kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369 
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Post by kitbop on Jul 2, 2021 23:57:29 GMT
Hello and happy July to MARIBETHR , nylene , teacherlisa , Chinagirl828 , Linda, gramma , AussieMeg , ComplicatedLady , RyannAt this moment, we are in the honeymoon stage of July: new month, hoping for mojo and time to create with a fresh bunch of challenges ahead of us! We all know how fast this month is gonna fly by  My own personal goals this month are to get more PHOTOGRAPHS of life. I know gramma wants to get her baby album finished! How's that going??? Does anyone else have specific goals? Your first goal (and mine) is to please get a few challenges into the line up - we have until tomorrow. I see that a few of you are already in there, yay! Linda - I see your "Christmas in July" challenge - good one! Do you have a plan to scrap Christmas? I will most definitely join you on that and officially state a goal to get get 3 Christmas pages done this month. Your second goal (and mine) is to post ONE of your creations this month in this thread just so we can give it extra love. Don't be shy. I look at the sharing thread often and love seeing all the wonderful stuff, but commenting gets overwhelming - so if you post one thing here I can comment in comfort Does anyone have vacation plans this month? AussieMeg, how is the weather down there - how cold will you get? How rainy? We don't have vacation until August  But I don't want to wish away July thinking that vacation is all there is to summer. Summer is my favourite season and I should just be celebrating every moment I can! OK, so that's my chit chat, and that's what this thread is for - keep track of each other, encourage each other along, ask any questions that might come up! Fire away! |
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Post by Linda on Jul 3, 2021 0:17:16 GMT
I see your "Christmas in July" challenge - good one! Do you have a plan to scrap Christmas? I will most definitely join you on that and officially state a goal to get get 3 Christmas pages done this month. My Christmas in July challenge is based off the Chtristmas in July thread in General Scrapping so pop in there with your three pages! I'm hoping to get Christmas 2019 and Christmas 2015 scrapped. Non-Christmas I'm trying to finish up April 2021 and also sort photos into layouts with some notes from DD21's 2017 Europe trip - I picked up two travel albums at 50% off at HL today with a gift card for that project. I'm hoping to scrap it before Christmas but we'll see. Vacation-wise - we're not vacationing this summer/year - DS is home on leave right now and he'll be back around Christmas also (and will move DD21 from our house to his then). We've had some big expenses - plumber and electrician (and we need them both back out again), building a garage, and we've just dropped over $5k into one of the cars plus vet bills. So between that and the fact we're still finishing up the move...there's not really time or money this year. Summer isn't my favourite season and this one hasn't been great weatherwise - we had a TON of rain in June...I can't remember the last day it didn't rain - and more scheduled for July (traditionally our rainiest month) plus we're keeping an eye on Elsa...But with homeschooling finishing up and most of my moving related things finished, I should have more free time in the second half of July for scrappy stuff |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 3, 2021 0:25:20 GMT
Welcome to a new month everyone! It's school holidays at the moment (the kids get two weeks off) and this is normally the week that we would head up to a place called Mt Beauty, at the foot of the mountains, to go snow skiing. Unfortunately the guy whose house we would stay at has passed the house onto his adult kids, and they don't want to rent it out to anyone. I decided that I wouldn't bother taking a week off work, because we're not going anywhere so it would be wasted.
It's a busy month for birthdays here. My son's best mate (who spends a lot of time at our house) turned 17 yesterday, my dad turns 79 on Monday, and my two nephews both turn 18 later in the month. I'll be earning a few points for the Donna challenge!
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Post by MARIBETHR on Jul 3, 2021 0:31:22 GMT
My goal is to exceed my project count from last month, and also focus on courthouse pages this month.
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 3, 2021 0:32:08 GMT
AussieMeg , how is the weather down there - how cold will you get? How rainy? The week just gone was gorgeous! The temperature was only 15 C to 17 C (59 F to 63 F) but clear blue sunny skies every day. Then Friday was awful and rainy, and today it's only going to get to 10 C (50 F). That is way too cold for me! |
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gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,885
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Jul 3, 2021 1:26:43 GMT
You're right kitbop I need to finish the baby book. I hope to finish it this weekend. Then I have a box of cards almost finished, so I'll try to get that finished and shipped this month. Maybe I'll do Christmas cards. And I have a wedding album in my backlog. It's been hot here - average mid 90's this last week. Our state got very little rain over the winter so we are facing drought again. And the fires have started already. Does anyone want to crop tomorrow? |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 3, 2021 2:48:09 GMT
Hello everyone! I know the first week or so of this month will be pretty busy, but I'm seriously hoping life goes back to something a bit more normal after that. I normally get a lot done during the winter months because I spend my weekends hanging out in my scrappy space which is one of the warmest rooms in the house, although not so much when the cat decides to lay on top of the ducted heating vent, like she's doing now! today it's only going to get to 10 C (50 F). Thanks for depressing me, for some reason I thought it was meant to be 12 or 13 today. I have to head out soon but once I get back home I'm putting my uggs on and plan to do some scrapping. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 3, 2021 4:32:46 GMT
today it's only going to get to 10 C (50 F). Thanks for depressing me, for some reason I thought it was meant to be 12 or 13 today. Yeah nah sorry!  I'm going to the football tonight, when it will be down to 4 C. At least it's at Marvel not the MCG, so we will be undercover and slightly warmer. |
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 3, 2021 11:30:05 GMT
gramma - I'd love to crop but it will depend on what time I get home from work and how my neck is feeling. I tried last night and lasted maybe 30 minutes. I'll poke my head in here after work and see what the scoop is!
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gramma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,885
Location: Sacramento, Ca
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Post by gramma on Jul 3, 2021 14:35:30 GMT
I'll start a meet up. I hope you feel well enough to join. What did you do? kitbop |
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 6, 2021 17:04:44 GMT
Hey Divas! I hope all the US Divas had a great 4th of July? Do you celebrate? Were there fireworks where you live? For July 1 here, we normally do go out and picnic/play as a family and watch fireworks in the evening. However, this year I was working so we did nothing... which feels kinda rotten... and I get no photos out of that deal either There were no community fireworks due to covid yet, but a LOT of people were buying a LOT of fireworks and setting them off in parks or streets. At least triple what we would normally see/hear. That has also led to more fireworks accidents - you saw the NHL player killed by an errant blast? Near me, we had a house set on fire and a man hit. So, yeah, my "photograph more" goal for the month is currents below a failing grade! Problem is, I need a REASON to photograph. Pretty photos for no reason just don't do it for me! Scrappy question: What was the last photo you took??? |
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Post by Linda on Jul 6, 2021 21:20:53 GMT
kitbop - we did go to see fireworks but we didn't go to the fairgrounds, just parked a block away and watched from there - no crowds, no traffic, and a great view! I did a charcuterie board on the 3rd (when fireworks were) and then DS grilled hamburgers and sausages on the 4th. Sorry you're struggling with photos. I did a months of lists project last year and while I didn't take a photo for each list, I did for some of them and it had me thinking out of the box a bit. I also remember when one of the magazines would have seasonal photo prompts - I bet someone has something similar online. Last photo? of the chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins I made as storm prep today
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 6, 2021 21:49:56 GMT
chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins I made as storm prep today Right, I forgot all about Elsa! Are you in it's path? I don't have a good "map" of Fla in my head so I can't picture where you live. |
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Post by Linda on Jul 7, 2021 0:06:27 GMT
chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins I made as storm prep today Right, I forgot all about Elsa! Are you in it's path? I don't have a good "map" of Fla in my head so I can't picture where you live. we've been in the centre of the track ever since FL entered the cone. I'm pretty much as inland as you can get in Florida - equidistant from the two coasts and about 45 min from the Georgia border. We'll be fine, I'm sure - just a bit of wind (she's unlikely to be more than a tropical storm when she's comes through here) and 4-6" or more of rain - which is the bigger issue as we had 300% of our expected rainfall in June, it's rained every day so far in July, and our rivers are at/above flood stage already...and the ground is so wet, shallowed rooted trees like live oaks topple really easily. |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 7, 2021 3:12:19 GMT
Scrappy question: What was the last photo you took??? A photo of my cat drinking water out of a "cat lover" mug. My DH likes the mug because it's bigger than normal but he's terrible at remembering to return it to the kitchen when he's done (he uses it for work and his office is upstairs) so I had it filled with water to soak, and the cat clearly decided she was thirsty. Linda I hope you don't get too much rain. I grew up in an area that didn't flood often, but when it did it was the type that would flood all the houses that are well above the water line with water depths in the houses of 4ft or more so I can appreciate how much damage the rain can cause. |
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Post by Linda on Jul 7, 2021 3:54:30 GMT
Chinagirl828 - I bet that's a cute photo - none of our current cats are interested in cups but I had one (Smokey) who loved to stick his head in and drink and another (Jacob) who would daintily dip a paw in and scoop up some water. We're on high ground here both the new (current) house and the old house (not yet sold) so as far as that goes we'll be fine. I'm just remembering back to TS Debbie in 2012 when streets were closed due to flooding and washouts, several neighbourhoods were completely flooded, we were stuck in the house for several days (due to water on the road) and we went canoeing on the driveway - we're not expecting nearly that much this time around.
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 7, 2021 11:23:54 GMT
A photo of my cat drinking water out of a "cat lover" mug. I had one (Smokey) who loved to stick his head in and drink and another (Jacob) who would daintily dip a paw in and scoop up some water. This is my house! You've gotta tell other people in the room "watch my drink" if you leave for a moment Last picture I tooK: just my two dogs looking cute at me. Nothing special or memorable, other than the fact that I had combed/trimmed up the Schnauzer which is a lot of work! |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 8, 2021 7:49:22 GMT
none of our current cats are interested in cups but I had one (Smokey) who loved to stick his head in and drink and another (Jacob) who would daintily dip a paw in and scoop up some water. Our older cat, who we lost last year, used to do both of these. She loved fresh water in her bowl but would only drink it from her paw, and would often stick her head all the way into a cup or glass if it was wide enough. I had yesterday off work, and although I had a bunch of other stuff to do, I did manage to sneak in a little crafty time, and I'm hoping to finish that layout tonight. |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 13, 2021 11:24:41 GMT
I feel like I'm on a roll, I've made 9 pages already this month, which is as many as I often make in an entire month. I'm trying to get through 50 layouts without spending before the FJ birthday sale so the motivation is clearly helping. Your second goal (and mine) is to post ONE of your creations this month in this thread just so we can give it extra love. I'm terrible at sharing my pages in the share threads these days, but this is the one I finished tonight that is (so far) my favourite one I've made this month. There will be a pocket page opposite this with some additional photos and the journaling, but I love these photos of me using that voila ai app.  |
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 13, 2021 11:42:24 GMT
I used that voila app (once) too Chinagirl828 and I keep meaning to play with it a bit more. But I didn't pay for it, so I have to crop or photoshop the insignia out of it. Your layout is gorgeous! I always admire your use of soft colour. It's one of those scrapbooky things that I DON'T do well and I want to do more but when I do it I don't like it? I LOVE the tone on tone title, yet how well it stands out. |
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Post by Linda on Jul 13, 2021 13:17:33 GMT
Chinagirl828 - that's lovely! What a fun app and the colours you choose work so well together
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 14, 2021 7:45:44 GMT
Thank you for your kind words. I'm a tight arse who refused to pay for the app so I screenshot the images instead of saving them and then just cropped them in my camera roll to get the image without the watermark on it  |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 16, 2021 4:32:25 GMT
Does anyone have crafting plans for the weekend?
We went back into a 5 day lockdown overnight, it's meant to be cold and wet for the weekend, and the new Cocoa Vanilla collection is sitting on my desk waiting for me to play with it, so I'll definitely be scrapping, starting this afternoon now that I've finished work and done the grocery shopping.
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Post by Linda on Jul 16, 2021 13:52:01 GMT
@chinagirl928 - sorry about the lockdown again. Looking forward to seeinmg your layouts with the Cocoa Vanilla collection.
I'm not sure what our weekend plans are - but I'm sure I'll get to do some scrapping. I finished up the January 2021 photos so have pulled out December 2015 ones to work on next.
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,369
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Post by kitbop on Jul 16, 2021 19:54:08 GMT
We went back into a 5 day lockdown overnight, Today is our first day in stage 3...OUT of lockdown after 3 1/2 months this time! Movie Theaters...opening...first time since last Spring. Retail - no numbers limitations! Gyms opening - where I'm heading now - 50% capacity. We still have masking (I'm glad) but our region is at 81% for 1 vaccine, and 59% for fully vaccinated. I'm sorry you are facing another "brake" event. Yay for scrappy distraction! Can't wait to see what you create! I HAVE to scrapbook this evening! I am working on saturday's sketch... I kinda forgot I had signed up for this weekend's sketch, and fortunately remembered yesterday but it isn't done yet. |
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Post by Linda on Jul 16, 2021 20:43:55 GMT
but our region is at 81% for 1 vaccine, and 59% for fully vaccinated. wow! we're only at 32.5% for 1 dose and there's been open availibility for 18's and up since early April - its a case of people don"t want not people can't get |
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,455
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 16, 2021 23:43:58 GMT
Today is our first day in stage 3...OUT of lockdown after 3 1/2 months this time! Movie Theaters...opening...first time since last Spring. Retail - no numbers limitations! Gyms opening - where I'm heading now - 50% capacity. We still have masking (I'm glad) but our region is at 81% for 1 vaccine, and 59% for fully vaccinated. I'm sorry you are facing another "brake" event. I'm sure it feels great, and probably a little strange, to be able to do "normal" things again after that long in lockdown. I remember what it was like for us last year when we did 100+ days (although thankfully over winter) and how the first thing I wanted to do when we could go back was go and buy new socks for my DH  Our vaccination rate is really low here, mostly because we've had a super slow rollout. I'm booked in for my first dose next week, which was the earliest appointment I could get when they opened it up to my age bracket 6 weeks ago. |
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Post by MARIBETHR on Jul 19, 2021 11:28:25 GMT
Disappointed in myself for not getting more done this weekend. I just could not get in the creative grove. I did however spend 8 hours 8-4 on Sunday cataloging my dies so that I know what I have and can easily find them and use them. I also completed this set of ATC's. Hopefully next weekend I can been of my game and earn some good points for my team. 
Have an awesome day Divas. |
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Post by Linda on Jul 19, 2021 13:17:36 GMT
MARIBETHR - some weekends are like that. The ATC cards are awesome! love the gears! Don't forget to take organising points for your die catalogue (10 pts/hr). I spent a good part of the weekend scrapping. Saturday DH was out of town picking up our Mini from the garage (never buy a car if the closest place that can fix it is two hours away) and Sunday was stormy so yard work plans were put on hold. We're finally done with homeschool so I should be able to do more weekday scrapping also. I'm SO close to finishing December 2015 - I have 3 layouts to go.
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 20, 2021 9:30:32 GMT
Well my nephew's 18th was cancelled due to lockdown. But on a positive note I got quite a bit done, and I felt very productive. (I'm talking about scrapping, not housework or anything boring like that!). We found out today that our lockdown has been extended for another seven days, so Chinagirl828 and I will have lots of time to scrap this coming weekend. I am going to get my first COVID vaccination on Saturday. The most recent photo I took was a selfie of me and my dog this afternoon. He came in to give me a hug while I was working. |
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But I don't want to wish away July thinking that vacation is all there is to summer. Summer is my favourite season and I should just be celebrating every moment I can!
I'm going to the football tonight, when it will be down to 4 C. At least it's at Marvel not the MCG, so we will be undercover and slightly warmer. 