marvel the little things everyday

I've been struggling to find mojo of late. It's just been a struggle. So Monday night when inspo struck at 11.30pm, I just had to start this LO. 

Its a bit of combination of a studio cut file, subtle splats under the roses to give them a hint of colour, and a paper texture on the photo. I even pulled the xyron adhesive out of the cobwebs to use on the ribbon.

Thank you Amy for the paperclip :)

18

Love the love.

My absolute, without a doubt, favourite pic from this very special shoot. I haven't laughed so hard during a shoot..... ever. 
24.4.13

Tiff Firth Photography

sunday mail

Before you screw up pages from the Sunday mail to light the kindling in the fire place, check out page 2.

(little happy dancing happening here)

Instagram photo. you can find me as tiffirth on Instagram or go here.

aerial acrobatics 7th April

Just finished a set of images from my Tiff Firth Photography Aerial Acrobatics album. You can view them all here.

If you had looked skywards in Cummis on the 7th of April 2013, you would have seen the sky busy with the antics of pilots throwing their aircraft around in the autumn sky. All images are available for purchase

dance like no one is watching

I just loved the way their long hair swept around them as they danced around the room. And for letting me sit quietly in a corner while the twirled and whirled with abandon.

Way back in 2010.

(posted with permission) and apology for the typo. (yet again. I shouldn't journal late at night when I'm tired lol)

anzac 2013

On assignment this morning for a State Newspaper.  :)

This shot made me suck my breath in when I first lined it up in the viewfinder. It says so much to me.

During Requiem in the Anzac Dawn Service in Cummins

ouch....continued.....

......and the angst continues......

The wrong request was made for the xray of her foot on Saturday. As per the paperwork she had her ankle done, not her foot. What a total waste of time and effort for her and for us. I'm so cross.

So by the time we managed to get into the Doctor on Monday we were told to go down to Lincoln yet again for another xray, this time on her foot, as should have been requested in the first place. And as we were not able to get an appointment on Monday we had to wait till Tuesday.

Soooooo....... Tuesday comes round and off we head again. And finally we have an answer. Yes she has a fracture.

 But as we didn't get the answer till later Tuesday afternoon, we were asked to come into outpatients at the local hospital Wednesday morning to get the plaster.

I count far too many days from injury to actually getting something constructive done about it. From 10.30am Saturday to 9am Wednesday. No wonder I'm damn cross about it.

All thru this time, we have iced it regularly, had it strapped and absolutely no weight bearing on it at all.

She's to start walking on the plaster tomorrow and get off the crutches as soon as she can. The idea of the cast is to support the foot for about a week and then it comes off. She's not to play any sport for 4 weeks or so depending on physio and recovery.

So really she's getting of it all fairly lightly. She gets the glory of having a cast without being stuck with it for too long. She's been such a trooper about it all.

We bought a special texta for us to sign it and she carries it with her for her friends to sign it.

I'm thinking about trying out some mist splats on it hahahahahaha.

days like these are what makes life so sweet

The idea for this LO just popped (pun intended) straight into my head, but I did alter it a little. Initially I was going to use texture paste and a couple of dotty masks to create the different size bubbles, but late at night I had a fresh idea. 

I've used opalescent vellum, transparency, and card stock to create the bubbles. This was going to be a white on white LO, but the washi was just perfect as a border, and I just couldn't resist.

So this is the end result. I luv it. So does he.

ouch

Annie's first match of E grade netball today.

And before the first quarter had finished we were off the court with suspected ligaments damage or fracture on the outer side of her left foot.

We iced every 20 mins and then let it rest for 20 mins, then back in the ice again. By the end of the game it was reasonably swollen and bruised on the outer edge of the foot where a bone is. So we were advised to head to the hospital for an xray as a precaution.

After getting the xray referral paperwork from the hospital here, we were off to Lincoln Hospital for the xray. For those not know the geography here that's an hour and forty minute round trip.

The xray went fine, but the hospital staff refused to bandage her or even offer crutches. I was so cross. They just kept saying go back to the Cummins hospital and they will do it. What the?????  She need strapping and she needed crutches as she was to absolutely not weight bear on it at all,  and we were refused on both counts. Up until this point I had piggy backed her off the court to the car, from the car into Cummins Hospital and back into the car. From the car again into the Lincoln Hospital  into the xray room, out of the xray room into the waiting area, from the waiting area back into the car. From the car once again into the Cummins hospital for the strapping and getting the crutches. What if she was heavy, or I had a weak back? What then?  Gosh I was just steaming mad.

And to top it off, we won't get the xray results until Monday at the earliest. Again I'm cross. What if it is a fracture??  She has to wait for a doctors appt Monday (if we can get in) before it's correctly addressed. Plaster? Or more strapping? Until then she has to grin and bear it.

It's bloody not good enough.  :(

She's been a real champ, not a tear or a drama at all. She's on Nurofen so that's taken the edge off for her. (she's currently scoring the ouch factor as a 2/10.) She's Tuff Stuff.

I've been particularly impressed with Sean. He's been with us for the whole day and he helped carry her book, my handbag or camera bag or xrays. He's held every door open for her and just been wonderfully caring. All without any encouragement from me. He just wants to help and do his daily good deeds that I've been instilling in the kids. Man, did his good deeds came up trumps today!! So I told him when I tucked him in bed tonight just how proud of him and his wanting to help and being so good with her. He gave me an extra big hug and whispered his thanks in my ear. Gosh, he just melts me.

the 2-2 scrap gang

most of the gang from the Scrapworkz 2-2 scrap last Saturday.  (posted with permission from all)

And this one blatantly pinched from Gina's Instagram photos.  Love it to bits.

Loves ya babes.......ooops. can't say that anymore hhahahaha

wherever you may be, let your hair flow free

Back in 2010 I was really really really wanting to capture Annie's hair underwater. This is back before I had an underwater camera of my own. So armed with a friends underwater 'film' camera, and a weight belt for me, we hit the pool.

And this shot is the result. I absolutely love it. Her hair is alive underwater. It moves, curls and has a mind of its own. Exactly what I was after. 

And to keep her happy too as she wouldn't go underwater unless she had her goggles on, she just laid back in the water just a little bit. I really didn't want the goggle straps in the image. I think the reflection of her hair on the surface of the water adds a whole lot extra to the shot.

saucy saturday (pictorial post)

Sauces lined up ready for judging.

I absolutely loved the original trophies

out of the three sections Sean and Kym entered, they placed second in two of them. No feminine hand was allowed in the production of the sauces. (gotta love that!). The other second prize was in the 'Tradional Sauce' section.

Samples lined up for the tasting in the 'People's Choice' section

some of the many displays on the tables.

one of the 'labels' that caught the judges eye.

Sean and Kym's successful entries.

I saw the light coming in thru the chilli sauce bottle on this table. With permission I rearranged a few of the samples to photograph them. All produce home made and for sale via Bernie Page. I can really recommend them. I have a few at home and they are yum.

annie let your hang down

Created this one while at the 2-2 scrapathon at Scrapworkz over the weekend. 2pm to 2am. Only 2 LO's done, but a ton of laughs. 

I can't show the other one as its Sports Day 2010 and there are a lot of other children in the photos. I haven't asked their parents' permissions so I won't put it up here.  I'm a bit old school about that, but that's the way I roll. 

saucy saturday

Saucy Saturday 2nd place winner of 'all your own' tomato sauce section and 2nd place winner of 'traditional tomato sauce'. Placements in 2 out of 3 categories entered.  Very proud of Team Firth. Thank you Five Loaves Bakery.

a couple of instagram pics

I've been on Instagram for awhile. Just for a bit of fun.

you can find me as #tiffirth or here to follow.

A little whoopsie in Cummins yesterday arvo. I'm told this happened while the train was shunting. Right by the main crossing. That's a big 'please explain!!'

Been shared to the ABC Eyre Peninsula Facebook page and will apparently feature on the ABC news tonight. I won't be home to see it tho. poooooo.

safe transport for my sewing machine. I'd hate to be clobbered in the back of the head with it while driving.

Have a great weekend.

golf????? hell yeah!!!!

Who me??? Who knew??

Never thought I'd ever pick up a golf stick and swing it with any seriousness. But that's exactly what I am doing this golf season.

I've had a couple of ladies gently working on me for a little while to give it a shot. And when the mention of a golf lesson was available on Monday just gone, I thought, well.... why not?????  As well as there are a number of us all starting off as brand new newbies. All different ages too.

So the coaching lesson went well (I think). I've signed up for his return lesson when he's next over from  Adelaide.

Today was the opening day for the ladies. And it was an Ambrose comp, which is a lot of fun. I was teamed up with 3 other players and most teams had a newbie with them as well.


Names where in by 9.30 and a champagne to toast the season (settle my nerves more like).

The welcome from the ladies out there was just a little overwhelming. So very geniune and they are so keen to see youngies (hahahaa) give it a go.


10.30 and we were away.

I was in a team with Kathy M, Joan N and Liz B. Couldn't have hoped for a better crew. Lots of laughs, I only had one airie and only one cuss word said under my breath (when I had the airie lol).  It was a warm day(29 degrees) hence why I wore the light cotton long sleeve shirt for sun protection. I wear this shirt when I'm shooting out in the sun too.

By 2.30 we were back in the clubhouse after 12 holes. I thought I would feel buggered and hot as hell. Not the case at all. Perhaps all the time at Gym is starting to pay off????  And there was a gentle breeze that took the edge off the sun.

As it turned out, we had 50 off the stick, which was only 4 over the card for the particular holes we played. We came equal first as far as that goes. With the handicap of each player taken into account, we came second over all. I was a bit shocked to be honest. And chuffed too.

It has also made me believe that maybe I can play this mad game of chasing a white ball, that occasionally has a mind of its own, without making a dick of myself.

So Wednesdays (other than school holidays) are my golf day. Looking forward to it a lot

on a warm autumn evening......

...... I caught up with a beautiful family not long ago. I'm still working through their shots but I just couldn't resist these two

little ray of sunshine

daddy's little boy

look! up in the sky!!

If you had cast your eyes skywards in Cummins today you would have seen a variety of air planes going through a bunch of stunts. This one is 'cutting the toilet paper'. He came back through the paper 4 times by banking very sharply. He had a passenger on board as well. How cool would that be?

packed to the eyebrows

packed for a day at the beach. Looks more like unorganised chaos, but I knew where everything was hahahahaha

even had the two kayaks in there.

box regatta

Layout 11 (and final) from the retreat weekend.
And I've only just then spotted the typo. Can you find it?????

no matter, tis filed in the album. Moving on.

I've been waiting on permission from the two Mum's of the other girls in the photo. Granted and with thanks to them I can show this LO.

I had a bit of angst with the preparing of the tag at home before the Retreat. It was late at night and I wasn't thinking clearly. I cut the shape on the Cameo Silhouette, ran it thru the printer to journal and back on the Cameo to cut out the 'fun' word. If I had the fun word cut before printing I was afraid of the printer jamming on the cut out word, and its not worth my damaging an A3 printer to do that. Anyway, a few trials and a few errors, I had it done.

Thanks to Sharmaine Kruijver for the tag tying inspo.
:)

the entourage

When Sean was little he had quite a collection of teddy bears that had to be there at bedtime every night. Five in fact. Mannie, Arnie, Holly, Honey and Spot.

On the occasion I would put one or two out on the toy seat in the hallway but you would always find it/them and drag them back to bed with you.

This was back in 2010. Now, in 2013 you still have Honey and a yellow triangle Angry Bird instead. Mannie and Arnie live on the toy seat, Spot is at Nan's house in Broken Hill and Holly has gone to heaven.

e2c 2013 pictorial

I've finally finished the set of images I took at the escape2create retreat from a couple of weekends ago.
I've posted a select few here, but there are more in my e2c album on Facebook.

Blog post of the LO here

Table number, lanyard and coffee cup.

Table 8 Gal Pals!!

 the loot. lanyard (my wineglass), coffee cup and goodie bag.

pom poms as part of the decorations in the shed. 

10 shot panostitch of the shed. believe me it got more crowded later on.

afternoon tea on Friday. very delish.

this is the best banana caramel slice I've ever had. afternoon tea on Friday.

Coffee Frappe hand delivered Saturday and Sunday mornings. Alison Starke, you are AWESOME!!!!!!

shmee

my other liquid substance of choice. Nova Moscato Rose

Every year Amy brings our table mascot. This year was Optimums Prime of the Transformers. The backstory........at the retreat in 2011 Amy found her son's toy, Buzz Lightyear, in her scrap stash at the retreat. He became our mascot. He was a bit loose and naughty. Last year, we missed Gina, so we had a little Gina doll to include in our fun. She was a great pole dancer lol. This year is Optimums  I wonder what next years will be..........

Classic photobomb. Love these girls. Mel Girl. we are kindred souls. Trish. Mates years and years.(posted with permission)

Prize table winner. Blackboard and stamps.

photobooth with Table 8 and besties Gina and Amy. What an absolute crackup!!!  Nicole, thanks so very very much for doing these.

 Sunday for the outside group photo and bestie shots. Jo Kinder coming in for the squeeze lol.

 Table 8. These girls so made my weekend the best ever. Laugh, laugh, and tears of laughter. Thank you for being real, for being awesome and for being you.

and as they say....... that's all folks.