Snail Mail

Past, Present & Future....

2011-07-25T19:35:00.005+08:00

Firstly, apologies for not having posted for such a long time.
The present is proving a rather difficult time which has taken my attention away from creative pursuits. The future holds unknown wonders though so I am looking forward with hope & happiness.

I am very thrilled to have a card published in the current issue of Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft. It is a part of the Father's Day cards feature. This issue is full of so many gorgeous cards by some very talented ladies. Grab yourself a copy & get ready to be inspired.

I don't have any new cards to show at the moment. I have been working on several projects this week but they are for submission so will need to stay under wraps for now.

I thought I would take this opportunity to show some cards that were removed for publication in the past.

This was my very first set of cards that were published.

These were a set of cards made with Basic Grey "Lime Rickey"

With these cards I used Rouge de Garance papers. I love these papers, they are so vibrant.

These are a set of little gift cards on which I used October Afternoon papers & cute American Crafts stickers & rub ons.

I have a few more but this post is getting a bit long so I'll save them for next time.

Take care & thanks for stopping by:)

Tomorrow's Memories 7th Birthday.....

2011-05-09T21:54:00.001+08:00

2011..... And Tomorrow’s Memories turns 7!! Our kids are getting older, they are moving from being babies in primary school to teenagers in high school and Georgia is even in her last year!!! There have been many more wedding anniversaries (yes our marriages have survived!!) and many celebrations along the way! The friendship between the three of us has continued to grow and we can honestly say we know each other inside and out now! (Who says you can’t go into business with friends) Our friendship continues to be our strength.

All in all – life is good and we continue to value the relationships and fun times that we share with all of you… Thank you for your loyalty and support over the past 7 years. xxx

So it’s that time of the year again – time to celebrate with you all. We have exciting events planned for the month of May: 12 hour birthday scrap, Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea, prizes and wonderful ‘Super Specials’!!

This email has an overview of highlights in May. We will email you at the end of each week to summarise the following week.... We promise they won’t be a long email like this one!! So go and make yourself a cuppa or grab a glass of wine (cause this is a long one), get your diary out and mark down our celebration dates for this month! Xxx

BIRTHDAY MONTH MAJOR PRIZE!!!

We are extremely excited to announce that this year our major prize for May is a…

TIM HOLTZ VAGABOND MACHINE PACKAGE

(Approx. rrp $399.00)

For every $70.00 that you spend in one transaction, you will receive an entry into the draw for this amazing prize!

This competition runs from Saturday 7^th May to Sunday 29^th May. The winner will be drawn on Monday 30^th May at 9am.

BIRTHDAY MONTH WEEKLY PRIZE

For every $20.00 you spend in the store in one transaction, you will receive one ticket to be in the running for the weekly prize. This prize will be drawn at the end of each week and the winner will be notified by phone. Tickets do not carry over from week to week.

The prize for the 1^st week, from Saturday 7^th May to Saturday 14^th May is....

Tim Holtz Prize Pack rrp $62.60! (Selection of Crackle Paint, Distress Stains & Inks)

WEEKLY SPECIALS

Every week we will be having a sale on a selected range of items in the store. Our first week’s special is....

From Saturday 7^th May to Friday 13^th May

20% OFF ALL 12x12 & A4 PATTERNED PAPER

Check your emails each weekend to find out the next weekly special – You won’t want to miss them!!

MONTHLY SUPER SPECIAL

From Saturday 7^th May, we will be offering a super special deal on a wonderful selection of American Crafts Albums. We have stunning albums in all colours, shapes and sizes. These amazing prices are available from Saturday 7^th May to Sunday 29^th May and stocks are limited.

Be sure to come and check these albums out as we are sure the price would be hard to beat!

BIRTHDAY PARTY CELEBRATION 12 HOUR SCRAP

Our birthday party and Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea will be held on Saturday 14^th May from 10am-10pm.

The 12 Hour Scrap has a super fun “Willy Wonka” theme!!

The cost is $20.00 and the price includes a yummy home-made dinner, prizes and lots of fun!

Those wishing to attend the Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea will need to make a donation of $10.00 which goes directly to the Cancer Council. Your $10.00 donation includes your morning tea, a ticket into the door prize and an auction “Paddle” so you can join in the Cancer Council Auction.

AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST MORNING TEA

On SATURDAY 14^th MAY we are hosting a morning tea as part of “Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea” to raise funds for the Cancer Council.

Saturday 14^th May

11am – 12.30pm

Cost: $10.00 (Includes a ticket into the door prize and a paddle for the auction)

15% discount on store purchases.

Last year was a huge success and we have some truly amazing auction pieces again this year! (Stay tuned for details of our participating artists!!)

Auctions – No reserves!! All proceeds go to the Cancer Council.

We hope you enjoy our celebrations this month and we look forward to seeing you!

Jo, Vicki & Clori xxx

For more details go to: www.tomorrowsmemories.com.au or phone us on 92792183.

The Winner Is.....

2011-05-03T19:11:00.002+08:00

Ooops, sorry I forgot to draw the winner of my giveaway the other day.

The winner is.......

2

Random numbers generated May 3 2011 at 19:11

Congratulations SUSAN!!!

I will be in touch to get your details :)

CARDS Magazine Giveaway.....

2011-04-18T20:45:00.004+08:00

I have some exciting news to share plus a giveaway.

A card which I submitted to CARDS Magazine was published in the January 2011 issue. I was very chuffed as it was my first time being published in an overseas magazine.
My card was for the Style Challenge which had the criteria of using navy blue, pink, white & snowmen.

This is my card as it appeared in the magazine.

The lovely people at CARDS sent me two copies of the magazine & I would like to give you the opportunity to win one of them.
Entering is easy. Just leave a comment below this post by the 30th April. I will draw the winner on the 1st May.

The Easter Bunny Is Coming.....

2011-04-16T11:56:00.004+08:00

I've been having fun with a few Easter activities lately.
There are so many great free printables available & I've been printing out loads of cute Easter mazes, puzzles, activities, crosswords etc which I've made into an Easter Activity Book for Molly.
It will give her hours of fun in the lead up to Easter.

I've also made her this Easter card which I used Kaiser's "Bubblegum Hills" on.

I was in Big W recently & bought these super cute Easter lollipops. They were like $2.00 for about 20 lollipops.

Then I thought I'd make these little covers to jazz them up a bit. I bought the funny little images from an Etsy store called kpmdoodles. Kirsten has lots of gorgeous digital images available.
These adorable little Easter Monsters really cracked me up.

I gave them out to the beautiful ladies in my class at Tomorrow's Memories yesterday.
That leads me to some sad news. With returning to work, I've been very busy & have had to make the very difficult decision to resign from my teaching posotion at TM. I am going to miss the girls so much & of course Vicki's scones too.
My last class is next month on the 27th.

I still have a few more things that I'd like to get done for Easter. I need to make a little treat for Molly's teacher before school finishes next Tuesday.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. Molly & I are off to the zoo tomorrow for the Easter Treasure Hunt. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun....must remember to charge my camera battery too.

Thanks for stopping by :)

My Feet Really Hurt......

2011-03-25T15:41:00.004+08:00

Why, you might ask do my feet hurt. Well it's all because I have returned to the workforce after over 20 years at home raising kiddies & running our business. My new job is as a merchandiser & involves lots of walking around stores & being on my feet all day. I am absolutely loving my job it's just that there isn't a single part of my body that agrees with me, lol. I'm sure I will become accustomed to it in time & I'm hoping that the comfy new shoes I bought yesterday will make my feet happier.
On to more creative pursuits now. I bought some of Kaiser's new Bubblegum Hills paper last week as I wanted to make some cute Easter cards with it. After I'd finished that I started playing around with my leftovers & came up with these 4 cards that all have a "Friend" theme.

I'm off for a swim now. I can't believe we've had such a long stretch of hot weather here in Perth. It's 36C again today, I don't remember a day that was under 30C this summer.
Hope you are happy & well in your part of the world :)

A Productive Weekend.....

2011-02-21T14:07:00.006+08:00

Even though I spent half of the weekend feeling rather icky from a tummy bug, it was also a good excuse to spend some quiet time making cards.

I made a load of cards for a Showcase Challenge for an upcoming issue of Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft Magazine but I can't show you those, sorry.

I also finished some cards that I'd had sitting around for quite awhile. They are all made using October Afternoon's "Fly A Kite" range. Just love October Afternoon, they never fail to make me happy.

What did you do this weekend?
Whatever it was I hope you had a great time :)

Create @ Home.....

2011-02-19T20:17:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow's Memories have introduced an exciting new kit called Create @ Home.
It is a bi - monthly kit filled with the most amazing goodies.
Take a look at the first kit HERE. They are available to buy online or you can pop into the shop to snap up yours.

Happy Valentine's Day.....

2011-02-14T14:05:00.004+08:00

Sending sweet wishes to you all.

I like to celebrate Valentine's Day in a non-expensive, fun kind of way. I don't believe it should be a day that you spend loads of money on to express your love for those that are dear to your heart.

For years, I have always tucked a little heart shaped chocolate into the kids' lunch boxes, which they loved, it was the first thing Molly checked for this morning when she was packing her bag for school.

A couple of other little things I've done to add to the celebration day was to make these cute little cupcakes. I bought a White Wings cake mix which included the little heart sprinkles & the cupcake toppers are a free printable that I found at Anna and Blue Paperie, aren't they so cute.

We are going to have these for dessert tonight.

This one is a sugar free bit of fun for Miss Molly. She'll love playing noughts & crosses all night with this. It is also a free printable that I found at It's Always a Party at the Parkers.

Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?

I think I forgot to show the card that I made for my beautiful boy's 19th birthday last month.
This is it.....

Well it's nearly time to go pick up my sweet valentine from school so I'll say bye.
Thanks for popping by :)

A Very Special Day.....

2011-01-22T12:03:00.003+08:00

Last Sunday was my beautiful daughter's wedding day & it was a truly magical, amazing, wonderful day. It was held down south in the gorgeous setting of Margaret River with the ceremony on a beautiful part of the beach.
Chloe looked like a princess & I was so very proud of the beautiful young woman she has become. I have to admit I was quite teary as Chloe & James exchanged their vows.
Later that night we enjoyed an amazing reception with the most delicious food & lots of fun.

Here is a photo of the special day & if you drop by Chloe's blog, you can see more gorgeous photos.

I made them this wedding card which incorporates their colours of ivory, yellow & grey.

It was the most perfect day for the most perfect couple & I know they will have the most perfect life together.

Happy 2011.....

2011-01-01T16:18:00.005+08:00

Wishing you all a superly, duperly wonderful new year.
May it be filled with good fortune, good health, good luck & good times.

I'm really relieved to see the end of 2010, it was not a great year for me personally & so many people I know.

How did your Christmas Day go?
Ours was a happy, relaxed, fun day with loads of pressies, way too much food & lots of fun.
We all enjoyed a couple of swims in the pool with the new toys adding lots of craziness & laughs.
I can't tell you how many times I fell of that red sealion, it's a slippery little sucker, lol.

Here's a pic of us having fun.....

We woke up on Boxing Day with no power. A huge tree across the road was bought down by strong winds & had taken the power lines down with it. The thought of spending the day at home with no air con & no coffee was too much for us so we decided to go into Perth & hit the Boxing Day sales. Well actually it was more like the sales hit us. WOW, is all I can say. Being a first timer at it I had no idea how busy it would be, I could hardly move in David Jones & Myer but we had a great time & got some awesome bargains.

I really hope you all enjoyed a happy & safe Christmas too.
Bye for now :)

Merry Christmas To All.....

2010-12-24T19:01:00.002+08:00

The excitement is building here in our house as tomorrow is the big day.
The stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped & there are lots of yummy smells lingering in the air.
Yesterday Molly & I had fun with our annual tradition of making gingerbread. This year we made these cute little reindeer.

We had to do a quality control test of course & I can tell you they are scrumptious.
I think these two cheeky fur balls are trying to look sweet & innocent in the hopes of getting to taste a gingerbread too.

Well we are off to go look at all the Christmas lights so I'd better get moving.
I sincerely hope everyone has a happy & magical Christmas. Eat, drink & be merry & please drive safely if you are on the roads.

Christmas At My House.....

2010-12-22T20:25:00.000+08:00

Yay!!!! It's Holiday Time.....

2010-12-21T16:46:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy to be on holidays. It's been such a busy year & I'm really looking forward to recovering & recharging my batteries.
It was delicious to have a sleep in on Friday morning. No alarm clock going off, no morning rush, just sweet sleep, aaahhhhh!!!!
Thursday night was Molly's end of year concert at school. All the classes performed wonderful musical items & it was a great night.
We also had a very proud moment when Molly received the "Book Award" for her class. It was quite a surprise considering she's only been at the school for half a year. Her smile was a mile wide when she went up to receive her award.

She's dressed a little odd because it was her costume for her class item which was several songs from Mary Poppins.

She had tandem teachers this year & they were both the sweetest, kindest women & made Molly's transition so much easier.
These are the gifts that I put together for them. I found the cute little buckets in a shop which I added some embellishments to & then filled them with yummy Lindor balls.

I am getting so excited about Christmas & enjoying these few days before the big day with wrapping last minute presents & watching lots of soppy Christmas movies. Molly & I will be making our gingerbread soon, it's a tradition that we love doing together. This year we are going to make reindeer shaped gingerbread.

I hope you are enjoying the lead up to Christmas & possibly getting a sleep in or two as well :)

Tomorrow's Memories Exciting News.....

2010-12-14T18:00:00.004+08:00

DATES TO MARK IN YOUR DIARY:

Sunday 19^th December 9am – 2pm

Twiddleybitz Day

*See details below

Tuesday 28^th December 9am – 4.30pm

Dusty Attic Day

Demos and Make ‘n’ Takes

20% OFF Dusty Attic products

$10 OFF Voucher

Wednesday 29^th December 9am – 4.30pm

TM’s Super Special Day

Massive ‘In store’ discounts

$10 OFF Voucher

…Don’t forget our Dusty Attic competition, and all you need to do is spend $20 before Tuesday 21^st December to receive a ticket in the draw for the following amazing prize. “What would be your ultimate Scrapbooking “Dream Date”? The two lucky winners will receive a place along with 4 friends to attend the “DUSTY ATTIC DREAM DATE” on Tuesday 28^th December 2010!!!!

The first lucky winner is Mabel Stacey!! Congratulation Mabel we look forward to seeing you and your 4 lucky friends on Wednesday 28^th December.

Twiddleybitz Day

Sunday 19^th December 9am-2.30pm

Join us on Sunday with Anne-Marie (TM and Twiddleybitz DT Member) to celebrate the Twiddleybitz new release and take some time out to learn new techniques and make some gorgeous Christmas decorations.

Get 20% OFF all Twiddleybitz products and be in to win a fabulous “Twiddleybitz” Prize Pack when you purchase any Twiddleybitz item.

What a Dream Date.....

2010-12-07T21:45:00.002+08:00

Introducing... "The Dusty Attic Dream Date"

We are running a competition from Saturday 4th December to
Tuesday 21st December and all you need to do to be involved is
"spend $20 to receive a ticket in the draw"
to be in the running for the following amazing prize!!!

What would be your ultimate Scrapbooking "Dream Date"?

Well the two lucky winners of this competition will receive a place for you and four friends to attend the "Dusty Attic Dream Date" on Tuesday 28th December 2010!!!

You and four friends will receive an exclusive class at
Tomorrow's Memories on Tuesday 28th December.

The class will be designed by the fabulous Dusty Attic Design Team Member Mistra Hoolahan and will be designed exclusively for the two prize winning groups. The class will feature fabulous Dusty Attic chipboard and some of the stunning techniques that Mistra is best known for!!

Your "Dusty Attic Dream Date" will include your fabulous class, (including the class kit) and a wonderful morning tea. Plus you will be presented with an amazing
"goody bag" from not only the owner of one of the State's leading chipboard manufacturers but also three Dusty Attic Design Team Members!!
Does that sound like your Scrapbooking Dream Date!!??

The draw for the 1st winner will take place at the Christmas Moonlight on
Friday 10th December and the 2nd draw will be on Wednesday 22nd December
so the earlier you come in, the more chances you have to win!!
Remember, for every $20 you spend you get a ticket in the draw!!

Stay tuned for more exciting details about the Dusty Attic Day at
Tomorrow's Memories and go to our facebook page
to read about more ways to win some other great prizes!!

Is this an opportunity too good to pass up or what!!!!
Come on all you Perth girls, it could be you & your besties enjoying this awesome day.

Christmas Cards for My Cuties....

2010-12-04T20:47:00.003+08:00

Hi again :)
I wanted to make a card for each of the little cuties in my life. I was in The Reject Shop the other day (I heard what you just said Chloe, LOL ) & I saw this cute sheet of Christmas stickers with little animals & Santas etc. I thought they'd be perfect for kids cards & they were only $2.50.
Today I sat down & made some cards with them.

This one is for Miss Molly

This is for Tilly, my grand daughter.

And this is for little Ollie, my grandson.

I've used all sorts of bits & pieces on these cards. I cut 3" circles on my Cricut, Labels 3 Nestabilities & assorted papers.

The sheet of stickers had a large & small size of each different sticker so I decided to decorate the inside of the cards too using the smaller sticker.

I hope you have fun making some Christmas cards for the special little people in your life.
Bye for now :)

Getting Into The Swing.....

2010-11-27T23:22:00.003+08:00

of Christmas. That's what I've been doing this week.
I didn't think I was going to get time to make any Christmas cards this year but several nights of not being able to sleep due to my annoying Restless Legs Syndrome gave me the opportunity to.
So for most of this week I've been sitting at my desk in the wee hours while everyone has been sleeping. Does anyone else suffer with this incredibly frustrating condition & have you found anything that helps? I'd love to hear from you!!!!

Anyway, these were the first batch I made. It seems like I've made so many cards with this range from Making Memories but I loved it soooo much I kept buying more, lol.
I made about 11 of these, all slightly different.

Last year I bought some gift cards that I really loved & then on Christmas Day I found myself taking them off all the discarded wrapping paper & I popped them away. They were too pretty to throw away.
This is what they looked like. It's hard to tell in the photo but they are very glittered.

These gift cards were recycled for my second batch of cards.
I just adore red & white together.
They were quick & easy to put together. I cut the snowflakes on my Cricut.

Tonight I sat down & wrote all my cards & addressed them, just need to buy some stamps & post them off now.
How are your cards coming along? Are you making any this year?
There's a few more fun projects that I'd like to get done for Christmas but I'll have to see how time goes.

I have decided that tomorrow is going to be the day that we put our Christmas tree up. December 1st isn't til Wednesday & I know it's not going to happen during a week day & I don't want to wait until next weekend, so tomorrow it is!!!

Thanks for stopping by today, take care & have fun :)

Christmas Is Coming.....

2010-11-16T14:34:00.002+08:00

Boy, has Christmas snuck up quickly or what? I can't believe it's getting so close. I was thinking yesterday that there's less than 5 weeks left of school!!!!! It's all a bit scary really.
Thankfully I've had a head start on present buying & it's nearly all finished. Strangely enough I don't really feel all that flustered by it this year, it feels pretty easy.
It will be our first Christmas in our new home too.

I am teaching my second class at Tomorrow's Memories this Friday, which just so happens to be a Christmas class. I love making Christmas cards, it really gets me in the festive mood.
Would you like a little sneak peek? OK here it is....

Are you going to be making Christmas cards this year?
If so how many do you make? Last year I ended up making about 45 I think, LOL.
Well that's it for me today, it's time to go pick up Molly from school, she'll be buzzing today as her class went on an excursion to Scitech & King's Park.
Take care :)

Happy Halloween.....

2010-10-31T20:40:00.004+08:00

Hi there!!!!
I know Halloween isn't very popular in Australia but I'm up for anything that is a bit of fun so we've always celebrated it in our own weird little way each year.
This year I was super, duper excited because it was the first time we've had proper orange pumpkins available to buy in the supermarkets. I nearly kissed my pumpkin in Coles when I found it....yes I do know I'm a grown woman who shouldn't get excited about a pumpkin but hey I do, lol.
Today Molly & I had the best time carving our Jack O Lantern. She was happy to do all the icky bit of pulling it's guts out & I did the dangerously death defying carving part.
I am actually very, very proud of my first effort of carving a pumpkin & was thrilled with how "Jack" turned out.

Here is Molly pulling guts out.....

And here is "Jack"

And "Jack" lit up outside tonight

This is my super, scary little witch. She had a ball dressing up too.

I had the hugest bowl of lollies waiting for the Trick or Treaters to visit but sadly as usual we didn't get a single one :(
Maybe next year.

My first class at Tomorrow's Memories was last week & it went really well. The ladies are all wonderful which made it so pleasurable.

Well that's it for now. I hope you all enjoyed Halloween.

It's Warming Up....

2010-09-22T17:57:00.003+08:00

The weather has been glorious lately. I'm loving the warmer temperatures though it did get me thinking about our pool. You see we've never had a pool before & had NO idea what we needed to do to look after it. Life has been busy with other things & I had been meaning to ring a pool man to come over & educate us but it just never happened. Anyway the pool suddenly turned green & I mean green. I thought that perhaps there was some gross swamp monster living in there by now.
Yesterday the lovely pool guy came by & ran us through everything & bombed the pool with chlorine. This morning I woke up to a pool that is now blue again. I can't wait to get it 100% & start swimming.

I have a couple of projects to show today.

Firstly is this hot air balloon card.

And this is a name plaque that I made for a friend's new granddaughter.

This gorgeous weather will be perfect for a visit to the Old Perth Rd Markets which are on again this Sunday from 9am - 2.30pm.
While you're there be sure to pop into Tomorrow's Memories which will be open from 9am - 2pm.

School holidays start on Friday & I am so looking forward to 2 blissful weeks of sleep ins & lazy days.
Hope you get to enjoy some too :)

2010-09-06T21:00:00.003+08:00

Hi, I haven't posted anything lately as everything I've made has either been for classes or publication.
My second class samples are all finished & I am really looking forward to teaching my first class next month.
I was asked to make a canvas of me to be hung on the wall with the other DT members at Tomorrow's Memories. I thought I would share it here too.
So here it is....

I can't wait for the school holidays to start in 3 weeks time. I'm in real need of some sleep ins & lazy days. Every morning I feel like throwing my mobile against the wall when the alarm goes off. It's so chilly in the mornings but so, so cozy in bed, I just want to stay there snuggled up next to Bella the Cat. Mind you she doesn't budge until about 2 hours later. Maybe I will be lucky enough to be reincarnated as a cat in my next life, LOL.

How did Father's Day go at your house? Did Dad get given the royal treatment. Hubby enjoyed a relaxing day with all the kids & received some very nice pressies.
I guess it wasn't a very happy day for all the poor people suffering Mother Nature's fury at the moment. My heart goes out to everyone in the Eastern States enduring the terrible floods & of course our neighbours in New Zealand who are trying to come to grips with the devastating results of the earthquake.
Take care everyone
Bye until next time.

Sunday Funday.....

2010-08-25T12:58:00.004+08:00

If you're looking for something fun to do this Sunday, why not pop along to the first ever "Old Perth Road Markets" in Bassendean. They will be held on the last Sunday of every month & there will be loads of fresh produce, lots of gorgeous handmade goodies & live entertainment. The markets will be open 9am to 2.30pm.

While you are there you'll be able to visit Tomorrow's Memories too & take advantage of their amazing SUPER SPECIALS. The store will be open between 9am & 2pm.

Woo.....Hoo.....

2010-08-18T18:52:00.002+08:00

I received an email from the editor of Scrapbook Trends "CARDS" magazine in America.
One of my cards is going to be published in the January 2011 issue!!!!
I tell you I very nearly fell off my chair reading it, hahaha. I'm very chuffed to have had a card accepted by them & can't wait to see it in print.

Onto other news, I have finished making up my first class samples & am busily creating #2.
I'm really enjoying it & it's given me a much needed boost to get back into making cards again. This year's issues have taken up so much of my time & I was really missing my creative outlet.
Chloe came over on the weekend & we sat down together at the table & it was wonderful to spend that time with each other again.

I have one card to show today.

I just adore My Minds Eye, their stuff is so easy to work with & I love all their ranges.

Well that's it for now.
I hope you are all well & happy. Thanks for stopping by :)

Oooohhhh I'm So Excited.....

2010-08-03T20:01:00.003+08:00

I have some super, duper exciting news to share!!!!

On Monday I met with the gorgeous owners of Tomorrow's Memories & they have asked me to teach a card making class in their beautiful shop. The class is called Cardmaker's Tea Party & I'll be teaching a lovely group of ladies once a month. The class includes a Devonshire Tea where the ladies have scones with jam & cream & tea, of course, all served with a pretty tea set. Doesn't that sound just too gorgeous!!!

I'll be honest & say that I'm slightly terrified, hahaha, that's an understatement.
I got to meet most of the other gals on the DT last night at a staff meeting. Geez, they are amazingly talented girls & as friendly as can be.
The shop itself is to die for gorgeous. I walked in & just melted. You really need to pop in a have a look for yourself, I promise you won't regret it. It's situated in the old post office building & every nook & cranny is brimming with yumminess.

My first class will be in October & I have some really sweet products to work with. It's going to be so much fun putting it all together.

Here is a pic of part of the inside of the shop

and this is the outside.

Isn't it gorgeous!!!!

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it.
Oh & I just want to say a huge thanks to the lovely Tina for recommending me. Mwaaahhh.
Have a great week :)

I'm A Covergirl.....

2010-07-30T12:44:00.003+08:00

WOW!!!! What an awesome surprise I got to see one of my cards on the cover of the latest issue of Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft Magazine. It is one of 10 cards that are featured in the 10 Quick Cards section on pages 40 & 41.

This is the cover & mine is the one in the top right.

I'm hoping to spend some time playing with paper over the weekend so hopefully I will have something to share soon.
I did make a card for my darling grand daughter's birthday but forgot to take a photo.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Christmas in July.....

2010-07-19T15:58:00.003+08:00

Hi there everyone.
We are almost fully settled in to the new house. There have been some hiccups along the way which have prevented me from getting it all done quicker but we are slowly getting there. Thank goodness we've had the school holidays to make things easier. It is back to school for Miss Molly tomorrow & she is very excited. Her new uniforms are ready & her bag is packed.

My son had a pretty momentus event happen today. He got his DRIVER'S LICENCE!!!
He is very proud & can't wait to get his first car.

Rosie the dog & Bella the cat have both settled in well. Rosie has grown heaps & her legs are so long. She's rather naughty though at times & suffers terrible separation anxiety when we go out.
Hopefully she will outgrow it, fingers crossed.

I decided that I needed a bit of a push to get back into making cards. Luckily Ideal Papercraft were just starting their Christmas in July Card Challenge.
Each week a new challenge is set & you have a week to upload your card.

The first week's challenge was to have a collection of at least 3 similar items on your card.
This is my card

I used all Making Memories products on this.

The second week's criteria was to feature a star or something to do with stars.
The card I made uses Scenic Route papers, a MME journalling card & a Cosmo cricket chip star.

It's good to have the ol' creative juices flowing again & a bonus to be getting some Christmas cards tucked away because the way this year is flying by it's going to be that time of the year before I know it.

Thanks for popping by to catch up.
Hopefully I will be blogging a bit more regularly now :)

Just Some Garden Variety Cards.....

2010-06-08T21:42:00.007+08:00

Remember the great Mother's Day pressie that Chloe gave me.
Well here are some cards that I made with the "Garden Variety" pack.
I love the colours & patterns of these papers, they're so bright & happy.

I've been meaning to post these for ages but just keep forgetting.
Too much to remember these days, I guess.

Rosie is settling in very well. She's found all the warm, comfy spots in the house & is a bit of a lounge lizard. She's doing really well with some early training...little bits of BBQ chicken really gets her attention, LOL.

Have a great week everyone :)

Meet Our New Baby.....

2010-06-06T11:20:00.003+08:00

Wednesday night we welcomed a new fur baby into our family.
This is our baby girl "Rosie". She is a Whippet & came to us on a plane from NSW from a lovely breeder over there who has made my Molly's greatest dream come true. She has wanted a dog for so long but it wasn't possible where we live now so with the big move came her chance to finally get her puppy.
Rosie is mainly living indoors at the moment & we only have 3 weeks left until moving day.
Bella the cat isn't too sure about this strange new creature but is getting braver every day. They even got nose to nose today which is a huge step for Bella.
Rosie has settled in really well & loves nothing more than to snuggle up with one of us on the lounge at night. She gets tired out pretty quickly & also loves having a snooze in her comfy bed when she gets exhausted.
Here are a few photos of our gorgeous girl...

.

Rosie's when she first arrived home.

The proud new Mummy with her baby.

Rosie's favourite place to go play with her toys is under the dining table.

When it all gets too much for her, she crashes in her bed.

Thanks for stopping by today.
I'm still rather busy with the packing etc but do have a few things to share soon.
I will need to pack my craft room up soon so I might use it as a good opportunity to have a cull
of my stash too.

Blog Candy.....

2010-05-18T09:11:00.002+08:00

Head over to Melissa's blog for some amazing inspiration & a truly awesome giveaway!!!!

Cleaning Away The Cobwebs.....

2010-05-17T21:37:00.003+08:00

And the dust..... gosh this poor little blog was in a terrible state after being neglected for so long.
Life has been busy, we've been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride these past few months but I am hopeful that everything will be sorted out very soon on the housing front.
The first buyers we had for our house didn't get their finance approved so it was back to square one. Thankfully we received another offer within days & we are now just waiting on their finance to go through. Please keep your fingers crossed for me, I don't think I could do it again.

I've not had the time for creating either but my beautiful girl, Chloe, gave me an irrestible Mother's Day gift which has inspired me to get back into it. The sweetheart gave me not 1 but 2 awesome Cosmo Cricket paper packs, Garden Variety & Joyride!!! In case you didn't know already I'm a Cosmo junkie, I love everything they release.

Clo & I had our first girls scrapping day in ages over the weekend. It was wonderful & even though I felt incredibly rusty, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is a card that I made with "Joyride".

These are such cute papers & I love the colours.

I have a few more that just need some finishing touches so I'll share those soon.
I really hope you are all well & happy & thank you for stopping by today :)

WOW!!! I Made A Card....

2010-03-02T22:05:00.002+08:00

It's seems like an eternity since I made a card. My poor craft room is gathering dust from lack of use. I made a point of sitting down & having some chill time to make this card for the February card challenge at Scrap Pile.
This is what I came up with

I've used October Afternoon papers, I could never get bored of their gorgeous designs. They make me happy just looking at them.

On the home front, everything is going well, we're chugging through all the work & are just about there now.
I really can't wait to get my life back again, though I may need some help finding it, LOL.

I hope all is wonderful in your world & thanks for stopping by :)

Caardvarks Challenge.....

2010-02-10T20:50:00.003+08:00

Well lookie here....I actually made a card!!!!!
I downed my paintbrush for awhile today to indulge in some creative therapy & it felt GOOD.
Caardvarks provided my inspiration with a fantastic challenge they have going at the moment with Scrapbook Trends CARDS Magazine as their sponsor.
The challenge is to create a wedding card & the winning entry will be published in the July 2010 issue. After having just finished 40 wedding invitations it seemed perfectly natural to make a wedding card, LOL.
Anyways, here's my card that I came up with.

I've used pretty MME papers.

I guess you may have noticed that I've been changing things on my blog again. Gosh I get bored with things easily, it must be the hyperactive part of me, LOL.
A change is as good as a holiday or so I've heard.
Hope you will all give the Caardvarks challenge a go for yourselves as I'd love to see your wedding cards too.
Enjoy the rest of your week :)

OMG Life Is Crazy.....

2010-02-07T20:11:00.004+08:00

Well mine is, that's for sure!!!!
The past month has passed in a blur of paint fumes, cleaning, lots of noise & commotion.
You see, we have made a life changing decision & it is requiring an awful lot of work in order to make it happen. For the past 20 years we have run our own patio business but it has come time to start lessening the physical load on my dear hubby so we have decided to close the business. This in turn saw hubby apply for a fantastic job, which he was successful in gaining, which just happens to be about an hour away from where we currently live. Another decision was made, a heart wrenching one at that, to put our house on the market & move somewhere closer to the new job.
We started building this house 13 years ago with our own little hands & even though it's been incredibly tough at times, we're pretty darn proud of the achievement. It's not going to be easy to walk away but on the other hand we are looking forward to a life that is simpler.
There are loads of bits & pieces that we need to finish off on the house, hence the flurry of activity lately.
This month also saw our son turn 18. A big milestone birthday for my little boy who has grown into a gorgeous young man. He had a party at home with some of his friends which went really well.
He has also done himself very proud by receiving an awesome TER score of 95.45 & to top it off, he was awarded an impressive university scholarship. So he's off to uni next month to start his Commerce degree.
This is the card I made for his birthday. It ties in with his gift from us which is a trip to his holy grail, the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix.

I've also been very busy making the wedding invitations for a long time friend. I was thrilled to be asked to make them for her & here they are all finished.

School started back this week & Miss Molly adores her new year 3 teacher. This will probably be her last term at the school which is sad. I've had children attending this school for the past 20 years so it's going to be hard saying goodbye to everyone. I've been spending hours on the computer lately researching new schools & getting to know which areas would be better to move to.

I don't know how often I will be able to update this poor blog of mine in the near future, not that I get much time to create anything anyway.
I hope you are all well & happy & until next time, take care & I'll keep you posted on the madness that is my life :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR....

2010-01-11T00:45:00.004+08:00

Even if I am a little late. Gee it's been a busy start to the year so far, which is really terrible because I'm supposed to be on holidays & relaxing!!! Ahhh well, never mind, I'm sure things will quieten down one day....hah!!!
How was your Christmas? It was a wonderful day here, quiet but lots of fun.
We ate wayyyy too much, all got spoilt & enjoyed each others company very much.
I just have to share this adorable photo that I took of my gorgeous little grandson.
My daughter raced against time to get this cute little hat knitted for him in time & it was so worth it to get a photo this gorgeous.

Hope you enjoyed your first Christmas baby boy.

I hope 2010 is a wonderful, happy & fulfilling year for you all. It's looking like it's going to be a year of change for me. Lots happening at the moment but I'll fill you in on that another time.
Change is a good thing though. It can bring many new experiences & opportunities, as well as challenges, but I'm really looking forward to something new & interesting in my life & feel ready for it.

It was Chloe's birthday shortly after new year so I was back into the card making quick smart, to make her this birthday card.

I had some other cards to make too but unfortunately I can't show you those ones....they're a secret, LOL.

Before I go, I just wanted to let you all know about a great challenge that is being held over at Scrap Pile.
Here are all the details:

JOIN US FOR OUR

'LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER'

COMPETITION

To celebrate the start of 2010, Scrap Pile is holding a "Lazy Days of Summer" competition. It will run over six weeks, starting MONDAY 18th January. Each week, participants will be challenged to create a layout or other project, with a different summer theme each week. There will also be games and challenges each week, minor weekly prizes and an overall prize for the winner.

Here's a sneak peek at the prize which has kindly been donated by our main sponsor BUMBLE BEE CRAFTS:

The runner up will receive a beautiful 12 x 12 Floral Brocade Pearl White Album by PRINT BLOCKS together with a Scrapbooking pack.

All are welcome to join. Register for the forum now , and indicate your interest.

So if you are looking for a bit of fun with a great bunch of girls, head on over & sign up.

That's it from me for today.

Take care :)

The Last Post For The Year .....

2009-12-28T21:01:00.005+08:00

WOW, this year has seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye!!!!
It's been a good year in many ways though it had it's challenges too. I love New Year & always look forward to it. There's something about having a clean slate & a fresh start that I find very invigorating.
I wish you all a truly fantastic 2010 filled with good health, happiness & dreams fulfilled.
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog & leaving such kind comments.

Just thought I'd share a few projects that I've made lately.
This is a Kaisercraft Wreath that I made for my good friend, Mel.

This card was made for a challenge at the recent Scrap Boutique cyber crop.
My criteria that I needed to use for the card were: pink/purple, chipboard & a wreath.
I made the wreath from a chipboard ring & tied lots of pink, purple & white ribbons to it.

This card was also made for a Scrap Boutique challenge. Liz showed us how to make cool pocket cards & I really loved making this, it was a whole lot of fun.

A friend from Scrap Pile sent me a little hanging calendar as part of our Christmas Swap & I prettied it up a bit & will be hanging this in my scrap room.

My last piece of news is that I have had some cards published for the very first time. It seems really weird to see my cards in a magazine but very exciting too.
They are in the current issue of Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft - Vol 15 No 8.

Well that's it from me for now.
I'll be back next year :)

Merry Christmas To All.....

2009-12-24T15:32:00.003+08:00

Just popping in to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a fantastic 2010.
Take care :)

A Fun Blog Award....

2009-12-14T20:43:00.004+08:00

I received this from my friend Karen, thanks so much!!

I'm so sorry that I haven't done this earlier, Karen, I completely forgot.

Here are the rules:

* You can only use ONE word
* Pass this along to 5 of your favourite bloggers
* Alert them that you have given them this award
* HAVE FUN!!!

1. Where is your cell phone? Charging
2. Your hair? Frustrating!!!!
3. Your mother? Deceased
4. Your father? Deceased

5. Your fave food? Cake

6. Your dream last night? Nil
7. Your fave drink? Cappuccino
8. Your dream/goal? Perfection :)
9. What room are you in? Kitchen
10. Your hobby? Cardmaking

11. Your fear? Crowds
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Younger :) :) :)
13. Where you were last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? Messy
15. Muffins? OK

16. Wish list item? KitcenAid
17. Where did you grow up? Brentwood
18. Last thing you did? Showered
19. What are you wearing? PJs
20. Your TV? Loud

21. Your Pets? Bella
22. Friends? ScapPile
23. Your Life? Busy
24. Your Mood? Sick
25. Missing Someone? Chloe

26. Vehicle? Lucius
27. Something you’re not wearing? Socks
28. Your fave store? IKEA
29. Your fave color? Green
30. Last time you laughed? Today

31. Last time you cried? November
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? School
34. One person who emails regularly? Mel
35. Fave place to eat? Chinese

I pass this award on to these fabulous ladies who are definitely OVER THE TOP!

CHLOE - My gorgeous daughter

LEAH - Too lovely for words

LIZ - Inspirational!!!

HELEN - Sweet chocolate junkie

LEONE - Funny & talented lady

Over to you girls :)

Some More Christmas Projects.....

2009-12-13T21:12:00.004+08:00

Hi again :)
I just wanted to quickly pop in & show you another Christmas gift I've made.
This is for my daughter's grade 2 teacher.

I've decorated a plain glass jar & filled it with Smarties. She'll get a laugh out of it I'm sure.

And also, here's a card from another batch of Christmas cards I made to hand out to friends.

Lots of gorgeous Making Memories supplies on this one.

OK, the weekend is over again. Only 4 more days of school to go & then we start our glorious summer holidays.....can't wait.

Have a fantastic week everyone :)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

2009-12-12T21:44:00.004+08:00

Yippee, it's less than 2 weeks until Christmas!!!!
I've been working on my final Christmas gifts & cards this week & am happy to say that I'm all ready for the big day & can't wait :)

It's been very busy here with some very important occasions lately also.
My son graduated from high school last week at a beautiful ceremony held at UWA. We were all so proud of him & his achievements which included receiving 3 awards on the night, for being the highest acheiving student in Accounting & Computing & he also received the ECU Business Award.

This is the card I made for him to celebrate his graduation.

Three days later he set off to his Year 12 Ball looking like such a handsome young man in his 3 piece suit. Such a proud Mum moment, I can tell you :)

It was also my birthday this week & my darlings spoilt me with wonderful presents & lots of love.
I just had to show you this awesome snail card that my daughter, Chloe, made for me. Isn't it too cute???

Anyway, I thought I'd show you some more Christmas cards that I've made. These ones are all for family members.
This one is for my daughter, Chloe. She made a special request to have that beautiful Making Memories felt embellishment on her card so here it is.

This one is for Til, my little grand daughter.
I've used Kaiser papers on this one & handmade the little stockings.
This card was also for a challenge at Scrap Pile's last CC.

This card is for sweet little Oliver, my baby grandson.
The papers are from October Afternoon.

This one is a little different but it's for my son, Luke.
I wanted to make it meaningful to him by including one of his interests into it. So I printed out this picture which is of the bird on the Liverpool Soccer Club Logo, he's a Liverpool fan.
I thought, hey, at least it's a festive colour, it'll be OK. Anyway, he'll love it so that's all that matters.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope your Christmas preparations are on track too.
Bye for now :)

Christmas Preparations.....

2009-11-24T21:13:00.004+08:00

Are well under way here. I am so ridiculously excited about Christmas this year that I already feel impatient for the big day to arrive.
I'm not sure where this bubbly enthusiasm has come from as nothing extra special is planned. I think it's more to do with how much I love us all spending the whole day together & having silly fun & enjoying each other's company.
I've got nearly all of my shopping finished which is a relief & I've also made a few gifts too.

My Christmas cards are nearly finished too.
I decided to make it a bit easier this year & make lots of the same design.
So far I've made about 30 cards from two fairly basic designs.
This was my first batch, made using Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers.

And here is a close up of one.

This is my second batch, which I used Pebbles Inc papers on.

And this is a close up.

I've also made some one offs for some challenges.
This one is for Liz's monthly challenge at Scrap Boutique.
I've never made an easel card before but really loved doing this one. Thanks for the inspiration Liz :)

This is for another of Liz's challenges, a sketch one this time, for the November cybercrop.

Lovely Making Memories Falala papers on this one.

How are you going with your Christmas preparations? Are you making any cards this year.
I'd love to see them.
Hope you all have a great week & thanks for popping in :)

OK, I Know It's Been Awhile.....

2009-11-22T20:06:00.003+08:00

Chloe has been giving me heaps about not updating my blog & I have been meaning to but just haven't found the time lately.
This time of year gets busy for us all & our son has been doing his TEE exams & there have been lots of functions & events with it being his final year of school.
So I do apologise for my lack of keeping my blog up to date & hope you all understand.

Anyhow, Chloe & the grandkids came over to visit today & Clo & I sat at the table & crafted together for the first time in ages. It was so much fun. The girls played happily all day & Oliver got passed around for lots of cuddles with everyone. He is so adorable & has the cutest little smile.
It was a pretty perfect day I must say :)

This is the card that I made today. It's for the Lime Tart challenge which was to use black & white with one other colour.
I used my Cuttlebug butterfly die for the first time which I love.
I've also used October Afternoon papers & a Collections transparency.

I've been working on lots of Christmas cards too so will try to pop back tomorrow to show you.
Take care & thanks for stopping by:)

Short & Sweet Sunday.....

2009-10-11T19:34:00.004+08:00

Hi all :) Tomorrow is the last day of school holidays...gee it went quick!!!
I still haven't taken Molly to the movies so I'd better take her tomorrow. She really wants to see "Up".
Yesterday I had fun with Liz's monthly challenge at Scrap Boutique.
She gave us some great instructions to make a dahlia flower, which I've never made before.
So I gave it a go & this is the card that I came up with to use it on.

I've used October Afternoon "Detours" papers.

That's all for tonight.
Thanks for popping in & I hope you all have a wonderful week :)

More WCMD Cards.....

2009-10-07T22:52:00.004+08:00

Hi there. Did you all have lots of fun on WCMD? I hope so because I sure did.
I am a bit late posting the rest of the cards I created over the weekend but here they are.
These first 2 where for challenges at Scrap Boutique.

This one is for a sketch challenge set by Liz.

I've used Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday" papers.

The next one was for a colour challenge also set by Liz.
I've used Cosmo again on this one, this time it's the "Early Bird" range.

The last one is for a challenge at Scrap Pile, set by Bel.

The challenge was to use something old, something new & something borrowed.
I used some old Scenic Route paper, my new Diamond Plate Cuttlebug Folder & my borrowed was a piece of kitchen foil.

Thanks for stopping by to say hi :)

Happy World Cardmaking Day.....

2009-10-03T23:52:00.005+08:00

Hi everyone, woohoo, it's finally WCMD. Can you tell I'm a little excited, LOL.
I've been having a great time today with online friends, enjoying some fantastic challenges that have got the creativity pumping around again.
I kind of prefer to think of WCMD as a weekend long event so I'll still be at it tomorrow trying to get even more challenges finished.
I'd love to hear what you have all been doing to celebrate WCMD. Did you get together with friends or enjoy some quiet creative time by yourself?

So far I've finished 3 challenges but have only photographed two of them.

This first one was a challenge set by Manon at Scrap Boutique.
She posted the instructions to make a cute tag accordion style card. I changed mine a bit though as I got an idea to use the cute K & Co tags that I had.
This is going to be Molly's Christmas card for this year.

This is the cover & as it unfolds it tells a little story that I'm sure she'll get a giggle out of.

1st fold

2nd fold

3rd fold

& 4th fold.

This is the back cover.

And this is how the inside looks unfolded all together.

The second one is a challenge set by my friend, Gill, at Scrap Pile.
Naughty Gill really mucked around with my head on this one, LOL.
Her challenge was to make a simple Christmas card that was only one layer & using a stamp & one other embellishment.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't do simple very well, I love putting heaps on my cards, the poor things can't stand up sometimes, they're so heavy, LOL.
Anyway, I tried & I tried & after tossing 3 failed attempts I came up with this.
It was really hard to leave it alone because I kept wanting to add stuff, hehehe.

I used a piece of double sided MM paper & tore the bottom edge of the front to reveal the pattern on the inside. The stamp I used is from Stampin Up & I added a MM poinsettia flower.

Well it's gone midnight here so I'd better head off for some sleep as I'm off to visit Chloe & the grandkids tomorrow & we're all going along to check out the garage sale at Just Scrapbooking.
Hopefully there will be some great bargains. Molly has even saved her pocket money.
Hope you all had a wonderful WCMD & please leave me a link so I can check out what you created today too :)

World Card Making Day is Coming....

2009-09-30T21:35:00.003+08:00

This Saturday, October 3rd, is World Card Making Day.
It's a day I look forward to every year & can't wait to enjoy this fun day with lots of online friends.
There are a couple of places you can visit to join in some great challenges & share your love of card making with others.
My favourites are Scrap Pile & Scrapboutique.

I haven't made anything for awhile now. I'm saving it all for this weekend, LOL.
The kids are on school holidays so I've been having lots of lovely sleep ins & just running at a more relaxed pace.

I'd like to thank the very lovely Karen for giving me this cute award.

I would love to pass this award on to some very inspiring girls.
My dear friends Mel & Gill. These 2 ladies are incredibly creative & make me laugh like crazy.
I'd also like to pass it on to my beautiful girl, Chloe. Her creations are always stunning & she also inspires me with all she manages to accomplish.

Well that's it from me today.
Hope you all enjoy WCMD :)

IT'S A BOY.....

2009-09-14T16:46:00.004+08:00

Well, I can finally tell you about my exciting news!!!!! I'm a granny again!!!!!!!
My beautiful daughter, Chloe, gave birth to her second child today & it's a little boy :)
His name is Oliver James & he weighed 9lb 8oz.
I don't have any photos yet but will post some as soon as I can.

I can also finally reveal the card I made for bub's birth a few weeks ago.
It was for a wonderful challenge set by gorgeous Manon at Scrap Boutique & it's a never ending card. It just keeps folding & folding & is a lot of fun. Thanks Manon, I loved this challenge.

This is my cover

Then it folds to this

and to this

and finally to this.

The kraft section is where I'll write my message.
I used the adorable October Afternoon range, "Ducks in a Row".

Thanks for stopping by.
Take care & keep smiling :)

I'm Bursting With Excitement....

2009-09-14T12:31:00.006+08:00

Hi again everyone.
How are things going?
I'm very, very excited today but I won't say anything just yet but will be back to share some wonderful news soon.

Over the weekend I spent some creative time in my room playing with some gorgeous new Rouge de Garance papers that I fell in love with as soon as I saw them.
I've also used my Swiss Dots embossing folder to add to the fresh look.
Here they are:

Well, I hope to be back soon with my news.
Until then, bye :)

Sunshine & Smiles.....

2009-08-29T14:12:00.005+08:00

Aaahhhh, it's the weekend & the sun is finally shining, I'm a happy girl today.
I have just finished making a card for my daughter for when her bub is born next month.
I can't show it to you though because she'll see it too so you'll have to wait a few more weeks , I'm sorry.
I do have a couple of cards to share though.
This one I made for the Kaiser challenge. It had to be made from at least 80% Kaiser products.

Here's my card.

This card was for a challenge at Scrap Boutique.
It needed to have a travel themed sentiment & include exotic colour combinations.

I think my longing for Summer came through in this card, LOL.

Well that's it for today.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Caardvarks Challenge.....

2009-08-27T15:57:00.003+08:00

Caardvarks are currently holding a great challenge which is sponsored by myStamp Box.
The criteria is to make a card using the sponsor's colours of black, white & hot pink.

Here is how my card turned out.....

I've used American Crafts paper & Bazzill cardstock.
Along with some swirly diecut black felt, I can't remember the manufacturer, Kaiser rhinestones & a few other bits & pieces.

Thanks for popping by :)

WARNING!!!!! This Is A Neglected Blog.....

2009-08-21T22:50:00.004+08:00

What can I say.... sometimes life just gets in the way!!!!
Things have been stupidly busy here lately & the days have seemed half as long. I feel really terrible for neglecting this poor little blog. Even more shameful is that my last post title was Goodbye July & now it's nearly the end of August....oh the shame!!!!
I haven't even made all that much during that time either but I will try to find where I left off & catch up again.

Firstly, there has been some very exciting & happy news. My second home, "Scrap Pile", was going to close it's doors for good until at the last minute, it was saved & bought by a new owner.
It was such a relief to all the regular girls, we have become like family to one another & were very sad at the thought of losing our special place.

A really lovely lady called Gill is the proud new owner of Scrap Pile & she's also a West Aussie & even better, lives in a neighbouring suburb to me, YAY!!!! We've got together for a coffee, which was wonderful & she was also kind enough to invite me along to the Print Blocks Roadshow on Thursday where we got to touch & see loads of gorgeous CHA goodies. I don't envy her having to choose what to order though, I don't think I'd be able to say no to anything, LOL.

Anyway, when we thought SP was going to close, we decided to have one last big bash together so organized a weekend of scrapping fun.
My challenge was to make an altered book.
It's something I personally haven't done before but it was loads of fun. I even FINALLY cut into my precious stack of Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird" papers for this!!!!

This is my book which I am using as a sketch journal.

Another of the challenges was to make a card using a stamped image that you coloured.
This gorgeous rose stamp was from a recent stamped image swap at SP & I've coloured it with chalks.

Last weekend I made this set of 10 cards with a 6 x 6 pad of Basic Grey "June Bug" papers.

Well that ended up being a fairly long winded post, didn't it?
I will try not to be so naughty in future & update more often.

What are you all up to at the moment?
I'd love to hear what is catching your eye & what you are enjoying making at the moment.
Leave my a link to your blog so I can pop by & check out your gorgeous creations.
Take care until next time :)

Goodbye July.....

2009-08-04T21:04:00.006+08:00

Can you believe how quickly July flew by.
July was birthday month at Scrap Boutique & I really enjoyed all the great challenges that the talented DT offered up.

This project was one of Liz's challenges.

A fantastic Hanging Envelope Organiser.
I've used Crate Paper on this & it looks lovely hanging in my scrap room.

Kylie's challenge was to make 3 cards for upcoming birthdays.

This one is for my niece.

My brother is getting this one.

And my sister in law will be receiving this one.

Thanks for popping by again.

Take care :)

Me again.....

2009-07-31T20:40:00.007+08:00

I'm back, like I promised, with my last project for the Cuttlebug Challenges
This one is #41 & the challenge is to make an altered project from items in your recycle bin.

I came up with this little tooth keeper made from a mint tin & a scrap of cardstock.

That's it for me today but I still have some more projects to share soon.
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend :)

Cuttlebug Challenge #40

2009-07-31T15:14:00.010+08:00

Hi everyone :)
I've had a mad, crazy week so far, how is yours going?
I've been meaning to update this blog but there hasn't been any spare time lately.

Anyhow, I just wanted to show you this card that I've made for the Cuttlebug Challenge.
This particular challenge was a sketch which looks like this

And this is my card......

I've used the D'vine Swirls Embossing folder on the darker paper but it hasn't shown up very well in the photo.

I have one more challenge to complete for the Cuttlebug Challenges so I hope to show you that later on today.

See you then :)

The Holiday Is Over.....

2009-07-21T21:04:00.004+08:00

Sadly, it was back to routine today. With the munchkins heading back to school it meant waking up EARLY!!!! Uugghh, it was so cold that all I wanted to do was stay snuggly & warm in my bed.

The upside was that I did manage to get more done.

I totally forgot the other day to post this card set & gift box that I made from Liz's card class at Scrap Boutique. It was such a fun class & I really enjoyed creating these.

This is the gift box that all the cards can be popped into & would make a lovely present.

These are some little gift cards.

And these are 2 large cards.

I've used Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" papers for this set.

I put today to good use & finished another of Liz's challenge which I will photograph tomorrow.

Have a great week :)

Making & Baking....

2009-07-19T15:45:00.004+08:00

Today is the second last day of school holidays & we are all feeling a little sad about that but also trying to enjoy getting lots of relaxing in while we can.

I started this card last night & finished it off today.

It's for the Cuttlebug Challenges Count Down to CHA weekly challenges.

The theme of the challenge was to make a woodsy type card including the colours green, orange & blue.

I've used an assortment of October Afternoon papers & the Swiss Dots & Distressed Stripes embossing folders.

Molly was excited about doing some cooking today so we donned our aprons & got busy.

She chose to make Rocky Road Popcorn.

We popped the popcorn the old fashioned way & she was giggling while watching the popcorn popping like crazy inside the pot. Microwave popcorn might be quick & easy but no where near as much fun.

After waiting very impatiently for it to be ready to eat we all tucked into some & it was YUMMY!!!

Here is a pic of my proud little cook with her creation.

And here is a pic of our delicious popcorn.

OK, I'm off to find some more fun things to do.

Hope your Sunday is going well :)

Card Patterns #23

2009-07-18T21:34:00.004+08:00

I had a birthday card to make for my sweet little grand daughter's 3rd birthday so I've based it on Card Patterns sketch #23.

Here's the sketch:

And here is my card:

Tilly loves lions at the moment, she's been watching The Lion King lots so I wanted to include her favourite animal on her card.

I've used a mix of Sassafras & October Afternoon papers along with some Pebbles Inc stickers.

No peeking until your birthday, Tilly.

See ya all next time :)

My Scrap Room is a MESS....

2009-07-15T00:41:00.003+08:00

thanks to Liz at Scrap Boutique. She has been keeping me busy with all her great challenges & classes this month. Thanks Liz, I've had heaps of fun working on these projects & I'm not finished yet, LOL.

This first one is a fantastic little accordion file box.
I made this one for myself first, using Pink Paislee papers.

& then Molly wanted one so I made this one for her.
This one uses Kaiser papers.

Tonight I finished Liz's awesome birthday card set & gift box but will have to take photos tomorrow.

This is another card that I forgot to post last week.
The papers are Kaiser.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you are all well & happy :)

Red, White & Blue.....

2009-07-06T22:24:00.004+08:00

Is the theme for the challenge at Cuttlebug Challenges this week.
If you would like to get a sneeky peek at the new Cuttlebug products being released at CHA, then pop over & have a look.
The new Stars embossing folder is so awesome, I'd definately love one of those. The DT have made some gorgeous projects with it too.
For my card I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder on some Coredinations cardstock & then sanded lightly over the dots.

Thanks for looking & bye until next time :)

Better Late Than Never.....

2009-07-05T12:42:00.002+08:00

Oops, I didn't get back last night to post my projects. It got a bit late & my bed seemed like a good place to be.
Last weekend, Chloe & I caught up on some creating together.
I decided to use up some old stash & made these 2 cards using Bo Bunny " Summer Picnic" papers.
On this first one, I've covered some Collections chipboard petals with the paper & added a few other bits & pieces.

With the second one, I've used a Collections chipboard window which I've had for ages too.

This card was made for Liz's sketch challenge at Scrap Boutique.

I've used Fancy Pants paper, a Bo Bunny journal block, MME chipboard scallop oval & Scenic Route letter stickers.

That's it for my little update this time.
Take care & thanks for popping by :)

I've Been Tagged.....

2009-07-04T22:24:00.006+08:00

By both Mel & Ceci.
So here goes....

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. Sleeping in for the next 16 days.
2. Not making school lunches for the next 16 days.
3. Not doing the school run for the next 16 days.
4. Not being stuck to a routine for the next 16 days.
5. Not helping with homework for the next 16 days.
6. Not having to go to bed early for the next 16 days.
7. Spending fun time with the kids for the next 16 days.
8. Summer...it's only 5 months away.

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. If you haven't guessed yet...we started school holidays, LOL.
2. Surprised Molly with a "Biscuit" dog that she's been longing for. Her face was priceless.
3. Played catch up with loads of paperwork.
4. Woke up tired after spending a restless night with a snoring husband, a diagonal sleeping 7 year old who'd had a nightmare & a cat purring in my left ear.
5. Got some washing done...yippee!!! First day without rain in what seems like forever.
6. Made a card for the first time this week.
7. Ran some errands & did some shopping.
8. Did some blog hopping.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. Fly
2. Live where it's never cold & never rains.
3. Play the drums.
4. Say no to cake & chocolate.
5. Sleep in every day.
6. Go to QLD to meet Mel.
7. Be 21 again.
8. Relax....though that's probably never going to happen, LOL.

8 Things I've Watched Lately
1. Desperate Housewives
2. Sarah's House.
3. Bolt
4. Design Star
5. Barbie Thumbelina
6. Formula 1 British Grand Prix
7. NCIS
8. To Buy Or Not To Buy

I know a lot of you have received this lately so I won't nominate 8 blogs to tag.
If you haven't done this then consider yourself tagged & please let me know if you do it so I can come read your answers.

I'll be back to post some new projects once my laptop battery recharges. It's much comfier sitting on the lounge.

Paper Crafts Gallery Idol 2009

2009-06-20T20:29:00.002+08:00

Paper Crafts Magazine are holding the Gallery Idol Competition again this year.
I thought I might as well enter for the fun of it.
The theme for the open call auditions is Birthday Cards.
For more info have a look here.

This is a fun card I made to enter.

It uses Sassafras Lass & Prima papers. An October Afternoon die cut, Cosmo Cricket chip letters & a Heidi Swapp acetate star.

My dear daughter, Chloe, returns from a month long holiday on Tuesday.
As you can probably tell, I've missed her very much & her ability to nudge me to do some creating. She had an awesome time at the Brisbane Scrapbook Convention & has lots of new goodies to show me so.

I hope all is good in your world & thank you for stopping by :)

2 Sketches 4 You...

2009-06-06T21:41:00.004+08:00

2 Sketches 4 You are currently hosting a very exciting card challenge...The 1st Annual Ultimate Card Showdown. There are so many gorgeous cards to see from the DT & fantastic prizes to be won so be sure to check out all the details here.

This is Laura's sketch for week 1.

And this is my card based on the sketch.

I've used the adorable new range, "Ducks in a Row", from October Afternoon.

Bye until next time :)

Extreme Makeover

2009-06-06T16:06:00.005+08:00

Hi all, remember me?

Gee it's been ages since I posted anything but I have been really busy with work around the house lately which meant no time for crafting.

Over the long weekend, last week, hubby & I worked very hard to give my craft room an extreme makeover. My room was formally Chloe's bedroom, now I mean no disrepect Chloe, but your fluro bright colour scheme just wasn't really me, LOL.
So we painted for days to change the bright green & yellow walls to a soft, gentle, creamy green colour.
We also laid some new flooring & painted the cupboard, with the shelves in it, white to match the rest of the furniture.
The door frame, door & window sill also got a lick of paint & I'm so thrilled with my new room now that I love spending time in there & can't wait to have lots of fun creating as it is so much more organised now too.

Actually it all started with me buying 2 little shelves to put on the wall. I said to hubby that maybe it would be a good idea to paint the walls first & well it kind of kept going from there. He's banned me from shopping because major projects always seem to happen after I buy something reasonably insignificant. I think he secretly enjoys it though, LOL.
So here are some pics of my new space.

This is my big table, it's actually 2 IKEA desks that hubby has joined together.
I have my sewing machine & Cricut set up on one side or if someone is working with me they can be moved aside. There's lots of room to spread out as I'm a very messy crafter.

In this photo you can see one of the little ol' shelves that caused the chaos.
I had the idea to put up some shelves & hang a rail beneath them. I bought some Clip It Up clips & now I can hang things up where they're much easier to get to without moving a heap of stuff to get to the one I want. This rail has my alpha stickers hanging from them.
The green drawer units hold stickers, diecuts & rub ons.
The cupboard underneath has slide out shelves & I keep my cardstock, in pizza box halves, sorted by colour.

Here is the other shelf. I took all my ribbons that were packaged on cards & have put each set into a zip lock bag & they hang from the rail with the clips.
I have more ribbons in jars beneath, with my Cropper Hopper paper storers next to them.
The wooden drawer unit holds my ink pads, embossing powder, acrylic blocks & glitter.
The corner shelves hold jars of flowers & buttons & some drawer organisers which I have little embellishments & brads in.

I still need to put up a rail to hang my punches from but for now I'm perfectly happy.
I've even made my first card in my new room & will be back later to post that after I take a photo.

Thanks for stopping by.
Have a lovely weekend :)

It's A Jungle Out There....

2009-05-23T21:10:00.006+08:00

Well at least today it was, LOL.

We celebrated Molly's birthday today at a fantastic indoor playground called Jungle Gym.

She invited 15 friends & they all had a ball running around & swinging on ropes etc, just like little wild animals.

After a good feed & some birthday cake, the kids were well & truly worn out, not to mention me.

This is a pic of Molly's birthday cake.

I decided to go with the jungle theme & made her a monkey cake.

This is a pic of the venue. Kids just love this place. There's so much to do & is lots of fun.

I've been very quiet on the creating side of things lately.

I am working on a mini album but have spent a lot of time planning the party & doing work on the house.

The weather has been shocking this week. A big storm came through on Thursday & we lost power for 14 hours. Luckily we didn't have any damage although many others were not so lucky.

I really can't find anything to like about Winter. I dislike the cold & the rain so much that it makes me quite grumpy. Oh well, only 6 months to go & it will be warm again, LOL.

I hope everyone is well & happy.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope to have something new to share soon :)

I Was Beaten....

2009-05-05T13:17:00.012+08:00

Chloe & I spent the weekend celebrating National Scrapbooking Day in our own little way
We sat around the table making cards & Chloe was an absolute machine!!!!
She ended up beating me by making 10 GORGEOUS cards but I only managed 7...well 5 that I'm happy with.

These are my cards.

I really fell in love with the colours & patterns of the new Basic Grey "Lime Rickey" range
These are all made with just the papers & diecut sheet plus rubons & buttons.

I hope you all enjoyed the weekend & hopefully got to do some scrapping.
Did any off you take part in the Cuttlebug Challenges Spa Weekend?
We did, though I must say the blog hop was exhausting for my poor little fingers.
It was lots of fun though & there was certainly lots of inspiration too

Bye for now :)

Card Patterns #12

2009-05-01T21:19:00.003+08:00

This is my card inspired by this week's Card Patterns sketch.

I cut the flowers on my Cricut & the paper is MME.

I made this card last night for the lovely teacher who was Molly's kindy teacher. Such a truly sweet person.

She told me yesterday that she became a Grandma 3 weeks ago, & I know how exciting that is so I thought it would be nice to celebrate her new status.

I think you can tell by the card that she got a Grand Daughter, LOL.

These are MME papers again with some Prima flowers sprinkled with a little glitter.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone :)

Oops Nearly Forgot....

2009-04-29T21:05:00.004+08:00

I made this card weeks ago for the Inkurable Stampers "Orange, Black & White"challenge but some how haven't got around to posting it here yet. Must be holiday brain, LOL.
So here it is....

School started back today, well for one kid it did. Poor Molly came down with a stomach bug yesterday & was really ill. She was much better today but a bit tired so I kept her home.

I hope you are all well & happy.
Bye for now :)

CPS #112

2009-04-26T00:38:00.004+08:00

As I was choosing a card yesterday for Molly to give to her friend for her birthday, I realised that I was running a bit low on little girl cards....that girl gets invited to so many parties!!!
I thought I'd give the CPS sketch a go to make some more cards for my stash.

This is one I came up with.

I've had this AMM paper & matching jelly embellishments for soooo long, so it was good to finally put them to use.

This is my little fairy on her way to the party yesterday & she doesn't have a broken wing anymore...her arm is all healed, YAY!!!!

I just thought I'd share this photo that I took at the same time.
Along the side of our driveway there are some conifers & last weekend my nutty hubby decided to clip a little smiley face into one of them.

What can I say....men are strange creatures, LOL.

2 Sketches 4 You

2009-04-25T13:41:00.004+08:00

Hi everyone
Here is another card that I made yesterday at Chloe's.
I took a bunch of sketches with me to work on & this one is for Laura's #24 sketch at
2 Sketches 4 You.

I've used Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" papers & a gorgeous Prima pearl flourish & flowers.

Hope you are enjoying Anzac Day.
We watched the Gallipoli Dawn Service this morning & Miss Molly & I have made a big batch of yummy Anzac biscuits.

She's off to a fairy party this afternoon so I'd better go get her ready.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Girls Day

2009-04-24T22:02:00.007+08:00

Molly & I visited Chloe & Til today for a little get together.
Molly & Til had loads of fun outside on the trampoline, playing hide & seek & swinging from the long hanging branches of the palm tree.....they were monkeys apparently, LOL.
Chloe & I chatted & crafted at her table, well eventually we did, we just had to pop down to the scrapbook shop for some "inspiration" first.

This is a card I made today, which is my take on the Card Patterns #11 sketch.

Lots of Sassafras Lass on this one, such a cute range.

I would also like to say thank you & give honour to all our country's brave ANZACS & wish well to all those who will be marching in tomorrow's parade.

"ANZAC Day" by D.Hunter. A veteran of Shaggy Ridge with the 2/12 Battalion in WW2

I saw a kid marchin’ with medals on his chest.He marched alongside Diggers marching six abreast.He knew that it was ANZAC Day - he walked along with pride.He did his best to keep in step with the Diggers by his side.
And when the march was over the kid was rather tired.A Digger said “Whose medals, son?” to which the kid replied:“They belong to daddy, but he did not come back.He died up in New Guinea on a lonely jungle track”.
The kid looked rather sad then and a tear came to his eye.The Digger said “Don’t cry my son and I will tell you why.Your daddy marched with us today - all the blooming way.We Diggers know that he was there - it’s like that on ANZAC Day”.
The kid looked rather puzzled and didn’t understand,But the Digger went on talking and started to wave his hand.“For this great land we live in, there’s a price we have to payFor we all love fun and merriment in this country where we live.The price was that some soldier his precious life must give.
For you to go to school my lad and worship God at will,Someone had to pay the price so the Diggers paid the bill.Your daddy died for us my son - for all things good and true.I wonder if you understand the things I’ve said to you”.
The kid looked up at the Digger - just for a little whileAnd with a changed expression, said, with a lovely smile:“I know my dad marched here today - this is ANZAC Day.I know he did. I know he did, all the bloomin’ way”.

LEST WE FORGET

Just Popping In....

2009-04-20T13:04:00.004+08:00

with a quick little post today.

I made this card for Kazan's sketch 24 at 2 Sketches 4 You, but I am a bit late in getting it in this week but thought I'd show you any way.

Chloe & I spent Sunday creating around the dining table again.

Molly & Til were having all sorts of fun running around outside. Chloe & James had a party to go to last night so we minded Til. Poor little thing was so puffed out that she fell asleep, on the lounge, while waiting for her dinner.

Another week of holidays stretches blissfully out in front of me, I'm feeling so relaxed & the kids are being wonderful. I'm loving it :)

Hope everyone else is enjoying life too & doing what you love.

School Holidays Are Great....

2009-04-17T18:47:00.003+08:00

I'm loving taking it easy & pottering around doing things at a leisurely pace. Spending time with the kids & spending way more time in my craft room.

Molly wanted to make some Honey Joys today but we didn't have any cornflakes left so we ended up making them with Sultana Bran. Yeah, I know what you're thinking....GROSS!!!!

I was pleasantly surprised to find they were actually really yummy & Molly was pretty chuffed with her invention, LOL.

Here are a few cards I've made this week.

The first one was for the "Wicked Princesses card challenge.

This one is for the card sketch at "Got Sketch".

The last one is for Linda's card challenge at Scrap Pile which was to make a shaped card.

Looks like I have babies on my mind doesn't it.

Chloe, that's your fault, LOL. Only 5 months to go until my second little grand child is born.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you are all well & happy :)

Lazy April Afternoon

2009-04-13T23:31:00.005+08:00

Has everyone recovered from Easter yet?

We've spent a fairly quiet day at home today, thanking our lucky stars that we had such great weather yesterday as it's been raining & windy today.

I've enjoyed some leisurely blog hopping today. There are so many inspiring blogs out there full of gorgeous eye candy.

I visited one of my very favourite manufacturers, October Afternoon, & as they were having a card challenge, I took the inspiration to go upstairs & create this card using their "Night Light" range.

I'm hoping the rainy weather doesn't hang around for the school holidays.

Hope you all have a great week :)

A Wonderful Day

2009-04-12T21:24:00.005+08:00

That's exactly what we had today.
Hubby & I woke before the kids, at 6.30am, extremely unheard off, LOL.
The Easter Egg Hunt was a flurry of excitement, squeals & too much chocolate.

We all headed of to Point Walter for a lovely day in the warm sunshine.
Molly & Til loved splashing in the river & even had a ride in Chloe's kayak with her.
We enjoyed a yummy, relaxing picnic lunch & finished the day with a walk out on the sand bar & Molly had a ball collecting shells in her little bucket along the way.

Here are a few photos from today.

Molly & Til testing out the water.

Chloe & Til having a cuddle.

Me & Molly.

Molly collecting shells.

My early start & all the sunshine are starting to take their toll on me so it's off to sleep now I think.

I hope you all had a truly wonderful Easter & don't have too many tummy aches :

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T09:53:00.005+08:00

Hi everyone.
I hope you are all enjoying your Easter break so far. It's certainly lovely to be out of the school routine & relaxing lots with the family. Excitement is rising here today with the arrival of the Easter bunny not far away now :)
I finally got around to doing my card for this weeks CPS sketch, last night.
This is sketch #110.

And this is my take on it.

I've used some Prima papers, Crate diecuts & an Autumn Leaves chipboard journaling panel.

I also wanted to tell you about a great event coming up on the Cuttlebug Challenges blog.
They are having an online Spa retreat with loads of fun, challenges & prizes & I can't wait, it sounds like a fantastic event.

Check out all the info at Cuttlebug Challenges.

Wishing you all a very safe, joyous & fun Easter :)

Sunshine & Fun

2009-04-07T20:22:00.009+08:00

I had a fantastic time over the weekend.
Our local annual festival was on & we went for a lovely stroll into town to check it out.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, a perfect Autumn day.
The kids had fun on the rides & looking at the stalls & exhibits.
The firemen were there with their fire truck & the girls had so much fun getting to squirt the fire hose into the big lake.
This is Molly enjoying her turn. She even got to wear the fireman's hat.

Chloe & I also spent some time creating together.
I'd bought some papers from Cosmo Cricket's new range "Lil Man" & they inspired me to make these cards. I don't seem to make an awful lot of boy cards & so I really enjoyed doing something not so girly for a change.

Here are the 5 cards I made.

Molly had a check up at the doctor's today & her arm is healing really well & is almost fully healed. She can't wait to get back into her swimming lessons, she's missed it so much.
There are only 2 days left of school & then we have 2 glorious weeks of holidays. Yippee!!!!!
Guess who will be sleeping in on Friday, LOL.

Have a great week & I wish you all a very Happy Easter :)

CPS #109

2009-04-04T12:32:00.006+08:00

After a busy but productive week, I was busting to go up to my craft room & get creative.
I'm amazed by how much mess I made making just 1 card but it was lots of fun & I feel relaxed now.
I used sketch #109 at CPS for inspiration.

I knew I really wanted to tear openings in the top paper to depict the 2 strips in the sketch but experimented with different papers before I was happy with my combo.

I've mainly used the Pink Paislee "Vintage Moon" range & have added a scrap of a Collections transparency & chipboard branch.

Chloe is coming over this weekend for some more creative fun together.
We are also going to visit our local festival tomorrow.
Hope you enjoy your weekend too :)

2 Sketches 4 You #22

2009-03-29T11:44:00.005+08:00

I stumbled upon another great card sketch blog a few days ago called 2 Sketches 4 You & am so happy that I got to play along with this week's sketch. I was suffering a bout of insomnia last night so I thought I might as well get up & put the time to good use, LOL.
I chose these bright, happy coloured papers from the MME "Garden Party" range, which was surprising as I wasn't feeling particularly bright at 2am.

We are all excited as the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is on today. Now I'm not usually a rev head but my husband & son have converted me to F1 over the years & I particularly enjoy the Australian race. So I'd better go get some snacks ready & put my Ferrari cap on, ready to cheer for our favourite driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Hope the weekend has been relaxing & fun for you all.
Bye for now :)

CPS # 108

2009-03-22T22:07:00.005+09:00

I had to chance to play along with the CPS sketch today.
It was a really interesting sketch & after a complete change of mind on what I was going to do, I ended up making this card.

I've used Crate Paper "Lagoon" paper & a MME Quote Card.

It's feeling a lot like Autumn here lately.
The days are still sunny & warm but the mornings & nights are starting to get chilly.
I think I'm starting to accept that Summer has gone & Winter will soon descend upon me.
I'm more a Summer person & really struggle with Winter. I loathe the rain & cold & wearing heavier clothes.
The only good thing about it is I do tend to spend more time creating so I guess it ain't all bad.

Bye for now :)

More Easter Treats

2009-03-21T15:17:00.007+09:00

This week Molly & I decided to make some little treats for her to give to her best friends for Easter. I cut the bags with my Cricut machine using the Tags, Bags, Boxes & More cartridge.
The stamp is a new one that I bought recently from my friendly Stampin Up consultant, my daughter Chloe. I really love this stamp & was itching to use it on a project.

We filled the bags with colourful little speckled eggs & finished them off with some pretty ribbon & a flower.

We've also made a slightly larger one for her teacher.

Molly's arm is recovering quite well. We were amazed at this huge bruise that came out on her arm, she was strangely proud of it as you can see.

Hope everyone has a fun filled weekend :)

Easter Mood

2009-03-18T15:29:00.008+09:00

To help calm my frazzled mind, I've been spending some time thinking of something sweet....EASTER!!!!

Firstly I made this set of 3 cards using the same products, some Rusty Pickle Chocolate paper & the reverse side of Scenic Route Lynden paper.

Then this one is for my little girl, Pink is always a neccesity for her.

I've mixed some Scenic Route Lynden paper with some Imaginisce paper.

Lastly was this one using the leftovers of the Scenic Route Lynden paper.

Here are some after photos of the earthworks we had done over the weekend.

This photo was taken from the top of those huge grey rocks you can see in the photo from yesterday. It's quite high up & gives a great view over the yard.

This one is down at ground level & looking from the other end of the yard.

There's still a lot of work to be done to get it looking pretty but at least the messy bit is finished.

Thank you for the well wishes for Molly.

She is relatively comfortable now & is making the most of her time at home with me.

Take care all until next time :)

CHAOS!!!!

2009-03-17T13:19:00.006+09:00

That was what my weekend was full off.

It started with a huge backhoe arriving to virtually tear up our back yard. My dear husband decided he'd like to build a cricket pitch but our backyard is quite steep & rocky, not ideal for a cricket pitch. So in came the backhoe to take care of that problem. Well 3 days later it was finally beautifully level & everything was covered in a thick layer of red dust which wasn't fun to clean.
Here is a pic of the work getting underway. I will take another photo tomorrow of the end result.

On Saturday afternoon my little girl tripped while running on the lawn & fell awkwardly on her arm. A 3 hour visit to the hospital revealed a fracture just above her elbow. Thankfully the bones are not displaced so a cast wasn't required. She has it in a collar & cuff & it is still very sore & swollen. I don't think she minds having time of school though.

So after all that, I hope you can all forgive me for being so late with the winner of my giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:6
Timestamp: 2009-03-17 04:18:42 UTC

It is with pleasure that I can announce the winner is..... KYLIE!!!!!
I will be in contact with you to get your address details soon Kylie :)

I managed to make a card for Linda's Card Challenge this month, before chaos descended on me.
This is my take on the sketch.

I've been working on some Easter cards too which I will try to take photos of tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by :)

Colour Challenge

2009-03-08T16:27:00.005+09:00

Hi everyone :)
I hope everything is going well in your neck of the woods. To all the girls up in Queensland, take care with Cyclone Hamish, I hope it doesn't cause any damage or flooding.
Linda has a great colour challenge this week at Scrap Pile, to use green & mauve together.
I thought I'd give it a go as green is my favourite colour but I don't think I've ever used it with mauve before.
This is the card I made. I was thinking weddings at the time so it's kind of turned out as a wedding card.

Material List :
Making Memories Vintage Small Rose Crackle Paper
Making Memories Vintage Antiqued Stripe Paper
K & Co Urban Rhapsody Naked Chipboard Tag
Making Memories Noteworthy Audrey Chipboard Alphas
Melissa Frances Glitter Chipboard Flower
Making Memories Funky Vintage Clear Swirl
Diecut Butterfly
Kaiser Pearl
Scrapbook King Rub On
Kindy Glitz 3D Slick White Paint
Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist

Don't forget about my giveaway.
Leave a comment on the post below this one to be in the running to win some cute goodies.
Bye until next time :)

Toot!!!!

2009-03-06T12:58:00.006+09:00

Well I'm rather surprised but delighted to be able to say that some of my cards have been accepted for publication in Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft Magazine, one of my favourite magazines.

It is the first time I've ever submitted my cards to a magazine so I was amazed to get the OK.
I'm not sure which issue they will appear in but will let you know when I have more details.

To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway!!!!!

All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post & I will draw a name next Saturday 14th.
I will put together a package of assorted goodies for the winner.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great weekend :)

Sunday Fun

2009-03-02T15:54:00.006+09:00

Yay, Chloe & I did spend the day yesterday making cards together.
I love it when she comes over as she motivates me to sit down & take the time to create. I would probably just keep doing housework otherwise so thanks Clo, the time we spend together is always so much fun & I really enjoy it.
I made a set of 4 cards from the cute October Afternoon range "Weathervane", a very appropriate range to work with on the first day of Autumn.
These are a little different from my usual style but I wanted to make some cards with a fun feel to them.
So here they are....

It was wonderful to have the extra day to relax this weekend.
Oh how I wish every weekend was 3 days long.

Hope you all have a fantastic week :)

Long Weekend Bliss

2009-02-28T12:34:00.007+09:00

Ahhhh, it's a long weekend here, 3 days of relaxation & fun, I'm feeling happy!!!!
I was determined to make the most of it & spend some time in my craft room this weekend & I got off to a flying start last night with Linda's new card challenge at Scrap Pile.
This is the card I created.
I've had this gorgeous embossed K & Co paper for years & have never used it but it was perfect for this card.
The challenge was to use a Pottery Barn ad for inspiration. It had lots of white, yellow & timber in it so I chose the colours as my inspiration.

I'm hoping to get more done over the weekend. My daughter, Chloe, is coming over so I'm sure we'll get busy with some paper together.

I wanted to share this photo of a little visitor I had to my gargen yesterday.

We have Kookaburras visit quite often & I love taking pics of them.
I consider us to be very lucky to have so much beautiful wildlife sharing our garden with us.
We have many types of birds, bandicoots, rabbits, lizards & ducks who are regularly seen in our back yard.

This is a photo of a Kingfisher that I took last Winter. I was amazed by how intense his colour was, isn't he beautiful?

I hope everyone is having a fabulous day.
Take care & have fun :)

This One's For You Mel

2009-02-17T21:34:00.013+09:00

As promised earlier today, I'm back with some new cards. Sorry to keep you waiting Mel, LOL.

My dearest hubby gave me a Basic Grey "Porcelain" Card Kit on Saturday, for Valentine's Day...isn't he a love?

Here are the 8 cards that I made from the kit. I really enjoyed making these, it was heaps of fun.

On Sunday, Chloe & I had a day of card making together. She made us each 8 wee little 3" x 3" cards & we both used Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" papers to decorate them.

They are so cute & just perfect to use as gift cards on presents.

Here is my little collection.

Thanks for stopping by again. Hope you have a great week :)

Guess What?????

2009-02-17T10:26:00.003+09:00

I have some very exciting news to share.
My beautiful daughter Chloe is expecting her second baby. I'm going to be a Granny again!!!!!
It's been very hard keeping this secret but she announced it on her blog so I'm free to blab now, LOL.
The baby is due late September...now I just have to wait, I'm not very good at waiting though.

I've got heaps of new cards to show but I just need to take some piccies first & hopefully I'll get around to posting them later on today.

CPS #102

2009-02-11T17:51:00.003+09:00

CPS have given me the inspiration to get back into my craft room again.
I wish I had more time lately to create but with so much going on at the moment I am just grabbing little snippets every now & then.
My focus is on getting work done on the house & we are making great progress which makes me very happy.
The back to school routine is proving hard to get use to again. Oh I wish I could sleep a little longer when that alarm clock rings.

Here is my take on sketch #102.
I've used MME papers & diecut.

Thanks for dropping by :)

CPS Sketch #100

2009-01-31T16:14:00.003+09:00

Hello....remember me?????

I'm so sorry to have abandoned this poor little blog for so long. I've been having a wonderful time with the kids over the Summer holidays. All good things come to an end though & it's back to school on Monday. I'll miss my sleep ins but I'm kind of ready to get back into a routine & spend some time without hearing chatter 24/7...my little girl can talk like you wouldn't believe, LOL.

We've also been busy doing lots of work on the house. Hubby remodelled the kitchen a bit as I've been wanting a desk area in there. So some cupboards were reshuffled around & I love the end result. I am also now the very excited owner of my very first dishwasher, I love it madly.

There has been a lot of painting happening too, 4 rooms so far, & it's really freshened the house up so much.

This will be a continuing effort this year. We are very determined to get this house finished finally.

Needless to say there hasn't been much time for crafting but I must say I've enjoyed taking a break for awhile.

My daughter, Chloe, has come to visit today & it's the perfect opportunity to sit down together & get stuck back into it.

The great team at CPS are celebrating their 100th sketch so I thought that would be a great place to start. The are running a competition at the moment so pop on over to check it out, there are great prizes being offered.

So here is my card based on sketch #100.

I've used Crate Paper "Prudence" papers & diecuts.

I hope to have more projects to show soon but for now I hope you've all enjoyed the holidays too & that all the kids settle back into school happily.

Happy New Year!!!!!

2009-01-01T21:46:00.010+09:00

I hope 2009 is a wonderful year for everyone, filled with much happiness.

I've started the year off by asking my dear hubby to tear my kitchen apart & move some cupboards around. He's such a love & happily agreed to my strange request. It's not finished yet but it's looking good.

Yesterday was my last day on the Scrap Pile design team. A lovely lady, called Linda, is the new card DT & her work is gorgeous.

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post the cards I made from my last DT kit.

Here they are.

This first one uses the gorgeous new paper from We Are Memory Keepers & some matching flocked lace. I love the hot pink colour.

On this one I've used one of the new ranges from Crate Paper called "Prudence", the papers & matching diecuts all coordinate beautifully.

I loved this fun paper as soon as I saw it. It's by WRMK also.

Lastly is this card from another range by Crate Paper called "Lemongrass".

This is a little project that I made just for me.

It's my new fridge calendar for the year. Every year I buy one of these cheap whiteboard calendars & jazz it up to my liking. I add a large piece of adhesive magnet to the back & pop it onto the fridge.

I've also added a punched flower to the days that are important, like birthdays etc, & wrote the persons name on them.

Well that's about it for me.

I may not get too many projects done during the holidays as I want to spend as much time as possible with the kids. I hope you all enjoy your Summer holidays too :)

My Cute Little Christmas Elves - Molly & Bella the Cat

2008-12-14T20:18:00.001+09:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....

2008-12-10T15:53:00.006+09:00

Firstly, I must apologise for being so slack with my blogging lately.

Life has been busier than usual, as I'm sure it is for all of you at this time of year.

We had a really fun weekend at Scrap Pile a couple of weeks ago. All the DT members ran Christmas classes & everyone got into the Christmas spirit by creating loads of lovely projects.

I ran 2 classes.

The first was for a cute set of chipboard fridge magnets. They make a great gift for teachers, friends or family.

Here is my finished set.

I made the little box on my Cricut machine to present them in, & tied it up with a pretty bow & added a tag.

My second class was for a Gift Card Holder. It's a lovely way to present a gift card & can be adapted for any occasion.

If you'd like to see all the classes, just head over to Scrap Pile & join up.

This is another project I did for Christmas. I bought a Kaiser Panorama Frame & made this pretty Christmas plaque to hang on the wall. I've used a combination of Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket & Kaiser papers & the gorgeous poinsettia flowers are also Making Memories.

I've been busy getting all my Christmas cards made also. This lot I did over a few days & ended up making 41 cards!!! I set myself a bit of a challenge too. I wasn't allowed to buy anything new, I had to use up all my older Christmas papers & embellishments.

My term on the design team at Scrap Pile is finishing at the end of this month so they are looking for a new card maker to take over the position.

If you are interested in being on a design team, I'd really recommend you give it a go & put in an application. All the information can be found in the forum & applications close on the 14th December.

They are the greatest group of girls to be a part of & you will thoroughly enjoy it.

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well :)

I'll be back soon with some new projects to share.

WOOHOO She WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-23T21:51:00.002+09:00

Oh my goodness, I can hardly type coherently....it is with great pleasure that I can announce that Chloe won the SYTYCS competition.!!
I have spoken to her & she is extremely excited & even less coherent that I am.
On behalf of Chloe, I'd like to sincerely thank each & every person who was so kind enough to take the time to support her along this grueling journey. I know she is amazed & ever so grateful to have had such lovely people cheering her on.

The Last Leg....

2008-11-22T21:15:00.003+09:00

Well my daughter Chloe made it through to the Grand Final in SYTYCS, OMG it's just too exciting.

Voting is now open but is only for a short time this round.

The winner will be announced at 8.30pm (EDST) tomorrow night.

If you are a registered member at Scraptacular & would like to vote for Chloe, please, please do.

I've witnessed the sweat, tears & effort that she has put into this competition week after week & it would be a dream come true for her to actually win it.

Remember you no longer need to have 30 posts to be eligible to vote.

I'd like to share Chloe's 2 layouts for this final round with you.

This is her single & it features my gorgeous grand daughter looking as cute as can be.

And this is her double layout & is all about her journey in this wonderful competition.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope to be able to announce some good news tomorrow at the close of voting :)

Votes For Chloe

2008-11-17T20:24:00.003+09:00

As you all know by now, my daughter Chloe, is in the semi finals of SYTYCS at Scraptacular.

They have announced new voting rules for this round.

If you are a registered member on Scraptacular, you are now eligible to vote, without having to have a minimum of 30 posts.

So, PLEASE, if you can spare a vote for Chloe to help her get through to the final round, I know she would be so grateful for your support.

Voting closes Tuesday at 7.30pm EDST.

Here is the link to Scraptacular

And here are Chloe's entries for this round:

Quick Little Update

2008-11-15T23:33:00.004+09:00

I have a few more cards to share from my DT kit this month.
I've used some more of the Scenic Route Sonoma paper on this one, teamed with some Teresa Collins. The green spot is the reverse side of this paper & the other side has a huge variety of gift tags, the round tag on here is one of them.

This card I've made for a very special person, my daughter Chloe. I really am so very proud of her achievement in getting this far in the SYTYCS competition. With only 2 rounds left, I'm confident she has what it takes to go all the way.
Chloe, congratulations & well done. You have an amazing talent & I'm so happy that you gave this competition a go. Now everyone gets to enjoy your stunning creations :)

This uses more of the gorgeous Basic Grey Urban Prairie papers & die cuts.
Have a great week :)

6 Weeks Til Christmas!!!

2008-11-10T19:47:00.005+09:00

Hope I didn't scare you, LOL, but Christmas has been on my mind quite a bit lately.
This month at Scrap Pile our challenges are all Christmas themed.
My challenge is to create a Christmas card which features some vellum & bling.
I haven't used vellum for ages but it can give a lovely effect especially on a Christmas card.
Here's my card

Over the weekend I decided I'd like to make an OTP item with the remaining contents of my DT kit & this cute little butterfly came together very quickly & was whisked away even quicker by my DD to put in her room.

The chipboard butterfly is making Memories, I've had it in my stash for a little while.
The papers are Basic Grey Urban Prairie & I've added some Maya Road scrolls which I've painted & coated with glitter.

We will be running some great Christmas classes at Scrap Pile during the last weekend of November. Come along & join us & get some wonderful ideas for some projects you can make for Christmas.

My very talented, beautiful daughter, Chloe, has made it all the way through to Week #10 in the SYTYCS challenge. This is the third last week & she has created 2 absolutely stunning layouts, so if you can spare some votes, I know she would dearly appreciate it.
Here are her gorgeous layouts-

Thanks for stopping by & I hope your week is a great one :)

I'm Back!!!

2008-11-02T20:20:00.003+09:00

I hope you didn't think I'd fallen off the planet, LOL. It has been a while hasn't it?

I had a box of goodies arrive in the mail on Friday so I've been having a bit of fun with the contents. I've managed to do 3 cards this weekend & here they are.

This one is for a lovely lady at our school who's act of kindness has made a huge difference to my daughter's confidence during her school swimming lessons.

It uses Making Memories Noteworthy 2 Addie paper, some gorgeous new Green Tara flowers & a beautiful bling flourish from Prima.

With this second one I finally got to play with some pompoms. I've been hanging out for the Maya Road pompom trim to arrive, it's so cute.

The paper is Scenic Route Sonoma & I've used a MME transparency & some Blueye Dezine felt ribbon.

and lastly, on this one I've used the absolutely gorgeous new Urban Prairie range from Basic Grey. I really love the colours in this range.

I hope to be back soon with a few more cards to share.

Take care & be happy :)