Friday Smiles

FRIDAY SMILES WEEK 130

 This week I can share some garden surprises too.

My garden at this rental property is all in pots and lots of the plants are Bromeliads - these thick leafed plants often with prickles that are shaped so the water sits in the middle like a cup. Well to my surprise Wednesday I spied these to flower spikes, next day they'd grown to this photo and today they are in bloom - I haven't seen this one in flower before.

 

 

Also this week a photo of Arthur.... I had my desk drawer open and he made himself comfortable

 

My last pic today - 3 more boxes packed today, YIPPPPEEE

I can sort of see the end now in the rest of the house...mmmmmmm then to start on my craft room!!

I've had a productive week so yes I'm a happy chappy and smiling because today is Friday and as soon as I post this, I'm going to have a G&T with hubby.

If you've had a fab week and had lots to smile about why not pop over to Annie's blog and join in the sharing, there's always a joke or two for a good laugh. Thanks for popping by, enjoy your weekend

Happy Birthday Becca

This month it's Becca's birthday from The Damsel Of Distressed Cards and we're all helping her celebrate with great cheers and loud wooohooos. She's holding a Birthday Link up Giveaway to make this a memorable occasion. I've made this card using her photo inspiration below... I've included polka dots, purple and teal, and typography. I love using this bokeh technique, then I stamped the sentiment and die cut a happy birthday. I finished the card with some matching sequins.  Very Happy Birthday Wishes Becca, enjoy your whole month. Thanks for taking a peek

It's the Life in your Years

Don't you just love how Distress Inks turn out sometimes... then I hate to cover them up with stamps. So for this background I was only too happy to simply stamp this 'so true' sentiment over the top and hide the gorgeousness of these two colours.  I'm posting my card to the July Stamplorations challenge - Stamps and Distressing. Thanks for taking a peek

Merry Christmas

I have two large santa stamps and forever have had trouble inking them.... now I know that brayering on the colour works fabulously. Today I am posting to 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown July Technique challenge - Embossing on Vellum.  So I cut a strip of vellum and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the Seasons Greetings embossing folder. Then I trimmed it with deckle scissors and mounted it onto a red strip of card and layered it and the image onto navy card and finished the card with 3 red pearls.  Thanks for taking a peek

Merry Christmas

I really love how this Christmas bauble stamps up - this time I inked it in three shades of pink and embossed it in clear.  I used a Christmas Swirls embossing folder for the background and tied a ribbon and bows on it before mounting it to the card base.  Then I added pink Perfect Pearls dots, glitter glue dots, sequins and to finish some blue gems. I posting my card to 'Tis the Season challenge 47 - a Retro Christmas photo inspiration and chose to go with the pinks and baubles.  Thanks for taking a peek

What's On Your Workdesk, Wednesday??

WOYWW, Week 321

Another Wednesday rolls around and it's time to share a photo of my craft desk... what for you may ask... well over at our hostess Julia's blog you can read all about and join in - it's fun and addictive and you just never know who you might meet, what might inspire you or realize you're not the only person who collects more than they can use, or makes huge messes and often spends hours musing over a simple piece of card or material.
Anyway here's make desk this afternoon... I have a number of WIPs - that pile there at the back left, one finished card standing ready for a photo - then the rest of the desk bears the materials I'm using to create another 'C' card.  Below is a photo of my paper storage system - two 10 drawer 12x12 units - the left set holds all the scrap offcuts and the right the full 12x12 card stock... I just had a clean up in another 3 dreawer set that no holds my white and cream and water color card - and in doing so found even more plain coloured card to fill the units.... NO NO NO more card stock, especially green.
On the moving front, I have packed and itemized 20 boxes, so I am getting there.

Hope each of you has had an exciting and hopefully crafty week - I know OS are enjoying mid year school break. Thanks to everyone who passed by  my desk last week... Cheers

Tim Holtz July Tag

Today I am making a special post for a friend in Perth who doesn't yet have a blog. Catherine enjoys making Tim Holtz tags and here is her Aussie version of the July patriotic challenge.  I love the koala and native flowers Catherine - a great tag.  Thanks for taking a peek at her tag.

May your Holidays Sparkle

For this Christmas card I created the background panel with Distress Inks in two shades of blue and a fair bit of water as I wanted it to be pale - I also ran the distressing tool around the edge to give it a distressed look. Then I stamped the fir branch in two shades of green and clear embossed them. I then inked the top part of the stamp with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder to represent the snow. I stamped two ornaments on scrap that I'd coloured with Gelatos and fussy cut them - mounted them with foam tape and drew in a thread. To finish the card I stamped on the sentiment and added some glitter glue to the branches and a gem to the ornaments. I am posting to Stamplorations July challenge - Stamps and Distressing, also to July Rudolph Days challenge - Anything Goes and to Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Sparkle and Shine.  Thanks for taking a peek.

July Rudolph Days Challenge

Merry Christmas

This morning at the local Scrapbooking shop it was Christmas in July and so we made some Christmas cards.  A bit of die cutting, stamping and cutting from DP and we have quickly made some lovely bright cards.  Thanks for taking a peek

Merry Christmas

I have a card today for the ABC Christmas Challange - the letter "O", O for Off the Edge. Some DP layered onto red for the top panel. Then I die cut two hearts and a heart cut from Designer Paper which I have layered and finished with a die cut holly and berry pearls embellishment and positioned "off" the card. A stamped Christmas sentiment layered on green and positioned it partially off the card too. Thanks for taking a peek

O for Off the edge

Magic beautiful life..

This morning I wanted to make a card for Simon Says Monday Challenge - i scream for ... the letter i is our inspiration!  
... somewhere I got this notion to use my cube ink pads to make a border around the card ... I even clear embossed some of the edges.  Then I crazy cut the inside to give it some dimension and stamped the sentiment onto my base card which kind of goes with my haphazard border. Used foam tape to mount my frame onto the card and a fancy embellishment to finish the card.  Thanks for taking a peek

Challenge: i scream for…

Birthday Wishes

Mynn at On A Stampage is celebrating her blogs 5th Blogiversary, so I have made this cupcake birthday card to congratulate her.  An easy card where I've layered some gorgeous cupcake dp onto pale pink and then stamped my cupcake onto dp for some paper piecing.  Add a scalloped oval for a doiley and some glitter on the cherry. Finished the card with a layered birthday sentiment. I am posting to CASEplorations at Stamplorations.... I've cased Monika's cupcake card. Also to Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes challenge.  Thanks for taking a peek

Wishing you a Magical Christmas

This afternoon my Christmas card is for two challenges... One Layer Christmas Card July challenge #14 - optional, a Candle. Also for House Mouse and Friends HMFMC 199 - House Mouse and a Friend.  Just a simple stamp and colour and then a sentiment and scored border.
I did attempt another One Layer card but for some reason this stamp doesn't do well when I colour it and then to top it off as we do sometimes I stamped the sentiment crocked - so we all have bad days and maybe I'll re-look at it and turn it into another card.  Thanks for taking a peek

~ House Mouse and a Friend ~ 
 

May your Christmas be filled with Joy and Laughter

Well I've been experimenting this week - way out of my depth but thought I'd give it a go ... used Distress Ink coloured Texture Paste to make my Christmas Tree...just applied the paste with a palette knife and let it dry complete...I'm amazed how flexible it is, no flakes bits falling off...  Then I die cut a border die I have with hearts in it and used them as a garland around my tree.  I used a glitter pen to draw in the tinsel threads and added some glitter baubles. It was a bit bare so I water washed in some ground and added glitter snow flakes. A metallic red layer and mini sentiment finished off the card. I'm playing along with Merry Monday challenge #167 - include hearts, and at Happy Little Stampers July Christmas challenge the theme is Tree.  Thanks for taking a peek