I have formed a really close relationship over the past couple of years with one of my lecturers at Uni - Gina Harrap, she is who trained me for the culinary comps. She is always blown away at my work, not just my academic work but my creativity and why I come up with in terms of my table setting designs, how I have always hand made everyone from Menus and Name cards right now to Cookie Favours and Wine Charms for on my table settings.Having seen some of my work, and seen photos of my scrapbooks she asked me for a big favour last month in Feb. She asked me to make for her Husband Martin Harrap a scrapbook album of his life for his 60th Birthday, as well as one for their 10yr wedding anniversary. I of course accepted the job - having made only a few albums for other people mostly ones I have done as gifts and a few for my neighbour when ever she sold a kitten that she had breed, I was prepared to take this on and I was able to now that Uni is over and done with and I have the time to be able to sit down and do scrapbooking again.
She handed me over a box fill of photos - she had written on most of them years and dates, she had given me both her CV and Martin's for assitance with putting the photos and events into order and she had written a list of dates and events on a piece of paper to also give me some sort of a picture. I sat down with this box and sorted them all out, detective work became involved matching photos up to events, breaking them down into years and working out who were in the photos - along the way learning little things more about this LEGEND of the industry that I work in myself. I was able to see how his love and passion started from when he was a teen and it has grown, how he has been so heavy involved in competition work both in the UK where he was born and brought up and into NZ where he lives today....
I spent a while restoring photos too - I had never done this before, I am a complete beginner/novice which ever you call it, I had read an article in a scrapbook magizine which gave tips and sadly I didnt copy it to keep for record. I had tried a few years ago using Paintshoppro 9 but it didnt really work out...fortunately when my best mate Shane built our new computer in the last 6months, he installed Photoshop for me and it was using that programme again something ive started to self taught myself how to use I started to slowly restore childhood photos of Martin. A few I am so impressed with how I managed to do such a thing. Sadly I was brought down with sickness during the process with a few trips into the hospital for fluids and meds....but I knew I had to get it finished and done by the set date (I work well with my scrapbook when I have a date put in place it needs to be done by....ironically not so great with assignments there...!)
I found lots of sites - ok Kerri sent me lots of links to sites with layout sketchs/maps and I used them to set my pages out, this took alot of stress off when your completely struggling to get your mojo flowing and dont know what to do - colour is another problem I have, and I tried to keep this album as masculine feeling as possible - THICKERS became an addiction, I developed at the same time a hate towards the prices charged for them here in New Zealand but ohhhh I do love them. I was able to get photos printed for half price - I had so much fun figuring out which size to make them. Eventually the day it was due I had mum and me sitting in the dinner room busting these layouts all out to complete the album and to get into the CBD to Uni to met with Gina and present the album - a slight spelling error on one page, and a few photos that needed to be changed around gave me one extra day to complete a couple more layouts I didnt quiet get to finish and get into Uni again to present the finished Album.
I sat in awe watching Martin go through his album on his life, there was so much more I wanted to do, but that is something together than can add too - I was really special seeing him go through these memories of his life, telling us about each photo and event, how old he was, what he was doing those things.
Special moment and Im so thankful and fortunate to have and know this lovely and wonderful couple in my life. (one little side note I learnt through this album - I learnt me and Gina had actually met once before when I was younger way back in 2003 when I had my first ever true taste of working in hospitality at a work expereince day, and it was actually doing a function set up...back then I wanted to be a chef but i really enjoyed doing this table setting for Sacret Heart Collages Reunion they had in 2003......it was destiny maybe??)
HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY MARTIN - and a Happy 10yr Wedding Anniversary to you and Gina also.
