Back to School with Dymo. {GIVEAWAY}

This morning once Ryder was down for his nap, I left him in the capable hands of his Daddy {the pro's of having a husband who works from home}, and headed out with Miss Ella.

We went down the road...to her school. Yep....school.....REAL school!

Hand in hand, we went into the uniform shop, waited forever in line and then it was our turn.

And the words came out of my mouth... "My baby is starting Prep this year. We need everything thanks!" And as those words came out of my mouth, it hit me again. School. Fulltime school. Real school. Seriously, when did this happen? I swear I just gave birth to her yesterday!? Didn't I?!

The concept of her wearing a uniform isn't so foreign to me. She wore one at her Kindy in 2012. It was more the emotional strings that were tugged as I saw her trying on bucket hats and culottes and button up blouses, and then having to buy enough of these uniforms to last FIVE DAYS A WEEK! I almost cried there in the little change room {oh, and the price of the uniforms may have also contributed to the welled up tears! lol}

When we got home I started the sorting and labelling process! I want everything to be organised, but I also want it all to be efficient too. If {when} she looses a piece of her uniform or mixes it up with another child's, I want anyone to easily identify that it belongs to Ella. Simple!

And that's when the Dymo LetraTag comes in.

Using the 'white plastic' tape; I printed out a heap of ELLA CHADWICK 's {with love heart borders of course} and got sticking :)

School bag labelled....using last year's Kindy photo and the Dymo label.

When every child in the whole school has the same bag -  I want Ella to be able to easily identify hers :)

The plastic labels were fab. They can stick to almost any surface. Drink bottles, lunch boxes, pencils etc.

And the best thing about the DYMO LETRATAG; is how easy it is to use. Simply type, edit with borders or images or font sizes etc, press print and cut {with the built-in cutter} and WHAM....sticky label done! LOVE!

But my favourite.....

The iron-on label tape!

Again....type, print, cut....and simply iron onto uniforms, bags, socks etc....

No more writing onto fabric with permanent marker!

Her book pack is expected to arrive next week. Once they're contact-covered, I'll be whipping out the DYMO again to name each one. And as soon as we know what class she's in....wham....more labeling :) I love it. My inner OCD tendencies are so happy right now. Thanks to Dymo, I'm feeling a little less overwhelmed with Ella starting school {yes....real school.....I need to keep repeating that for myself.....maybe it'll sink in eventually} .....and a whole heap more organised!

The beauty with this little machine is; not only does it run on AA batteries {so you can take it and use it anywhere!}, but it can be used to label just about anything....and everything!

I'll be on a labeling frenzy now! Look out toy boxes, sock drawers, pantry storage and craft supplies :) I'll also get a HEAP of use out of this baby in my classroom this year, when I return to teaching.

I'm excited...{yes sad I know!}

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.........The good people at DYMO want you to be just as organised and just as excited as me....and have given me an extra DYMO LetraTag Label Machine {RRP $59.95} to GIVEAWAY!!!! Cheers to that!

There are FOUR ways to enter....

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me what you'd use the DYMO Labeller for.
2. Head over to my FACEBOOK page and become a 'liker'. Then leave a comment here telling me you've done so.
3. Follow my blog {over there on the right} through NETWORKED BLOGS. And then leave a comment here telling me you've done so.
4. Share this giveaway on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blog etc. And then leave a comment here telling me you've done so, and share the link to it for me to view. 

You can enter up to FOUR times only.

Using random.org I will draw a winner on this Saturday 12th January 2013 at midday. {A quick one} I will notify the winner by email {so please include your email address in the comments below} and on my FACEBOOK page.

GOOD LUCK!!!!! And happy labelling!

This was a sponsored post. I was given the DYMO Labeler and tapes to review and share my honest feedback.

No Plans. And winners of eBook.

Today was a public holiday, but with Chris being his own boss, he decided he would work it. He was hosting several meetings in his office....which is at our place :) At first I thought, the kids & I would have a fairly lazy day after a busy weekend.....I was thinking about staying in pj's & lazing upstairs on the King Bed with them with toys, snacks & TV. BUT....then I had a desire to get out & about and enjoy the gorgeous Autumn day that was.

I rung & texted a couple of friends. Most were busy.

So, I threw a few supplies in the nappy bag, piled the kids in the car and off we went :) No plans. Nowhere to be. No expectations. Just us & a blank canvas of adventure.

I had a few destination ideas buzzing through my head. Shopping? Ikea? The City? A local park? But once we started driving, I knew I wanted to head down the coast. So, I cranked the tunes {Ella has recently become a fan of Michael Jackson's work so we sung along to him as Ryder drifted off into a lovely deep-car-sleep}. Although, I wished Chris was with us and we were hanging out as a family, it was still nice....just enjoying the freedom of a day of nothing....yet the potential of everything.

I had my DSLR with me and planned to capture our day. But to be honest, I didn't touch it all day. And there was SOOOO many photo-worthy amazing moments to capture my kids playing, laughing, exploring, loving....but I was too busy enjoying the day and living the day....that I simply didn't get a chance to photograph it. However, I did get this horrible photo of the 3 of us on my phone:

The kids have evil eyes haaa! Taken inside the fancy schmancy lift of Matt & Takumi's new place....

We ended up visiting Matt & Takumi in their gorgeous new apartment. The beach views were stunning.

From there, we headed to a beachside playground which was awesome....a kid's definition of heaven I'd say. Ella climbed & swung, ran & slid, spun & dug and basically lived big & free.....like all happy kids do. Ryder cooed from the pram....until his hunger set in & his coos turned to cries. So, we took his cue & headed to a local pizza bar. Lunch was gooooood.

And then to ice the cake of a perfect Autumn day, we met Tiffany at Max Brenner to devour a heap of calories & chocolatey goodness :)

And to drag out the afternoon that little bit more, whilst Ella ran off some her sugar buzz, I did manage to squeeze in time for one more shot on my phone, of a certain little handsome man who owns my heart:

{Those arms. I could seriously eat them.

It's all muscle!!!! Haaa!}

So, a day that could've been filled with a heap of nothing.....ended up being filled with a heap of fun & good company. I love when no plans....go exactly to plan :)

And although I didn't get a lot of photos to capture the goodness & memories for my children, I felt good to be fully present with my kids today.

Now, at 9pm, the kids are deep in their slumbers {if only that lasted all night haaa} and we're home....where our hearts lie..... with our number one man!

Days like this, remind me that life is indeed good.

How did you spend this Public Holiday? Relaxing at home or out & about? Or working?

Onto other things......

The 2 winners of the WIN SOME HAPPINESS prizes are.....

1. Comment Number 2: Evelyn Roth.

2. And Comment number 6: Yvonne.

Evelyn & Yvonne, please email me your postal address PLUS your choice of colour for the mini LIVE LAUGH LOVE print. Your eBook will be emailed to you soon too :) CONGRATS!!!!!And thank you everyone who entered!

Bloom by Kelle Hampton. Win this book.

There's no hiding the fact that one of my all time favourite blogs is: Enjoying The Small Things by Kelle Hampton. I first came across her blog, late one night in January 2010 and have been completely hooked ever since. I often wonder why her blog posts inspire & amaze me week after week, and really...it's not rocket science...it's quite simple actually: she's positive, she's consistent, she's uplifting, she's an amazing writer, a professional photographer, a dedicated mother, and she gives us honest insights into her life - the ups & downs! 2009 was a rocky year in my life's timeline...Chris & I encountered an array of challenging curve-balls & obstacles. So, when we welcomed in 2010 and we were given a fresh slate....I was motivated & inspired to make it grand & live it bigger & better! Finding Kelle's blog at that time was a huge factor in changing my perspective on life & how I live it. 2010 was grand....and I have to admit that I was drawing a lot of energy & inspiration from Kelle's words. Inspiration to simply look at situations with a different view point.

Her blog still to this day draws me in. The fact that her 2nd daughter has Down syndrome, now goes completely unnoticed by me, because I've been there on her site, reading her journey the whole way, and now see Nella no differently than any other child on a Mumma's blog.

Earlier this month, Kelle, launched her first published book: BLOOM - Finding beauty in the unexpected. Within it's first 2 weeks of launch, it hit number 11 on the New York Best Seller List...WOW! I knew this book was coming out & was anxiously awaiting my pre-ordered copy to hit Australian shores for the past few weeks. It arrived last Thursday, and the delivery woman must have thought there was a million dollars inside that parcel....I was doing a very big happy dance :) And I think Ryder was pretty happy too:

Either that....or he was just laughing at his Mumma looking ridiculous doing a happy dance in the lunge room :)

However, I was truly excited to get my hands on this book.....and I have hardly put the thing down ever since. It's exactly what I expected it to be....but more! It's beautiful.

Why do I love it so much? Because it's honest & raw & acknowledges deep pain....but it's also so positive & inspiring & full of beauty. Kelle talks about the end-of-the-world emotions she had when Nella was born with undiagnosed/unexpected Down syndrome. Her words take you in....as if you're inside that hospital room with her. The story unfolds more......meaning & change starts to happen. The memoir then continues through these emotions {which have had me in tears} to reveal a whole new perspective on life & challenges & living! And that's why I wanted this book so badly.....I wanted to get inside Kelle's head to truly see how she copes, how she thinks & how she has made her life so grand & so beautiful.....after everything!

Being able to change someone's perspective on any given topic is a powerful thing. I'm not an overly opinionated person but I see things through my own eyes. To gain other perspectives, I have to focus more, look further, read more or take a step back and look in. However, with Kelle's blog & her new book....she has changed my perspective on life & motherhood & Down syndrome. I'll be honest here....my view & perspective on having a child with DS has completely flipped in the past 2 years of being inside Kelle's life. If you had asked me about having a DS child when I was pregnant with Ella 4 years ago, my response would've been completely different if you had asked me last year whilst pregnancy with Ryder. Kelle CHANGED my perspective. That's power. And that's power going into a good energy source. Life is rarely how we expect it or plan it to be.....yet how we choose to live it & tackle it, is what matters....it's what shapes us.....it's what defines us!!! I'm now more aware of this! Thank you Kelle.

She's also inspired me to get my butt into action.....to finish the children's book I started in 2008, to finish the memoir I started in 2009, to tick a few more things off my bucket list :) What have I go to loose?!

Heck, I love the book so much...and want to share Kelle's messages with as many people as possible, so I've bought another copy of BLOOM to GIVEAWAY to one lucky reader here!!!!! Simply leave a comment here on this blog post telling me; What makes your life more beautiful?! A comment will be drawn randomly on Wednesday 25th April 2012 {7pm Aus EST} and announced here on my blog and on my FACEBOOK page. For multiple entries into this draw.....simply Tweet, Facebook or Instagram about this giveaway & then come back here & leave a comment telling me you did so.

Tag me on Twitter: @SPRockDesigns. Tag me on Facebook: Scissors Paper Rock. Tag me on Instagram: @clairechadwick, so I see the links :)

Good Luck!

Bloom can be bought here! And you can see the trailer here.

{{"And the older I get, the more I embrace change as an opportunity to learn just what I'm capable of. I'm capable of so much" Kelle Hampton - Bloom.}}

P.S. The MESSAGE TO TEENAGE ME photo project ends this Friday 20th April. Please participate if you haven't yet :)

P.P.S The ipad3 promo is also drawn on April 27th...wow...a big month of prizes & freebies! Soak it up peeps :)

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Update: 25.4.12.... 8pm..... The winner is......

Comment Number 14 {Zoe from Little Swallow Blog}. CONGRATS!!!!!! THANK YOU so much everyone who entered & shared this giveaway link! Zoe, please contact me with your postal address :) Yay!

Winners of the Giveaways.......{Congrats}

A HUGE thank you to everyone who entered my week of GIVEAWAYS :) And an even bigger thank you to my lovely friends, supporters & sponsors who donated gorgeous products for Scissors Paper Rock's 1st Birthday Celebrations!!!!!

Here's the lucky winners.......

The winner of the Pinwheels & Pearls Party Pack is:

Congratulations Comment # 7: Jodie-Lee Hoe

The winner of the  $25 KasiaBear Gift Voucher is:

Congratulations Comment # 9: Kim

The five winners of the Paper Straw Packs from Sharnel Dollar Designs are:

&__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1303507535193" alt=Congratulations Comment #38: Jo

Congratulations Comment #7: Jodie-Lee Hoe

Congratulations Comment #36: Gemma

Congratulations Comment #26: Ngaire J

Congratulations Comment #2: Katena

The winner of the Little Indigo $30 Gift Voucher & the SPR Mini Print is:

Congratulations Comment #18: Kasey

Again, a big thank you to all my readers & followers & lovely customers :) And a HUGE congratulations to all the winners of the Giveaway Prizes!!! WINNERS: Please email me your postal address & your prizes will be on their way ASAP :) scissorspaperrockdesigns {at} gmail.com

Wishing you & your families a wonderful EASTER!!!!

VOTE for Scissors Paper Rock....please :)

Good morning!

I got an exciting email this morning! I have been nominated in the TOP 25 CREATIVE MOMS BLOGGER LIST over at Circle Of Moms. 

On March 11th, the TOP 3 bloggers on the list, will get to share their favorite craft or design with an active community of creative moms in a custom issue of the Circle of Moms weekly digest.

I'd love this opportunity, so please, without begging {hehehe} could you pop over here & click on VOTE next to my blog!! Thank you in advance, I truly appreciate the support my readers constantly give me :) I'm up against some pretty amazing, creative & talented Mummas, so please wish me LUCK!!

Click on this image to be taken to the site, where you can cast your vote:

ENJOY your Tuesday my Lovelies! I'm off to lunch with 2 gorgeous friends; Ali & Stacey. Then to ballet lessons with my little Miss. This morning we conquered the vacuuming, mopping & washing....dinner is the slow cooker.....can't everyday be as smooth flowing as this? :)

A very quick, last minute GIVEAWAY to celebrate the Festive Season!

Hi my Lovelies,

So, my regular readers would know....I am a little obsessed and OTT with the Christmas Season! I love it! LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! So, to spread the love, share the joy & participate in the notion of giving ~ I have a last minute, very quick {as in drawn TOMORROW quick} GIVEAWAY for YOU!!!

The lovely Maxabella organised a mammoth giveaway for her readers & the prize was so damn good, if I do say so myself....hey, I wanted to win it....BADLY :) The giveaway prize pack was huge....full of heaps of lovelies from a handful of talented ladies :) {including some Scissors Paper Rock prints & paper goodies!}. A decision was made last night that the prize would not be randomly allocated but purposely given to Jane from My Pear Tree House, as she is going through a really rough {healthwise} time at the moment! I was so supportive of this notion, and will be sending those goodies her way :) But, I also want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to my lovely supporters, followers & blog readers.

So.....I have a PRINT giveaway on offer today!!!! Before I get to the details.....I have a few on-stage photos from my Saturday Night concert. One of my lovely readers left a comment saying she'd love to see some video footage :) Sorry Em, I don't have any video as of yet....but here's a few action shots:

{excuse the guy's head in the way of the camera LOL}

{and my 2 Loves, sititng in the audience ready to watch the show!}

Ok, now for the GIVEAWAY details :)

Simply leave a comment below telling me what you love most about this time of year!!! You don't have to be a blogger, anyone can enter! I will enter all the comments into a random draw at midday tomorrow. The winner will receive a LOVE IS THE NEW BLACK print designed & printed by me! It measures 30cm by 40cm and is printed on silk finished print paper. ENJOY! And thanks again for being apart of my blog & business!!

Happy Monday All!