Sunday, April 29, 2012

A little late

Hello everyone and happy Sunday to you, it's another beautiful day here in Blackall after a few very cold miserable days. But the sun is shining today and all is well.
I  had a little play on Friday night cause I wanted to enter the weekly challenge over at Penny Black Saturday and guess what I did hehehe - missed the challenge. I made the card Friday night as I said, but was feeling a little sleepy so thought I would post and enter the challenge on Saturday morning (Australia time). Hahaha I got up Saturday morning and Mr Linky had already closed. That serves me right for being lazy and thinking of my nice warm comfy bed over and above Penny Black Saturday. Anyway I will share it with you today. The theme was 'No Patterned Paper' and here is my card:


This is using my cutie Penny Black Stamp 'Hmmm' then I used plain white paper for the background that I embossed with my cuttlebug music folder. I cut the circles and doily shapes with my Nellie Snellen doily dies. The front sentiment is computer generated with the tag hand cut. I used my EK success music border punch for the music notes (using the negative bits) and some ric rac and twine from my stash. 


This is the inside view and this is the positive effect of the EK success music border die (it is bigger than I thought it was when I ordered it but I still love it and use it often) with a couple of negative notes popped on for balance. And finally this is a Stampin' Up sentiment. I have covered the music border cutouts with stickles but I am not sure if you can see that in the photo - it adds a nice touch in real life anyway.

So moral of this story is - don't be lazy and go to bed when you have a post ready and waiting to be done - you might miss the challenge. Anyway if I am a good girl and do all my jobs on my 'to do' list today - maybe I can have another little play for this weeks challenge which is:
Spring themed cards!  

Ok well I am off to go make a start on that list that is ten miles high (the dreaded 'To Do' list)

Have a super happy day
talk soon
x joy


Sunday, April 22, 2012

Bling overload

Hello again- fancy two posts in one day from me hehe. I told you I had a lovely play day yesterday well this is one of the other cards that I made. I made it to join in the fun over at Lili's Little Fairies challenge and their theme this week is :

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

so here is my contribution:



  I used a Lily of the Valley image (of course) water coloured then added some metallic papers, spellbinder die cut shapes, my cherry Lynn flourish die and some home made flowers and finished off with lots and lots of bling. I usually wouldn't use this much bling but I decided to just go for it. I hope you like the results. Opps forgot to say I used ribbon from my stash.

Ok well I have to take Hubby over to Barcaldine now (1 hour drive away) to return the Ambulance he borrowed from them on Friday. He didn't have enough Ambulance's to go around all the sporting events that  they had on yesterday. So bunny here gets to drive over and back again all in the name of love hehehe maybe I will get to go to the bakery over there if I am lucky.

Ok well if I get back in time I am hoping to have another play so I might see you later.
Have a great day
talk soon
x joy


Now I'm having trouble linking with pictures

Hello everyone, Happy Sunday to you all. I am having trouble linking pictures in my side bar for candy. I either can get the link or the picture but not both - blah - what am I doing wrong. Anyway for the moment until I work it out I have put a link list in my side bar - I hope that is ok. Any help would be appreciated x joy

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Sketch N Stash Challenge

Hello everyone, it's a lovely Saturday night here in Smithville, we have just got back from having a nice meal out at our local club - it was very nice - but then again any time that I don't have to cook is nice hehe. Anyway I have had a lovely play day today - how lucky am I. So I decided to play along with the gang at Sketch N Stash since it has been ages since I joined in. This weeks sketch is by Kevin and I love it - I am into banners at the moment so it is right up my alley. Here is Kevin's sketch:

And here is my card:


You can't quite see the ribbon under the bow - but it is there making the horizontal strip. I have used one of my oldest stamps that has been very neglected for years from Hero Arts called Garden Gal. She is coloured with watercolour pencils and she is teamed up with Bo Bunny Ambrosia paper range. This is my second buy up of these papers as I LOVE them. The purple paper is bazzill. Then I have added  a stampin up sentiment and punch  finished with a bow and a little butterfly charm.

This is the inside view - just a couple of banners here - aren't these papers just gorgeous - so fresh and lovely!

I got my oral presentation done yesterday with all my lovely paper crafting ladies - I had a really lovely morning it was so nice to sit down and catch up with them (after the poor things where forced to listen to my talk) hehe I bribed them all with morning tea though - no food until you hear my presentation - I think I only got good appraisals cause they were all faint from hunger. hehe. Thank you ladies - you were all a lovely audience - how could a girl go wrong with such lovely smiling faces :)

Ok well I am off to go have a long shower and then bed - I am a bit uncomfortable after a few busy days although today was sitting all day - I actually find I need to lie down in the middle of the day to keep comfortable.
Ok well you have a great day
talk soon
x joy 
p.s. I think I am lovin this new blogger now (had a little moment of not liking it this afternoon, when I first saw it)- I can upload and view a really big post

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Spots, stripes and a couple of stars

Hello everyone, shhhhhhhh don't tell anyone but I am playing hooky from study this morning hehehe.
I made this card last night but I didn't decorate the inside so I just couldn't upload it without a little bit of something in the middle. So I left it sitting on my desk and couldn't start study until it was done. I am playing along with all the lovely talented ladies over at my favourite challenge site - Penny Black Saturday Challenge and their theme this week is :
Spots and Stripes
I had this card worked out in my head without the stars but when I made it - it was just a little bit too plain so I added a couple of stars here and there just to finish it off.

I have used a  Penny Black Stamp (of course) called nose to nose and added some stripes in the way of my banners using some dotty paper. And finished off with 4 different sizes of star punches. Oh and I cut the circles using my creative memories circle cutters. I have distressed it all to give it an aged look and my 9 year old, Benji told me he didn't like it cause it looked all ripped and dirty hmpf - I thought it looked ok hehehe out of the mouths of babes hey .
 This is the little extra that I added this morning - nothing flash but  it finished it off. 
And this is where I got my papers from - my snippet stash file - just those little bits and pieces that you just can't throw away. I'm sure you know the ones - and look how handy they are when and if you remember to use them.

Ok well I had better go and get cracking into the study - I have my oral presentation tomorrow in front of my lovely fellow paper crafting friends followed by a spot of morning tea and a good old chin wag - I am looking forward to catching up.

On the health front - I have my surgery all booked. It has been decided to do the haemorrhoid's (ohhh yukky) at the same time as the bowel prolapse so it will not be a quick bounce back recovery. The doctors have suggested that I dont' travel for between one week to 10 days after surgery. So it is all booked for June which is my term break for Uni. I still have to keep going with the ice packs, salt baths and lotions and potions till then - oh the joys!!!!!!! 
ok I hope I haven't spoilt your lunch with all this talk of my butt hehehe (sorry)
talk soon
x joy
ps have a super happy day
pps - my lovely friend Wilma has just started her blog  - pop over here and have a look

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Uploading Videos

Hello and happy Saturday to you, I hope you had a great week. I have been trying for days now to upload a video tutorial for you but I am having sooooo much trouble - BLAH. I got a brand new swanky video camera and have been playing (inbetween study of course) and I have filmed the tutorial (about 10 times actually) and I have uploaded it to the computer. Then I found out that I had to change the format - so I found a download to do that (although it is only a free trial and it has the watermark of the download on it) and then I have spent hours (yes I do mean hours - I'm not exaggerating this time hehe) I have tried uploading it to Blogger - no go - then tried it on youtube - no go. And each time it is taking 120 mins to upload. But each time at the end (why does it do it at the end and not before the 120 odd minutes urgh) of the download it aborts or says it is corrupt.

So I am thinking it is either my security on the computer or it is the watermark on the video. I think anyway - so I will have a play with that and see what happens.

Does anyone else have any ideas? Please share if you do.

Anyway here is my little share today:


 How's this for something out of my comfort zone hehe - it is totally different from my usual cutsey style. This is using my new stamps from Kaiser Craft called Hummingbird with some Prima papers and good old Bazzill. Oh and a stampin up sentiment. I really like it for something different.

This is the inside - just simply decorated.

Ok well that is it for me today - I still have study to do so had better hop to it.
Have a great weekend.
talk soon
x joy 

Monday, April 9, 2012

Happy Belated Easter

Hello and Happy Belated Easter to you all. I hope the Easter Bunny came to your house - he sure did here and we are all having chocolate overload hehehe but that is half the fun of Easter isn't it. We made Easter Baskets here on Saturday morning because last year the Easter Bunny had to put the eggs into the laundry basket, as it was all he could find. We down loaded some patterns from My Scrap Chick here and then Benji hopped to it and started the construction.
Here is the end results:




They turned out really cute - and the Easter Bunny must of liked them cause he filled them up to over flowing. Ashley thought he was too old to make Easter Baskets so the Easter Bunny left his eggs in a mixing bowl!

Anyway on a sad note - we had to have our 20 year old pussy cat Shiraz put to sleep on Saturday afternoon. It is very sad - she was going ok but went down hill really quickly. She was constantly hungry and then on Friday she lost control of her bowels and bladder. Our closest vet is 2 hours drive away and he wasn't coming over for another 2 months, nor did we think Shiraz would of coped with the drive so we called upon our local Dept of Primary Industries who were just so lovely. She is in a happy place now - buried with my other beloved pussy cat Sampson and my puppy Major. I thought I would share some photos of Shiraz when she was a bit younger - this is how I want to remember her:


She has always been a fiesty cat but she had no fight left in her on Saturday - she didn't even get upset when we put her in her cat carrier. I miss her and so does my other pussy cat Sabrina - she keeps looking for her everywhere - it is very sad.

Ok well that's it for me today - I am off to get some sleep - I have had a big study day today and my body and brain are not too good now!
talk soon
x joy

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I'm a happy, happy girl

Hello and Happy Wednesday to you - I hope your day is as good as mine. I just got some results back from Uni today - I have been waiting very patiently for what seems like ages although when I think about it - it is really only days hehe. Anyway I got a High Distinction - Whoo hoo - YAY I am very pleased with myself - and it is my most difficult course for this term so it's a good start. Although I am now nervous about the assignment due next week as I have a hard act to follow now don't I hehe I have to keep to that standard otherwise I will be disappointed in myself.
Anyway I have a few cards to show you today - I did promise them the other day but I got carried away with my studies again . . . . sorry - but it is so much fun. These cards are a few wedding cards that I have made to stock up my supplies again  


This is the first one that I made - using a 'stamp it' stamp and some beautiful Bella wedding paper that was left over from last years Christmas card and a little heart charm. (made me feel like I was the lovely Jules from Always with a Heart hehe adding a little heart to my card) 
Then I made this black and white one just using up some left overs from my stash pile. It wasn't my favourite which is why I only photographed it in this shot but funnily enough I had a lady come round to the house today to buy a wedding card and this was the one she liked the most - just goes to show we all have different taste !

This is the inside of the silver one - using a Creative Memories punch.

And finally my favourite for the day - I had made one similar to this last year and loved it so much that I made another similar - usually I never make two cards the same but I couldn't resist, and really they are different - just kind of the same. Both stamps are from 'stamp it'

I have used my fiskars border punch - that is loved so much it is now held together with sticky tape. And I think the other punches used are also fiskars except for the butterfly which is a Martha Stewart.
Ohhhh and I forgot to mention that I have heat embossed all of the stamped images with silver embossing powder - I don't emboss much any more - which is sad as it looks so nice.

Ok well I am off to go see what my boys are up to - I think they are watching cartoons - what is it with boys and cartoons hehe their whole world stops when cartoons are on - I'm sure the house could burn down around them and they would never notice hehe

Ok well have a good rest of the day
talk soon
x joy

Monday, April 2, 2012

Another play day

Hello and happy Monday to you - we are in full holiday mode here in Smithville - it is 9.00am and I am still in my PJ's hehe - naughty hey! And I have done no housework but I have already been in my craft room and had a play hehe - I played nearly all day yesterday (except for the little nap I had) and I had so much fun!!!! It was so nice to just play and not have to be on a time limit.

This is one of the cards I made yesterday - it is for the current challenge over at Lili's Little Fairies, which is Anything goes:


I have used  a Lili of the Valley image of course, then used a new mpress nesting die to cut it out and surrounded it with a spell binders oval die. Then the paper is from my scrap draw that I have had for years and years - it has no name on it so I couldn't even guess where it is from. I have used Bazzill for all the other bits.A CherryLynn Design Die for the leaf swirl and my Tim Holtz tattered flower die for the flowers along with a few that I had in my flower box added together with some flower stamens that I coloured with permanent markers. Then for the bow I started with two knotted ties and added an ordinary bow on top of them to give it extra bulk. Then finished off with a few little pearls.


This is a close up of my flowers - the stamens have come up really lovely. It was a Sharpie pink permanent marker that I used to colour them.



Anyway that is all I have to share so far today - I may have a couple more up my sleeve to share later today and tomorrow hehe.

 Mr Blogger is playing up today - every time I try to go back and edit my writing he goes crazy and deletes things and won't let me add words in - he must be having a bad day.

Ok I had better go get dressed and do a little housework.
Have a great day
talk soon
x joy