Scrap that Poetry - Challenge #21

Edgar Alan Poe is a wonderful poet and he brings us our poem  at Scrap that Poetry at the moment.  It's a gorgeous poem called  "Annabelle Lee" with this challenge continuing until August 14th.

I must say this poem really had me thinking and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of using it to create this layout.

The over-riding feeling I got from reading this poem...was an overwhelming feeling of love, the sort that you take with you your entire life, that simply takes your breath away. With that in mind, I created this layout based on that sentiment. This photo is of my daughter Belle, on the day she was born. Her labour was the most difficult of my three children as she came out facing the wrong way and weighed 91/2 lbs....she was a chubba...hehehe....but from the moment I saw her....I was so totally and absolutely overwhelmed by how very beautiful and precious she was. I chose the line..."we loved with a love that was more than love" and added..."from the very moment we saw you face!

Remember, with each challenge this is a prize RAK up for grabs., but this month Jennifer is offering an extra little something.....here's what she had to say....

"Each designer has a story behind each layout... please click on their blogs to the right and go visit them to read how this poem inspired them. 1.One of the designers loves Poe's dark side, but decided to create with love instead. 2.One designer used creative license and changed the words to the poem. 3. Another designer tells a story with her pictures about envy while 4. another tells the story of her son's trip to France while on leave from the ARMY. I am sending you on a scavenger hunt this challenge to learn more about the designers. 5. One named her own island! 6. How many designers created layouts about love and marriage? 7. How many chose "to love with a love that is more than a love"?

Extra bonus... if you come back here and post who each of the above mentioned people are... I will give out a RAK for the scavenger hunt to one lucky random generator chosen winner!

So if you're looking for some inspiration, be sure to have a look :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Scrap that Poetry ~ Challenge #15

With Mother's Day in mind, this month our poems over at Scrap that Poetry are a celebration of our beautiful Mums.  I don't think anyone ever really tells you how challenging a job being a Mum is, and not that we would probably believe them before having our own kids, but it really is.  Challenging in every possible way....both positive and negative sometimes :D.

Having three small cherubs of my own, I understand how one minute they can drive you to the brink of insanity, only in the next breath, will they do something that fills your heart with so much love, that it takes your breath away!

Ahhhh...... the joys of Motherhood!

(as I type this post Belle and Joshua are arguing over stickers and where to put them...hehehehe)

Anywhoooo, here is our poem....

A Mother's Love

by Judy Dowling
June 2, 1978

Mother's are the very best

That God has ever made

The love they give their children

will never ever fade.

They give without thinking

They love with no bounds

Welcome you with open arms

With smiles and not frowns

A Mother's love is special

In every sort of way

It stays with you forever

She never lets it stray

And here is my layout......

This photo is just a candid shot taken on the day of my wedding.  I chose this photo because my Mum is such an enormous loving support....... every single day of my life, before I was married and still living at home on this particular and every day since.  I love her with all my heart and it's nothing for us to speak every day, sometimes more than once a day.  I chose the last verse of the poem as my journaling and wrote it on a tag that I stamped and cut out.  Here are some close ups....

AND........ Scrap that Poetry is also running a DT call for some new designers from June to September.  Applications are open now and will close on May 15th, with successful applicants being announced on May the 17th.  So what are you waiting for.  If you love poetry and scrapping, this is the perfect possie for you!  I know how much I've enjoyed being inspired and challenged by the beautiful verses Jennifer finds each month!

Well that's it for now!

I'll have my head down and tail up with some new

Kaisercraft goodies in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrap that Poetry

Here is the latest lovely little bit of poetic inspiration over at

Scrap that Poetry

April- challenge #13

by John Greenleaf Whittier

'T is the noon of the spring-time, yet never a bird

In the wind-shaken elm or the maple is heard;

For green meadow-grasses wide levels of snow,

And blowing of drifts where the crocus should blow;

Where wind-flower and violet, amber and white,

On south-sloping brooksides should smile in the light,

O'er the cold winter-beds of their late-waking roots

The frosty flake eddies, the ice-crystal shoots;

And, longing for light, under wind-driven heaps,

Round the boles of the pine-wood the ground-laurel creeps,

Unkissed of the sunshine, unbaptized of showers,

With buds scarcely swelled, which should burst into flowers

We wait for thy coming, sweet wind of the south!

For the touch of thy light wings, the kiss of thy mouth;

For the yearly evangel thou bearest from God,

Resurrection and life to the graves of the sod!

Up our long river-valley, for days, have not ceased

The wail and the shriek of the bitter northeast,

Raw and chill, as if winnowed through ices and snow,

All the way from the land of the wild Esquimau,

Until all our dreams of the land of the blest,

Like that red hunter's, turn to the sunny southwest.

O soul of the spring-time, its light and its breath,

Bring warmth to this coldness, bring life to this death;

Renew the great miracle; let us behold

The stone from the mouth of the sepulchre rolled,

And Nature, like Lazarus, rise, as of old!

Let our faith, which in darkness and coldness has lain,

Revive with the warmth and the brightness again,

And in blooming of flower and budding of tree

The symbols and types of our destiny see;

The life of the spring-time, the life of the whole,

And, as sun to the sleeping earth, love to the soul

Here is my layout based on the poem above...

I used the following lines from the poem.....

"Up our long river-valley, for days, have not ceased

The wail and the shriek of the bitter northeast,

Raw and chill, as if winnowed through ices and snow,"

with a photo of the stunning view from our home.  I loved these particular lines as we are located in the North-East of Victoria, (Australia) in a gorgeous little piece of paradise. 

I used these stunning buttons created by the extremely talented
Tessa Ann
She has the most stunning handmade buttons.  These are just some of the beautiful ones I got from her, and had to stop myself from buying her entire collection :)

Be sure to pop over and play along!

Scrap that Poetry Blog Hop

Spring Challenge Blog Hop

Here is the info on a fantastic blog hop that

Scrap that Poetry

is a part of and it starts today!

" All the blogs involved have a variety of prizes to give away during this hop so you don't want to miss a thing. All the blogs are giving away prizes for at least the following two things: followers who leave a comment this week and winners of their challenge for the week. Some blogs may be giving away prizes for even more than that! And if you complete a challenge for all 6 you need to sign in at Practical Scrappers because they will be giving away a prize for that too!

To be entered for Scrap That Poetry's grand prize: $15 of Stampin Up products from Jenn

Here are some ways to get an entry...

1. Become a follower

2. Leave a comment on this post saying you participated in the blog hop and what challenges you completed on Scrap That Poetry and your favorite poem

3. enter challenge #13 (winner of challenge recieves a book of poetry and guest designer)

4. enter challenge #14 which goes live on April 15th (winner of challenge recieves a RAK and guest designer)

5. if you enter both challenge #13 and challenge #14 this week, you will get 5 extra entries for the grand prize!

Each blog offers a very different paper crafting challenge for you and we think you will enjoy the variety offered. If you are here, you love a good paper crafting challenge, here is your chance to check out some new ones!

Practical Scrappers

Sketchy Thursday

Scrap That Poetry

The Cuttlebug Spot (next stop)

Pile it on

365 Cards

Don't forget it you participate in all 6 challenge blogs you are entered for another grand prize at Practical Scrappers! The Hop ends by Sunday, April 18th... so make sure to link up your entries by then!

Scrap that Poetry

Appologies for not having posted this a little sooner, but as Murphy's Law would dictate....It's the school holidays, so all three children have been sick!

That said.....here is our challenge #12 poem over at

Scrap that Poetry

An Easter Flower Gift

John Greenleaf Whittier Poem

O dearest bloom the seasons know,

Flowers of the Resurrection blow,

Our hope and faith restore;

And through the bitterness of death

And loss and sorrow, breathe a breath

Of life forevermore!

The thought of Love Immortal blends

With fond remembrances of friends;

In you, O sacred flowers,

By human love made doubly sweet,
The heavenly and the earthly meet,

The heart of Christ and ours.

Here is my take on our 1st poem for this month.  The photo I chose to use is one I took in my garden this year in late Spring.  Or driveway is lined with beautiful Weeping Apricot and Cherry trees and this little speciman is a double pink blossom, which makes a really pretty display.

The verse I chose to include  from the poem is

"In you, O sacred flowers,

By human love made doubly sweet,"

and I used my Kaisercraft mini stickers to add them onto my layout. 

Hope your Easter has been filled with much love and a chance to celebrate with family...as has ours, and of course not to mention truck loads of choccie goodess!!!!

Take care & Bye for now xxx

A new adventure and some scrapping goodness....

A couple of weeks ago, my two eldest babies started school, and aside from being tired, have adjusted beautifully to their new routines and seem to really be enjoying their new adventure.  Here are some pics of the two of them....

Pretty cute huh!!!!

As for scrapping news, I have sooooo many projects that are in need of posting, so I'll just do a couple of things today.

The latest poem over at Scrap that Poetry is up at the moment and is another beautiful one called "Freedom and Love". Here is my take on the poem...

Be sure to pop over and have a look at the other girls interpretations and play along.

On the Kaisercraft scene I have lots of work to share over the next week from the gorgeous Q3 collections. This week the very beautiful and ridiculously talented Christine and I are hosting the Kaisercrafties Blog.

This coming week will see lots of projects posted from Q3 including layouts and our BTP items. Here is a layout of Josh using the "Shaken not Stirred" paper collection.

and...my BTP Heart Stand....

and my "Made with Love" layout of the beautiful Miss Belle....

I have lots more projects to post, but for the time being....I think that's probably enough..LOL....

Check back again for my BTP photo stand and a layout from our "Inspired by..." post which will appear on the Kaisercrafties tomorrow....as well my projects, Christine is posting all of her beautiful work too. It is absolutley no surprise that she is one of this year's Scrapbooking Memories Masters. As well as being an enormous talent, she is absolutely gorgeous and has been so very generous with her time and expertise. I am thrilled to have been partnered with her this week!

That's is for now....thanks for stopping by!

xxx