Christmas....the most wonderful time...

Having made all my Christmas cards for this year (a nice change to the usual rush and last minute Christmas Eve panic) and actually putting them in the post on Monday, I decided to hop on over to the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge blog and see what the theme was...hence I have now made my first Christmas card in preparation for Christmas 2015...yeah!  For this week's challenge, Merry Monday #139, Karren is asking for a winter themed Christmas card.  I have taken a real shine to this Christmas stamp from my stash and opted to make a night winter scene and I am really quite pleased with the result.  Thanks for taking a peek and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

 

 

W for all White...

I am just in time to play along with the ABC Christmas Challenge blog and their challenge for this week W for All White!  W is for white and W is for Wow, what a challenge!   I think I now understand what the word challenge really means....lol...  As I thought I would, I really struggled with this challenge (I have never made an all white card before) but inspired by all of the lovely cards posted by the other crafters I thought I would have a go anyway as I really need to add to my Christmas card stash.  Unfortunately the photo didn't come up as well as I hoped it would but I am actually happy with the finished card.  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typical November....

Today I had been busy taking photographs of all the trees that have begun fruiting and flowering in our yard this Spring and then I saw that Our Beautiful World has the theme of Typical November for this week, Week 74.  So....below I have posted some photos of the fruit we have growing and I couldn't resist taking a couple of photos of the sun setting.  We are in daylight saving time here at present in Tasmania which means the sun doesn't go down here until around 8.30pm which makes for glorious evenings.  Take a peek...we have apples growing....

 

cherries,

 

and peaches.

 

I just loved this flower.... 

 

and this is the sun still shining at 7.00pm

 

and starting to set just after 8.00pm.

 

Love, Laughter, Luck Always.

My final card for this weekend and I have actually made a birthday card.  I am very happy with the way this card turned out using a Single Layer Inking technique by Starfish Lane which I found in one of my Australian Cardmaking Stamping & Papercraft magazines.  I loved this technique and will be sure to use it again.  Once again thanks for taking a peek.

 

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year...

I'm on a roll!  Finding my mojo again yesterday I have now made another Christmas card to add to my stash...which is still quite small sadly.  With this card I have played along once again with the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge Blog and for this challenge #135 they are asking that you use Christmas bells.  (I can't actually believe this is the only Christmas bell stamp I own)  I have also played along with CAS(E)  this sketch! and their latest sketch CTS#101, once again a nice clean sketch.  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

    

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...

Well!  I have gotten a little behind in my Christmas card making over the last couple of weeks and missed playing along with the Merry Monday Challenge the other week when they were looking for silver/grey and blue with an ornament.  However, yesterday my friend Robyn sent me the link to a great tutorial, How to... Pressure Embossing Resist from www.melstampz.blogspot.com and thus I have now made a Christmas card with silver/grey and blue with an ornament..or should I say a few ornaments!  Thanks for sharing Robyn.  Thanks for taking a peek and be sure to check out the tutorial.

Turning 2...

With some quiet time to myself last night I had a play at making a card for  my neighbour's granddaughter....a sweet little girl who is turning 2 today....Happy Birthday Kate!  My inspiration came from a layout from the sketch archives at CAS(E) this sketch! and using a new stamp which I picked up very cheaply this week, I came up with this pretty pink card which I am quite pleased with.  Thanks for taking a peek.

Happy Birthday to You

For a change I am feeling inspired at the moment so have played along again today at CAS(E) this sketch! and their current sketch CTS#98...I really like this sketch!  It is a long weekend here in Tasmania and there is a Craft Fair being held in the town of Deloraine.  Much to my surprise my hubby suggested we go along to the fair yesterday and it was there that I purchased some amazing Washi tapes, one of which I have used on this card.  Whilst posting a card to this challenge last night and taking a look at the other entries from the many talented crafters I was inspired by the Happy birthday on Karen of Stamped Good's card and thus decided to use my new Happy Birthday Washi tape on this card which I have made for a very special little girl at the school I used to work at in sunny Queensland who has an upcoming birthday this month.  I hope she likes it as much as I enjoyed making it.  Thanks for taking a peek....now I need to make some cards for some other special people in my life!

 

 

 

 

Christmas Wishes

It has been quite some time since I have done any stamping so I am really pleased today to have completed another Christmas card for my stash.  I have played along with both the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge blog where for this week's Merry Monday #132 they are looking for a vintage snowflake card using snowflakes, dry embossing and neutral colours (which would explain why I have made a Christmas card using cream and black!) and also with CAS(E) this sketch! and their current sketch CTS#98.  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

 

 

Autumn

Well once again I am just going to be in the nick of time to make the closing time for posting over at Our Beautiful World this week - Week 68 - Autumn.  Having made the move to Tasmania at the beginning of this year I have been very lucky to experience all four seasons and I must say the different seasons make for some glorious scenery.  These photos were taken on a morning outing with my hubby to the Cataract Gorge here in Launceston, Tasmania.  I just loved experiencing Autumn and all of the colourful leaves on the ground...we enjoyed it so much that we didn't bother to rake up any of the leaves which fell in our own front garden...lol.  Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of our own place in Autumn this year but I will be sure to next year!  Thanks for taking a peek.

I just had to share....

Having moved to Tasmania in February this year I am now thoroughly enjoying spring here on our 5 acre property.  We have a resident Kookaburra who is always flying around and perching himself on the posts or roofs and although I have tried to photograph him in the past I haven't had a lot of success....until today!  Upon walking into my lounge room earlier today I happened to notice Mr Kookaburra sitting on the fence post outside the window so was quick to grab my camera and take a few shots.  As I type this he is still sitting there....very unusual for him....thanks for taking a peek.

 

 

I'm also loving all the plants in bloom especially the cherry blossom trees we have scattered around...

 

20...Happy Birthday!

 

Well I have finally managed to make a card in time to play along with the team over at CAS(E) this Sketch! and the sketch for this week CTS#91.  Inspired by Simone's card I have made this card for my one and only child, who is no longer a child but a young man who will be turning 20 this Friday.  Wow...where do the years go?  I used his favourite colours so I do hope he likes it (it does have the stamp of approval from my husband).  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

 

Christmas Gifts

Hi.  I am back again today posting yet another Christmas card.  I am playing along again this week with the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  This week's challenge #124 by Deanne is asking for a gift/present to be somewhere on our card.  This is another stamp I found in my Christmas stash which I'm pretty sure I've rarely used before.  I went with these colours as I really like this designer paper I found in my collection.....much to my husband's dismay...the only colours that are Christmas for him are red, green and gold!  Oh well, it is something different and another card I won't be having to make on Christmas Eve!  Thanks for taking a peek.

August-RobVikVik

I'm back today posting my card for the August challenge for RobVikVik, (a challenge between myself, my sister in law and friend Vikki W and our stamping friend Robyn).  For August Robyn chose this lovely colour scheme and I chose the layout which is from the Freshly Made Sketches archives.  Although I love these colours I found them harder to use than I first thought I would.  So, after much rehashing this is my final card and I am quite happy with it after all.  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

Gates

Hi fellow bloggers.  It is a while since I have played along over at Our Beautiful World....each week I will take photos and then tend to procrastinate and miss the deadline for submitting my link....but this week I am just in the nick of time!  We moved to a new property earlier this year and there are lots of gates on it.  My favourite would be our front gate.....because of the sign on it....

but as these photos show we have a few others as well.....

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking a peek.

 

Christmas Wreath

Hi.  I am back today posting another Christmas card.  I am playing along again this week with the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.  This week's challenge #123 {Use a Wreath} by Bonnie is asking for a wreath to be used on our card.  This is one of only two Christmas wreath stamps I found in my stash (I wasn't feeling up to the challenge of actually making a wreath).  I am quite liking the way this card worked out....I have only made one card with this stamp before and I'm sure it is still sitting in my never used card stash.  I think the little field mouse is so cute and I'm pretty sure I will give this card to someone this Christmas!  Thanks for taking a peek.

Christmas Joy...

Well I think I am on a roll with my Christmas Cards.....I decided to take a look over at the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge blog this week and was pleasantly surprised as the weekly challenge #122 was to make a Christmas card using Black, Gold and Silver.  Not normally colours I would use for Christmas, inspired by the lovely creations of the other ladies I have had a go never the less.  I do love black, white and gold so adding a touch of silver was just the icing on the cake!  I do confess I need to go shopping as I now realise how little gold and silver paper/card stock I do own (and black come to think of it).   I'm quite happy with the end result and discovered I really like this stamp inked in gold.  For those of you who like this layout it is based on a past sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

 

Merry Christmas

Hi fellow stampers.....well, it has been so long since I have made a card and posted to my blog...over a month!  Thanks to my stamping friend Robyn I have been inspired to play along today with the team over at Festive Friday Challenge blog and their Challenge 38 by guest designer Maureen. This is the first Christmas card I have made for this year so I have a long way to go ...but I must say I am very happy with this card....not at all the colours I would normally choose for Christmas but I do like them.  Making this card gave me the opportunity to use an embossing folder I had never used before and also my little silver snowflakes which have been sitting waiting patiently to be put to use as well.  Thanks for taking a peek. 

 

Our Beautiful World Week 54 - ONE

This week the team at Our Beautiful World are still celebrating the blog's first birthday and are asking for photos of the word one or the number 1.  After searching through my box of keepsakes I found some Australian dollar notes which were part of our decimal currency introduced in 1966.  One side of the note shows the Australian coat of arms with our native animals the kangaroo and the emu along with a picture of Queen Elizabeth II .... 

 

The other side of the note shows native Aboriginal artwork.

 

These $1 notes were replaced in 1984 by the $1 coin which we still use today.  Generally the coin will have Queen Elizabeth II on one side and five kangaroos on the other, however, this is a commemorative coin showing Sir Charles Kingsford Smith an early Australian aviator who earned global fame in 1928 when he made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia.

 

Happy Birthday

Well I wasn't going to post a card today as I am meant to be making some cards to send to my good friends Vikki and Robyn, however....I couldn't resist playing along with sketch CTS#84 for this week over at CAS(E) this sketch!  Although I always take a peek at their sketches I don't always take the time to make a card and upload it before the closing time so today I am happy to say I have succeeded!  Thanks for taking a peek.

 

OBW - Week 53 - Baby You Are ONE!

This week - Week 53 - Baby You Are One! over at Our Beautiful World they are celebrating their first birthday on June 30....Happy Birthday OBW!  The request this week is that we post a photo of ourselves aged around one year old.  This is the only photo I seem to have of myself around that age...I am sure I am older than 1 year....probably around 18 months old.  Oh how I wish my hair was that blonde and my skin so soft forty something years later!  Thanks for taking a peek and if you haven't already posted your own photo maybe you would like to play along.

 

 

 

RobVikVik-June

Hi ladies,  It seems like forever since I have posted to my blog!  After much procrastination I have finally gotten around to making my card for our RobVikVik June challenge where Robyn supplied the layout, Vikki W supplied the colour inspiration and I suggested we use a dress somewhere on the card.  This card is nothing like I originally had in mind...thank you once again ladies for making me go out of my comfort zone.  It took me a while to come to terms with Robyn's suggested layout and then when Vikki R came up with this colour inspiration I really had to dig deep.  I am actually quite happy with this finished card and once again I have used 2 stamps which I have had in my stash and never used...a Christmas present from Vikki W if my memory serves me correctly...thanks again Vik.  Thanks for taking a peek.