My Baby turns 9

oh dear - I am feeling very sad, my baby is growing up. I so wish that I could turn back the clock and enjoy him and his brother as babies just a little bit more. Where has the time gone??????? One minute they where tiny crying babies and the next they are turning 13 and 9. Benji had some friends around yesterday for a birthday afternoon tea and we all had so much fun. All four boys played pirates for hours on end. It was soooo lovely - not one mention of electronic games or any sign of bickering at all. They have continued the fun today by all meeting up today and getting right back into the game again. And now three of the four are having a sleep over and are lying back chillin' with a movie.

No card making going on today - apart from being a little exhausted, I had my market stall down town today and had a really good day. I had made a few cards yesterday while the boys where at school and I didn't get around to photographing them and guess what - they all sold today hehehe. So that was a missed blogging opportunity but anyway I will share a photo from yesterday of my baby and his prized birthday presents. Benji has always been fireman and fire engine mad (since he was a wee little thing) he has every type of fire truck that you could imagine. But nothing like this little beauty . . . . . .

 He is so happy with it. It even shoots out water!!!! He liked all of his presents he tells me but this one is "so Cool". Can you see my puppy hiding his face up in the top left of the photo - he must be camera shy hehehe how cute hehehe any way have a good day x joy

LOTV Wedding Card

 Hello and happy Wednesday to you, it's a tad over cast here in Blackall today but something exciting happens here today - hehehe my Mummy arrives for a visit. We are all very excited, Frankie is out mowing the lawn (which he insists isn't because my Mum is coming hehe but he hasn't been able to mow for a long time with his knee but today of all days is the day he is able to LOL) the boys have asked me about 5 000 000 times what time she arrives and I am madly cleaning the house (oh ok so you have sprung me - i know i shouldn't be making cards and blogging if I was soooooo busy cleaning but hey a girl has to have her fix hehe). I get to drive over to Barcaldine (one hour drive over) this afternoon to get her off of the train after her 20 hour marathon train ride. It is always so good to have her. She is coming for Benji's 9th Birthday on Friday (mental note to self - i must remember to make a card) then I think she is staying for about 4 weeks :).

Now on to cardy things -   Isn't this stamp just adorable  - ahhhhhhhh I here you say, just soooo cute!!!!!!! It is one of my Lili of the Valley Stamps. I was asked to make a wedding card for a lady here in town and I thought about the current challenge over at http://liliofthevalleythursdaychallenge.blogspot.com/ straight away - which is Button it. I had fun making it - I have a thing for pink and black at the moment. Anyway I will be back later to upload a few more cards that I have made for the markets this weekend so see you later x joy

My first Christmas Card for the year

Whooo hooooo number one done and just five hundred thousand to go (hehehe yes I am known to exaggerate a tad) well sometimes it feels like 500 000. I made this one for Penny Black Saturday challenge this week, which is monochromatic and I just had to have a go again this week. This stamp is one of my newer Penny Black purchases that I just had to have last year hehehe, it's called crystal wreath and isn't it soooo pretty. Ok well I am going to go and keep playing with my calico flowers - I hope you are all having a happy day - if not get back in bed and climb out the other side, cause life is just too short to have unhappy days. :) x joy

oppps I always forget to do this part( hehehe yes I am known to be forgetful as well LOL), as well as the Penny Black stamp I have used my Nellie Snellen doiley die, cuttlebug snowflakes embossing folder, brilliance pearlescent sky blue ink, kaiser rhinestones, and bazzill card.

Playing with Fabric

OOOOOHHHHHH my goodness, fancy two blog posts in one day hehehe but boy have I had fun today and look what I made hehehe. I have been playing with fabric and Tim Holtz dies and my big shot. The other day at the markets a lady asked me if I could make her one of my tissue paper flowers out of fabric for a brooch or hat pin so I had a try. I think I will still keep playing but these are the proto types. Together with the free button cards that I got from Paper Craft Inspirations I think they look great. Ok well I am off to go sit at the local pool with my boys for the afternoon as it is ridiculously hot here today blah blah blah and I don't do well in the heat - so I need to find a little spot of shade and read my favourite mags x joy

Woodland Folk Badger

Well hello and happy Sunday to you all. I have had a very pleasant day, starting with a lovely sleep in and then a spot of crafting. I brought this Woodland Folk Badger die the other day and wanted to have a go but I am not really happy with the end result. I have teamed him with the papers from the woodland folk range but think I will have to have another play and see what else I can come up with. I'm not sure whether it is the black and white against the browns or not. Anyway at least it didn't end up in the bin. Let me know what you think. Ok well now I am off to play with my Tim Holtz die's and some calico - should be fun - I'll let you know what I create. Have a happy afternoon x joy

Penny Black Favourite

This weeks challenge on Penny Black Saturday challenge made me think of one of my all time favourite stamps, so I decided to get crafting and have a go. Rain or shine friends was one of the first stamps that I purchased - I am trying to remember if it was in '96 or '97 - anyway, whenever it was - it was a long time ago hehe boy do I feel old sometimes!!!!!! I just love these little girls and didn't want to distract too much from the stamped image, so kept the rest of the card fairly plain. These are not normal colours for me either, but I like their effect. I hope you like it x joy

Another Wedding Project

Hello Monday and what a lovely Monday it is. I have been a busy little bee again - with our papercrafting group on Friday and Saturday - which was sooooo much fun. So many giggles and so little time hehehe. I think I may have been guilty of talking toooo much again as I only managed to get three cards done in two days. I will put them up a little later but for now here is another wedding project that I have been working on. This one is for a real wedding (unlike my mini wedding set, that I made just for the fun of it).

One of our schools super special teachers is getting married later in the month and I was asked if I could do up a card for her and her fiance by one of my  papercrafting buddies Anne, who thought it would be a great idea to get Angela's prep and year one students to each make a picture. So Anne set to work and got all the kiddos to draw Angela's wedding all on 14 x 14cm paper. And once I got them I  mounted each one on 15 x 18cm card which I bound together and made this book up.

I soon realised that it would not fit into an envelope so had to whip up a lovely box to put it into (which meant I got to play and decorate another surface). For now I will just upload the main pictures  - each inside page is decorated on the opposite side to the childrens drawings but it has 20 odd pages so it will take ages to upload. I really am happy with the result and I must say I was so pleased with it - I whipped it around to Anne's place to show her before I had even photographed it. It will be delivered to school tomorrow morning in secret and be presented to Angela on Thursday just before school breaks up for September school holidays. I hope she likes it.