Donna's Blog

ATCs - Winged

2011-03-06T06:56:00.000+13:00

Here are the Winged ATCs I have made for a SWAP. - I really love the little child eating spaghetti - so cute!

Bookmark

2011-03-04T06:50:00.000+13:00

Here is the bookmark I received in a recent swap - and this little owl is the bookmark I made - it is on top of a jumbo paperclip - cute huh?

ATCs - Bling

2011-03-02T20:47:00.000+13:00

Here are the Bling ATCs I received in return for my creations.

Easter Cards

2011-02-28T06:52:00.000+13:00

Last month I 'won' a challenge on one of my mailing lists - my Easter card was chosen and everyone else had to send their cards to me - here are two that I have received. The bunny is made from punches with a fluffy tail and the little girl is gorgeously coloured.

Christchurch Earthquake

2011-02-27T21:17:00.002+13:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this week - I have been dealing with the tragedy unfolding in Christchurch which is where I grew up and where my family and friends live.

Thankfully everyone is alright - but there are still a couple of friends I haven't heard from. Our families have headed away from the city for a few days to get a bit of a break but they are seriously over it now.

My Christchurch is no longer - icons of the city are no more, The Cathedral, Shag Rock, and many many others.

If you want to DO something - donate money, do some baking - as Miss M and I have been doing today for The Great Sunday Bake Off or make some cards and donate them to Christchurch Victim Support.

Victim Support are a group affiliated with the NZ police force and are trained in dealing everyday with adversity, helping and supporting people in need.
We thought they would appreciate some cards that they could write in and to take to victims of this devastating quake.
If you would like to do the same then you can send a home made card (blank inside with envelope if possible) to -

Victim Support
PO Box 2109
Christchurch
New Zealand

Happy 4th Birthday Miss N

2011-02-21T07:11:00.000+13:00

One of my neices has her birthday the day after the C Man - this year she turned 4 - she was born quite prematurely and in the begining it was touch and go but she is a vry determined little girl and she has a very strong spirit.

Here is the card I made for her.

Happy Birthday C Man

2011-02-19T07:03:00.000+13:00

Here is the card I made for the C Man - the robots have googly eyes. I like this set but I need to use it more ...

Gnomeo and Juliet Cupcakes

2011-02-17T06:57:00.000+13:00

I baked chocolate cupcakes with chocolate chips - to represent dirt, iced with green grass and then printed characters from here. They were lots of fun to make and a real hit - everyone got to choose a character they liked.

10th Birthday Invites

2011-02-15T06:45:00.000+13:00

The C Man has turned 10 - where has the time gone!!!! He decided he wanted to take some friends to the movie Gnomeo and Juliet. It was really fun and we had a great time. These are the invites I made based on one of the lead characters - Gnomeo of course!

Happy Valentines Day Geek Man

2011-02-14T07:37:00.000+13:00

Here is my Valentines Day Card for my husband - it kind of follows a theme with our Anniversary card see here. I have used Dimensional Magic on the heart so it has a lovely glossy shine, the leaves are from the Bird Punch and the owl from the Owl Punch. I also decorated the inside - but I forgot to take a photo of it - darn.

This is based on a card I saw online somewhere - but I can't remember where now- sorry if it's yours - let me know and I'll give you credit :-)

Black and White Card

2011-02-12T07:31:00.000+13:00

Here is the Black and White card I made for a swap for January - using my favourite stamp set of the moment - Elements of Style.

Black and White is quite a cool combination to use every now and then - must use it more often.

Easter Buckle Card

2011-02-10T07:12:00.000+13:00

Two of the craft lists I belong to had challenges in January - to make a buckle card and to make an Easter card. Here is the card I created - combining both challenges into one card because I was a bit pushed for time (as often happens around here).

the funniest thing... I 'won' both challenges - on one list I am the guest artist of the month and grace the sites home page and on the other list everyone who entered the competition has to send their card to me. Just shows you have to be in to win :-)

ATCs - Resolutions

2011-02-09T06:58:00.000+13:00

These are the ATCs I received in the January swap - the theme was New Year Resolutions - everyone had such different resolutions - I just hope we can all keep them now.

My resolution is to use up the stash of stuff I have - much of it has been there for a long time - I am working on using up the 'special' papers and ribbons and rub ons and embellishments that I have accumulated over the years and have saved for a special occasion.

ATC Calendar 2

2011-02-08T07:42:00.001+13:00

This is the ATC calendar that I received in return - it's so cool - and here are some that I especially like. The leaves on the cover are foiled, the bees and flowers use crayon resist and the beach is just such a lovely scene.

ATC Calendar

2011-02-06T07:47:00.000+13:00

I created this ATC calendar to send off to my partner in this swap. I tried to use up as much stuff from my stash as I could.

These are my favourite cards from the set...

ATCs - Bling

2011-02-04T07:40:00.000+13:00

I had to make three ATCs with the theme of Bling. My resolution for the year is to use up my stash of stuff (well some of it any way :-). These girls were made using images and gems from my stash.

Seamstress in the making

2011-02-03T08:01:00.000+13:00

Miss M decided she wanted to try patchwork - and that today was the day. Luckily I have some fabric downstairs which she went through and chose some pieces, pressed them all, cut them to size, stitched them together and created a bag - she was so proud of herself!!! I might have to put a lock on my studio door!

Blue and Green Card

2011-02-01T21:38:00.000+13:00

Here is another swap card ... the theme for this one is "Blue and Green"

Folded Card

2011-01-31T08:29:00.001+13:00

Here is a fancy fold card for a swap - hopefully Sharon has received it by now :-)

There are some prima flowers in the centre panel too.

The kids are back to school today - I hope they have a great day! I'm doing the happy dance!

Just Believe

2011-01-30T08:16:00.000+13:00

I LOVE this stamp set - yes I know I say that a lot but why would I buy a set I didn't like - I have enough STUFF!

This card is for a swap - the theme was a Thank You card.

Happy Birthday Sally

2011-01-28T08:07:00.000+13:00

It was Sally's birthday last week and I needed a very Special card for such a special person. I had seen this card here and just had to try it out (after gathering my supplies :-) It was lots of fun, not too hard and has such a lovely shimmer in real life that is just looks 'special'.

I even got carried away and did a Sarah Gough and decorated the inside of my card! Pretty tame by Sarah's standards ( I just LOVE her work, and I've met her in person and she is just as lovely!) but a start none the less.
The actual decoration is the flower stamped in the lower left corner - not all the other speckly bits (they are actually bird poop on the outside of our window - YUK TMI I hear you say - I know but those windows are 2 stories up and I can't clean them easily) I was trying to get maximum sunlight to take a nicer photo and that meant some poop - sorry!

Craft Room - After

2011-01-26T08:28:00.000+13:00

Here is the new and much improved craft desk - as I've never seen it before - well not since we moved it in there anyway.

You'll be pleased to hear I even created something on it and tidied up after myself - long may that continue!

I have a lot more to tidy in that room but I'm not going to let you see the rest - it will take me longer than a couple of days to sort out and I'm back to work now!

Happy Anniversary GeekMan

2011-01-25T12:36:00.005+13:00

We were married 14 years ago today, on a beautiful Christchurch Day that turned into a WET evening - but we managed to get our photos taken before the downpour.

Here is the card I made for the GeekMan - the idea isn't original - there are lots of them out there in blogland! Everyone liked it - Miss M and I even got an "Aw Cute" from the GeekMan.

I really like what I was able to do with the sentiment - and how true to likeness I was able to get the Owls :-)

Elements of Style

2011-01-25T08:49:00.000+13:00

Guess what - I got a new stamp set recently - as a gift - boy I am spoilt.

So here are a couple of the cards I have created using "Elements of Style". I love colouring in using either ink pads or water colour crayons and an aqua brush and I have used water colour paper - what a lovely effect - hmmmm - might need some more soon at this rate.

(this is not the best photo but my favourite colour combo of the day - pity there wasn't more sunlight when I took this one)

Craft Room - Before

2011-01-23T08:46:00.000+13:00

Here are some UGLY photos of my craft room AKA Downstairs, AKA My Studio, AKA The Craft Cave

The first pic is along the length of my desk - not that you can see the surface of the desk in any of these shots. At the far end there are two bookcases on their sides for storage and the PILES of stuff come up almost as high as the first set!!!!

The second pic is from the doorway - I should have pulled the chair out so we could have a better view of the depth of piles.

The good news is that this photo was taken a couple of days ago and I have spent a few hours trying to sort it out since then. It's not finished yet but I'll post an update when it is.

Cupcake Heaven

2011-01-22T08:16:00.001+13:00

As part of the craft group that Kelly and I run in our local Community Centre we invited Velda from "I Want..." to come and demonstrate her gorgeous cupcakes for our Christmas gathering.

Now this woman is awesome and her cupcakes taste divine and her decorating skills just blow my mind - she makes it all look so simple. This was her second visit to our group and we'll be getting her back again!!!

These samples are some of the great work that people created - cute!!!!

Miss M's birthday

2011-01-21T07:40:00.005+13:00

Well Miss M had another birthday and started our HUGE two months of celebrations with birthdays, anniversaries etc

Here is the card I made for her from a template from a magazine originally I think - simple but effective - she liked it and that's the main thing.

She had a few friends around (Do you know how hard it is for children who have birthdays in the holidays to find enough people at home to have a party?) and we did some orienteering around the local school, a treasure hunt around home and ate some food - perfect.

Can you guess how old she was this year?

And these are the goodie bags and treats for the girls who came - they are hiding in the microwave as part of the treasure hunt, and this little owl is hiding a Freddo Frog - cute huh

Did you miss me?

2011-01-20T13:34:00.003+13:00

I am finally back from the brink of techno land - it's a place far, far from here :-)

I got a mini lap top for my birthday last year and it has taken me this long to work out how to get the photos off my camera and onto my laptop in a state that can be uploaded - well I hope I have... fingers crossed! (and I did it all by myself - Geekman has only given me a wee tiny bit of help - I worked the rest out by myself!)

So here is a test run to see if I have mastered it - or whether it is getting the best of me :-)

ooooh I think I am winning - Yeah!

Here is our cat Mischief (and if you've ever met her you'd understand the name) She is sitting in Miss M's bookshelf doing a book impression - just before she tried to eat the books and then reached out to eat the books in the next shelf over.

Keep an eye out here - now that I have the power I'll be able to post some cards and creations - and some of the loveliness from Miss M's recent birthday.

Lisa Volrath Christmas Countdown

2010-12-03T22:45:00.003+13:00

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

2010-11-13T13:37:00.001+13:00

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

2010-10-10T13:19:00.003+13:00

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

2010-09-26T21:17:00.002+13:00

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

2010-05-17T22:24:00.000+12:00

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

2010-05-14T22:21:00.000+12:00

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

2010-05-12T22:17:00.000+12:00

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

2010-05-09T22:06:00.000+12:00

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

2010-05-07T22:15:00.001+12:00

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

2010-05-07T21:55:00.001+12:00

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

2010-04-27T16:34:00.000+12:00

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

2010-04-27T16:24:00.000+12:00

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

2010-04-27T16:16:00.000+12:00

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

2010-04-05T13:17:00.000+12:00

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

Goodies for the Teachers

2010-04-05T13:03:00.002+12:00

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

Yum, fish for tea

2010-04-05T12:57:00.001+12:00

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

New Stamp Set

2010-04-05T12:52:00.002+12:00

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 ...

2010-04-05T12:17:00.003+12:00

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

2010-03-08T16:54:00.000+13:00

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

2010-03-08T16:51:00.000+13:00

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

2010-02-13T10:53:00.003+13:00

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

2010-02-12T07:54:00.000+13:00

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

2010-02-10T08:55:00.000+13:00

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

2010-02-09T14:46:00.000+13:00

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

Card Update

2010-02-09T14:44:00.000+13:00

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

Birthday Cake

2010-02-09T14:41:00.000+13:00

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

Happy Birthday Cameron

2010-02-09T08:02:00.000+13:00

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

2010-02-08T08:50:00.000+13:00

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

2010-02-07T17:46:00.000+13:00

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

2010-01-26T09:21:00.000+13:00

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

2010-01-25T14:15:00.000+13:00

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.

2 in 2 days - don't get carried away!

2009-12-18T14:48:00.002+13:00

I just read this on someones blog and I had to share it - makes you think - well it made me think anyway.

My blog won't let me paste it in here - go check it out at Michelle's Blog

Yep - still alive

2009-12-16T16:35:00.002+13:00

I have been so long blogging I'm surprised I remembered my password.

I have been working at a great job - but that means much less time for creative pursuits. The job is part time, school hours and for GirlGuiding - it just doesn't get much better than that (well perhaps being paid for 40 hours and working 20). The job will only last short term and I'm sure it will be over sooner than I hope.
I am trying not to love it too much so that I don't get so sad when I have to leave.

Anyway ... I have managed to make Christmas cards this year and have even posted most of them ubt we are way behind in the present buying stakes and we leave on our holiday on Monday .... oh well - they have shops where we are going.

All the best to you and yours and I'll try to be a better blogger again next year - don't hold your breath.

I caught a mouse ... and other things

2009-08-31T15:26:00.002+12:00

Yeah I finally caught a mouse. It seems the peanut butter was the trick but perhaps I should have spread it straight onto the trap and not worried too much about the bread - anyway I got one... which reminds me he is still in the trap and I'm not totally sure how long he's been in there as I was away for the weekend. Better go and sort that out.

Other news is that I have a new job that has started very suddenly. It is to cover someone's maternity leave position and will last 6-12 months. I was going in for some training but turned into the first day! My head is spinning now!

No cards to show you for now ... hopefully everything will settle down and I'll get back to it.

Same card, new colours

2009-08-22T16:17:00.000+12:00

Here it is again …. only in a different colour scheme – better I think.

A New Upsy

2009-08-21T16:15:00.001+12:00

Here is another take on my favourite Upsy Daisy. Better in real life though :-)

Joy Fold Friend

2009-08-16T13:28:00.000+12:00

I really like these Joy Fold cards and here I used a mixture of designer paper and my new stamp set – Great Friend.

More Great Friend

2009-08-15T13:26:00.000+12:00

Here it is again in a totally different colour way ….

Great Friend

2009-08-14T13:24:00.001+12:00

Kelly finally gave me my latest order and you know what that means – yep a few new cards!

Back to Baroque

2009-08-13T12:28:00.000+12:00

Using this years In Colours – Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango and last years…Blue Bayou – lovely.

Another Upsy

2009-08-13T12:21:00.000+12:00

I followed a sketch for this one …. in a new In Colour – Kiwi Kiss

Flowers

2009-08-13T12:20:00.000+12:00

Here is an oldie but a goodie ….

Hand Bags

2009-08-12T11:59:00.000+12:00

Here are a trio of hand bags made using the round label punch and some designer paper and brads.

Urban Daisy

2009-08-11T11:39:00.000+12:00

Here I have stamped the Daisy’s onto the designer paper – simple but effective I think.

Cupcake

2009-08-10T09:37:00.000+12:00

Now this scan does not do this card justice – I should have taken a photo I think. Where there is white – that’s not part of the card – this one is shaped and is the size of the cupcake and can stand by itself. I’ll have to take a photo sometime to give you a better idea of it.

Still yummy though :-)

Another Upsy

2009-08-09T09:35:00.000+12:00

I hear you all screaming “NO not another Upsy Daisy card!” but humour me please – there are a few more :-) and secretly you lone them too.

Mice Update

2009-08-08T17:09:00.001+12:00

Good news - I have found something that mice don't like to eat - licorice. I was getting desperate so I baited three traps with licorice, tied it in with string but the traps were still set and the licorice untouched after two days - I think I have found their achilles heel.

No closer to getting them though.....

I might go back to try peanut butter again - and someone suggested peanuts.... I'll keep you posted.

Pieced Cupcake

2009-08-08T09:32:00.000+12:00

Madeline and I bought ourselves this cupcake stamp – It’s hard to say who loves it more – her or me.

This one I have stamped onto a couple of different patterned papers and layered up to recreate that delicious cupcake with sprinkles and a cherry look. Yummy!

Joy Fold

2009-08-07T09:22:00.000+12:00

Here is a Joy Fold Upsy Daisy. The top panel with the daisy’s folds out to the right and the pale green (Baja Breeze) folds out to the left. This one looks MUCH better in real life.

Chalked Daisy

2009-08-06T09:20:00.000+12:00

At Cards Unlimited this week, Megan was demonstrating chalk pastels and this was my take on it – subtle.

You can go and see what Keryn did here.

Card

2009-08-05T09:17:00.001+12:00

Well it’s about time I showed you some of the cards I have been making over the last few weeks of work….

This was based on a colour challenge somewhere – Teal, Plum, Blue and black – I really like this combination but don’t think I’ll use it often – who knows.

Long time no post and MICE

2009-07-26T10:01:00.002+12:00

Yep I have been MIA again ... working, recovering from working (:-), school holidays and now more working have all kept me from the computer and the craft room and the blog - oh well - things will return to "normal" soon - I hope.

Anyway those of you who have followed my life on here for a while will remember my party loving mice who 'share' my craft room with me ... well you guessed it they're back - I have already caught one but the others are pretty clever having managed to sneak the bait on more than one occasion. Last night while I was down there creating they were having a feast on something behind me (not a nice sound I tell you).

So this post is really just to say I am still alive and kicking and will be back soon I hope but am off to set some more bait - wish me luck.

Cherish

2009-06-21T09:18:00.000+12:00

It’s somewhat comforting to be able to fall back to old favourties – always as faithful as ever – Yeah Baroque Motifs!

Back to old friends

2009-06-20T09:12:00.000+12:00

And here is another old favourite – Baroque Motifs. Sorry for the slightly wonky picture – just tilt your head slightly :-)

No More Upsy Daisy

2009-06-19T09:05:00.001+12:00

OK I admit all that Upsy Daisy was a bit much …. so last night I challenged myself not to use it and here is one card I came up with using an old favourite – embrace life.

Keryn’s colour Challenge #22

2009-06-10T08:17:00.001+12:00

Last week, Keryn’s colour challenge was Elegant Eggplant, Lovely Lilac and Old Olive – this is what I managed to do with it. I am not happy with the smudge on the greeting – but sometimes you get that – and next time I’d do foliage with the flowers I think.

It’s Wednesday again so check out Keryn’s blog for this weeks colours.

Happy Birthday Ruth

2009-06-10T08:11:00.001+12:00

Yesterday was Ruth’s (my Mother-in-law) birthday but I didn’t get a chance to post this cos I was working. I hope you had a great day – despite having to work and that you get to celebrate really soon!

One Last one for now…

2009-06-09T08:55:00.000+12:00

As this is being posted to my blog I am at work, have been for a week or so and have a week to go. I am an early childhood teacher and at the moment I am filling my time with relieving where ever I am needed. This is a two week stint – normally it’s just a day or two at a time. Luckily I scheduled all these posts cos I’ll be way too tired after work to get through all the regular stuff let alone get close to the computer to post!

Now this card, using Upsy Daisy (of course!) I stamped onto a piece of card I found in my stash. This piece of card was brayered at the first ever crafty kids workshop I attended 12 years ago!- now that takes me back! That’s one old piece of card – I might have to give brayering another go though – it looks pretty good!

Glitter and Glitz

2009-06-08T08:50:00.000+12:00

Here are two ATCs for a May Swap – yes I know a little behind (but thanks to the magic of scheduling I have already posted these ones too – I hope!)

The theme was ‘Glitter and Glitz’ – the one on the left was made with Jac paper, lace and glitter – leave me a comment if you want to know more and the one on the right is using some gorgeous adhesive felt lace and some bling.

Little Pieces of Paper

2009-06-07T08:43:00.000+12:00

One of my swaps for May was make a card using up little pieces of paper – as you can see it is now June and the card is still here – well hopefully not – by the magic of ‘scheduling’ I have hopefully already sent this card off to it’s new destination by now!

This is a mosaic card that Val showed us how to make at one of the craft groups I attend – but it needed something more – the butterfly is stuck onto acetate and so in real life looks to be flying off the card – the scanner didn’t do it justice.

Just Jessica

2009-06-06T08:18:00.000+12:00

Kelly and I had one of our Community Craft nights last week and the theme was “cards for kids” . We borrowed Keryn’s Stamp and tried some paper piecing with it. We also tried glittered numeral cards and everyone came away with some lovely cards for the kids in their lives.

Based on a sketch …

2009-06-05T08:14:00.000+12:00

Here’s another one based on the sketches Sally gave us – and using one of the images she supplied in our little pack of goodies. I hope Keryn, Kelly and Vicky have had a go at creating something with Sally’s goodies – we are getting together this week for show and tell.

Creating In May

2009-06-04T08:06:00.002+12:00

I know you are thinking – surely not another one!!!!

This card is based on another of the sketches Sally supplied for our weekend away -thanks Sally!

I totalled up the amount of creating I did in May – I managed 27 cards, 20 ATCs, 4 CJ pages and two tags to go with them and one canvas for my Nana’s 80th birthday which is coming up later this month! Whew it makes me tired just looking at the list …. but you know the scary thing – I don’t even know how accurate I was with my recording - so there may have been MORE!

A Little Birdie

2009-06-03T07:52:00.000+12:00

I was playing around downstairs and came up with this little number for a swap with the theme of “Birds” It is based on one of the sketches that Sally included in the pack of goodies she gave for our Waikanae Convention Weekend

Make-and-take

2009-06-02T07:47:00.000+12:00

Here is the “Make-and-Take” from a recent Stampin Up! party I was invited to – long story …I ended up being invited to two one the same night and then at the last minute remembered I was taking transport for the Cubs outing – ooops!!! anyway I was lucky enough to receive a make and take anyway – lovely isn’t it – using some of the new range of designer papers in the Stampin Up! range.

Honest Scrap Award

2009-06-01T17:34:00.001+12:00

This is the second award that Libby has awarded me this month – thanks Libby – go check out Libby’s blog.

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows:

1) I must thank the person who gave me this award and list their blog and link. (see above)

2) I must list 10 honest things about myself.

1. I have a lovely husband and two beautiful children whom I adore.

2. I’d love a job where I can work around my children – and get paid really well for it!

3. I love crafting and making cards!

4. I really enjoy going to the gym – now I just need to watch what I eat so that all the hard work pays off.

5. I am currently sitting inside wearing 6 layers + hat+scarf and want to wear gloves but it’s to hard to type wearing gloves – don’t ask me how I know :-) It is freezing here right now!

6. I only learnt to drive when I was 27 years old.

7. I’m not very good at thinking of these things :-)

8. I am a GirlGuiding leader and have been since my 18th birthday. I really love it and get as much from it as I give.

9. I can say the alphabet backwards

10. I am ambidextrous – I taught myself to write with my left hand one day when I was bored.

3) I must put a copy of the Honest Scrap Award on my blog.

4) I must select at least 7 other worthy blogs and list their links.

Kelly http://scrappydo.wordpress.com/

Keryn http://kerynscards.blogspot.com/

Sharlene http://www.magpiecreates.com/

How sad is that I don’t know 7 more people who blog – come on friends get a blog – if you want this award consider yourself awarded!

And thanks to Libby for the other award she also gave me!

Last one…

2009-05-26T07:53:00.000+12:00

for now anyway :-)

This card did not go to plan at all – it all looks very different in my head but I think it turned out ok in the end – thanks for all your suggestions Keryn.

Birthday Daisy

2009-05-25T08:40:00.001+12:00

I love how versatile this stamp set is – 3 different greetings for any occasion you could think of and flowers that look as good stamped in one colour as they do in several.

and another one….

2009-05-24T08:28:00.000+12:00

Here is another Upsy Daisy card, coloured with markers – but here I’ve used some DP and a piece of ribbon.

Another One

2009-05-23T08:19:00.000+12:00

Here is another Upsy Daisy card – no kidding – get used to it :-)

I coloured the flowers with markers – this meant I could get green stems and orange and red flowers. I think this would have looked better with some paper piercing – but my gear was downstairs in the cold and I was upstairs in the warm ….but another time.

I LOVE Upsy Daisy

2009-05-22T08:05:00.001+12:00

Yeah I know my favourites change as soon as I get a new stamp set but the one of the minute is Upsy – quick and easy or a bit more complicated – it meets many criteria for a stamp set :-) I sat down and had a play straight away and here are a few cards …. I know many of them are essentially the same but you might get some new ideas ….

Keryn’s Colour Challenge 20

2009-05-21T08:28:00.002+12:00

Here are my two entries for Keryn’s colour challenge for this week – using my new Upsy Daisy stamp set – you guessed it – I love it and there will be a few more cards to show over the next few days – you know me – feast or famine!

Keep warm everyone!