Cricut Design Studio

I have been playing with my new toy this weekend and what a great toy it is. The new Cricut Design Studio program introduces a new level to what you can produce. Sure it is restricted by the cartridges you have, but if you already have a number of cartridges on hand this is a great addition to your scrapping room - and to the Scrapping Away Retreat House. I just love being able to weld my letters to make connected titles. Also you can play around with the size of the letters - width and height, and you can combine images from different cartridges.

If you think this may be interesting to you but you just aren't sure yet there is a trial version available at
http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=1311421&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
It only allows you to use the cartridge that came with your machine e.g. George if you bought the initial personal cutter. But at least it gives you some idea of the potential of the program before you buy.

Here is a box I have made for Emily's daycare mum for the title I used George and the Design Studio program to weld the letters.

Classes galore, kits and more

Wow, what a month it has been.

Scrapaholics Australia launched this month and the December kits have sold out already. I have bought in some extras for January and so we are set for the increasing number of clubs that are joining up.

In Albury we have 2 Acrylic Album classes this month before Christmas. If you are interested in joining one, I still have a couple of spaces left. Email me at info@scrappingaway.com.au

The Rubons Workshop was fantastic with some amazing layouts completed. It was also great to have some new faces join our going group of eager scrappers.

The January Scrapaholic workshop in Albury has sold out! If you would like to join us get your name down for February as soon as possible.

And, Scrapping Away Retreat House has had a lot of interest and weekends are starting to be booked.

What a great way to be ending the year.








One page done with the January Scrapaholics Kit

Low introductory price for Scrapaholics Australia Instructors

Scrapaholics Australia has launched their first technique based kit. Instructors around Australia will be teaching this kit through out December. Would you like to be a Scrapaholics Australia Instructor?

We are an independent network of scrapbooking clubs. Each organiser runs their club under the Scrapaholic banner and there are about 100 clubs in the UK, USA, Canada and now Australia. We form a supportive group to promote and teach Scrapbooking.Each month we produce a kit of products based around a particular technique. The technique is demonstrated at the club and members have the opportunity to try out the product/technique in the form of a club kit.

If you would like to start your own club email me today info@scrappingaway.com.au (A one off joining fee of only $50 {introductory price} until the end of November)

A great way to try new products and techniques
Run it as a hobby or business
Have fun scrapping with your friends

Latest kit layouts

Another Room Ready

Just thought I would share with you another room we have completed at the Scrapping Away Retreat House. I had everything set up a week ago but couldn't post any photos as Matt was still in the US with our digital camera. The room has come up well and is very comfortable and spacious enough for three. This room has access to an ensuite bathroom.

Essential Scrapbooking Tool

What do you think is your most essential, can't scrap without, tool? Let's not count adhesive or a cutting implement because without those nothing would be done!

Umm! What a decision. I distress with ink a fair bit so I am thinking my Adirondak sepia ink pad but maybe not, I know my pens. I am big on journaling and I almost always hand write. I may find one in every 100 layouts has computer written journalling! So that's my decision, my essential Scrapbooking tool is my white gel pen or my black zig writer.

What is yours?

Birthday Book

Are you good at remembering birthdays? I try to be and usually I start each year remembering birthdays, hey some years it is April before I start missing them! I know not a great achievement. Well, next year will be different! I came across these gorgeous little acrylic mini albums with chipboard pages made by Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs (mosdinc.com). It is the cutest 5x5.5 inch album with 6 tabbed chipboard pages. As there are 6 pages it is absolutely perfect for a birthday book as once you use both pages you have the 12 months covered. I haven't actually made mine yet but here is a sample made by Alison from MOSD.
I hope to get started on making mine this weekend and here's to trying to remember all birthdays in 2008.
By the way if you are interested in making your very own birthday book I have some stock available and if you are in the Albury area I will be running a class in January to make these (info@scrappingaway.com.au). Keep a look out for my sample to be uploaded right here very soon.

What's your scrapping wishlist?

If you could have anything scrapbooking related what would it be? What a decision! If I listed my top 3 they would have to be
1. A Klik'n'Kut (dream on!)
2. Some time to scrap
3. Some space where I could spread out all my stuff and not have to pack it up each day
Maybe I need to book into my own retreat house!

What would your top 3 be? Are they mostly products or like mine is time and space the big issue?

Great news for Sydneysiders

Virgin Blue has announced plans to fly from Sydney to Albury beginning in February. Tickets are advertised to be around $69. What a bargain!

Once the kids are back at school and life has settled down reward yourself with a relaxing and luxurious scrapbooking retreat with your girlfriends. Leave all the weekend work for your husband to deal with, you know: swimming lessons, dance lessons, football training, kids' homework, house cleaning etc and focus on yourself and your hobby for a few days. You'll go back home feeling more relaxed and you'll have some great scrapbooking pages to show for it.

Have a look at the website: www.scrappingaway.com.au to check out the great tools in the studio, the comfy sleeping arrangements and the calendar to find a date to suit you. Then check out http://www.virginblue.com.au/ to get your flights.

Upcoming Scrapaholic Events

As well as our recent launch of Scrapping Away December will see the launch of Scrapaholic Australia (Aussie site not ready yet so check out the UK one). Scrapaholic Clubs are a nationwide network of clubs, which provide a social learning environment for scrapbookers. Each club is run by an enthusiastic instructor with the support and assistance of Scrapaholic Australia. If you are interested in becoming an instructor please email me.

Upcoming classes in Albury include:

Revisiting Rubons

Acrylic mini Albums (Albums designed by Midnight Oil Scrapbooking Designs)

Upcoming kit techniques for Dec to March include:

Making the most of Tags (Fancy Pants products)

Transparencies (Hambly overlays)

Doodling and scallops (7 Gypsies and The Crafter's Workshop)

Website open for business

At long last, the website is operational! Take a look at www.scrappingaway.com.au
I will be adding more photos as rooms are ready and furniture is put together but we are now at a point where it is ready to use.
Opening date is February 29 and we have already had initial interest in the first few weekends. It is very exciting and will be the culmination of a lot of hard work. There are still a few jobs to get done in the next 3 months but all will be ready for a grand opening celebration in the last week of February and the first retreat kicking off on the 29th.

Front Bedroom

This is the completed bedroom, it looks much better than it did in April when it had galvanised iron and wooden panelling along the walls. As you can see there is plenty of room for your bags, yourselves and your beds. Hope you like the look of the room, there are three more just like it! The other rooms are larger and have room for 3 beds.

A Sneak Peak

Well it is here at last. Time for a sneak peak of one of the bedrooms. By the way this is the same room that had galvanised iron on the walls and was set up as a country bar.

I will take some more photos in the next day or so. I have only put two of the beds together so far. Once I have the other beds together and I have moved the dining room setting out of this bedroom I will post a photo of the whole room and also one of another of the bedrooms.

Unfortunately there is a hold up with our trestles as they need to be ordered in. I plan to begin using the website before the trestles arrive as I really don't want to wait any longer. I will take a photo of the scrapping room and hopefully you can imagine it with trestles in it. Everyone gets their own trestle so there is plenty of room to scrap and spread out your supplies :)

It's here!

Well the furniture arrived about an hour after its expected delivery time, so not bad. However I think I was under estimating the task ahead of us. Of course the 8 beds are flat packed and will need putting together. Before I can do that though I need to be able to get the gorgeous 9 piece dining setting out of the way.

Mmmmm Matt is working until late every night this week. I guess it will be the weekend before we even get started! As you can see in the photos, the task is huge and I have no chance of achieving it by myself.

Will certainly keep you updated with the progress and will aim to have the photos of a couple of furnished rooms on the website by the end of the weekend.

Now I am excited!!!!!!!!!

I just got a phone call to say the furniture can be delivered at 4:30 today!!!!! Drats! I have to go to work tomorrow, I would love to be organising rooms and taking photos to get onto here and the website. I guess there is always this evening, not that I should be moving furniture by myself what with being 4 months pregnant and all. Keep your eyes peeled for an update very soon with some furnished room photos.

Now to complete the day if I could get a few kinks sorted out on the web page all would seem right with the world.

Retreat Progress

Well, the last 7 months has been pretty full on, and we aren't done yet, but the retreat is taking shape. With the continued efforts of Matt and myself, as well as all the visitors we rope into helping us, we should be set for our late February opening. To give you some idea of where we have come from have a look at the photo of this bedroom before we began our renovations.

For some reason the previous owners had decided the country bar look was the way to go. Each to their own I guess. Thankfully, the room is now all fixed up and looking fantastic. Will post some photos once the furniture is delivered later this week. This was by far the worst of the bedrooms but each of them has required a great deal of attention and we have laid new floors, sanded and painted walls and ceilings, made and hung curtains, hung new doors, and so the list goes on. All will soon be revealed when the website is unveiled and we open for bookings.

The first weekend the retreat will be open for business is February 29th. There has already been a great deal of interest in making bookings and so we are working as quickly as possible to get everything ready for the launch of the website.