It is amazing how quickly Christmas begins to creep up on you!! I was doing my grocery shopping and the fresh faced teen behind the counter enquired how my Christmas preparations were going! I was taken back a touch, surely not time to think about Christmas?? At first I responded with a wry laugh and said "no, nothing done yet!" and then I thought about it some more, and a quiet wave of self-satisfaction crept over me!! You see, I have most of the gifts for the children on layby and almost paid off and then just last week I created my yearly photobooks that I give as presents to the parents and grandparents! I am quite literally waiting for it to be delivered any day now!! So the tree isn't up yet and I am not sure I even know what we will be doing on Christmas day, but I am at least a little bit prepared, so that counts!!!
On the scrapping front I have a couple of layouts that have been up on the Aussie Scrap Source Blog. The first one showcasing Jenni Bowlin papers...
I used a real mix of old and new products of hers on this LO. Love the photo of the little rebel rouser!! It is such a perfect depiction of a boy, doing boy things!
Then I also had this one using Lilybee papers go up as well. The picture of Ethan and Emma puts such a smile on my face with how their emotions have been captured at that point in time.
This week I got a new Camera!!!! Yippeee!! I have been saving up all my money from scrap related income and finally had enough to buy the camera I wanted. I could never have justified spending the money from our family budget, so I decided to save just my scrap related income and put it towards a new camera. I have been saving for quite some time now! LOL!! I purchased a Nikon D5100 and have only had it for a day, but do love some of the new features in it. I still have to play with it a lot more, but thankfully as it is another Nikon, a lot of the features and menus are similar which is helpful. The first thing I noticed is how much better it is in low light conditions. So much easier to get a shot in focus! The multi-point focusing also helps a lot too! So much to learn with this new toy! I snapped a couple of pictures late yesterday, just to see what I thought of it. Hmmmmm, I like!!
How similar do these two look! No doubting they are siblings!
Don't you just love the way kids insist upon pulling silly faces when a camera is put in front of them!!
And just for the record I didn't dress them that day to match for the camera! Would you believe they all chose their own clothes and came out wearing the same colour!!!! Oh except for Ethan, he must be more individual! Ashton was in shorts and a top earlier in the day, but he managed to get himself soaking wet and thus ended up in his jammies before these shots were taken!! Yes, he is climbing the retaining wall out the back of our house!
In fact if you look at these kids they all look similar!! As newborn babies they all had the same "baby Koczwara" look and even now that they are growing there are distinct similarities between them all! It is like we make them with a Koczwara brand to identify them in a crowd!! :)
Once again thanks for stopping by!
Whoo hoo, new toy! LOVE both those pages.....oh and the kids are pretty cute too!!!!
Posted by: Lydell Quin | November 27, 2011 at 09:09 AM
Totally agree with Lydell xx
Posted by: Lorraine | November 27, 2011 at 05:36 PM
oh gorgeous layouts.. and i hope you get a lot of enjoyment with your new camera... essential tool for a scrapbooker.. and you make the most beautiful children!! and i love how you edit your photos too.. they really shine in your layouts...
Posted by: lizzyc | November 27, 2011 at 08:57 PM
That bottom photo of Ashton is a crack up - talk about CHEEKY !!!! Love both layouts, especially the JB one, so beautifully designed. Enjoy your new toy, I know you will xo
Posted by: steph devlin | November 28, 2011 at 04:44 PM
Oh my, such gorgeous layouts! They're both so bright and fun. And I love that photo of your son and Steph's daughter together!
How wonderful that you bought yourself a new camera:) It seems like you can take some truly amazing photos with it! Enjoy your new little friend:)
Posted by: Romy | November 28, 2011 at 05:04 PM
Hi Janine,
So good to see you are back on the Prima DT. I always love your work so much. You are a great source of inspiration with your beautiful projects. (btw... the comment link on the prima blog, doesn't work, it won't let me post a comment) Again.... So happy to see you back!!!!
Posted by: paulien van den bosch | November 29, 2011 at 02:51 AM
I finally plucked up courage to drop a note! I have been stalking your blog. haha...
Just amazed by your talent and creation. Beautiful always.
Posted by: Wendy Kwok | November 30, 2011 at 04:44 PM
WOW Stunning!!!and beautiful pictures to
i wish You a happy and blessed christmas!!
hugs carla
Posted by: carla | December 10, 2011 at 01:02 AM
Oh yes, those Koczwara/Carlsen genes are unmistakable! What a lovely blend they make though. Gorgeous photos AS always! xx
Posted by: Kymmie @ a day in the life of us | January 06, 2012 at 11:44 PM