Messy Desk Days Blog

Tag: Scrapbooking

A new kit and it’s a whole lotta Christmas.

I’m always in search of the perfect gift, my bestie (poor Lucy, bless her) always ends up with the most naff of gifts because I always have the best of intentions but they never work out. This year she really is going to get the best gift. If I can find it. It’s hard to find someone that’ll sell me a whole pallet of cider.

So with that in mind (not the pallet of cider, I don’t think I’ll have anything in mind after drinking that much), I created this class kit. I’ve been wanting to create a take-the-pressure-off-by-creating-layouts-ahead-of-time kit. Or a I’ll-do-the-layouts-after-Christmas-with-this-kit-from-Nic kit. Or even a this-is-a-great-Christmas-pressie kit.

Or all of the above.

So without further ado (one would think I’d started that cider already), here is my latest Prima kit. All packaged, all ready to send your way.

A Joy Filled Christmas:
$42.00 + postage.
A Two x single layout class kit, created December 2013. (Retail value of products included is $45+)

Concentrating on making the most out of a large range of different Prima products, “Joy Filled Christmas” is a new 2-layout kit full of Prima gorgeousness. In good old fashioned Nic Howard style, these layouts are detailed to look at but easy to create. Layers, borders, banners, intricate cutting and gorgeous festive colouring, piece by piece you’ll create two different Christmas layouts ready for the festive season ahead.

This kit includes products from many different paper ranges, all combined into a pretty cool Christmas Collection. This kit would be perfect to prepare ahead for favourite Christmas photos, or to scrapbook some favourite photos after the Christmas season. Better yet, it’d be a really easy present for your favourite crafty friend – get them to scrapbook the photos!

Kit includes: 7 full sheets paper, 3 half sheets paper, 2 cardstock, 3 full packets of Prima flowers, a half packet flowers and some gorgeous little Prima buds. Full colour step-by step instructions are also included. You will need: Kit, corner rounder, dimensional adhesive, dark ink such as charcoal, water pen or favourite way to distress edges.

Special: Buy one ‘Joy Filled Christmas’ and one ‘Engraver’ kit
for the combined price of $79 plus postage.

Want a class kit delivered before Christmas?
Email me: nic.paul@xtra.co.nz stating which kit/s you’d like.

Flat rate courier price for up to 3 kits is $8.00 within New Zealand.
1-3 kits to Australia $14.00 NZD flat rate p+p *
1-3 kits to the USA $22.00 NZD flat rate p+p
Cut off to order for Christmas is Tuesday 17th December within NZ, the earlier the better, kits are limited!

Right, back to that Christmas shopping – only 14 sleeps to go

Laters

December 11, 2013
Five for Friday

Autumn Escape has come and gone and I'll be doing a full run-down of the event next week. For now it's Five for Friday, my favourite blog post of the week.

So this week I learnt:

1. There is no limit to the cool apps out there.

This week's cool find, through seeing other people use it via facebook, is an app called Project 365. Download it to your phone, open it up, assign a pic from your photo gallery to each of the day's months and there we go. A month in review, just like that. Send it to your email in hi-res format and it's printable as well.

Yes, there are gaps in mine. Those were the days I was in Taupo, running around like a mad thing at Autumn Escape and then the days I was asleep on the couch afterwards. Thank goodness for school holidays.

2. I don't need paper to be creative.

The April photo above reminded me of that.  Check out what I did with dinner ingedients, some scroggin and a single orange jellybean. This little creative piece was in response to a photo challenge on instagram, I carried on the challenge for 30 days but fully admit there was no day more creative than this one. #MMNZ30days for those of you fluent in hashtag-ese.

Yes the orange jellybean was the first thing I ate when I finished taking the pic. No I'm not in the habit of making pictures with carrot sticks but it wasn't all bad, really, was it?

3. Although I choose that lifestyle, I'd quite like this right now.

Pinterest strikes again. This. looks. Devine. How well would it go with feijoa & apple as a filling?
It's possible I may have to find out.

Thank goodness Jacob is home from school on holiday and thank goodness he is the most amazing cook.

4. My husband is a clown.

Well not literally, but sometimes I do wonder if he missed his calling. This is one of my favourite pics from our family holiday around Rotorua/Taupo after Autumn Escape. This is my family, Lucy's family and Jenni Bowlin & family about to climb aboard the Huka Jet. I asked them all to pose for a pic and Paul was the first to dive on to the ground and pose – love him for his clownliness. And this was even before his first beer for the day.

Christian, Braden, Izzy, Lucy, Tana, Jenni, Jared, Noah
Jacob & Paul in front.

5. I have the best friends ever.

As I said, I will do a full run-down of Autumn Escape next week. But I couldn't resist mentioning how awesome this group of girls are. Although we live all over New Zealand and are rarely in the same place at the same time, we single-handedly (together) organised, planned and ran the most amazing AE Retreat ever. 500 people through classes, 130 goodie bags, 40kg of lollies, hundreds of kilos of shop stock, several vodka-lime-lemonades and even a few toilet-papered rooms.

Lynda, Jenni Bowlin, me, Lianne, Lucy, Tana & her blue sparkly shoes, Rachel, Shelley.

Best crew ever…

Still smiling. Andrea tells us to do our best pose.   We pose, Lucy photo bombs and Shelley is ready to catch her. Love it. Might do it all again in September 😉

See you on Sat (Sun NZ time) for a special NSD blog hop – until then,

laters.

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Back from a little break…

Easter wishes, a Prima share, and why I fall asleep on the floor

May 3, 2013
Five for Friday

I missed the Five for Friday last week. This wasn't because there was no Friday, because clearly there was, it was because I was too busy looking for the Easter Egg my husband bought for me. I'm still looking.   Which leads me to believe either a) he hid it really well or b) there is no easter egg. You decide.

Things I discovered during the last week:

1. If you really, really, don't want to win a raffle, don't say "I hope I don't win this" as you hand over $1 and sign your name against a ticket. Yes. First prize winner. No. I didn't eat it. Not all of it anyway.   I do suspect it is the reason my husband didn't buy me an easter egg though. Poor confused man hears me talking about how a basket full of chocolate is the last thing I need and then in the next breath I ask where my freakin easter is.

Glad I'm not a guy.   Girls are so confusing.

The dairy milk one did infact have my name on it. As much as I didn't want to eat it, I felt I had to. You know, to be polite. 😉

2. Clever investments pay off. We saved for these gloves and pads. Jacob is into his boxing, I do a little bit of boxing and this gear isn't cheap. I wasn't sure whether to invest but I'm glad I did because the whole family is loving it.

Do you like my Abs?   Ok so if you thought you were going to see a pic of my rock-hard abdominals *coughcoughsarcasm*, you were wrong – this is my Abs, Abby. You know. Abs is short for Abby.   Anyway. If you've not boxed before, it's seriously one of the best upper body workouts ever.

I especially love this pic below – the one where we can all quite clearly see Abby thinking "Oh my goodness I could totally smash Jacob right now and claim it was a boxing move gone wrong"

Jacob's on to it though – he defended well.

3. Instagram is massive.   And I mean #massive. I'm just figuring it out. I didn't realise how massive it was. It's like a whole 'nother facebook but with pics. It's another online thing to suck time and make you wish your house was tidier, your body thinner and your food yummier. And it has hash-tags. At first I was skeptical. I avoided instagram for a long time but you soon realise it becomes almost a neccessity because of it's marketing potential. And I'm down with the hash-tag thing now, I totally know what I'm doing #sarcasm #Idontreallyhaveanyidea #mykidshelpalot.

For those of you that want to visit me on Instragram, my user name is NicHowardNZ.   I'm currently working my way through a MotivateMe 30 day health/fitness pictorial challenge on there. Throwing myself in the deep end is one way to learn instagram.   #learningfast

On a side note – my kids now 'hashtag' in conversations. Seriously.   Picture this – world war 3 in the back of the car between the kids on the way home from somewhere. Out of the middle of it comes a voice "hashtag family feud". Seriously?

I'm in this photo collage twice, BTW… not a rock-hard Ab in sight though. Actually considering the weight I'm holding with my legs, there might be. Hiding. Somewhere.

4. We have some of the best teachers. Right here. Downunder.

The reaction to the release of our September event Prima ArtVenture teachers was humbling really.   We really do have some of the best teachers right here in little old NZ and Australia.   Visit here to see the teachers and a little bio about each of them.

And I totally forgive the person that emailed me and said "Oh my GOODNESS I hope you won't be offended when I don't take any of your classes, Nic, because Janine Kocz-howeveryouspellit and Louise Nelson are coming to NEW ZEALAND!!!".

it's ok. I understand. #sigh



5. Anyone can do the Harlem Shake. And it's even funnier when you know the people involved. I have spent time with these people and it cracks me up seeing them do this stuff.   I even see the guy I've been organising Prima ArtVenture with. He's cute in a hardhat. I wonder if I could convince 130 ladies at a retreat to do this anytime soon?

.

Love that Finnabair's CHA Artwork joined in the Harlem Shuffle too….

Enjoy your weekend.   Laters.

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Five for Friday

April 5, 2013
Five for Friday

Starting up Five for Friday again. Because I’m back in my scrap room, because I have photos to share and because I have too much to say.

Things I have discovered this week:

1. I have discovered the best way to make meatloaf.
Thank you Pinterest for the idea to make my usual meatloaf mix and put it in muffin tins. It is easy to make, quicker to cook than usual meatloaf and way easier to make additions such as a sprinkling of bacon or swirl of BBQ sauce on top.   Success. Tick.

Source.

2. A lack of calcium will cause leg cramps at night.
Upon suffering wicked cramps in my calf muscles at night I researched the possible cause – by using the internet, by asking my trainer and by asking fellow fitness friends at MotivateMe. Seems there could be 4 possible reasons. Lack of either water, Potassium, Magnesium or Calcium. I get a whole lot of the first three, but when I’m eating really super clean, I barely have any calcium. About 30% of what I should be. Solution? More pizza, cheese, chocolate and icecream. I wish and if only. Looks like it’s calcium tabs for a while.

3. True Stamp is having 50% off today.   Just today. You are welcome.

(In fabulous True Scrap style these classes are shown live but also recorded so you can have afterwards access – for more info visit True Stamp here… 50% off finishes at Fri 9pm NZ time, midight PST today, so this finishes soon, and you must use the code SWEET at checkout to see the discount.).

4. My 12 year old son has decided he wants to do the Bachelor of Digital Media when he is older.
Contributions to the technology fund in this house gratefully taken. He is already needing technology beyond anything we have here. This kid is clever. He already downloads games, enters through some portal, Ok so he does some computer stuff I don’t understand, and changes the codes etc to make the game suit himself.   And he loves art and drawing. He could really do this.
The Bad news: This is going to cost me a fortune in keeping up with things so he can stay on top of this hobby that might very well become his career.
The Good news: Imagine having a totally capable IT guy as part of the family. Oh yes. Magical thinking.

And my last discovery for this week:

5. Exercising really is good for the soul.
See this kid – he’s my oldest, he is amazing, generous and has the most determined personality. Life doesn’t always serve him the best deals but seeing his trainer for a one-on-one boxing and training session each week is the best medicine ever. Thank goodness for endorphins released during exercise, thank goodness for a kid that is always determined to put in his best and thank goodness for the good people in the world, like Karl – an amazing trainer that always has a plan to make Jacob laugh while getting through gruelling workouts that make Jacob proud.

Laters

February 15, 2013