Lisa Volrath Christmas Countdown

Woohoo - Lisa Volrath is doing another Christmas Countdown.

if you like using printable downloads in your artwork then checkout this website for printables - a new one every day till Christmas.

I really wish I had something creative to share with you - I did use a new stamp set last night - but no photos (and a pretty average card)

Too busy to keep you posted

So much for updating here more often and telling you how I'm doing on the whole 101 in 1001 thing. I have been so manically busy that I haven't done much of anything except be busy.

Hopefully it will all settle down soon - really soon....

101 in 1001

In my blog surfing I came across this concept - doing 101 things in 1001 days.

First you have to make the list - do you know how hard it is to come up with 101 things that are challenging but not impossible and not too easy either? - really hard!!!

But anyway, I have made my list - which I'll share as I complete them (Thats one of my goals :-)) and today is day one - I also have to take regular photos so one day soon I'll get a photo taken and uploaded to show you.

Yoo Hoo

I guess you all thought I had dropped off the face of the planet - some days it has felt like it ...

There hasn't been much crafting going on but lots of busy family stuff - one crisis to another this year - including the recent earthquake in Christchurch which has shaken our families up - a lot.

Oh well, the good news is that I am planning to get back to creating and blogging.

Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon.

Gifts Galore

Here is another one of those all over background cards that I am loving so much just now ... using a Sale-a-bration set.

A Tractor for Pop

Here is a card I stitched for my Pop - he used to drive around in a big blue tractor like this but now he is in a rest home and so I hope he likes this card .. and that it takes him back to when he was a young man again.

More Top Notes

Here are another couple of the Top Note Die Patchwork Cards we created on our weekend away ... I think I need another weekend away ....

Girls Weekend Away

At last months girls weekend away we got to eat these divine treats - they were way too good to eat but one did pass my lips (if your my gym trainer look away now!)

And here is one of teh cards I made for my family to show them how much I missed them while I was away - this one was for my husband.... using my new 'Lots of Bots' stamp set.

Floral Thanks

I just love making these all over designs and then turning them into cards ( I can hear you all saying "No, Really!)
Here is one from the girls weekend away.

Easter Goodies

You remember, way back when it was Easter ... think really hard ... well these were the goodies we gave to the teachers. Sorry it has taken so long to show you.

Cute Huh!

Sympathy Card

Here is a sympathy card I made for a friend. These cards are seldom easy to make but make such a difference for the person receiving them.

Watercolour Effect

For this card I stamped Upsy Daisy and then spritzed it with heaps of water and left it to dry - I did a few of them at once and they are all different!

Quilted Top Note Cards

Looks at these very cool cards we made at our girls weekend away earlier this month using the new Top Note Die from Stampin Up and squares of designer paper.

New Stamp Set #2

See this new stamp set is very versatile - let me know what you think.

Goodies for the Teachers

Here are the little goodies we prepared for the teachers - Happy Easter everyone

Yum, fish for tea

and here is the fish - it doesn't look that flash here but it sure tasted good!

New Stamp Set

You know me... when I get a new stamp set I go wild for a while and all my other stamps gather dust ... don't worry I have a couple of new sets on the horizon and not too many days to post so you might not get to see too much of this Sale-a-bration set.

Then ...

you have to prepare the fish - I'd never done it before but had a quick verbal lesson and had a go at it - then we cooked it up and ate it - YUM!

My First Trout

The Cubs went fishing and Mr C caught the biggest fish caught by a child - his leader bet him but only by 14grams!

He had a great time but then the learning curve really started - what were we going to do with it next?!

Happy Birthday from the Doctor

Here is the birthday card I made for Bevan's birthday(the birthday was a week ago - it took longer to blog it than make the card :-). He's a big Dr Who fan so I found a pattern to copy and went for it - it went down very well with the ladies I was crafting with, the kids and with Bevan.

He also loved his presents - a pizza stone, Terry Pratchet book and Star Trek on DVD - what more could a man want?

GirlGuiding Pencarrow

As you may know I am a GirlGuiding Leader - with the youngest group, 5 and 6 year olds, called Pippins. I love it!


Through my involvement as a volunteer I have had opportunities to do many other roles within Guiding and have even scored my dream job - working for GirlGuiding NZ in their Lower North office in Wellington. This is just a temporary job while the administrator is on maternity leave but I am making the most of it.


One of my volunteer roles has been as part of the Management Team - helping to oversee the running of the entire Region - from Lower Hutt to Pahiatua. It has been great to see the bigger picture of Guiding and help with running events on a wider scale.


Late last year I volunteered (with the help of The Geek and some other leaders) to set up a Website to advertise and resource GirlGuiding in Pencarrow Region. This is WAY beyond my regular skill set but I have enjoyed the challenge and I am really pleased with how it is coming together. Please go and check it out and let me know what you think.


http://www.girlguidespencarrow.org.nz/

Cute

Here is a layout we made at the Stampin Up! demonstration on Friday night - I found a great photo to go with the layout I based on the demonstrators one. It all came together quite well I think.

For Naomi

Happy Birthday Naomi!!!


Naomi is my neice who is turning 3 today - we miss you Naomi but it was great catching up with you at Christmas time.

This card uses a Stamping Up! set that I have paper pieced on different designer papers to get that very "pink" look I wanted - almost good enough to eat.

More Easel Cards

I am really loving this style of cards just now - in case you hadn't noticed :-)

Card Update

And here is the finished card - with stamping and facial details.

Birthday Cake

Here is the cake I baked and decorated for the birthday boy - to match his card.

Happy Birthday Cameron

My boy is turning 9 today - and here is the card I made for him - it's not quite finished but I can't take another picture at the moment so this will have to do until then - I made the arms by winding wire around a skewer till it was the length I wanted. The other pieces are all cut free hand but based on a design I saw in a magazine.



It's a very special time for Cam as he starts back at Cubs tonight and he starts at GKP tomorrow - a programme for Gifted Kids which he just can't wait to start.

Check back later when I'll hopefully have a better picture too!

Easel Card #1

I had fun playing at Sally's on Saturday - here is one of the Easel cards I made (I made two there and then two more that night - I was one a roll) They were all using my new stamp set - Flight of the Butterfly - I am really liking it.

New Card

I went to a Stampin Up! demonstration on Friday night - the first one for the year and this was one of the projects we tried - a card using the designer paper from the Summer Mini catalogue.

I'll be needing a couple of baby cards this year - who knows, this may be one of them......

The View in My Craft Room

My Craft Desk

Behind My Craft Desk

The View Beyond my Craft Desk

The length of my craft desk


Yes, you may be wondering how I ever manage to create anything in a bombsite such as this - I wonder that myself regularly.

One of the groups I belong to has had a challenge to take a photo of your craft space and then tidy it up and show some before and after photo of your space.

I hope there is no time limit on this as it could take some time to "tidy up" - it might be quicker to get a mini skip!

13th Wedding Anniversary

Yes, I am still alive. We survived our Summer Holiday and the kids go back to school in 8 days time (not that I'm counting down or anything :-)) I have not had much time for creating but hopefully I'll be back to it in the next week or so - when this years 'normal' settles in.

Today is our 13th Wedding Anniversary.

Now my husband is a VERY lucky man, not only has he been married to me for 13 years but today he got the day off work (thanks to it being Anniversary Day) and two handmade cards from me! That was because I could not quite decide which one to give him. Miss 7 (yes she's had another birthday!) wanted the pink version because it is "more lovey" ( I made it more masculine by adding the grey and the row of holes) and I found the courderoy buttons and thought they'd make a masculine statement on a 'lovey' card - I'm not so sure they do but everyone was happy. Mr 8 (Yep his birthday is coming up) was amazed that I could make two cards with the same stamp and they'd look so different - man he's got a lot to learn about card making!

Hoefully I'll get back here again soon - don't hold your breath though - you know about me and all my good intentions.