pages!!

Remember me?

Did you know that one of my favourite scrappers is Ali Edwards? Today while I was watching Brothers and Sisters on 'TV on demand' and browsing some blogs at the same time I had a lot at hers - I think hers was the first blog I ever really read - and I found this inspiring entry. it is 20 tips for scrapbooking and it TOTALLY made me want to go and start a new page. I love her style even though it really is different to mine. and I totally adore her handwriting. Wo! I would give a lot to be able to learn to write like that. so if you are a scrapper, go look - read - then scrap, if it affects you the same as it affected me.

Lots has happened since I last posted and I have done loads of pages. I have also finished designing for Scraplets - which is sad but good. Some of their products were out of this world and I will miss having them. I don't think I have seen any of them at any shop in NZ.

I don't think I have any photos of any pages that I have done recently. but lets have a look...

Weeks from Hell

I am riding a roller coaster - a neverending one. every time I think we are slowing at the terminal and I start to catch my breath and prepare to undo my safety apparatus, it speeds up and takes off again! I have been a blubbering idiot, got happy pills from a doctor and experienced a day or two of something that tried to convince me that the roller coast didn't exist, then a counselling session where we focused on the reality of the rollercoaster adn the wisdom of riding it. and then many hours in shock - eating- and hoping its all a dream - a very bad dream!

wow I need to scapbook this analogy!

anyway after some sanity from the counselling I thought I was on the up and maybe we were finally sending down stabilising roots (picture organic roots sprouting from the rollercoaster and trying to grab onto supporting poles and surrounding trees) then realised today when I snapped at CJ that I really did need another happy pill (anti anxiety - lorazepam or something like that).

So here we are. Hoping a weekend without demands will blur the rollercoaster at least long enough for me to breath again.

One of the ups was someones suggestion that i put forward a proposal about providing counselling for the social work program in the form of a research proposal. and I had some hours of the brightness of possibility of change and escape. but today Logan suggested that it was a longitudinal type study that probably wouldn't need many hours a week - there fore could be done along side my regular work. that was one of those moments when the subject stays still but the b ackground and surroundings zoom in and out in a wild uncontrollable manner.

(deep breath in. long slow breath out. repeat)

here are some pages... hope there aren't any I wasn't supposed to put up yet. its so confusing to me in the state I'm in! First 4 are scraplets. last one is not. I have some more that I haven't photographed yet. Will try tomorrow!

The question of the hour.

I was discouraged to find out this week that there were well over 100 applications for the job I was so interested in. It brought up the old debate in my head about how important is it really to have a job you love. I dream of having a job that I actually WANT to go to, a job that I enjoy doing. But then I wonder if I am being greedy as I have a really good job that pays well and is relatively secure in these hard times - so am I just asking too much - hoping for a fairy tale ending - in wanting a job that is perfect.

I am just not happy giving up so much of my precious time (and my time is precious!! to me and to my kids) to do something that is not exciting or fulfilling, and that just steals my life away. But I do love the travel I get to do, and it is getting me towards the big goals I have that cost money (one is going on a cruise!!! haven't mentioned that have i!!) and the work is not too hard. SO it is not terrible, I don't HAVE to get out, it just isn't all that.

Do you know what I mean? Is it asking too much to have a job I enjoy or am I being ungrateful and greedy? Hmm the question of the hour for me.

I had a talk with my cool dad and he made a very valid point - even if you have a job you love, it is often the people and the atmosphere that will make or break it. I think that is very true. You can enjoy a not-so-good job if the people are cool and you have friends. And since I often don't fit in - wherever I am, but particularly where I am now, that is probably a bigger point than I have given it credit for.

ok change of subject.

I have completed more pages and have in fact started putting them up on my walls around my scrap area. I control a corner of the lounge (some might argue that I control the whole house, but we won't go there...) with my scrapbooking things and my goals for the year are up on my wall. (maybe I should photograph them and show you...) and now I have about 10 of my favourite latest pages up there too. and whenever I finish a new one, I will take down my least favourite from the wall and add the latest. before I started doing that, I just finished a page and added it to the ever growing pile and didn't really ever look at it again. I have way too many pages to put into albums - or not enough albums perhaps - because I would much rather spend my money on supplies than albums!

SO here is the last page I finished. I like it in theory but not sure if it is all that. The only journalling/title is We are Davies. the colours haven't come across quite right and there is some threadless stitching that you can't see (part of the square background frame). And sadly Alyssa was almost out of the shot - doubly sad or perhaps poignant - as this was her last family event before flying off to OZ.

Yes I'm still alive, and have been designing up a storm since I last posted...

HI!! I know it has been a long time since I posted and even though there is probably a draft post somewhere that I haven't pressed publish on, but that doesn't really help. But I have been doing a lot since I was last on and the most exciting thing is what has made me come now to post again. I am applying for my dream job - as a Graphic designer at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. This is where I already work as a disability coordinator in Student Support. My work there is ok, there are some really good things about it and I get to fly around the country quite a bit. but when I stumbled upon the ad for the graphic designer I knew i had to apply. I may not have a hope of getting it, since I have no quals or official experience in it, but I had to give it a go.

I do have a very good eye for detail and a huge love of design. I think i have a very good instinct for design, balance, contrast too, so I went for it! Since I don't have all of the things they want I knew I had to get in there and show them what I can do, so instead of a covering letter I made a mini poster in Photoshop that was titled CHOOSE ME! I hope that catches someone's attention.

I mentioned my blog on the poster, so I figured I better update with some of my latest work. Of course it is my art that show the skills I believe I have for this kind of work. The job is only a junior/intermediate, and will be focussed mainly on layouts for adverts and stuff, but I would love to do that and start there! Honestly, I think I would be so happy doing that work, that I might actually look forward to going to work! that would be a change.

So here is some of my latest art pieces!!

These two pages are inspired by and built upon cool plastic shopping bags I got from Pagani and Shanton (?). I thought they were so pretty that I didn't want to throw them out. I checked them with my PH pen and they seem to be ok.

Most of the stuff I have been doing lately (including this one - Sleep Tight) has been for A2Z Scraplets - a design team I am on. They are an australian based manufacturing company and they make a wide variety of chipboard shapes... they are all interesting and some are absolutely beautiful. I like the doodlets the best - there are some just gorgeous swirls and shapes... go and have a look! Scraplets are a wholesale seller only, but they do have a list of online stores on their blog that you could order from.

And while it is awesome to have the pleasure of designing for them, that has been the problem for putting pages online too - I can't put pages on here until they are put on the A2Z Blog, and if I submit (I have a few coming out in up2Scrap magazine soon) then i can't add them here either, and so I just don't get round to it!

So how about a quick update on my family for those who know me well... Alyssa is on her way to Brisbane, with her boyfriend John and his family. John is already in Brisbane and Alyssa and the rest of the family are in Christchurch until they can go over. Chanelle has pulled out of year 13 to start uni a year early. She has had her first week of her degree in Early Childhood Education at Waikato University and seems to be really enjoying it. That leaves Caylah as the sole Evans at Church College in it's last year open. She seems happy about that! CJ has started High School this year and is doing well with that too. He is at Melville High and I am excited that he will be taking piano lessons!

So Im in the middle of a week off work with tonsillitis and other related infections. Everyone has been sick around here. Except Chanelle. And then Alyssa is here too so it is even more crowded than usual.



It has been good to connect with home again. LIke I said last post, I would give an aweful lot to be able to stay home full time again.



Isn't it wierd how you don't appreciate stuff like that when you have it. I used to be so frustrated with being at home with the kids all the time. I defnitely didn't enjoy it. And I hated housework. Now I don't mind keeping the house tidy - although I could never be accused of being a neat freak, and crave time at home. and time with the kids. I just can't get enough these days.



I wish I could have done it the other way around... If I could have worked and felt this way first and THEN had to stay home with the little ones I would have loved it! and I think I would have been a better mother for them... although you never know do you. It is easy to look at something that isn't happening right now and imagine that it would be great - the grass is always greener and all that. The odd time when I take care of Grace or Cody for Shel, those little chatterbox pinklings (that is what I call them since they wear pink every minute of every day) drive me crazy!! they never stop talking and they need you ALL THE TIME.

Life is busy

Isn't it? I know it's not just me. I know it is the world in general these days. We have had Caylah's best friend move in with us recently. She is 16 and pregnant and along with her comes her boyfriend - every day for a lot of the day. And since Cayz' boyfriend is also here every day a lot of the day that means I now feed 7 people most days and we hardly have any space or privacy.

that just makes everything feel so busy and full. Don't get me wrong I actually enjoy the social way our life is now and I love having them all around and I love being part of their lives. It is just that it leaves so little time for anything else...

Like my business idea. I am too chicken to write about it yet, but I am planning to start my own business. It started when I was less than satisfied with my work a few months ago (this has picked up now) and in thinking about getting another job I realised that I would just be trading one 'its ok' job for another and what I really wanted to do was to have more freedom in my time to be there when the kids were doing stuff and take them places they need to go etc. For instance Caylah sat her test for her drivers licence on Friday. And I had to take Laman (Katrina's boyfriend) to an appointment to try to find him a course or a job. And I have had to go with Katrina to WINZ appointments and Cayz has been to the doctors a few times lately. How are you supposed to do all that when you are required at work 8.30 - 4.30 monday to friday.

So frustrating!!! Honestly if I could give up work and stay home I would soooooo do it tomorrow!!

ANYWAY... I have some good scrapbooking news!! I have been chosen for another Design Team. It is with an australian chipboard manufacturing company - A2Z Scraplets They have some absolutely gorgeous swirls and curls and I can't wait to start using them!

This was good news since I bombed in both of the comps I was participating in. Which actually suprised me because I did this awesome page for one of them (can't even remember which one any more!!). the challenge included several things to include, as well as a found item and some packaging or labels.

and I really liked this one too although once again the photo doesn't really do the page justice. there are bling in a swirl pattern across the bottom that don't really show here. I cut out some flowers out of vellum and loved how they looked layered on here.here is a two page spread for one of those competitions too. DIdn't like this one so much but the frames were excellent! you were supposed to do a creative frame and so I used this shiny red wire twist tie stuff that I go off my nana a few years ago and I twisted them into curls and stitched them on. I really liked how they turned out.Ive done something else inspiring lately - I visited the glaciers!! Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. The weather wasn't great and I didn't get really close but I saw them and I am glad taht I did. The first one is Fox and the second one Franz Josef. I would really like to do one of the half day walks that takes you right up and onto the ice.