I Heart Us Australasian Blog Hop

Oooh! This one has such fresh, pretty colours and beautiful sentiments!
Welcome to our "I Heart Us" Australasian Blog Hop for February.
Did you arrive here from Megan's Blog or are you a regular visitor here? Either way I hope you will "hop" your way around following the links.  We love to share ideas with you all.

I found that the "I Heart Us" paper pack lent itself beautifully to quick, easy double paged spreads.
First up I wanted to share the Craft with Heart pages for this month.  I am absolutely loving how easy and effective these pages are.  Every month I have 4 beautiful, easy to customise pages to add to my album.  It is making it so much easier to keep up to date with my scrapping!

At a recent scrapping event a friend was working on an entirely different paper collection using the "Olivia" pattern (from our Make it From Your Heart books, featured on the Close To My Heart Blog in December)  I adapted it to work for the "I Heart Us" paper.  If you don't own our Make it From Your Heart books I totally recommend them for stunning patterns that work with any paper!  They are my go to when I am a bit lacking in inspiration.

 How awesome are our new cut-apart sheets? I love that they are such an easy way to embellish pages.  I have used foam tape to pop those flowers up (I love giving a bit of added dimension with foam tape or dots!)

So there you have it. Easy, happy pages with clear bright colours.  This is such a great paper palette to work with!  I paired it with Bluebird and Carolina cardstock, and Raspberry and Mint.
Enjoy your scrapping this month.
Now head on over to visit Maz and see what she has been creating!
Keep smiling,
Nell

Taking Stock February

Now that the kids are back at school and life has settled a little I thought it might be time for another taking stock post
Making : Lots and lots and lots of mittens (this pattern "Kidlett Mittenz" on rav - which is quick and perfect for scrappy charity knitting)  Most of my mittens take somewhere between 30-40grams of wool which makes them the perfect scrappy project

Cooking : Pork roast
Sipping : Pepper Jack shiraz
Reading: Actually in between books - just finished "The Glovemaker's Daughter" and haven't started the new one from the library
Looking: forward to a cooler week this week.  Bring on Autumn
Listening: to a lot of different things through Google on Spotify, most often Norah Jones and Van Morrison
Wishing:I had more kindy work
Enjoying: lots of knitting, and more time for papercrafting
Waiting: for Autumn
Liking: that the pantry is still clean, and the kitchen is not too bad, and the loungeroom is cleaner than usual
Loving: the anticipation of Fibre Feast and Bungaree (paid deposit for both this week) Crafty time with Crafty friends is always welcome
Buying: new curtains for the loungeroom and a new toilet seat for the downstairs bathroom
Happy about: my gorgeous new vintage 1930s retro teapot (a gift from my lovely cousin)
Watching: the new series of Call the Midwife
Hoping: I enjoy being back working in childcare - a bit of a change for me but looking forward to a baby fix
Needing: To get more acrylic wool to finish a blanket for AKWAK
Wearing: my pyjamas (lazy day at home) - but have really been loving wearing summer dresses
Following: The Close To My Heart Blog and lots of crochet people on instagram
Noticing: How much the weather dictates my mood
Sorting: so many things - my walk in, the kitchen, the laundry..everyone seems to be on a bit of a decluttering binge at the moment
Getting: anxious about the lack of regular income coming in
Saving: money where ever I can (I have really been pretty good at only buying essentials lately - although I did splurge a little when my cousin was in town and we did the touristy thing in Hahndorf and Strath last week - I found a quilt shop I didn't know about - that was dangerous!
Giggling: over silly comedy reruns
Coveting: a Canon Selphie printer - maybe for my birthday?
Hearing: the two big ones discussing MKR in the loungeroom - that show is disgusting! How can they let contestants be such poor role models?
Obsessing: over getting projects finished while our Cold Sheep group have a knitalong happening - I've knitted almost 4000 yards!
Grateful for: a midweek getaway with my boy.  The band we were going to see cancelled but we still had an awesome time playing tourist in Melbourne
Praying: my cousin's son makes a full recovery after a nasty car accident last night
Cherishing: time spent with family and friends.  Already a few reminders this year that life is short and you have to make the most of it.
Have a good week!
keep smiling,
Nell