  He was right.  I was lucky enough to find this pre-created collage of images here.  All I had to do was save the image and adjust it to fit A4 and then I printed onto pre-treated fabric.  I used fabric by Matilda's Own which I bought from here.  It's so easy, you just feed it into the printer and the colours come out vibrant and gorgeous and best of all, the fabric is now washable.

I lined my bag with different fabric and also topstitched the base block and edge seams.  Oh AND I added the elastic loop and covered button - cute eh?

After being jealous at first because he wanted one, Alexander has since declared it lame.

I wasn't going to make it for him anyway - hmph!

been making stuff...

Just a quick post for today.  I had a crazy Saturday night out and feeling super-ordinary today! (yes that's TWO days later - hmm) Plus I am meeting clients shortly but I just wanted to quickly share these!

I've been making a conscious effort of late to spend less time at the computer and more time being productive.  Some stuff I've been making lately I can't show yet but here's what I can!

Firstly for Aussie Scrap Source this bag.  It's a blank Donna Downey canvas bag (from Prima) .  I took some raw artist's canvas and created torn patches by masking and colouring with Glimmermist. The polka dots are a Heidi Swapp mask and the others are by Tattered Angels, Tim Holtz and anything else I could get my hands on.

Next, I caught up with some old friends from school Saturday night.  I'll post more soon but to go out in a skirt with no pockets is a pain because I don't like carrying a handbag.  I made this on Saturday afternoon just before I went out.  It is "just" big enough to hold my little point and shoot camera, my iPhone, id and some cash.  It has a long cross-over strap and i can forget I'm even carrying it!

I just made it from left over fabric and a piece of felt that I had in my stash..

And last but not least, while I was trawling the internet looking for iPhone cover ideas, I saw one of these, and so did Alexander.  He begged me to make him one, so last night I did.  No computer, just a movie - Hawke in fact, just in case you were wondering :) If I wasn't feeling old already, well I actually really enjoyed the movie and I think that makes me a bit of an old fogie as well!

This is Totoro from the movie My Neighbour Totoro which my kids adore!  They've not really ever been that into Disney movies other than the Pixar ones maybe but they LOVE anything by Studio Ghibli. It comes from their Dad.

Now that I can apparently make anything Maddy wants a cuddly one - eek! Like I said though, the idea was stolen from one I saw on Flickr.

Okay enough procrastination for today, I have a house to clean and clients to meet...:-D

photos, fame and birthday fun!

I shouldn't call her my baby, but she is, and she always will be.  My little Madeleine turned eight last week.  EIGHT!

It seems like yesterday that she was asking if she was five yet!

She had a party at the end of June with Alexander but for her actual birthday she had asked for a pamper party, then a sleepover, or a tea party, or or or or - you get the drift right?

She settled on wanting to go to a movie, Toy Story 3 in fact, and she asked for friends to come then decided she'd like lunch at McDonalds, a play in the playground and the movie late in the day so Daddy could come too...

I must confess that I offered her a new outfit in lieu of taking several friends to the cinema because it is PRICEY to go to the movies.  She adored this dress so it was an easy bribe...

We had a quiet dinner at home with Nanna and Peter and Miss M's requested birthday cake - a cheesecake please.  One of those ones with the strawberry jam on top.  And candles.

Too easy, I didn't even have to make it, it was bought.  All of the times I've made lavish birthday cakes and she just wanted this.  So I topped it with her favourite Chocolate Royals and her eyes just about popped out of her head with excitement!

 

A girl of simple pleasures my girl is.  She was happy to play Littlest pet Shop and Polly Pocket all day.

Speaking of simple pleasures, I've been on some mad sewing spree.  I'm on an assignment for Aussie Scrap Source at the moment and I've made three, yes THREE projects instead of one because I'm sewing and I have more to come.  I can't seem to stop, I get idea after idea and it's madness!  Fabulous madness.  Photo jobs have been slow with the miserable weather and for the first time in a long time I'm finding I have some breathing space.  Here's some favourites from a recent shoot though...

 

I say it and think it every shoot.  Cutest. Kids. Ever.  Oh they were gorgeous, made me clucky and their Mum was lucky I didn't try to take them home with me :-D

And while I'm on the subject of photography, here's a little mention in my local newspaper, The Warragul Gazette.  Yep that's the side of my head and my camera - lol...

A bit special I reckon and an exciting launch to be associated with purely because women successful in their pursuits always inspires me in some way!
 
Here's a couple of layouts I've done for Aussie Scrap Source

And another exciting "fame" moment.  I'm on the Ottobre Designs blog with my first ever Ottobre creation! Woohoo!

 
If you like to sew then you will love this magazine.  It comes out four? times a year and it's chock full of fabulous patterns for women.  There's about 20 different garments and they're sized from quite small to not even close to small, like me for example...plus the cost of the WHOLE magazine is around the same as a single pattern here in Australia.

I love the top and underdress that I made, in fact it's rare that I will post a "body" photo of myself anywhere but I like the outfit so much I wanted to share.  The next mag is due to hit Aussie shores ANY day now and I for one have been stalking the shop to buy it from - Crafty Mamas every day, waiting waiting waiting...so grateful to Rachael for introducing it to me.

Okay that's about it for me tonight, my electric blanket and snuggly doona are a-waiting!

infatuated with a printer

It's true, I'm having an affair.  With my printer.  Sad but true.  Well not sad for me because it's a pleasurable experience really.  You know I'm a Canon gal, always have been and would never change.  All of my cameras - the digi SLRs and my point and shoots are Canons and I can't even begin to think about how many people ask me about my camera and I say, "you'll love the Canons, they rock.  Like Holdens, only not cars..." or something like that,  but I've never owned (or borrowed) a Canon printer before.  I always thought they were too big for my wee work corner but then I was offered a crack at this...

It's the Canon Pixma MP990.  Here she is in a photo totally stolen from the Canon website. 

I did take her portrait but when I uploaded it from my Camera, I realised you can see the DUST on my desk and I'm far too proud to share THAT so instead here's the perfectly sterile dust free version of my new best friend.

I say best friend because as most of you know, I work as a photographer and as a scrapbook designer.  My old faithful served me well, or so I thought, until this baby arrived. I can't tell you how FANTASTIC it is to give my clients cds that look like this, that I printed myself WITHOUT sticky labels or mucking around with a stomper. Photo taken with my phone but aren't they fabulous?

Some of my clients have even commented about how nice they look.  The other thing I love is that my computer also loves this printer.  I just click "print" and it DOES!  No mucking around re-starting, waiting, cancelling the 20 print jobs I accidentally ordered waiting for my old printer to start it's saving me HEAPS of time because it's SO easy to use.  Time - oh how I love you so...In fact, I even installed it myself AND it not only tells me when it's low on ink, but it puts on a little light show so I know what I should be touching and what I should not.  Even I can "get" that.

So nice to just see this message and know that it's going to work...

I've been playing with different things that this fabulous piece of technology, first of all by making this freaky looking thing that Alex found online...it's some anime, or card game character, meh I dunno...however, I did have fun helping him make it.

We printed the pdf onto Canon Semi-gloss photo paper and the images are vibrant!

Yep that's totally the, "I feel stupid Mum take the photo already" face on my boy...

Now his friends want to make some...ugh!

Of course Miss M had to get in on the act too, we were surfing for printable paper crafts and she found these little Japanese kitty-cats..

Yep she's pretty impressed.  I had fun on the first one..the printing was grand, the cutting out - not so much.  But it filled a cold afternoon anyway.

The true test of a printer for me though is it's photo quality printing and honestly I'm a lab-only photo printer.  People tell me they print at home and the photo-snob in me internally scoffs and shudders slightly.  Okay so I gave the photo printing a go.  For a scrapbook layout.  And I love it!  It is SO nice to have an idea and print it INSTANTLY!

I was having an emotional night after losing BOTH of my grandparents and managed to find some old family photos in my baby album, scan them at super duper resolution, restore their colour, print them AND scrap them all in the one night.  Best art therapy EVER!  I'd love to show you that but I can't yet, you'll have to wait until it's up on Aussie Scrap Source...

I can show you some other stuff though.  A little project I'm working on for my hubby. This printer is a dream come true - IT PRINTS ON FABRIC!!!!!!  Oh joy, oh happiness, oh swoon.  Really.  My old printer did but it took like 100 goes through to get it to print and even then I had to pull the fabric through with tweezers and it was a pain in the backside.  Not this one though, straight in and it's done.  The ability to print on fabric without a hassle gives me tummy flips at the possibilities I tell you!

I have loads of fabric printing ideas with this baby, if only I had more time!!! Here's a peek anyway..

Doesn't it come out all lush and textured and yummy? 

I SO want to whack a great bit of canvas through it but I'm a bit scared.  The printer is only staying here temporarily. Or so it's owner thinks...I don't want to send it back.  Ever.  In fact I get all three-year-old tantrummy when I think about the day I may have to give it up...seriously.

You see I'm in love and don't ever want to be separated...