Yes i am still here

Hi to all out there in craft land,

Wow it has it really been almost three months since i last posted, but i do have a good excuse i promise.

Almost 2 months ago my hubby and i brought our first home, so between my last post and now i have been busy packing, moving then straight away we started to do make some major changes (renovations) to our new home.

Since moving into our home we haven't even unpacked, only our bed, computer and entertainment centre have come out of the basement so far. i haven't even had a kitchen for the past 5 weeks and a few more to go until we have a working one. so if it can't be cooked in a microwave i am stuck.

We have also opened up our new (second) business, so between family, flying visits to OZ, the new house and the new business i can honestly say i haven't crafted at all in the 3 months. Oh i have attended a extravaganza and one class, but to me that does not count, as it was all someone else's work(design) not my own.

But i will be back in the near future, as i am starting to want to create again, especially as i am going to have my own craft room - up to now i have been enjoying creating of a different nature, with the new area we created in our home, i will put up a few before/after photos.

This is the lounge the day we moved in

this is the lounge halfway thru

90% finished

existing walls

no walls

existing kitchen

new kitchen, about half way thru.

So well i will leave you with these photos, and hopefully i will be back soon with photos of my new creations

Im going to be missing for a while

Morning Crafters,

This is just a short post to say that for the next few weeks maybe for the next month or so, i won't be able to do much in the way of crafting, as i have something big happening in my home life, don't worry it is a good thing not a worrysome thing, ( i will revel more as soon as i can).

I do have a couple of birthdays i need to create for, so i will try my best to blog those creations, in the mean time i am still around and checking out your wonderful sites/blogs.

Take care, will be in touch with my news as soon as i can.

Oh My Gosh 5000 mark

Hello again.........

Oh my gosh after posting my last post i realised that i have hit the 5000 blog view mark.

For this wonderful ocassion i am giving some special bloggers this wonderful Blog award. 

This to let you know how much i appreciate your visits and your very encouraging comments

The rules for this award

* Thank the person who gave you this award

* paste the award to your blog

* Link the person who nominated you for this award

* Nominate as many other bloggers for this wonderful award as you like

* Post links to their blogs 

My chosen award recipients are:

Narelle Hoggard     http://handmadebynarelle.wordpress.com/

Paula Reid     http://yellowbearnz.blogspot.co.nz/

Julia Leece   http://juliascards.blogspot.co.nz/

Andrea Lowcock    http://andrealowcock.wordpress.com/

Helen Williams   http://craftyhelen.blogspot.co.nz/

Try Stampin on Tuedsay #52

Hello fellow crafters

Well once again it has been a while between posts.

I have so much going on in my personal life right now, some things are good and some things are well i have to wait for an outcome before i decided if it is a good thing or not.

I will revel more when i know, until then i will post as i get the chance to do a bit of crafting.

Todays post is a card that looks very much like the last card i posted. 

This unfinished card has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks now, i had fully intended to do two of the last card i made, but after seeing this weeks challenge over at Try Stamping on Tuesday, i decided to change it a little bit to fit the sketch.

Here is my card, the photo doesn't show up the light hint of glitter i used around the edge of the flowers.

This is my most favourite colour combination to use, it suits every ocassion,

Well i had better run as i have a yet another busy day ahead, i just hope this on coming cold/flu keeps away, well for a few more days at least

Warm wishes for an ill friend

Hi Crafters,

Isn't it hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of the first month of the new year already.

I have been enjoyed getting back into the swing of normal daily life, and for those lucky few i know that are still enjoying a bit of R&R, don't rub it in.

Anyway i have still not gotten back into my craft room very much, as this year is so far showing signs of being a busy year ahead.

It is going to be an exciting year for myself and my family. 

Yesterday our Daughter started back at school over in Australia and also her first shift at her first ever part time job. Our daughter (15yrs) lives over on the gold coast and attends school there, but she was home over the holidays. The month flew by far too quickly, i am missing her already. 

 Our son had a big day yesterday too, he started his first day of full time work, and all going well he will have a Engineering apprenticeship come June. 

And i have a exciting time ahead but i can't say anything more on that front, but will tell all once i am able to.

So back to carding, today's card is one i did yesterday for a very good friend of mine who underwent surgery, i wanted to brighten up her day as she was not looking foward to this day at all. i made up a R&R pack for her while she sits back and recovers, i put in some juice, magazines and some chocs so she has the energy to turn the pages, and a blackout mask so she can sleep without the sunny days stopping her from doing so (yes believe it or not we have sunshine)

 The saying isn't one im fond off for this card, but it was the only "get well" or "feeling unwell" stamp i had, but she loved it and yes it did put a smile on her face, 

anyway im off i had better go and fix up the months books, apparently if you leave them they don't do themselves, just wish full thinking, maybe a part of me is still in holiday mode.

Welcome to a new year

Afternoon crafters,

Happy new year

I know it is a fraction too late, but this is the first time this year i have been back and visited my blog, slack i know but i took a holiday away from my crafts, and even blog surfing.

Apart from the occasional card i had to make during the break, i have enjoyed this time to sit back relax and enjoy the precious sun that we got, when it showed. I think someone forgot to tell the weather god that it is summer here in NZ. I hope you all have had a relaxing safe and happy holiday season, i worked through but did manage 3 days up at the beach this past Monday

 From here on in until June i have a very quiet time on the card front, so this is normally the time i end up trying out new techniques and ideas.

I have already seen a few new ideas i want to play around with, oh exciting times ahead.

The card i want to show today is one i did recently for my F-I-L's 60th birthday.

I got to play with my new stamp set "The Open Sea"

 I really enjoyed making this card, the ship and the anchor has been clear embossed. The background of the ship is a piece of cardstock that i stamped then just rumpled up and then flattened back out.

Well i must get back to my blog surfing i have alot to catch up on......oh and my paper work i supposed i had better do that as well

Where has the time gone....pt2

Morning All,

So where did i leave off yesterday. Oh that is right birthdays cards, i have had a few birthdays pop up in the last month, including annivarsary cards. Oh blast i have just noticed that i have forgotten to take a photo of a few of them, double blast.

Birthday cards are so much fun to do, i always love trying to tie them in with the person receiving them

This was for my youngest sister's 18th birthday, and she is a wonderful bass player

                            This one was for my Neice's 15th birthday

  Every year my best friends kids challenge me, as they love the cards with the sweet treat cups in them, so each and every birthday, i have to come up with something new using them, this year i had access (i know Shame on me, i don't own this set Yet!! ) to this set, so i was yet to do a gumball one, one i had fogotten to take a photo of was one for Nathan's brother, for his i used a test tube instead

 And last but not least, this one was made for a special friend, Kelly it was her birthday day yesterday, and on many occassions she is down in the dumps, as she is an Amercian and is missing her home and family very much, something i could always understand, as i lived away from my family for 7 years
What the photo doesn't show is that there is a little bit of bling on the big flower, yes the ribbon is hiding a Boo Boo

So anyway i am off to go finish my Christmas shopping as i am teenager free for a few hours, also it is another busy day ahead, Staff party, doc's appts, nail appts must have them looking all blingy for Christmas, well tidied up anyway

Sorry one last photo, i had to show you my nails done up for Christmas, i got them done a couple weeks ago now, they are not painted, but done in coloured acrylic, everywhere i go people love them.

Where has the time gone

Hi Stampers,

I have just noticed that i have not posted a post in nearly a month.

I can sum that all up in one word "Life", my life has been hectic for the past month, between work, home and christmas, i have not had much quality time to be able to sit and either blog, blurf or even create.

I have done a bit of creating over the past few weeks, i have had a few birthdays and of course there are the Christmas cards to do.

So in this post i will show some of the projects ih ave been working on, might even have to do it over a couple of posts to keep the photos down

So here goes

This is my Christmas card this year.

i CASEd it from a wonderful lady over at CA, Dawn Ferguson NSW

  The centre of this card was designed for our ATC swap, but im sorry as i made two ATC swaps at the same time i cannot remember if it was our CA swap or the Creative inker swap, im sure a fellow blogger will let me know which one, see i have been very busy

 This is a gift card holder i made to hold some special gift cards

 And the inside, thanks to my Sister Narelle for the idea & measurements

 I will blog the Birthday cards in another post, Sorry if this was a long post.

See you all back here tomorrow for part two of my creative days gone by (well last month anyway)

It is that time again.....Christmas card season + JAI 95

Afternoon stampers,

Well it is almost the silly season again, so for us crafters that means making a start on our Christmas Card list and also handmade Christmas gifts.

Well i have made a start on my Christmas cards, and will be making a start on the gifts soon.

This week over at Just Add Ink they have a great challenge to make us all think out side of the box, which suits perfectly with what i wanted to do

Here is their challenge

JAI 95 - Bah Humbug!

We've been seeing lots of Christmassy entries lately and we thought we would go BAH HUMBUG! lol

This week's challenge is to make a Christmas project but with NO Christmas paper, NO Christmas images (Christmas sentiment allowed) and definitely NO chocolate .. oh, okay scrap that ... you can give us chocolate!  

This card was created using a Tea bag fold star, another version of this fold can be found in my previous post

This is one that i saw a while ago and had to give it a go, i do not know who's design it is, so please let me know if you know who did it so i can give them credit. 

this is another clean and simple one (minus black mark, thanks to my work desk), i have made up many of these in different colours and using a different stamp from the same set, i am giving some to my mum, so she can send them out to her friends

Well as i have been away from my desk for a few days, i had better get back to the growing paper pile.

Quality time in my craft room

Afternoon Crafters,

This morning i spent time in my craft room making a card a few cards, and also finishing off two ATC swaps i am involved with.

It felt great to sit there and craft until i decided i had had enough, i haven't done this in quite a while.

I will wait until i receive the ATC's from the rest of the group before i post the ones i made, to be fair on the groups, incase they peek.

.

This is a case from the wonderfully talented Andrea Buckland,

I did put my spin on it, but i am not totally happy with it at all, it is amazing how we can hit and miss sometimes, i think this one is a miss, i did have my mum in mind, as it is her birthday tomorrow but i'm not so sure, now that it is finished.

I also finished a few christmas cards, 

This is one i remembered to take a photo of, i tried a few different things here, i stamped directly on to my ribbon, and also the tree is made using a teabag fold technique

Here is another one, i made this end of last week. 

I was asked to make for a friend of my son's girlfriend's birthday

Oh well i had better go back to the drawing board for a card for my mum's birthday tomorrow,

Oh on a final note, i was picked as one of the top three winners for last weeks Try Stampin on Tuesday's sketch,

Here is my badge

Have a great weekend