Finding joy in the everyday

My old printer wasn't working and no matter how many times we cleaned it it didn't make any differences. I suppose 6 years is very old for a modern printer . . . it was time to replace it!! So on Saturday we went shopping and bought a brand new Canon printer that does a beautiful job.  Now I can print off my photos and turn them into cards . . . the quality of the print is very good, making them ideal for cards. Here are 2 that I made and over the coming weeks I will make more for birthdays this year. This was a sunset that we had a couple of days ago. It looked like the sky was on fire. A few months ago I bought a butterfly punch (Martha Stewart) and have been having fun making 3D butterflies (each butterfly is 3 layers).  I really like the card, but not so sure about the canvas.  Perhaps because I have painted the canvas black, maybe a different colour would be better.  I painted a small canvas black and made 3D butterflies - each one has 3 layers. Still d...

For those of you who do"crafty" activities . . .   what is your favourite craft tool ? When I was making cards the other night I was thinking about this question. And I decided that the most useful tool in my collection isn't scissors or rulers, glue or pens it  is the ear bud why you must be asking. I buy a large box from the supermarket and use them often when making cards.  The buds are useful when applying glue or silicone or when cleaning up if I apply too much.  They have come the rescue of a mess many times. They are cheap (unlike many craft tools) and can be thrown away after use.  And if you like to created raised pictures or paper tole and don't want to fiddle around with those little form squares - use this instead - roof and gutter transparent silicone .  Much cheaper than the craft silicone you can buy and works just as well. It doesn't smell, it is transparent and dries quickly. I buy mine from the local hardware store for aroun...

Breadmaking Recently I bought 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood and this is the first loaf I made from it.  This is a Guinness and Treacle Bread, made with 150ml's of Guinness.  Anyone who doesn't cook with alcohol or like the smell/taste of Guinness wouldn't like this bread - it does have a slight bitter taste from the Guinness but I was very happy with the results. The yeast when wild when it met the Guinness and I had the most lively yeast I have seen in ages! Yesterday I finally got around to watch Homestead Blessings: The Art of Breadmaking (by the West Ladies) and learnt a few tips from the the DVD. I plan to copy some of the recipes, in particular their pizza recipe and the most delicious cinnamon scrolls. Just watching someone making bread is useful. Card making When I was in Sydney visiting Clara , I discovered Copic Sketch Markers. I had heard of them, but never seen them in action - now I'm hooked!!  Below is my very first attempt - Clara and I spent ...

I woke up this morning, looked out of the window and was quite excited .  It was raining.  Yes, you heard me, I was excited to see rain on a Saturday morning. Outside was looking very glum and wet ( this is part of my front garden ), but that was going to be just fine with me. Why? Because I can spend the whole day indoors and do crafty things. . .  I did go out for a little while to my local craft shop . . and to my surprise it was very busy with other ladies buying craft items as well. We must have all had the same idea!! I bought a few things I didn't really need . . but isn't this lace so pretty . . and the roses are gorgeous . . my real reason was to buy some card for my paper tole pictures. So what am I currently making . . I spend ages making paper tole pictures and it does seem such a waste to place them on cards that might end up in the bin after one has celebrated his or her birthday (unless I  send them to my mum and she re-uses them on other cards!!)....

I have had a wonderful day . . . spent at the Craft and Quilting Fair.  As usual I got a little carried away, in saying this, I usual bulk up on crafty things at the fair and don't buy much during the year.  One thing I really wanted to buy lots of were paper tole, this is one of my favourite (current) activities and as I have trouble finding any in Canberra, I usually stock up once a year at the Craft Fair.  This year they had something new - paper tole kits that came with the card and envelope, however the card had printed on it the design (eg the one below had the boat scene printed on the back of the card).  They looked really nice and not very expensive ($3.95), which is cheaper than bought cards (I bought a card for my son's girlfriends 21st and it was $10!!!). Here is one I made earlier!! I glued everything at the front, however at the back of the card is the printed picture (see second photo). I have been using the 3D adhesive foam dots when making these card...