Friends

I really enjoyed making this card...love working with water colours and stamping and embossing in white.  I've used the colour palette for my Card Chain Challenge card for September at Society of Stampaholics and the Friendship theme and I've mailed it off to Sabrina.  Thanks for taking a peek

OR

One of the following themes: – the Moon (in honor of Astronomy Week)  or  Halloween  or  Friendship

Catherine's September Tim's 12 tags of 2015

Today I am posting Catherine's tag for 12 Tags of 2015... really pretty colours and how gorgeous are those butterflies.

Our Beautiful World

BRICKS....

is the theme this week at OBW 116

Thomas Alexander O'Donahoo my 3rd Great Grandfather died in 1831 in Tasmania, Australia.  This is what remains of his grave alone on a hill on land he used to farm - huge dead tree and all, it overlooks Maria Island off the east coast of Tasmania. I visited the site two years ago and was amazed how I felt about our first English relative to arrive in Australia.
Thanks for stopping by....

Dream tag

Nearing the end of the month and realize I haven't made my Tim Holtz tag for Septembers 12 tags for 2015.  So first thing this morning I sourced out enough elements that I had on hand (seeing as most of my gear is in storage) and have come up with my take on Tim's lovely tag.  I had a bit of fun creating the butterflies and the photo isn't as bright as the tag is but I like it.  Thanks for taking a peek

Friday Smiles

Week 138 Friday Smiles

Hello everyone hope you've had a wonderful week and have some happy things to share over at Annies blog with Friday Smiles

We were only to happy to have Sophie over for the afternoon yesterday and after a nap and some time on the swing, it was time to blow some bubbles....here she is with Pa - they had so much fun with the breeze carrying the bubbles all over the back yard. Sophie learnt quick which end of the plastic blower to put in her mouth.

 Real concentration here as we urged her to blow softly...

 And a lovely surprise to find my Amaryllis have buds... this white one opened first and I see others so next week I may have more.

Last night out the back of the craftavan I  noticed the sunset.... a lovey orange glow in the sky.

This was on fb...Pics to irritate the perfectionist!!!!

Enjoy your weekend and hope there's plenty for you to be happy about over the next week, Cheers

What's On Your Workdesk, Wednesday?

Week 329 at WOYWW.... unsure what this phenomena is about please pop over to our hostess Julia's blog to read all about it - we simply love to show off our crafty messes and go visit other desks for some love and inspiration.   

Here's my desk early this morning - have been finding it tricky to find some time in the craftavan lately and as I'm an early riser and felt the creative juices to finish making my patchwork "quilt" cards for our ABC tag/card project, I was down there with  my cuppa in a flash with the sun just rising and the birds chirping.  I quite enjoy making these cards using up those many scraps I hoard and definitely needed the Ott-Lite. 

 My finished card fronts... do need a sentiment for the left one but that will wait till I'm ready to use it.

Thanks for dropping by, I'm off now to check out some desks....enjoy your week

Just a Quick Note..

I've returned today with another card using the embossing and brayering technique.... after putting the white card through the cuttlebug with this embossing folder I ran over it with an inked brayer to colour the raised image. Then I stamped and embossed the vase onto orange card, fussy cut it and die cut the two pieces of foliage - I tried lining up the stamped image with the die but that didn't work so I just sponge green on the cuts. Mounted these with foam tape and finished with a layered sentiment.  I'm posting to Simon Says Monday challenge - Love this Technique, Simon Says Wednesday - use die cuts on your card and to Inkspirational colour challenge Orange/Green.  Thanks for taking a peek

Challenge: Love This Technique

Simon Says: Die Crazy

Happy Birthday

It's so nice to be spending some time with friend Vikki in her craft room, she's been away for weeks and my mojo away too. Today I finally finished my card - I had previously found time to 'paint' my white embossed Inspired by Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Die Crazy: to use die cuts, also to Addicted to Stamps and More - 'Make your Mark - with paints, markers, and to Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes.  I do enjoy painting with Distress Inks and find it relaxing - Joanna at Inspired by Stamping has a tutorial to help with painting flowers.  Thanks for taking a peek

Simon Says: Die Crazy

MAKE YOUR MARK

Hello

So glad I grabbed a few moments to make a card for the #18 Virginia's View challenge - Geometric Patterns....None of my stamps were very forcoming with such shapes but this embossing folder was just the thing.  I inked up one side before passing it through the cuttlebug and yippee for once the ink took evenly over the white card. I trimmed that down and layered it onto a black to frame it and tie in with the black items on the card.  I stamped the vase on orange card and fussy cut it and die cut the spray (my NBUS element) in black and orange so I could cut off the flowers and adhered them to the stem.  Then I die cut the sentiment in orange and black to give it a shadow effect.  I am posting my card to Darnell's #5 NBUS challenge....who so makes you look at the growing stash and make sure you USE it.  I'm quite pleased with my card as orange is not one of my goto colours.  Thanks for taking a peek

  

Friday Smiles

Week 137 of Friday Smiles

Hi friends...it's been a topsy turvy week for me - but plenty to make me happy. First off I was thinking that as hubby was away working I would get to spend some time in the craftavan - I did, result just one card (not counting the one I made late yesterday - post following).

 I did play in my garden though - I like the early mornings about 6am, everything is fresh and the soil easy to dig... so I finished this side fence garden, hubby had got me a trailer load of garden soil last weekend, and topped that with some sugar cane mulch. So with that all in place I reaped the excess from other overgrown parts of the garden - that purple and green plant makes great borders, then divided my bromeliads and spaced them. The crotons will come along now with some care and water and provide nice shade for these as the sun takes a more overhead path.

I'm really smiling with the finished bed AND all the lilies along the back fence are beginning to make a lovely show

Here's little miss Sophie - I unexpectedly spent the day helping DD with emptying her cupboards as the pest man was in to give the place a treatment and they only gave them 2 hours notice that they needed access to the cupboards.......SO we had a huge empty, tidy out and cleaning day - but we're grateful it's all done now as DD has less than 8 weeks till no 2 baby is due.  Sophie was helping here while we re-stacked the linen cupboard - nice pillow and blanket to take a rest on the lounge floor.

That's all for this week, I'm off to spend the day with my friend Vikki to do some serious stamping - and to hear all about their wonderful holiday in Europe. Pop over to Annies blog and join in with your happy moments.  Enjoy your weekend

  

May your Christmas have all the wonder and magic of Childhood

For the 52 (Christmas) Card Throwdown - colour challenge ... I've chosen to include silver with my red and white theme and I have used the Bokeh technique  with sponged white on the red card, a spray of silver with a stencil and then some white glitter spots for the 'Tis the Season TTS#50 challenge. And for the Merry Monday challenge #171 challenge to make the sentiment the spotlight I chose this ornament shaped sentiment; stamped and embossed in red on silver card.  Thanks for taking a peek

    

Late - Friday Smiles

Week 136

Hi everyone - well it's late Sunday afternoon here and I've just found some time to enter the craftavan and check my blog.  I figured I'd missed Friday Smiles at Annies blog but when I read her post I just knew I had to share some smiles this week from our neck of the woods.

It was hubby's birthday on Friday and we had a few family and friends over for dinner.  Sophie helped me with putting the candles on the cake - a few got pushed to the bottom and a few got a bit bent  but that didn't stop us lighting them up for her to join with pa to blow them out.

 Stephen got a new home beer brewing kit from us all, so here he is a few minutes ago, making his first brew in years... loves his beer.

 And I've dug out an assortment of chairs for under the shady mango tree - it's just so nice down there with a cuppa and I can admire my freshly mowed lawn. This is one of my hibiscus plants, just opening in full bloom this morning - it needs some tender loving care - especially as it was nearly discarded a month ago when it only had one live branch left - so glad I didn't pull it up.

Thanks for dropping by, hope you have an enjoyable weekend, cheers

What's On Your Workdesk, Wednesday??

WEEK 327 - WOYWW

Hi and welcome to my desk or rather minute table in my craftavan this fine Wednesday.

Today I am attempting to find some mojo to finish this floral card - I watercoloured it with distress inks a couple of days ago...you can see the blobs of ink on the right - they never quite dry so I leave them on the plastic sheet and then lightly mist them when I'm ready to colour again...sometimes there's lot of blobs and I wet them lots and make backgrounds. I have some shades of blue card out trying to match it for some layered backgrounds and then at the back I've got out my new Darkroom Door Happy Birthday sentiment set to use on the card. It's quite dark in the van so I definitely need my Ott-Lite.  Thanks for taking an interest today, I'm posting and then off to visit some other desks via Julia's Stampin' Ground blog - check it out too and join in if you're new and wondering what I'm on about. Cheers