Scrapbook Convention and a weather whinge

Cass and I did get to the Scrapbook Convention yesterday and we had THE BEST TIME!!! I have to day I was disappointed at some of the shops that had displays because while some places did discount items, many seemed to be the usual price range anyway - either that or they were WAAAAY overpriced to start with. When I go to something like that I want to see BIG WHOPPIN' BARGAINS - not a smidgen off here or there. My bargain of the day was the small petal shaped VersaMagic ink pads. They're normally almost five bucks each and one stamping place had them for three dollars each so I got four new ones, a white (cos white never stays white long so I always need a new one), a red-gold, a coppery one and a pearlescent ivy colour. Never can have enough ink pads and I use them on almost every layout I do so I figure it's good value. I also bought a roll of flocked paper which is white with a black pattern on it - kind of looks like wallpaper and it's fuzzy and no, I have no idea what I'll do with it but I liked it so I bought it!!! lol I'm sure I'm not the only one guilty of that habit! I bought some buttons, a black souffle pen and a shimmery dark green one, some bling cos you can never have enough of that either, plus a beautiful Buzz and Bloom die cut chipboard shape that I later found a perfect matching paper for. Really I spent bugger all which is unusual for me but working in a shop has taught me a lot - mainly how much shops pay for stuff and how much profit they are making on that same stuff. Dougie's Scottish streak has rubbed off on me because many times I'd pick something up that I liked, look at the price and think "oh no f**king way am I paying that!!!!". So knowledge is a double-edged sword methinks. This time last year I would have blindly handed over money just because I liked it and think nothing of whether it was reasonably priced or not. I had to have a giggle at the shop that reduced their Bazzill to a show special of 69 cents a sheet - which rounds up to 70 cents unless you buy a few - and we sell it for 70 cents every day of the year!!!! The Bazzill bling was only 5 cents a sheet cheaper than our normal everyday price as well. That's not a bargain unless you're paying way too much for your Bazzill every other day of the year!

So while the bargains weren't as great as I'd liked, it was still fun to walk around and look at what everyone else has on offer. I saw the most gorgeous hot pink leather scrapping shoulder tote that I would have loved to bring home with me but at $200 I had another Scottish moment and dropped the tag like it had burned my fingers!!! Cass and I found a rubber stamp with script writing on it - thanks so much Ngaire for giving us that idea - so we had to buy that. It was fun to walk around the Masters display, have a look at the SC Colour Competition finalists ( :( we weren't among them..........boo hoo) and have a natter to Casey Wilson for a few minutes. I got to have a look at the next issue of SM Vol 9 Issue 1 which has my Real People, Real Stories article in it plus Cass got to see her two layouts that are in that issue too. When I told Casey I wasn't doing Masters this year she wanted to know why not and said I really should. How do you politely tell a magazine editor that I honestly couldn't be buggered entering???? I said I just didn't have a lot of time right now and that I couldn't come up with a storage solution. She said I didn't have to make something from scratch, I could just decorate something I bought but c'mon now, it's Masters for crying out loud. If I'm going to serioulsy enter then I won't just decorate something I've picked up at the shop - I'll create a frankenstorage of a thing that will take hours and lots of money to finish. So now I'm undecided. I'm sure Casey was only being nice when she said I really should enter and there's only a month left now so I'm not sure I could do what I want in a month. Sometimes my best stuff comes from working under the pump but after watching Cass mentally and emotionally cripple herself for the last few weeks I'm not sure I want it that much. There's no little voice saying not to do it now so I don't know what that means. I've got heaps on for the shop so that will have to come first and maybe if there's any time left.........

It was lovely to see Ngaire again. She had a class on later in the day and was helping Loretta with her class. We had time for a coffee with the absolutely gorgeous Jill Geraghty-Groves before she had to teach a class too. What an amazing scrapper that woman is! Jill, if you're reading, I hope to God your back is feeling better lovey and I'll see you for lunch during the week! I bet your class went fantastic too!!!!

Okay now for the whinge - I absolutely hate winter!!!! We got nine months of summer, one week of autumn and then BAM!!!! - straight into the middle of winter with no gentle introduction or a chance to even get the blankies out and air them first! I was happy however to hear that Tenterfield got snow yesterday and Stanthorpe had sleet (which apparently isn't quite as good so I shouldn't get excited). Doug and I decided quite a few years ago that if we ever had a really cold winter where Stanthorpe got snow then we'd pack all the kids in the car - even if it was a school day or whatever - and drive down there to spend the day playing and freezing our asses off. I've never actually seen snow so it would be as exciting for me as it would be for them. Doug of course things I'm bloody crazy to want to frolick in the cold and the wet for hours. He's come from one of the coldest places on earth so he is totally over the whole snow thing. He's the one who still had our bedroom air conditioner turned on up until a week and a half ago!!!!! So my fingers are crossed for at least one really good cold snap - only one mind you cos I'm not good with the cold - so we can go for our frosty day trip. I don't actually own things like gloves or a beanie or anything so even as I throw snowballs I'll be whinging like a baby about how cold I am but I do want to do it just the same!

I've barely been near my computer for days as I've spent parts of my days and most of my evenings curled up on the couch in my flannie jammies with a blanket over me. I've even got my heater on already. We got given one of those really big, expensive Dimplex column heaters a couple of years ago from a friend who didn't need it anymore and right now it's probably the most valued appliance in my house. If I had left my Dares "Three Favourite Things" layout any later one of the things would have been replaced with that heater!!!!

I'm heading off now to check on what the very quiet kidlets are up to (I betcha it won't be legal whatever it is) and organise something for dinner. Doug is having his mates over tonight for a LAN party - where they all take over my kitchen table with about five or six computers and play games against each other - car racing and shoot 'em ups and things like that - so I have a bit of tidying up to do and making room in the fridge for all the bottles of Coke that they bring. I can only assume it will be pizza for dinner too, the usual LAN protocol so I best hunt up some vouchers. I've got bugger all on the cards for tomorrow except for maybe a bit of a photo shoot cos we're in desperate need of new pics. Enjoy what's left of your weekend and have fun tomorrow if you're enjoying a day off courtesy of Her Majesty. Have a drink for ol' Lizzie if you're that way inclined!!! Later babes, Lu