{real} Life is ......

.....versatile.

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:43:00 +0000

Wow! Ok so here it is - my first Hybrid layout!

Spurred on by an invitation from the lovely Ms. Julie Ann Shahin of Scrapbook Dimensions magazine fame to join thier online community I finally got round to putting something together. And OMG it was so much fun! I love the fact that I can play around till my hearts content on the computer and then still get to play with paper and pretty bits too.

I have to admit one of the things that has put me off going digi until now is that the end result is just a little too flat - I generally like my layouts to have a bit of dimesion to them.

Anyway here's the full page hope you like!

.....healing.

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:32:00 +0000

DSC_0031ED, originally uploaded by goodescrappin.

Life has been giving me quite a bit of a kicking over the past few years and I've tried to struggle through it all but to be honest I've not been coping too well and haven't really been myself for a while now. However, with yet another saddening situation to deal with over the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to find some peace and respite over the BH weekend. Spending time with my DH's family and laughing with our nieces and nephew has reminded me what an amazing restorative effect being surrounded by those that you love can have. Being able to be completly at ease, forget the outside world and simply relax and be myself was wonderful. Even if we did get our heads blown off by the good ol' British weather!

It reminded me that no matter what I may be trying to achieve, whether I suceed or fail. No matter where I've been off exploring or how long I've been away I'm lucky enough to have one constant in my life that will most likely never change - Home will always be home, and family will always be there no matter what.

So I hope anyone I am lucky enough to consider as part of my family or as a friend knows that I love and appreciate them and always will.

I also want to say thank you to all the ladies at the Moxley Crop - you girls are my monthly laughter therapy! See you all soon.

Treasure the ones who treasure you,
And make sure that they know it too.
Because something not one of us will ever know,
Is when it might be time to go.

.....difficult.

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:06:00 +0000

Ok so I'm pretty sure the lack of my blogging really hasn't affected anyone in the slightest. But just for those who might be interested....
I'LL BE BACK. (hee hee) sooner rather than later. It's a pain how life tends to get in the way of the important things in life, but I feel like I'm starting to turn a corner and will be blogging again soon.
Wishing you all good health and happiness. And happy scrappin!

......peaceful.

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:44:00 +0000

Monday Mosaic #2 13/08/07, originally uploaded by goodescrappin'.

Well especially in comparison to last weekend anyway! The sun was shining,birds were singing I was simply enjoying life. Hope you guys were too.

......intriguing

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 17:21:00 +0000

Pronunciation: in-'trEg'ing
adjective: Engaging the interest to a marked degree ; to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of.

1. disturbingly provocative; E.g. "an intriguing smile"
2. capable of arousing interest or curiosity; "our team came up with some most intriguing finds"
3. curious or amusing.

Well seeing as this is what I aim for my blog to be I thought it might make a good post to help get the word out there, and a great way to get to know some of you a little better!

So as inspired by Kim @ Crazy Dayz to get the ball rolling I thought I'd start a game of tag!
And this is how it works. I have to post the rules, 7 random things about me and then tag 7 others to do the same. The rules are as follows:- Each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging, and let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment. Simple right? Here goes:

1. I love to daydream by looking at luxury real estate listings, and I've always wanted to own my own island. (Well a girl can dream can't she?!)

2. I love old technicolur musicals like South Pacific and Dancing In The Rain.(LOL!).

3. I devour an insane number of magazines.

4. I could have been named Sade (as in the singer).

5. I've always wanted an Old English Sheep dog/Dulux dog.

6. University wasn't what I expected it to be.

7. My dream car would be a TVR Tuscan S.

Totally useless facts I'm sure but hopefully intriguing all the same.

Ok I'm tagging some friends and some of my fave blogs:

Jakkii G
Shimelle Laine
Jessica Claire
Tara Anderson
Marie C
Mel Nunn
Meeta

......delicious!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:19:00 +0000

Don't you just love lazy Sundays? Sundays were meant for long lie ins with the newspaper and breakfast in bed, baking, gardening, Sunday lunch, and all that general family loveliness.

This is why I decided to dedicate a post on Sundays to some of my favourite recipes in hopes of helping make your Sundays that little bit extra special!

Ice & A Slice #1
These two recipes are two of my favourite flavours - Banoffee and mango.
(Recipes courtesy of Junior magazine)

Tropical Sorbet (makes 800ml)
picture from chocolategourmand

Ingredients:
2 Small ripe bananas
300ml mango crush
200g fresh pineapple, cut into junks
1tbs golden granulated sugar

Method:
Whiz everything together in a blender until smooth, plop into the ice-cream machine until churned, chilled and delicious.

Sophie's Easy-Peasy Banoffee Pie (serves 8)
picture from cuoche dell'altromondo

Ingredients:
17 Digestive biscuits (one 250g pkt)
125g butter, melted
400g Merchant Gourmet's Dulce de Leche Caramel
4-5 bananas, thickly sliced
400ml double cream
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1tbs caster sugar
2 pieces of chocolate for decoration

Method:
1.Place the digestives in a 25cm/10in spring form tin. Crush them well with a potato masher or the end of a rolling pin. Pour the butter over the crushed biscuits and mix well. Pat the biscuit mixture down until it is compact and flat, then place the tin in the fridge to harden. Remove the biscuit base from the tin and place on a serving plate.

2. Open the tin of caramel and spread the contents evenly over the biscuit base leaving a couple of cm's around the edge, if you like. You will probably only need about half the tin, but use as much as you like.

3. Pile on the bananas in a nice thick layer covering the toffee.

4. Whip the cream into soft peakswith an electric whisk. Adding the vanilla and sugar towards the end. Dollop the cream on top of the bananas.

5. Grate the chocolate over the top for decoration.

Enjoy!

......groovy!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:27:00 +0000

Numero Uno Pina Colada, originally uploaded by nespodzany.

Ok so I'm not exactly your typical wall flower type. In fact I'm usually the one you've gotta drag out the door at the end of the night because the bar staff and the doormen want to go home! (And that's even when I've been the one working behind the bar!). But there's no harm in enjoying a good party right? In fact I've always classed it as a great workout - surely 4 or 5 hours on the dance floor in killer heels must burn a few hundred calories or so as well as toning up the BT&T's! (Bums Tums & Thighs).

So to kick off the first of my "Saturday Shakedown" recommendations I've gotta go with two of my favourite classics -

Marvin Gaye's "Gotta Give It Up" -
A tune that no matter how crappy a day I've had never fails to get me moving. (Just pause the theme tune and hit play on Saturday Shakedown!! in the sidebar) -->

And of course the grandmother of all good cocktails; the Pina Colada.

A quick and easy recipe from In The Spirit:

2 shots White Rum/Malibu
4 shots Pineapple Juice
1 shot Cream
1 shot Coconut Cream

I have to tell you that the best Pina Colada I've ever had has got to be one that was in a hollowed out pineapple from a little shack on the beachfront in Sosua in the Dominican Republic. It took me nearly two hours to drink and eat the delicious cocktail soaked flesh, and was so potent that when I'd finished my tongue and lips were numb!! So if your ever there on holiday I definitely recommend hunting one down!

Hope you enjoy!

......bloomin' lovely!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:06:00 +0000

bloomin', originally uploaded by goodescrappin'.

As the sun is shining and the joys of summer are in the air, surely you must be in the mood for a little light hearted challenge right?

Well if you fancy winning yourself some Banana Frog vouchers and having your creations shown on the blog, then why not get creative with the delightful "Build a Bloom" stamp set and look here for details on how to enter - Deadline midnight 12th August.

......tagaliscious!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:48:00 +0000

DSC_0116, originally uploaded by goodescrappin'.

Just in time for my first "Tag Tuesday"!
You'll have to excuse the motion blur, still a bit "off" from the weekend!
This one came about when I picked up the challenge kit at our crop on Saturday and figured it couldn't have been more perfect for me!
Hope you like.
TFL x

......unexpected!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:16:00 +0000

My weekend 4&5th Aug 06, originally uploaded by goodescrappin'.

Well what a weekend, but not exactly what I had planned!
It started off well enough with a hilarious crop with the Moxley Massive where we had a good giggle whilst I taught a beginners guide to photography class; but went a wee bit pear shaped when it ended with me sleeping off some serious painkillers after spending several hours in the A&E because I'd dislocated my jaw!! - Don't ask. The less said the better! I'm too scared to open my mouth to talk now anyway!!

.............Organised

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:28:00 +0000

Well that's the general idea right? Or at least the good intention! Hopefully the game plan'll be to blog lots, keep you guys interested enough to be reading regularly, and offer some online classes, competitions, RAK´s, recommendations, pics of stuff I´ve been doing and creating, plenty of praise for people who I love and those who inspire me, and lots of links to other fun stuff on a regular basis.

I figured I should at least attempt to keep to some kind of schedule too so I thought I´d make sure I´m accountable to it by posting a rough start here!

Mosaic Mondays - A quick round up of what I've been up to over the weekend and an inspirational musing/quote/or word of the week.

Tag Tuesdays - My weekly quick scrapping effort at staving off creative block.

Wednesdays - Open for future inspiration, suggestions, or requests.

Thursdays - Open for future inspiration, suggestions, or requests.

Fridays - Open for future inspiration, suggestions, or requests.

Saturday Shakedown! - Always in time for Saturday night! An awesome tune recommendation that'll get you wiggling whether you like it or not, and a good tasting cocktail or two; (or three, or four!!)

Ice & A Slice Sundays - A good excuse to do some baking, and some ice cream making.

I'll be running other features on a monthly/bi-monthly/quarterly basis so keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the ground - you never know when I might surprise ya!

Also feel free to send any request and suggestions, and definately heckle me if I´m slacking because I can be a serious procastinator!

noreply@blogger.com (zoe g) — Tue, 22 May 2007 08:02:00 +0000

Let’s start at the beginning………………

Well not THE beginning, but a beginning all the same. A new beginning. A new start that began with some changes that made me address what it was that I really wanted in my life.

It turns out that I wanted to feel more fulfilled by what I was doing and to be doing what I am most passionate about not just what I’m able to. Being more creative and artistic, motivating and inspiring others to see the extraordinary in ordinary places and the potential that they have within.

I am a wife, sister, aunt and friend. A strong determined woman. A provider, and an eternal optimist. I am vibrant, vivid, bright and bubbly. I am unique.

I love to travel, read, cook, scrapbook, write, photograph, talk, shop, dance and lots more besides. I am passionate about my photography and scrapbooking, and about capturing moments in life that mean something - even if only to me.

I am motivated by many random inspirations and an innate will to succeed, to learn and to grow as an individual. I want my life to be happy, fun, and filled with people I love, and who inspire me to be a better person. I cherish my family and friends above all else, and want them to always know how much I love them.

I have decided to make scrapbooking and photography an outlet for my creativity and passion. To preserve family memories, and leave a lasting legacy for future generations. For others to learn who we were, who we are, and who we strive to be.

So this is where it begins - my blog. I want it to be about all the things I love and more. A place for communicating with those who care to listen. For being "productive" on a regular basis. For providing for my family, sharing my art and a few random musings now and then. For having a good giggle, and providing me with a virtual design studio.

"Real Life" is as defined by Wikipedia - life outside of an environment that is generally seen as fiction or fantasy. Used as a value judgment, a description of "productive" activities specifically jobs or providing for ones family. A colloquialism for the physical reality of everyday life which everyone experiences.

To me {real} Life is …………

About living the best life you can. Making considered and conscious decisions about what you choose to do and how you choose to be, and always remaining true to that.
Seeing the positive potential in the everyday ordinary as well as the extraordinary, and delighting in all the small things.
Not apologising for who you are, and what you believe in so long as it comes from the heart.
Hard work but infinitely rewarding.
More important than money and work alone.
About being grateful for what you have and confident about what you can contribute to the world.
Filled with dreams. They are what motivate us to strive for change and to make a difference.
Full of opportunities. Simply open your eyes, see them, take them, and create the life you want.

You only have one life to live. Live it to the full, because
{real} Life is ……………