60th Birthday Album - Chef Martin Harrap

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.

Pitty Patter of Tiny Feet....

Well today I have decided to annouce something. A few people know, some family members, and a few close friends and co workers. But I think now is the right time to be able to let this one out.

Me and Simon are please to annouce that we are expecting our first child..!!!

I am currently 13wks in gestation - and I have been experiencing some REALLY wicked morning sickness for the past 6wks - the vomiting started the day I was due to have my 6wk dating scan (I was a couple of days shy of 7wks) and because I started to vomit it meant I was unable to attend my appointment I had booked as a result it was rebooked the following day - sadly Simon was not able to make it to this one due to having a second interview for a job he had gone for last year. He was later offered a job at this place. Infact my morning sickness has been so bad that I have been in hospital for it and been put on medication to control it. The meds help me feel somewhat human again and is stopping the vomiting and feeling of wanting to be sick. (I love you Ondansetron!!)

Yesturday would of been my Poppa's 82nd birthday and it would of been my son's 3rd birthday had I not miscarried him in 2007. I had my 12wk Nuchal Fold Scan booked in and again Simon wasnt present for this - I hadnt told him about it, partly because he has only just started a new job and i didnt want him taking time off work and partly because we have split from being in a relationship and havent fulled worked out how things are going to be. Its a long story that I dont want to go into...but we have to do what is best for our unborn baby.

So here is our little one - we are due on the 9th of September. This will be my parents 5th Grandchild and Simon's parents 1st Grandchild. At the moment we have nicknames Baby - PEBBLES.

Happy Birthday Poppa and Gummi

Happy Birthday to my loving Poppa Sidney Watters.

Today would have been your birthday, you would of been 82yrs old.

And a special Happy Birthday to my son Keiran Stefano James "Gummi Bear" Denham-Bell. Today my sweet little angel you would be off been 3yrs old! Mummy and Daddy love you so much and we miss you alot too.

Im so sorry that I couldnt come up to the Cemetry today like I had planned but I am full of a chest infection as well as spewing my guts out. I just cant hold my own weight right now or have the energy. But I know you are both there with me today and right now - for today has a special event happening on it.

xxx

Whangarei Road Trip with Simon

Me and Simon have been having a few little hiccups in our Relationship - there is a BIG reason for this but that is something I will talk about at a later date just not right now. I think we rushed into things a bit, and were really thrown in the deep in over Xmas when Simon's parents moved house and had a 3-4wk period between when they moved out of their old house and into their new house...and during that time they went off camping with his sister down to the South Island and he moved in with me and my mum. We suddenly were in each others face 24/7 - we had no privacy and no ME TIME...I found it hard not being able to go to my room, shut the door and turn my radio and blast it up really loud to cool out and calm down...no if I was in a grump or what ever and went to my room he would be there...the house seemed very very small then. My santurary and personal space was compromised majorly it had been to the point Simon had cleared my desk off in my bedroom and had installed his TV and PS3 there - I have never had a TV in my room and probably never will I dont really see the point in it...in the past I have managed to watch DVDs on my Laptop at night, that was before all the over heating issues and stuff...and other nights I would just read a book to go to sleep with...I wasnt able to do that with Simon. Ok the watching movies on his laptop and PS3 yes..but reading no..he hated me doing it...infact its taken me since NOVEMBER when i went to Christchurch until now to FINALLY finish a book I got out of the library, and its only since he moved out and back home to his parents that Ive infact read two more additional books in the past week or so.

To try and save out relationship he has been taking me out on dates, the other day it was to a Restaurant for dinner which I wasnt expecting, we had a nice little chat about things, we spoke about the BIG thing that is trialling us - had a nice meal and stuff....so he decided as an early valentines present since he is working to take me up north to Whangarei - Ive been through there and stopped at a motel for a toilet break on a trip to Northland and the Bay of Island in 2004 in High school with my tourism class but ive never been to the actual village. My nana is from there, it is where her side of the family landed after the came over from Australia I believe the story goes (the family roots from there go back to N. Ireland and Germany) and its also where Abby was original born on a farm up there somewhere before someone rescuse her and her little siblings.

Simon spent New Years there in 2008/2009 I think it was, at a little cafe/restaurant thing and he wanted to take me there but I just wasnt really drawn in by the menu for starters the special board had all pork dishes...I like a bit of pork but yea...we walked around a bit to see what else was there and we settled on a little pub....the meal expereince was NOT good at all I tell you - and Ive said many times before how I struggle going out to places to eat working in the industry...this place was just terrible..I ended up putting in a MASSIVE complaint when I got back to Auckland. I had put in a couple of complaints there at the time...but yea...didnt want to make a big show and dance at the time.

I dont know how things are going to be between us...we are trying - with these date things...we had never ever been on one at all in the time we met each other - we got together as soon as we met each other in person, which was only a couple of days after talking online, then i was off down to Christchurch then we spent more less everyday in each others face staying over at one anothers house...

Valentines Day Goodie Bags

I loved the Xmas Goodie Bags I made for my niece and nephews last year I decided to make them some for Valentines Day, infact Im going to try and do these little things for most of the holidays this year...

I wanted to make two different cookies, gingerbread and shortbread. And I sadly no matter how hard I tried to look for some, couldnt find ANY cookie cutters in Valentines day theme, I had a little heart, but I wanted like a cupid for example...but none of the cheap dollar stores had any, the Warehouse didnt, KMart, Spotlight....no one....Simon got me a set of Heart Shape Cookie cutter with different sizes in them....I felt really stink about him getting them for me....and paying for them..they werent cheap. But they would have to do - I can bet I will find what im looking for after Valentines....!!

I wanted to dunk my short bread into chocolate, and for the gingerbread I wanted to do some fondant icing on them like with my onesie cookies from last year at the comps....Meggan came over to make cookies with me, and I couldnt find a gingerbread recipie, and my gingerbread cookie cutters - I have some like these ABC Gingerbread - well they are in one of my boxes with all my stuff for when I eventually move out of home and I wasnt going through them all to find them, I know there is a recipie on the back of the packet. So I ended up with just Shortbread. I coated some of them with chocolate and iced the other half with pink fondant icing.

I managed to get some heart shape marshmallows, and I hunted down to find chocolates in hearts but I only managed to find ONE little bag at the warehouse they were all sold out (they had been on special 2 for $4) - i was feeling really low now, I couldnt find lollipops either i ended up getting chupa chups, and I had no other real heart shape candy, mum went up to the dairy and fruit and vege store and managed to get some gummi lollies in hearts...I was depleted...

I put my goodie bags together however, one for my niece, and one each for my nephews - I also made an addition bag each for Meggan and Michael to give to their school teacher (what a grease up aye??) and for baby Emma I got her a little teddy with bow on it with hearts and a little onesie with hearts on it for her Valentines Present.

Its the thought that counts..! Easter I will be better prepared!! Given they already have Eggs out now!!

Goodie Bags

Detail - the paper is from my minds eye, the stamp was one sent to me Heidi Swapp I believe, I painted my silver heart brads from Kerri, and used my Fiskars Apron Lace border punch on the Toppers.

House Mouse ATC

I signed up to a ATC Swap over on the Fiskateers Board last year for House Mouse ATCs - and Im fortunate to own ONE stamp from this series, I was sent it with a whole pile of goodies one day from fellow fiskateer Merlene. I havent done any crafting for a while and I thought since Uni has finally finished I might as well use it as an insentive right?

I was stumped on what to do for it - And Simon gladly helped me out with it, we sort of went for a Willy Wonka slash Candyland sort of theme.We had so much fun with it, we went for a chocolate river, and Simon wanted a waterfall coming down like the one you see in Wonka's factory....so we went for a trip to Subway and got some fat clear straws from there, I think Simon liked this project purely because he got to use the hot glue gun...he is addicted to that thing, doesnt matter what I do when Im out in my room he is in there wasting away the glue in the guns on something..!

We had a few things like liqorice made from foam and some glitter and matchsticks put together to make lollie pops...and cotton wool inked to make candy floss clouds.I coloured the mouse in with water colour pencils.

I only made one set as I only had one stamp.

Baby Clothes Bouquet + Baby Cards

So my friend Tracy down in Christchurch is due with a baby at the end of the month and I know from when I was staying with her the things she still needed to get more of for her daughter. So I decided to give a crack at making a clothing bouquet after seeing one on Martha Stewarts Website - there is a video on youtube somewhere that shows how to make them and other similar items.

 

I had a big stash of florist tape both in green and white from a random bag of things we brought on clearance some years ago from Spotlight (they use to just bag up stuff they wanted to get rid of for a few dollars - I think we got them around the time of my sister's wedding in 2004).

 

To make your flowers you need the following basic items: 

• Florist Tape - the type that you pull and it stretchs out and becomes takky/sticky
• Florist Wire - I recommend a nice sturdy wire, you want one that will hold the weight of the clothes
• Fake Flowers/Leaves - for a bit of a finishing touch, and to add depth to the bouquet
• Clothes - all in ones, socks, teeshirts, bibs, hats, mittens, wash clothes etc.

 

It takes a bit of getting the hang of with folding the items and rolling them up, then wrapping the tape around - dont be shy with the tape especially around where the bottom of the "bud" meets the "steam" as it can sometimes pull apart. The tape IS safe for on baby clothes and regardless of if your using white or green it will not stain it.

I had a variety of socks, bibs, booties, hats, mittens, onesies, tee shirts, petal skirts, wash cloths making up my flowers for this - with a couple of pacifiers added in, I hung two wine charms off the bucket (both were from my table setting I did last year for the culinary comps). I also put in the bottom of the bucket a fleece blanket and a couple of flanette wraps. (I knew that tracy was in need of blankets, bibs and socks.

Must add that Simon did help me with the final "floral arrangement" I just couldnt get it to go how I liked without it having lots of gaps in it...but he somehow brought out some logical mathematical thing on how to do it...(I blame having a mother who teachers maths for that part..) - Im pretty happy with my first ever attempt.

I also made a couple of baby cards, one for Tracy and one for her neighbour who had twins the same time as her - I added in a little gift for her girls to be sent down with Tracy's gift.

Tracy's Card

Kayleigh's Card