O.M.G.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi!!!!!!!!!

well, like I told you, today was my job interview and I got it!!!! :O

So we're pretty excited about it...

then I come and check in here and look at blog sites and lo and behold, winners were announced over at So tell me your story, with the new challenge posted....

I won challenge #2!!!!! the LO is posted on yesterday's post...in case you wanted to have a looksie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sooo excited!

their new challenge has me thinking....hard....LOL. Go check them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Deja Vu and Etch




Thank you everyone for supporting Annie Blackberry. Sales went up markedly last week and I got an order for 15 necklaces from Deja Vu in Gore. Check them out if you're out that way. They sell stuff like Trelise Cooper, Karen Walker, etc that has been only worn a few times. Hence the word Deja Vu I guess ;) Did you know that Deja Vu literally means 'Already Seen' in French? I love French :)

If you haven't visited Etch in Tauranga you must go and have a look. Rach is lovely and runs a really great store full of top fashion (up-and-comign AND already-arrived) labels like Sara Lilley, Karen Walker, Stolen Girlfriend;s Club, 27 Names (previously Love Lies Bleeding), Lonely Hearts, Deadly Ponies, Georgina Baker's magnificent teaspoon jewellery, Penny Foggo and of course...Annie Blackberry :) Yopu will find a wide variety of high fashion in very quirky but wearable styles - also some lovely classic pieces with the latest twist. If you go in there you have to check out her $25 pristine steriogram and her amazing white horse lamp from Living and Giving (I WANT it).

Well, I'll leave you with a few pics of what I've been working on lately :)

and today's wednesday!

hi again!

not used to me posting so often??? well don't start now. :P tomorrow I have an interview to go to...for a second job. :O SO that means I may not be able to surf the net as much, scrap as much....even maybe breathe as much....LOL. BUT what has to be done, needs getting done, right???

this needed to get done:

un*common

so there is a cool AAM challenge blog that just started out and their second prompt was "what's in a name". you get to journal all about your name!!!! let me tell you, my mom sure seems to enjoy talking about her babies. SO I think I'm lucky she remembers so many details. Luv you mommy! Yep, she reads my blog too. :D

this one was made for a color combo challenge as well. this weeks colors are sooo cool, I really love them. I also used this week's sketch from Pencil lines.

now about my name, in case you care...it turns out my grandpa had a cousin who also moved to NY (westchester) from Ecuador. She had 2 daughters, one of whom was named Arlene. They kept in contact for a while until they moved out of state. when my mom was preggers with me, she was looking for a name and asked gramps for any suggestions. he brought up Arlene. My mom took it into consideration and when she saw the name again in a baby name book it pretty much sealed the deal.

Now my dad wanted to name me Elizabeth. I guess after my mom. My mom didnt want it...she said it was way too common and she wanted an american name. SO that's how I ended up with the fabu name, Arlene Elizabeth. funny though how they both have kinda the same meaning...Arlene means "oath" and Liz means "my God is an Oath" . Cool, right? That explains why I can be soooo redundant at times!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!

see what I mean?

and today's tuesday!!!! :P

Hi all!!!!

last night while making dinner, I completed a quicky. this one uses a skecth from pencil lines...last week's I believe, and it was so cool because I got to use scraps. SO it's also for Susan's "use your scraps" challenge over at allyscraps. :D

it's my gor-geeee-ous nephew, Caleb. he came up to NY to see us and well, we're all still smitten by the cute boy.

dream big

I'll be back tomorrow, I'm sure. :D I still havent done a LO for a challenge I am dying to get done!

it's Monday!

hi!!!!!!!!

Hope the weekend was great! Mine was OK...did some cleaning, some laundry, went to the church picnic, to AC Moore.....LOL....enough said.

got this little diddee done last night.

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it's based on a sketch over at Ally scraps.

I got these photos of Teeniest terror and fuzzy wuzzy terror. they're so adorable together and were in a rare moment of tranquility. You can almost always find these 2 running chasing each other around the house. Yeah, fuzzy wuzzy is in serious need of a cut....I can barely see his eyes....

she's got monkey style

hi again!!! today's friday!!!! yippeee!!! This week I've been staying up way past my bedtime to then wake up to rush to work....so Saturday is really going to be warmly welcomed!!! :)

here's a lil something I made last night while watching SYTYCD results show...I am in shock about who left, BTW!

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this is Ms. Lexi. There's a challenge at Allyscraps to use themed anything for your LO. SO here's my theme....MONKEYS! My girl is a HUGE fan of Bobby Jack shirts, IDK if it's the cute monkey, the sassy sayings, or the punky-fresh 'tude the shirts have. It all seems to go in line with HER personality. I also used a sketch by Debbie Gaydos. I didnt complete this one for the challenge and well, I'm glad I didnt...it perfectly suited what I needed for this LO.

I also did this LO this week...I mentioned it yesterday, this is for this week's BOM prompt.

Travel destination

we had to make a LO about our travels...places we've gone or would LIKE to go to.

I did one about PR....I've never been there so I had to borrow some pictures...but one day I would love to save up some pennies and go see....

hello out there!

hey peeps!

well, this week has been a rough one for us...I don't want to get into any details and start thinking all about it but while cleaning up at work I stummbled upon a notepad DH had jobs written in and notes on estimates....so I started taking them out and found this:


"Blessed is a man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will recieve the crown of life that He has promised to those who trust him."

James 1:12

I just have to say that it hit me with such an impact....I wasnt even looking around for comfort, i just got it. God's good.


well, unto scrappy business. :)

I have 2 LO's I can show today and one will wait for tomorrow. :O it's for the latest BOM prompt which comes out, you guessed it: TOMORROW.

This one I made for Trish's catnip thread. she used a prompt...it used a photo and the title was: big enough to help. I also used a sketch made from a LO she made which was AWESOME!!! I made it boyish to suit what I wanted to scrap, and here goes:
big enough to help





this one is for color combos and for random chaos. the colors for this week's prompty are slate green, hibiscus, wasabi, and milk shake. the challenge at RC was to use handwritten journaling, 2 or more journal spots, and I think that's it....on top of the world

it's Crystal. I had to scrap something about her since she saw I did a LO of her mom and big bro...I couldnt leave my girl hanging!

Titi loves ya, girlie!


so baddeee baddeee. that's all folks!

Fedoras, Pork Pies & Snake Cuffs in New Zealand



Hello Everyone!


I'd like to thank you for taking the time to look at my blog. Sales have increased this week - maybe I can put my pocket money up to $30, Andrew? Hee hee.


I recently came across a cool website called http://www.fashionising.com/ or something like that where the peeps in the know tell us what's hitting the world's hottest runways. After *extensive* research I can safely say you will look COOL in:


-Fedoras, pork pies, trilbys, bowlers and such like are the hats to be seen in! (Male or female)


-Wood and ethnic jewellery has made a huge comeback and is heavily Egyptian and/or African influenced. GOLD or gunmetal is the colour for chain or other jewllery with huge tiger rings, snake cuffs and large glass, wooden and acrylic geometric and other bold shapes being influenced by early 60s fashion.


-Vintage, especially 1920s-1930s influenced, and other quirky jewellery (my speciality :) ) is very popular. Time to dig through nana's (and Great-Grandma's) jewllery box kids!


-Uh oh it's the return of the early 90s - yes I'm predicting cullottes (heaven forbid) and not just the long variety - yip, cullotte shorts are trying to sneak their way into the world of fashion. Don't forget the semi-cool floral prints those wide leg pants came in and those sheer flowing, lady-like long dresses.


-Nautical, rocker, military and 80s fashion continues here in New Zealand so you can probably make those clothes last another season :)


-It's not the end of the skinny jeans but thank goodness the bootleg is back. I'm predicting the flare-up of the flares and bigger floral patterns. Nothing like a bit of hip hippying.


Included in this blog is some of my recent jewellery. Please email me if you are interested in a piece. I accept International orders. The small floral brooch is a vintage-inspired glass bead hand-sewn brooch. The earrings are good ol' plastic - American Gumball Charms.
OH and ok, please check out this link to see why high-waisted pants don't fit the best of us:


Peace Out!


Annie xxxx

Annie Blackberry Loves the World



Hello there friends!

My name is Annie Blackberry and I make new and redesigned jewellery: lego on chain, anything on chain, wood brooches, stitched floral brooches, art deco jet type jewellery, guitar pick earrings with charms, pewter charm earrings with Czech firepolished glass, restored vintage jewellery, belt buckles and clock face necklaces - you think of it - I've made it! :)

I would love to share AB with the world so if you'd like to order a piece wholesale please contact me or leave your email address in the comments section.

I sell in top Tauranga fashion stores such as Etch and tres Chic alongside fashion gurus like Karen Walker, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Deadly Ponies and more!

I'm 28, married, creative and I love rats and listening to the rain on the roof at night. I love tea, foreign languages, run a book group and watch tv series on DVD more than seems humanly possible. I am currently recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and can't wait to really get out there and see the world!

xxxxx

drop a comment, please

me yet again....
I completed 2 LO's tonight. I am a woman obssessed I tell you! I keep finding challenge blog after challenge blog and I just have to complete the challenges or else....my family may just have to stage an intervention!


this one is for sketch this:

lovey dovey

my 2 terrors. they're always lovey dovey. Lex loves babying Nani, and Nani loves pushing her around.

then this one is for Trish's inspiration thread at allyscraps.
the colors are awesome!
I also used a sketch from pencil lines, Morag's to be precise.
I even made it to a dream girls challenge.

Love ya

it's my gorgeous sister and her son...my god son to be precise. I love them to death! I really wish they lived closer. :(

well, peeps, I have been noticing some visitors here. while I dont mind the visits, I won't certainly mind any love left behind, so please feel free to leave me some!

Wonder

hey again!

I have another LO here, are you surprised??? LOL!

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over at ally scraps the new challenge is to scraplift someone in the gallery. There are TONS of beautiful work there and it was hard to choose....

I chose Susan! her style is soooo funky and so different, I really admire her knack of mixing papers and colors and then adding something soft.

it's a good thing

head on out to AS and show some love!!!!

TFL!!!

Pencil Lines!!!!! (and a bit of feasting)

Hi all!!!!

I wandered over to check out pencil lines because well, there was a buzz about Allyscraps that MORAG was guest designer!!!!

I think Morag RAWKS!!!! she does pretty sketches and her work is AM-A-ZING!!!!! I wanna be like HER when I grow up!!!! LOL!!!!

here's a link!!!! you know I JUST HAD to leave her some love! Not only is she talented but she's such a sweetie.

Pencil lines

check it out!!!

while I know it's NOT Friday....I wanted to get their little thingy in. I love their questions!!!!


Appetizer
When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

I have to say I am bad about this...about 2 years, and my hair is reallly long.....

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Being carefree...not having to worry about getting everything done, making everyone happy. My family.

Salad
Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

okay, my brain says OO...my taste buds say BUTTER!

Main Course
If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

hmmmmm...I already know english and Spanish....maybe french?

Dessert
Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…

weighing a lot lighter, finishing up college (I need to go back), and scrapping tons and tons more...maybe even good enough to be on a DT or being published...:O I gotta get out of my shyness...so that may not happen.

When God made you

hi again!!!!

this one multi tasks 3 ways....the new color combo challenge, the new dreamgirls challenge, and a sketch from Lucy Chesna. IDK if the deadline's over for the sketch, it's a pretty one.

Truck

this is DH and I on our wedding day almost 10 years ago. it's one of the best photos we have. I included a song that kinda says how I feel about him, "when God made you". It hasnt been an easy 9 years of marriage but I cant imagine them without him.


awwww....

2 down:

this one is for challenge #80 over at color combos galore. I love this week's colors!!!

Truck 006

and this one is for Trish's inspiration challenge: we had to chose a sketch from Page Maps....

Truck 005

my kids at the petting zoo when we went to the Bronx zoo.

Point of Origin

Hi!!!

Hope the weekend treated ya'll well!

we had my sister and her kids over. we had tons of fun, we went to my uncle's house and enjoyed the pool.

There's a new challenge blog being started up, I found it through Stacey, she's on the design team. SO I checked it out and tried completing their 1st challenge. The challenge is to scrap your day of birth. They even provide a link to a cool site that gives you info on any day you type in. Check out So tell me your story!

Truck

there's my mom and I. I "interviewed" my mom and asked her questions about that day. it's amazing how she remembered everything! She was on bed rest for the last 2 months, I was born 3 weeks early, she craved shrimp and milk...LOL.

Note to self: a BOM challenge

HI!!!!

this is my graduation photo!!! This week's BOM propmt is a letter to yourself...what you wished you knew at that age...Susan was the guest on the DT and guess what? she'll be with us permanently!!!! she's sooo cool and not afraid to take risks so I think any future prompts from her will be challenging and soooo cool!!!


so take a peeksy!




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Free to be you

twice in one day????

yup, yup...while prepping dinner I got this LO done!!!!it's for the latest color combo and I used a scrappy Deb sketch! her sketches are da bomb!!!!

here it is!

Truck 007

I Wish......

it seems as though I have been keeping myself busy and scrapping tons, doesn't it??? I WISH!!!! I wish I could scrap alllll day long without anyone bothering me!!! :D

This LO I made for Kay's challenge at Allyscraps. the title had to be "I wish" one photo, Black and white CS had to be used and 1 PP. Embellish however you like. So check out what I came up with:

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I wasnt sure which to use as the base, the black or the white...the black looked so severe to me, and the white made everything look washed out. SO I doodled on the black to make it more whimsical...

I used MM PP, I love them! I used various flowers and AC foam hearts.

The journaling is :

I wish that my family lived closer to me. My mom, Bro, & grandparents live in Florida & my sis in LI. I'd love for my family to be closer and see the kids grow, and for all of the babies to be able to play together more.


I think the reasoning behind my wish is that with my being so far away from them I feel like I'm missing something, it bothers me when they have medical issues and I can't be around to help them, I'm 1000's of miles away and it makes me feel helpless. :(

Moving on, something SKETCHY!!!!

hi again!!! wow, have I been posting tons here!!!!

well, I am back again...I completed 2 LOs last night, one for Deb's awesome fantabulous sketches, and one for BOM, another prompt is coming up for Friday and we even have a special scrappy chick who's going to "guest prompt"!!!! SO be on the look out for that...

well, here is my take on Deb's July 4th sketch:

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I followed it pretty close. Like it??? Check out the Sketching post over at Allyscraps!!!!

A tough challenge

hey my Peeps! Hope you enjoyed your weekend! I had a long weekend...we closed up shop from Thursday on and today's my first day back. I have to say it was good to be able to be free from work....well...work work.

I didn't get to scrap as much as I wanted to. BUT we DID go to Six Flags New England on Thursday which was AWESOME!!! It's not what I expected, I kind of thought it was going to resemble the New Jersey one. This one is more family oriented. I also thought it would be further but we did pretty good timing and not much traffic going. I got a nice tan....

Friday we had my SIL and BIL come over and we BBQ'd. We went to see the fireworks. it was fun, low key, relaxed. we got some qualiity time in. Saturday was cleaning...I got that huge mess cleaned up in my room...it was horrible!!!

Sunday we were winding down from everything and skipped church...:O we were so tired from everything...that's when I finally got to scrap.

SO I got this done. it's for Dreamgirls challenge blog and the challenge was to journal...raw journalling, the good, bad, & the ugly. the twist added was to use stamping...household items, please, and office supplies.

WHY?

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I used sassafras lass PP here, some misc ribbon...a sketch from Scrapbooks, etc, it's based loosely on it. I used staples, "corrugated" paper, and my computer to type up the journalling to satisfy the twist part to it. I also used DH's spatula to stamp...I cut it in half.

the journaling got me a hug from DH....so I hope it's not too "RAW".

also on a cheery note, my kids picked some day lillies for me. I dont normally like picking the flowers from the garden, the look on their faces just made me kiss them and thank them!

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WHY I LOVE MY KIDS: Besides the obvious reasons.

teeny

People say that when you have kids you're limited to what you can do. You're enslaved to them.

While having a big family we do have our limits. OK, so we have to save our pennies to go to that Island destination, and we can't go out on impromtu dates, or to social events where "NO KIDS are ALLOWED". I say having kids ARE beneficial, & here's why:

1) They keep you on your toes.

You can't ever say life is boring because kids can be pretty unpredictable. Plans can go as you had hoped and sometimes they make a left turn.

2) A whole new world is opened.

I now get to do the things I never could as a child. What makes it better is that it's with THEM. Kinda like a second chance at being a kid. Baseball, Ballet, guitar lessons....Karate!

3) They keep you going.

And Going. And Going. Heck with all that energy to burn and kids wanting to learn , feel, and taste everything....who has a chance to stay still!

4) you get to be put on a pedastal.

No matter what, kids always want to please you. Even if you yelled at them or <:gasp:> spanked them. They always have a smile on their faces for you and open arms to wrap around your neck. Their love is unconditional.

5) They are brutally honest.

If you ask them "do I look FAT in this?" be prepared to hear the God's honest Truth. That's all you'll get.

6) You see life through the eyes of a child.

Rainbows, lady bugs, & butterflies are really awesome again. if you get caught in one of those summer thunderstorms, you forget all about your hair do and start dancing in the rain. The little things matter and re-appear like magic.

Really, I can go on & on about my kids and motherhood in general. To me, it's such an awesome experience/feeling and I would NEVER do anything differently in regards to them. Even if they are Teeny terrors. They're MINE and my life would be SO incomplete without them.

Immeasurable

So you've seen my other babies (of the garden variety), I HAD to add my latest LO. Of course it's another one for a color combo challenge :) thanks, Janet!!! :D

I LOVE the colors used this week. it took me some figuring out but I did it.
I also combined it with this week's BOM challenge....well kinda.

have a looksie :D

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I altered that butterfly. It's AC foam shapes, I added 2 little poofy pom poms for antennae, stickles, and a bit of textured paper for the middle.

The little beauty you see is Sassy Terror. This week's BOM challenge is to scrap a word of advice or words of wisdom. SO i had to have a chat with her because she isnt too self confident. I'd really like for her to see what >I< see when I look at her.

thnaks for peeking!

some odds and ends

I really am not a summer person. there are 2 things I actually enjoy about it...well maybe 3. they are:

1) we get more sunlight. I love bright sunny days
2) my plants bloom and I get beautiful color.
3) we're not weighed down by heavy winter clothing.

ok, so maybe I don't dislike summer TOO much...I just don't like the heat, I like feeling comfortable and being able to breathe, KWIM?

I noticed I chat about scrapbooking and that's about it here. It feels like I'm a one dimensional person...this is sacrilegde but scrapping isn't all there is about me. I don't think I get many readers who notice much anyways....but I just wanted to show another passion of mine. My plants. the babies that DON'T talk back!

my yummy smelling Jasmine (DH made the planter it's in for me for mother's day):

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the blooming Hydrangea. the flowers turn a pretty pink color. we were afraid she wasnt going to make it...she was transplanted from the Bronx (My SIL bought her) to my MIL's Garden, when she moved she gave it to us and planted her in our front garden and DH moved her last summer for more room....that's a lot of digging, isnt it?

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one of my many Lillies. I LOVE them!

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one of my hibiscus trees. I have them out on my front porch.
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my pretty black eyed Susan. they're the annual variety :( but those are one of my faves!

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more lillies. these pretty ones have spilt out so they greet me as I walk up to my porch :)
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I have to share a FUNNY Teeniest Terror made...it was probably the highlight of my day yesterday...and it's still in my mind. Maybe It'll be a topic for something scrappy, who knows?

as we were getting ready for work she comes in and shows me a book on the alphabet. it has pictures of something starting with that letter....so she tells me, "mommy, this book has an "E-wa-phant!" and Icecream, and so forth. So I decided heck, bring the book to the store so I can practice with her and teach her the letters.

SO I start with A. and of course it shows an apple. SO I ask her what the picture is and what sounds does an apple make when you bite into one, the first sound...and finally where do apples come from.

her answer:

The "we- fridgu-lator!!!!" as she hops up and down in her excitement of getting the answer out before her know it all sibs!!!!


that had me LOL a while.

feast a bit

today I had one of those killer-gotta-take-an-aspirin-and-sleep-it-off kinda headache. It has been a long time since I've had one of those and I'd like to thank God hubby was in the shop today to help me. I would not have managed well.

so since i slept a bit I am wide awake when I'd normally be feeling a bit drowsy and start to get things together for the next day. I figured what the heck, I'll do a bit of lurking and reading.

I havent done this in a while so I went over to friday's feast...happy feasting:

Appetizer
What is the weather like today where you live?
today was hot and muggy. then it rained a bit in the afternoon

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?
about 6....I work with DH. I wish to go back to school and get a teaching job.

Salad

What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?
I have curtains...most of the house has roman shades as well. the sun room has faux wooden blinds.

Main Course
Name something that instantly cheers you up.
chocolate. hands down.


Dessert
How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?
maybe once. then i force myself out of bed or regret it.