Stampavie

Yes, MORE Stampavie :) I just love them all - and am addicted to collecting them and colouring them in now. I ordered 100 copics the other week, so am anxiously awaiting an international parcel so I can get my colouring fix! I saw on the Stampavie blog today that they are looking to add to their DT so I thought I would throw my hat in, and share here a few of my recent Stampavie projects.

My latest

For Lime Tart:

I am so in love with those Crate Papers!

Challenge Tuesday!

So all the details of Lime Tart's first challenge are now up on the blog.

The Recipe:

Use at least two different brands of patterned paper, a flower embellishment, and some chipboard.

Here's my sample, using August's a la tarte.

get ready for.. Challenge Tuesday!

Exciting stuff happening at the Lime Tart Blog!

The team is aiming to post every day from now on! So you will always have something fun and inspiring to enjoy.

And starting tomorrow, our first every challenge! We will be hosting a new recipe challenge every second Tuesday, so don't forget to check out the blog tomorrow to find out the details - you could win this!! I'll be back in the morning to share my sample with you.

Another Stampavie challenge

I am really having fun with The Stampavie DT challenges. Any excuse to crack out the Stampavie stamps and get colouring! The latest challenge is to make an Autumn themed card.

I have used the Picnics of Daisies stamp - sooo sweet. I can't help but colour this girl as a redhead every time! I used Lime Tart's beautiful September Full Tart to make this entry.

You should grab some Stampavies from Lime Tart so you can play along too!

mmmmmmmm, Stampavie!!!

I just LOVE Stampavie stamps, so glad that Lime Tart stocks them and I get to play with all the cute designs!

The Stampavie DT set regular challenges on their blog, and the current challenge is to make a bookmark. FUN!

Pretty basic, I wanted to let that cute stamp shine. Literally!

So no scrapping on this one, just a coloured image, and a LOT of kindyglitz!

DD stole this before the kindy glitz was even dry!!

Shiny apples

Lime Tart gallery is up!

I am SO loving colouring these cute stamps. Here is a sneak at one of my projects:

The rest of the gallery can be seen HERE and I have just posted instructions for making these yummy apples HERE

useless

I am a pretty useless blogger, huh? I am so sure I have stuff to share - gotta get my act together enough to find and photograph it! I'm onto it - promise! Just so totally not yet! I am completely and utterly overdosing on my life at the moment, too much going on, I feel like a bit of a zombie! There are currently 28 jobs on my job list! I am seriously freaking out! That kind of workload really requires full time hours commitment and a couple of staff. It is crazy that I try to fit my work into part-time hours - I just need more TIME! LOTS more of it! So excited to be attending a class with Kate Mason, (jealous?) Janine Koczswara and Steph Devlin on Sunday. I am pretty keen to get stuck into my Prima canvas album, even if I may be just slightly scared at the materials list (think 3 shades of paint plus white, gesso, mod podge etc... ) Bit messier than I am used to! I know it's going to be fun, but it does scare the shit out of me! Have decided to go with it - just do it and enjoy! Have you seen Rhonna Farrer's 21 days? I'm not sure where I will take it, but I have made sure to download all the quotes as they come in - gorgeous stuff to keep for inspiration at the very least. I have been shopping at Lime Tart too - how amazing does this look?

*sigh* can't wait for it to arrive! There is a crazy sale going on at the moment - so many papers for 50c! And the gorgeous Stampavie clear stamps that I have developed an obsession with!

How freaking cute is this? x

a colour injection...

I think a splash of colour is in order for such a dreary day.

This amazing rainbow was out on Friday after a teeny tiny sunshower. It was SO intense and SO huge. I felt my spirit soar just looking at it. I know that sounds so stupid but it was very uplifting, it's not often grown ups can really appreciate things like children do but I was just as excited about this as my girls were :)

Loads of 'slap you in the face' colour on my Roadmap entry this month:

It hurts my eyes! What was I thinking!? I am in such a scrappy slump at the moment - hating everything I do. So I am currently just buying, not scrapping. LOL. Makes me feel better for a little while! Hopefully my mojo comes back soon, as this brand of therapy is getting expensive! LOL

html

grrrr, how frustrating is html!!!??? But it's a welcome change for me. Just like, after playing with pretty pictures all day I honestly don't mind doing my taxes. LOL It must be much like how an accountant wants to scrapbook. It's just so different from what you spend your day doing that it is a welcome relief! I hate and love html all at the same time! Like I hate and love numbers at the same time! So, anyway, obviously I have been playing with html today. I updated my own blog first. Not much, I still felt I wanted it to look the 'same' but it needed some modernising. I hated that rectangular header I have had for so long. I have been thinking about doing it for a while now, mixing things up a bit, but I am such a procrastinator! I would like to do some digital scrap kit designs actually - not for commercial or anything, I'd just like to offer a couple here on my own blog for free download. Would you be interested in that? I really want to know, so if you leave me a comment about it I might be able to muster up a RAK! So anyway, I digress... html. grr Mine gave me the most grief LOL, probably becuase it was my first. Then I moved onto Toni's blog. Easy Peasy that one. She is passionate (yeah, passionate!) about green and brown vintage. And I finished the day on Kerryn's blog. Tried to bring out her style in the design - she is always inking and sanding so that was a given. A bit of hambly overlay, a bit of scenic route, a butterfly (it's an in-joke!) and 3 buttons in a row (I'm not sure if she realises it, but it is practically a trademark for her!) so the design for that one came together easily as well, but for some reason her code did my head in!!! must be all those freaking links she has!!!!!! lol I am a bit jealous of Kerryn's blog now actually. I love the kraft! I'm not 100% sure what I am doing with the codes, but they are starting to make sense to me... I'm not at all interested in going too much further with this blog customisation thing, but I do want just a little more practice while I am enjoying myself with it, so if you are on blogger and you'd like a makeover, email me. aspinalls at optusnet dot com. I will do 2 personalised blog makeovers to your specifications, just for fun. But then it ends! Don't expect me to start designing blogs. I just want to play a little bit more before I give it in. You must be on blogger though, I am SO NOT going to try and learn a new version of html after just starting to understand the blogger one :) Looking forward to hearing from you... Well, I'm off to spend some long overdue time on the couch with DH Have a nice weekend!

Scrap The Girls

Pretty broad criteria at Scrap the Girls this month... Scrap the girls in your life. That's it! Easy Peasy. These are the girls in my life: I love Loire Valley!

Stamping Fun with Lime Tart

Not long now and I can show you what I did with Lime Tart's August Full Tart :)

While you're grabbing yours, check out the gorgeous range of Stampavie stamps in stock. I have been playing with this cute one:

OMG isn't it sooo sweet? Who can resist... there are many more of these cute characters in store with new ones arriving regularly! I am building up a nice colllection of them myself ;) and yeah, more of my mini roses on here, and a teeny scrap of October Afternoon Cherry Hill thanks to Toni who gave me the entire range as a 'no reason' gift. Aint I a lucky girl?

Oh oh oh, and speaking of lucky on the gift front! Check out what the darling Kerryn gave me for my birthday:

How well does she know me??? Hoping to use these soon!

Puzzle Sketches

New pieces are up at Puzzle Sketches!

One of my sample layouts:

Hope you can play along :)

Happy Birthday to me :)

32 today. Sounds sooo old!

My DH got me the Fun Medium Wacom tablet I have been wanting for a while now!

It's taking some getting used to but I love it :)

The girls bought me some beautiful earrings, and I'm planning on scrapping in my PJs all day today and finish up with takeaway chinese! perfect!

BTW - I have edited the flower tutorial to add some more pics of a few bigger ones I made last night using different shaped and sized flowers. The yellow rose is gorgeous! Check it out, there's a link in the sidebar.

They grow up WAY too fast!

My DD is 6. She is in year 1. This letter came home from school today: Dear Parents and Caregivers Welcome to term 3 which is promising to be another busy term. The children have returned from holidays refreshed and looking forward to the weeks ahead. A major unit of learning for this term will be in the area of Religious Education. "Made in the image of God: Being Sexual" (I’m sorry – do they need to use the word sexual in there!? LOL what’s wrong with ‘made in the image of God’ FULL STOP.) Throughout the term we will be covering this unit with the main themes being:

• Looking at how the children have changed from when they were babies to year ones.
• Looking at the people that make up a family. Their similarities and differences.
• How boys and girls are different, but both made equal in the eyes of God.
• Correctly naming all body parts.

If you have any queries about the specific content of this curriculum, please feel free to come in and speak to us. We are happy to discuss the course content as well as the particular learning tasks the children will engage in. You may wish to speak to your child yourself first in order to prepare them for this unit of work.

Thank you for your help and cooperation. We look forward to your continued support.

Are you kidding me!!!??? When did they start doing this so early!!!?? I swear I am no prude, but I thought I had a good few years of innocence left in her yet!!!???

ps. i have added a link to the mini rose tutorial in the sidebar if you come back looking for it after i have pushed the post off the page!

A new paper flower tutorial

I got a cute blog award from Carol, she likes my style :)

Thanks Carol - this one's for you:

That which is old can become new again!

Mini recycled paper roses tutorial

This morning I was playing with the idea of converting Kaiser mini paper flowers (everyone has lots of these don't they?) into gorgeous textured roses like Prima's teeny tiny new ones.

Here's how I did it...

Step 1: You will need between 2 and 4 (or maybe more?) mini paper flowers and a scrap of green cardstock. I have punched a flower shape out of mine but you could easily cut this sort of shape freehand. It doesn't need this many petals (or 'leaves')

Step 2: Add a drop of craft glue to the centre of each flower. You need to move fairly quickly so the glue doesn't dry but it does start to go tacky which makes things easier.

Step 3: Take one petal and pinch the base to close the petals up together around the glue. Squeeze gently until it holds in position by itself. Only takes a second.

Step 4: Turn it over and snip the pointed bottom off.

Step 5: Now it has a flat base, drop it onto the centre of the next flower.

Step 6: Pick the whole thing up and pinch the base again, wrapping the second flower around the first. Again, hold it until it is stuck together.

Snip a little bit off the bottom and continue squeezing and snipping with all your petals. You can stop at 2 petals for a smaller, bud-type flower, or keep going to 4 or 5 or more petals for a really full bloom. This one used 4.

Add a drop of glue to the centre of your punched 'leaf' and sit the whole flower on top. DONE!

Now experiment! You could ink the edges up before assembling, or swipe a distress ink pad over the top once finished, make smaller ones, bigger ones, I made a little bud by stopping at 2 flowers and then folding the leaf right around (this needed a bit more glue than just a drop) Try some using different shades of flowers on the one rose or add some kidyglitz for sparkle. Try different sized or shaped leaves too.

Have fun using up all those old paper flowers!

These guys ended up on a cute project for Lime Tart that I can show you in a few weeks :)

EDITED TO ADD:I made a few more of these last night, using not-so-little flowers. I didn't think it would work with the pointy flowers or the huge ones, but they all turned out OK. Especially nice with a touch of glimmermist!

That huge pink one is Heidi Swapp round petals. It's massive!

Scour your stash for green flowers to use as leaves. I have cut this one in pieces for my leaves. I'd love to see others, like these ones Tiff made. Leave me a comment linking me back to your projects and I'll share them here :)

I've been scrapping!

Hold onto your credit cards girls, Philippa has outdone herself this month with 3 stunning kits you are going to want to get your hands on! I couldn't resist getting an extra one so have been playing with both the Full Tart and the A La Tarte, some sneaks of my work below...

Full Tart:

And a sneak at what I have been doing with it:

Check out the Lime Tart blog for a tutorial on making these buttons!

Half Tart:

Julie's been playing with this one so I can guarantee some gorgeous stuff in the gallery soon. and the beautiful A La Tarte:

Check out the gorgeous stamp that comes in it!

Available for pre-order on Sunday. And you know they always sell out fast!

A Masterchef Moment

Yay for the girls coming over to scrap last night. I love our crops :) We have a precision schedule in place for who is hosting, driving and catering, LOL so last night was my turn to feed the masses and I decided to go a little bit upmarket. pmsl. All easy peasy of course, I'm very lazy in the kitchen. But sooo yum. I would have loved to have taken som gorgeous photos but it was already dark before I started assembling them so you get dodgy burnt out flash photography! Garlic crustinis spread with olive tapenade and topped with a salsa made from cherry tomato, avocado, spanish onion, lime juice and cracked black pepper: Vol au Vents filled with an antipasto mix of finely diced artichoke, marinated green olives, kalamata, sundried tomato, roasted capsicum and marinated mushrooms, topped with basil pesto:

Blinis (mini pikelets) topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and baby capers with cracked black pepper:

Garlic marinated prawns on cucumber rounds:

Drooling?