RTscraps (Rachel Tucker)

The New Year, Wakeboarding, Holidays and Scrapbooking

As the New Year begins I hope to be spending a lot of time on this

 

A brand new, joint ownership with my lovely sister in law, Rinox wakeboard that our husbands gave us for Christmas. Isn’t it beautiful ?

We were at Lake Maraetai in Mangakino the other day trying out the board for the first time. OMGosh it’s sooooo good. I’m now spending the next few days recovering from too much sun and discovering muscles that I forgot I had before we go away again.

Side note : special thanks to my brother in law who doesn’t mind spending all day driving his boat around the lake so that we can play. Can’t wait for Kinlock, bring it on.

 

I’ve also been crazy busy finishing off designing my December projects for Fancy Pants. I’ll leave you with a couple of images.

 
 

What are you doing for your summer holidays ?

Wishing you a very Happy New year, see you in 2011

Rach xxx

Christmas Holidays & Traditions

Christmas and the holidays are my most favourite time of the year.

It’s fun, exciting and it’s full of tradition. Traditions old and new. The advent calendar, picking berries, homemade Christmas crackers, new pyjamas on Christmas Eve, a Christmas story before bed and finally my most favourite …… Hot Chocolate in our special Christmas mugs with marshmallows on Christmas Eve.

 

This year I decided to make the marshmallows. I have made it before (for the girls birthday parties) it is super simple and totally delicious. Like melt in your mouth delicious. Sometimes I use shape cutter to cut out little hearts, but doing that wastes a lot and so I decided to just cut it into big chunks. Looks great don’t you think?

I know you are going to want to make it for yourself so here is my recipe

Marshmallows

2 Tablespoons Gelatine , ½ cup water,  2 Cups sugar,  1 cup water,  1 teaspoon vanilla essence,  Icing sugar

Combine gelatine and first measure of water. Leave to swell for ten minutes. Place sugar and second measure of water in a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Dissolve gelatine over hot water. Pour gelatine into sugar mixture and bring to the boil. Boil steadily for 15 minutes. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Beat well until very thick and white. Add vanilla essence. Pour into a large tin lined with baking paper. Chill until set (I usually leave it overnight) Cut into squares (or use small cookie cutters) and roll in icing sugar. Keep chilled in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy !!

Love the holidays

 
 
I'll leave you with a Christmas layout for Fancy Pants that was featured on the blog the other day.

xxx

Making and Baking

Oh how I love Christmas holidays. School is over for another year, the teacher gifts were a hit and the girls are relaxed and excited about Christmas day. We have been baking and making.

 

I loved this tutorial for Cinnamon Ornaments from The Pink Couch and it was easy too.

We have our elf, Isabella to keep us on our toes, she decided last night that she didn’t want to sleep alone and crept into Jess’s bed after we were all asleep. We found them in the morning cuddling up to each other.

The girls can’t wait to see their Nana and share all the fun they have been having so far. The advent calendar is a total “hit” and they jump out of bed ready to open up the bag and read the note.

Our gingerbread house is done ! all the presents are wrapped and now we can just enjoy.

 

I have made a few things that I have had in mind for a long time, like this doily display.

 

I wish I could remember where I saw this idea .... it could have been on this blog décor 8 orLoving  this one dottie angel , don’t know…. anyway while you are over checking out dottie angel check out this post here, its super cute !

I’ve been working on some “Fancy Pants” projects and I’ve been baking, shortbread, xmas fruit mince pies, truffles and gingerbread. I love Christmas, its such a fun time of the year.

xxx

Elf in the House

 

Santa sent one of his elves to stay with us for a few days before Christmas.  She (yes I have been informed that it’s a “she” and the girls have named her Isa”bell”a) arrived by courier this morning along with a letter.

 

You can read more about “elf in the house” here. She has had a lot of kisses and cuddles today and way too many snacks !! I think she might get up to some mischief tonight after eating all that sugar.

 
Abby is in love and might not want to give her up on Christmas eve when she is to catch a lift with Santa back to the North Pole.

We are having a wonderful build up to Christmas, are you ?

xxx

if you love vintage ...

as much as I do you will love this cute little idea ! I have been covering my own buttons for years, but only ever with patterned fabric and sometimes velvet. The velvet ones I usually make into tiny little toadstools for embellishments.

My heart just about skipped a beat when I saw this idea on Julie Collings blog and then also on Suzanne blog too. I have been “collecting” vintage table runners and doilies with embroidery on them for years. I had a button covering kit in my stash. So what’s a girls to do ? I made a button right away. I couldn’t help myself. Julie is so right once you start its addictive!

 

The first one I made has a cute little leaf on it and I think its perfect as an embellishment. It is perfect on my “25 days of December” album don’t you think?

(I started my album a few days into December, but more about that later on).

I am also loving these ones, the colour is gorgeous.

 

And this one which is made with the left over fabric that I used on a layout, and used it to finish wrapping a present.

 

 I'll be back later with some more pictures of my "25 days of December" album.

xxx

 

Eeekkkk Purple , is it love or hate ?

It’s not often that I use a lot of purple, it tends to be a colour that I avoid. 

So when Nic Howard asked me to do an example layout for her “colour or is it color” BPC class I was scared, very scared ! Would I be able to make a layout with …. Eeekkkk , PURPLE !!!

 

I was interested to watch Nic’s class video and learn that Purple is a colour that she too often avoids, but now she loves. I’m not going to go as far as saying that I love Purple, but somehow now it’s not so scary.

 

What do you think ? Do you love or dislike purple ?

SENZ 2011 Tickets go on sale today

Scrapbooking, Cardmaking and Craft Expo.

Today is the day that the tickets go on sale for SENZ 2011. It going to be in Auckland next year at the at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre

Friday 24th - Sunday 26th June 2011.

Check out the website here for more information. And YES I will be teaching classes at SENZ 2011. So go book your tickets to SENZ and I’ll see you there.

I’ll leave you with a layout that I did for the Prima BPA a couple of months back, I’m pretty sure that I have not shown you this one. you know there was a time, not that long ago, that I knew if I had displayed a layout on my blog, because I don’t always post them straight away, but right now I have no idea what I have posted and what I have not. It's good to be busy right ?

 

Happy Wednesday

xxx