Saturday, March 31, 2012

Black, White and Brown and Eggs

Hello,


The colours for the Play Date Cafe #125 challenge are very interesting – black, white and a touch of brown.  Isn't this a wonderful inspirational picture? 
For the card I used bazzill card.  On the black card I embossed Judikins pressed fern.  I punched and embosesed brown Nellie Snellen flowers.  The sentiment is a Fern Gully stamp.  The rhinestones are from Kaiser.
Because Easter is coming up I thought the Challenge at Crazy amigo’s  - Eggs was very timely
Supplies:  Sandylion paper, K & Co flowers, a Dulcie Jackson Stamp, Martha Stewart leaf punch and Kaiser rhinestones.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Hello,
It's late but it's the weekend, lovely.  How appropriate then is the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger - Happy Happy Joy Joy. 

This weekend is special, we get an hour extra - it's the end of Daylight Saving.  I do look forward to this weekend.  A sleep in!! 

Anyway now onto the challenge.  Here is the inspiration image.
When I saw this picture the pattern on the top left made me think of some paper I had. So a card followed for the challenge.
Supplies:  Bazzill card, SEI Paper - Madera Island Ramos, Sentiment - Stamping Up, Gross Grain ribbon, Button, Embroidery cotton.

I thought the pattern also lent itself to  iSpy Sketches Challenge –Week 9.  So I am also entering the card in that challenge

Bye for now

NOTE:
Just wanted to added a note.  The card looks like I just added  one piece design paper.  Whereas I cut diagonal strips of paper and added them to the card, allowing for a boarder and space between each peice (for the background card to show through)

Friday, March 30, 2012

Bird

Hello,

The card I have made tonight is for Dutch Dare- Sketch challenge
Supplies: Bazzill card, Stamps - Inkadinkado, Bird Galore, Kaiser pearls

I am also entering it in the Simon Says Stamp ~ Anything Goes! challenge

bye for now

Thursday, March 29, 2012

A Touch of Red and Baby Blue

Hi,

The challenge at Less Is More, this week is to pick 3 past challenge to make one card. 
The challenges I chose were:
Week 9 - A Touch of Red
Week 12 - Off Centre
Week 50 - One Layer Bird
Supplies - Bazzill card, Stamps - Bird house, Montarga, Sentiment, Penny Black, Carl Punch - Flowers.
I made another card for this week's Unscripted Sketches #151
Supplies - Bazzill Card, Stamps - Studio G, Paper - Graphic 45, Ric Rac

That's all for tonight

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Butterflies

Hi,
Another late night so it will be a short post.  Tonights card is for Virginia's View Challenge

I took inspiration from the colours in the inspiration photo.  Aren't the colours lovely?  This time I have used mainly digital product.
Supplies:   Digital - Hero Arts, Winged Friends and Patterned Paper Earth, Sentiment - Grace Taylor Stamp

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

White Out

I have put a lot of time into tonights card, it was to be for Virginia’s View Challenge over on Lily Pad Cards.  It looked good in my head but in reality it's too busy.  I am going to sleep on it now.  Perhaps tomorrow night I will try a new take on it or simply scrap the idea
Anyway here it is. Let me know what your thoughts are please?

Monday, March 26, 2012

Simple Elegance

A very quick post to share a card for Tuesday Trigger challenge at Moxie Fab World.
I used cream cardbase to represent the cool neutral look of the walls.  The inked (Versa Color - Pinecone) Cuttlebug -Textile echos the carpet pattern.  The pink flowers and green ribbon give the hint of colour that the tulips added to the Trigger image below.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Twine & Pasta

Hi,

The weather hasn't been great but hey it's Saturday.  Good day to stay inside and do housework and, if there is time, craft  (or is that the other way around?).

I have a card for Annabelle Stamps Challenge - Say it with Twine. 

This topic really grabbed me.  How could you use twine on a card beside the obvious?  Then I remembered pictures people used to make using string. 

It was a fun card to make I would like to try this method again.  It has lots of possibilites

So here is my card.  I used red & green Jillibean Soup Twine, Bazzill card, brad, and sentiment - Grace Taylor stamps.  

 
I found this design on Modpaperie blog

A little something extra.  If you are like me and work full time.  When you come home and cook tea you like something tasty, nutritious and importantly quick.  The following recipe is from French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano. 

Orecchiette with Tuna and Courgettes (serves 4)
Ingredients
350g orecchiette pasta                                                  Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium courgettes, thinly sliced                            1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic                                                             500g cherry tomatoes, halved
180g canned tuna in olive oil (I used tuna in springwater)
4 tablespoons olive oil                                                  2 tablespoon chopped basil

1. Bring 2 litres salted water to a rolling boil in a large saucepan.  Cook the orecchiette according to the packet directions.
2. Place the courgettes in a large serving bowl.  Drain the pasta over the bowl, and let the courgettes stand in the hot cooking water for 2 minutes to soften.  Drain and return the courgettes to the bowl.
3.Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Saute the garlic and tomatoes over a medium heat until softened.  Remove from heat.  Add tuna.  Toss with the pasta and courgettes, and drizzle the oil over it all.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with the basil.  Serve immediately

I find if you time everything right, by the time the pasta is cooked,  the tomatoes, garlic and tuna are ready to be added and then the courgettes have softened and are ready to add as well.  So the dish takes just preparation and pasta cooking time.  Simple and quick, magic!

Hope you like it.

Cheers

Friday, March 23, 2012

Aqua and White

Hello,

It is Friday night, the beginning of the weekend, so everthing is good. 

Tonight I have a card I am going to enter in the Ribbon Girls - Colour Challenge #17, Aqua & White.

Supplies:  Bazzil card, Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots, Kaiser pearls, Martha Stewart & EK punches

I am also entering the card in Creative Insprirations # 155: Anything goes


Thursday, March 22, 2012

Stamps

Good Evening,

Here is a card I have made for Clean and Simple FTL182I bought the Graphic 45 paper back in February for a totaly different project.  Well this challenge just seemed so right for it.

Supplies:  Graphic 45 , Glimpse of Paris & Forgotten City, Kraft card, Darkroom Door sentiment stamp and Martha Stewart punch, Fiskars Paper Edgers - Mini Pinking. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Mellow Yellow and Green

Hello,
This a second post for the day but it will be quick.  My first card is for Unscripted Sketch#150
This week there is a Piggy Back Challenge which is to add green to the project.

I went with green but I did rotate the sketch.  Supplies used were Darkroom Door Stamps, Bazzill card, Archival Graphite Black ink, a button and twine.


The second card is for Annabella's Say It In...Yellow and White

I rarely use yellow and when I do it is only in small amounts, just touches.  It has certainly turned out very bright.  Supplies used:  Bazzill card, Penny Black Sentiment, Kaiser Rhinestones, Stampit Caterina background stamp, ribbon and buttons and Martha Stewart Punch

I would also like to pay tribute to a man of great character.  Jim Stynes died on Tuesday aged 45, after a three year battle with cancer.  He hailed from Dublin and came to Australia when he was 18 to play Australian Rules Football, he played for the Melbourne Football Club.  Jim was twiced named Victorian of the year.  This was for his work with youth.  In 1994, he co-founded the Reach Foundation, an organisation that aims to help young people aged 10-18.  He died with his wife and two young children by his side.

Hat

This weeks  challenge at Less is More Challenge is masking.  Which is good because it gives me more practise time.  I had tried masking for the first time in their Script challenge and I wasn't happy with the result.  I enjoying doing challenges because it strectches my skills
 Supplies:  Stamps - Music, Stampington & Company; Hat - Flourishes; Sentiment - Papertrey Ink - Mega Mixed Messages.  Ink - Archival - Graphite Black  (Flowers are ones I have picked up on shopping trips, no brands)

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hung Out to Dry

Hello,
While I was in Bendigo at the weekend I visited a Scrapbooking Show.  There I saw a B Line Design stamp that made me think of this weeks Clean & Simple #181 Challenge

This isn't strictly a banner but it is hanging from a line, so I hope that is okay.
Supplies:  Stamps - B Line Design, Ink - Versa Color, Amethyst and Archival, Graphite Black. Card - Bazzill.

Another fun card to make and different from my last two.

It is now very late and today is my early start at work - a long day.  So I must go to bed if I want to get up for work tomorrow

cheers

Monday, March 19, 2012

A Great Weekend and a Card of Retro Colours

It has been a lovely weekend.  The weather has been great and I have had lots of interesting activities. 

Yesterday I went to Bendigo, 153 km from Melbourne.  Bendigo is an old gold mining town and it boast one of the best regional Art Galleries in Victoria.  I went to see an exhibition - Grace Kelly, Style Icon. The exhibition traces Grace Kelly's life from her career as a Hollywood actress to her marriage to Prince Rainier III.  It features dresses from her films, to her wedding trousseau to her haute couture gowns.  The only gown that wasn't orginal was her wedding dress and it is too fragile to travel. A very interesting show.

Last night we went to a friends fortieth birthday party.  We caught up with lots of old friends.  The menu was Spanish and was quite delious.  It was a fun evening of good company, food and music.

Today I went with a friend to Queenscliff, 105 km from Melbourne.  Queenscliff is a popular seaside town.  We spent the day shopping and chatting over coffee.  A very pleasant day.

Back to work tomorrow and reality.

But for now for todays card.  This card is for the challenge at The Play Date Cafe.  I was quite keen to make a card using the suggested colours, they are so bold and so retro.
I had seen a video by Jennifer McGuire on creating a chevron border and thought it was ideal for this challenge.  The card was great fun to make

Thanks for popping by.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency

In February I was given a bag of books.  They were the first six books of the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  I had tried to read them once before but they didn't hold me.  This time I just needed something light and easy to read and I actually enjoyed them. 

Precious Ramotswe, a tradionally built lady, is the detective in question.  Botswana's finest and only detective.  Precious is a lovely character - warm, compassionate and caring.  She has a knowledge of human nature that helps her to solve the cases that come to the detective agency.  These cases aren't criminal, they are personal problems. 

Precious is capably supported by the characters of Mr J.L.B. Maketoni, the proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors and her assistant Grace Makutsi.  The stories are light, charming and at times humorous.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Ladybug, Old Friends and Sentiments

I have a three cards to show you today.  The first card is for the Unscripted Sketches.#149. 



Supplies:  Card - Bazzill, Paper - The Little Thrift Shop, Stamp - Hero Arts, Window Ladybug, Kaiser - Rhinestones

The second card is for the challenge at Less is More - One Layer Script

Supplies:  Stamp - Darkroom Door,Vintage Automobiles and Old Truck


The final card is for this weeks CAS-ual Fridays Challenge (CFC #43).  The theme is "For Sentimental Reasons", the sentiment is to be the focus.
Supplies:  Sentiment - Darkroom Door, Punches - Carl,Cosmos and Fishkars, Kaiser - Pearls

Thank You

Have you been following Lucy’s Cards week of  Digi Tips?  It has been very informative.  Lucy is a very talented card maker and I like to drop by her blog to see what is her lastest project.  Now the tutorials are finished Lucy has set a challenge - Create a card that features some kind of digital element. 

I have been keen to try my hand at digital cards, so here goes.

Supplies:  Card - Bazzill and Yes, Hero Arts Digital - Flowing Flowers, Sentiment - PTI, Kaiser - pearls

I am entering the card in  Lucy’s Challenge and I am following her suggestion to enter this month's Hero Arts contest.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Rock Star

I have found that taking part in challenges really does push the boundaries but it's great fun.  Today I am trying a new technique, it's faux embossing.  You use cut shapes, the same colour as the main card, and glue them in place. 

Inspiration was a little slow coming tonight but here is what I came up with.
Supplies:  Bazzill card stock, Nestabilities label Seventeen, Cuttlebug star dies, Inkadinkado Rock Star Stamp. 

I have used the colours - Charcoal, Ash and Butter.  These are colours of the current challenge at Play Date Cafe.  Here is their inspirational photo.  Isn't it pretty?
 I am entering this card in Just Us Girls  #127: Faux Embossing and also Play Date Cafe's colour challenge.

Spring

It's late so this will be a short post.  Jay Gee's Nook has a lovely inspirational board. 

It is fresh, fun, and sweet.  It's spring.  That is what I have tried to achieve with my card.

Supplies: Stamp - Wonderful, Penny Black, Paper - Scenic Route, Ribbon - Little Bits, Sentiment - PTI, Kindy Glitz

I am entering it in JayGee's Nook. challenge #17 and Penny Black and More - Springtime

Good night and sweet dreams

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Boat Shaped Card.

This weekend has been very pleasant.  On Friday night I went to see Miriam Margolyes in her one-woman tour-de- force, Dickens' Women.  Not only did I learn about Charles Dickens but also how he drew some of his characters from real life.  Ms Margolyes brought each character to life simply with a change of voice or a change of expression.  I enjoyed it immensley

This afternoon I went to see The Artist.  I have been looking forward to seeing this film and it lived up to my expectations.  A lovely film, quite clever and a sweet love story.  No wonder it won five Oscars.

Now for this weekends card.  I didn't do so well with the cards.  I made three different cards but only liked one, the one below.
Supplies: Pattern - The Cutting Cafe, Sail Boat; Paper - My Minds Eye, Red Pin Stripe and Kaiser Periwinkle; Card - Bazzil; Sentiment - Fern Gully Stamps; Buttons - Francheville; Brads - unknown

I am entering this in two challenges -
Celebrate The Occasion, #53 Birthday (shape card)
Our Creative Corner, Tic Tac Toe Challenge.  I used Brads, button and Blue

Friday, March 09, 2012

Mother's Day Card

Good morning.  A little story to go with this card.  When I was working in the UK Mother's Day came around so I sent my mother, back in Australia, some flowers.  The thing is that in Australia Mother's day is in May.  Mum was a little confused until I explained.

Supplies: Sentiment - PTI stamp, Image - Crafty Secrets, Bird & Botanicals, Doily - Craft Bits, Card- Bazzil, Sizzix for the rolled flower, Pearl - Kaiser and ribbon

Todays card is for the Simon Says ,,, Mother's Day/Special Girl and Paper Crafting Journey : Anything goes

Time to go to work

cheers

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Baby Card

A work mate has just had a baby, a little girl, so I needed a card for her.  Lily Pad has a new color challenge and the colours are just perfect for a baby card.  What a great opportunity 

Supplies; Stamps - Kaiser and Darkroom Door, Punch - Fiskars border and Martha Stewart pine, Card - Kraft and Bazzil, ribbon and flowers

I am entering the card in the following challenges:-

Lily Pad Cards Color Palette Challenge - Purple Onion 
CAS-ual Friday - Hey baby! 
Just Us Girls #126 Sketch Challenge


Good news! The floods in Wagga Wagga didn't break the levee banks and everyone was able to return to their homes today.  My son is okay and back in his flat.


Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Our Creative Corner

This is the second post for the day.  I still haven't heard from my son but no news is good news?

My second post is a card I made for Our Creative Corner challenge Making Melody.  Our Creative Corner  

What a fun idea. The song I chose was "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" a 1966 hit recorded by Nancy Sinatra

The boot stamp and sentiment are Darcie's.  The white spot on black is Kaiser paper and the black spot on white was made using a Darkroom Door background stamp.  I double stamped the boot thn cut one out and popped it up on foam tape.  The other one I just cut the straps and popped those on the boot image.  I used Kaiser rhinestones but they don't show up in the photograph.  

I tried to re-create the feel of the 60's by using spots and contrasting colours.


As I said earlier this was fun            

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Floods

In an earlier post I told of a trip we made to Wagga Wagga.  It was the beginning of the uni year and we took our son back to Wagga Wagga to continue his studies.  Victoria and southern NSW have had a lot of rain in the last couple of weeks which has caused a number of rivers and creeks to flood.  The Murrumbidgee is one such river and Wagga Wagga is situated on this river.

The latest news on the floods in Wagga Wagga.
An article from the Sydney Morning Herald  "An urgent evacuation order has been issued for central Wagga Wagga in southern NSW as floodwaters threaten to reach a 160-year high.  The State Emergency Service (SES) and the police issued the order shortly after 10pm (AEDT) on Monday.  It affects 8000 people, ABC Television reports, which makes it the biggest emergency since during the week-long flood crisis.  SES Murrumbidgee region controller James McTavish said people needed to leave by dawn on Tuesday as the Murrumbidgee River threatened to breach the city's levee barriers."

My son rang me at 10pm yesterday to tell me they were being evacuated.  I think this is just a precaution, incase the levee bank weakens.  Today the authorities have revised, downwards, the estimated height they think the river will reach.  So I think he will be fine.  People living in the north and east of Wagga Wagga were evacuated Sunday because their homes were flooding.  These areas are very flat.

I am just waiting to hear from him, but I am sure he will be okay

Sunday, March 04, 2012

For Your Inspiration Challenge #25 and Celebrate the Occassion

Hello.  Today I have a new card for the challenge at foryourinspiration challenge.  The inspirational photo for this challenge is beautiful.  What does it bring to mind? For me - warm nights, seaviews, a light sea breeze, good food and good company.

Back to the challenge.  I stamped Aspire, Penny Black, using Broken China, Ranger.  The sentiment was Fern Gully.  The central panel was cut using Nestabilities Labels seventeen and popped up with foam tape.  It was finished with a ribbon and button (these are just ones I have picked up in bargain bins in local stores)  Finally a Kaiser rhinestone and some pearls.

I am also entering this card in Celebrate the Occasion Challenge #52:   - Birthday (must use bling)

Friday, March 02, 2012

Tuesday Trigger: Home Sweet Home


Today's card is for Tuesday Trigger: Home sweet home.

The house and the little bird were the inspiration.  So the next step was ... why not a birdhouse?
Materials used - K & Company paper, rolled Sizzix flowers, Martha Stewart foliage punch, blue ribbon, cream button and finished off with Kaiser pearls.

It is also entered into Simon Says Stamp challenge: anything goes

Have a good weekend

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Unusual Wedding Dress

Today I was online looking for a particular brand and type of vial for work.  When I came across this photo.  I just had to share with you


Recycled Pill Vial Wedding Dress
It is a wedding dress made up of recycled pill vials.  I don't know how it was made but in the photo it looks quite amazing.

http://www.greendiary.com/entry/royal-dress-made-of-recycled-pill-vials-is-simply-stunning/
  

Oh and don't think I was so side tracked that I didn't get my work done.  I found the vials and the company and have placed an order.  So it was just a small distraction