The Camels Have Brought Birthday Bling...

I thought I'd share some beautiful happy mail with you today (yes, one or two of the camels finally stumbled in from the desert ;-). This parcel came from my friend Kim, and what a lovely surprise it was too!

Pretty Goodies - Inside and Out!

Gorgeous Handmade Birthday Bling!

Did I feel special or what? The beautifully decorated felt flower is actually a brooch, and how could you wear that and not feel particularly happy with the world? You can also see the details of the gorgeous birthday card on Kim's blog here.

Thank so much Kim :-)...

Blogged to: (I Just) Died in Your Arms - Cutting Crew, If I Only Knew - Tom Jones, You Get What You Give - New Radicals and Discolights - Darren Styles.

Annabelle Stamps: Say It With...Spots, Dots and Anything Round

After checking out the Annabelle Stamps Design Team creations for this week's challenge, I was itching to get into my craft space late last night and create!

The challenge at Annabelle Stamps this week is to Say It With...Spots, Dots and Anything Round:

I was particularly inspired by the round cards made by Kylie and  Sue K, thanks ladies...and this is the circle easel card I came up with for the challenge:

I had a lot of fun with this one. How can you be working with Lil Monster, and not be having fun? Even the kids cashed in on my fun this morning when they found some of my excess Lil Monster stamped images...and spent the morning colouring them in texta in preparation for Father's Day!

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose Whisper White, Taken With Teal (all SU) and Blending Card (X-PressIt),
Paper: Glimmer Paper Silver and Loves Me Designer Series Paper (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink (SU) and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Lil Monster's Balloon (Annabelle Stamps) and Boys Party (Annabelle Stamps)
Punches: 1 Inch Circle, 1 1/4 Inch Circle, 1 3/8 Inch Circle, 1 3/4 Inch Circle and Owl Builder (all SU),
Accessories: Cuts By Design - Lil Monster's Balloon (Annabelle Stamps), White Twisted Paper Cord (Annabelle Stamps), Copic Markers (0, B00, BG49, R32, E74), Paper Piercer (misc), White Gel Pen (misc), Tiny Bubbles Embossing Folder (Provocraft), Dimensionals (SU) and Scrapbook Adhesives My Stik (Scrapbook Boutique).

ETA: I was in a rush yesterday when I posted as we were off for a picnic. Here is another (clearer) card pic, and a picnic pic too...

Snoozing in Jessie Gap after lunch...

Blogged to: She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals, Starlight - The Supermen Lovers, Always On My Mind - Pet Shop Boys and All Through the Night - Cyndi Lauper.

Just Add Ink #132 - Sketch Challenge

Well, it's turned into something of a drama of a morning for me...car woes that involved last minute dropping off of the car to have the brakes inspected and fixed (not a nice feeling when it appears that your vehicle is inclined NOT to stop). This in turn involved taxi rides for Thumper and I, phone calls to and fro, negotiations regarding prices and times, and just general chaos in my head. You know how that goes?!

It is a wonder that I had anything left to give...but I felt inspired to have a go at this week's Just Add Ink #132 Sketch Challenge:

I know Father's Day is coming up....so I took this opportunity to get myself organised before the day...

Photographed this one inside again, so it is pretty bodgily lit. If I get a chance I'll try it again later (after I've walked half way across town with Thumper to pick up the errant car and then picked up the kiddos from school and then done the food shopping for our dinner guests tonight...so maybe tomorrow ;-).

I have turned the sketch on its side and I've added a border too. I feel like it is missing something, it's kinda simple looking, but I think hubby will like it just as it is (especially being the huge fan of the sea that he is), besides...you can't get much more extravagant than a glimmering/glittering life buoy....can you?

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Pool Party (textured), Island Indigo (textured), Basic Black and Whisper White (all SU),
Paper: Fly a Kite Sky Paper (My Mind's Eye), Glimmer Paper Red and Glimmer Paper Silver (SU),
Ink: Basic Black Classic Ink (SU),
Stamps: Men of Life (PTI),
Punches: Jewellery Tag (SU),
Accessories: Life Preserver Die (Taylored Expressions), Wave Border Die (Taylored Expressions), Real Red Brads (SU), Scrapbook Adhesives MyStik (Scrapbook Boutique).

Gotta run!

ETA: Some brighter photos...

Blogged to: Light My Fire - Club House & Club House, Parlez Vous Francais? - Art vs. Science and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police.

Play Date Cafe Challenge #145

I found another lovely challenge to help keep me creatin' and havin' fun. I do enjoy having a little therapeutic play while the Thump-meister is taking his Zzzzzzs...it gets so peaceful (apart from the northwesterly wind that is currently whipping around the house...but it is a fabulous 33 degrees [celcius] too, so I'm not complaining)!!

The challenge for today is the Play Date Cafe Challenge #145:

As you can see, the colours are Burn't Sienna, Mustard and Slate! Delish.

Now, because of the wind I've had to photograph indoors...so it's all a bit digitally enhanced and weird, but you can see where I was going I think. Also, do excuse any boo boos...I have one hour till submissions close, so I'm flying along (two fingered typing like there is no tomorrow ;-). Hope you like my card...

Phew....think I'm just going to have it up in time!

Ta, ta and thanks for dropping by...

Blogged to: No music...I was concentratin' hard ;-)

Annabelle Stamps - Flower Frenzy Challenge

I just discovered that Annabelle Stamps have a fun new monthly challenge, and this month's challenge is Flower Frenzy...

How cool is that? I love a challenge, and I was feeling all florally inspired after seeing a fab-o flower tutorial by Sue on the Annabelle Stamps - Stamp, Embellish, Create Ning site this morning..so as soon as wee Thumper's head hit the pillow after lunch, I was off and crafting :-)...

Now, I ended up making my flower differently to Sue, but I'm going to make one like she did (as soon as my new set arrives in the mail ;-). In the meantime...here is the card I just made...

I am so very happy with the way this one turned out. It makes me smile...which is appropriate given the sentiment!

Can you guess how I made the flower? I have used the new Annabelle Stamps - Cuts by Design:  Shapes 1 (the decorative square die)! I cut three in different colours, and then cut them into eighths and adhered them onto a 1 inch circle to make my flower. Add a bit of scrunching and distressing and voila!

The stem, sentiment and background flower are all from the Annabelle Stamps - Stemmed Flowers stamp set. I have also used some Annabelle Stamps - Twisted Paper Cord in white through the button centre.

What about the colour combo? I'm in LOVE! I recently saw it (well...a similar version) on a local sign post, and hurried home to jot it down to use in my next creation.

It makes me happy when something comes together like this.
I hope you enjoyed today's ramblings...

Blogged to: Can't Wait to See You - Eurogliders, Total Control - The Motels, Fever - Kylie Minogue, I Feel the Earth Move - Martika and When Tomorrow Comes - Eurythmics.

Say It In...Shades of Blue

Lucky for me Annabelle Stamps also has a blue challenge going on this week, Say It In...Shades of Blue:

How serendipitous! I still had all my blues scattered over the desk from the Twisted Tuesday Challenge (no I do not tidy as I go...do many crafters do this? Let me know if you do), so I was good to go!

Here is the end result...

It is very tiresome to photograph this type of card fold (it flops about all over the place), but worth the effort in the end. The final card measures 4 x 4 inches.

Hope you find some serendipity on your travels this week! Thanks for visiting...

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Marina Mist and Whisper White (all SU),
Ink: Pacific Point Classic Ink (SU),
Stamps: Boys Party (Annabelle Stamps),
Punches: 1 3/4 inch Circle and 1 1/4 inch Circle (SU),
Accessories: Cuts By Design - Shapes 1 (Annabelle Stamps), White Gel Pen (misc), Dimensionals (SU), Paper Piercer (misc) and Waves/Bubbles Impression Plate (Taylored Expressions).

Blogged to: Bad - Michael Jackson, Bulletproof - La Roux, Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung and The Edge of Glory - Lady GaGa.

Twisted Tuesday Challenge #19 - Are You Blue?

I'm blue! Love a bit of blue. Love a lot of blue in fact....so when I first saw this week's Twisted Tuesday Challenge #19 - Are You Blue? on Jeanette's blog, I knew I had to play. The challenge involved making something predominantly blue, with only one other colour.

Here is my blue card, made earlier this week, but not photographed until today because...well, just because!

Check out the shimmery finish on the petals....a gift from my blogging buddy Debbie!

This card, looks simple enough, but actually caused me no end of grief. The first try ended up with multiple crooked layers and patchy stamping. It's a shocker! Even this one disappointed me with the Pacific Point ink coming through the Whisper White craft ink of the sentiment. Note to Self: WAIT UNTIL CLASSIC INK IS FULLY DRY BEFORE OVER-STAMPING IN WHISPER WHITE CRAFT INK!! You'd think that would be obvious, but not for this nutty little crafter.

My husband was very amused to see this card sitting on my craft desk, as he later presented me with a gift...which could itself have been the inspiration for my card, but I hadn't seen it when the card was completed. Must have been having a premonition...I promise I didn't peek!

This is a little portion of my beautiful gift...

Painting by Jilly Jones Apetyarr

Yesterday we spent the day at the Henley on Todd Regatta, so it has been a very busy weekend. Busy, but a lot of fun!

Tootles...

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Whisper White (textured), Pacific Point (smooth) and Marina Mist (smooth),
Ink: Pacific Point Classic Ink and Whisper White Craft Ink,
Stamps: Big Blooms (SU) and birthday sentiment (misc),
Accessories: Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (SU - mixed with Isocol), White Gel Pen (misc), Paper Piercer (misc) and Dimensionals (SU).

Blogged to: Great Southern Land - Icehouse, Blue Sky Mine - Midnight Oil, Solid Rock - Goanna and Sounds of Then - GANGgajang.

Sturt's Desert Pea - My New Favourite Flower

I have a new favourite flower. It is amazingly vibrant in colour and has a very groovy shape to boot. Just stunning! It is the Sturt's Desert Pea, or Swainsona formosa, and it is also the floral emblem of South Australia.

This is the card that these beauties have inspired me to make...

No sentiment. Some people won't like that, but I didn't want anything to detract from the the flowers. It's all about the flowers!

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Basic Black (textured), Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie (textured), Poppy Parade and Sage Shadow (all SU).
Punches: Medium Oval (SU) and Small Egg (misc).
Accessories: Leaf Die (misc), Waves/Bubbles Impression Plate (Taylored Expressions) and Dimensionals (SU).

...and a few more pea pics, just so that you can see they are not all the same...plus, you know I love a pic or ten!!

I've even bought some seeds. Wish I could fast-track them :-)...but we'll have to wait and see how they go.

Tootles...

Blogged to: Dr Who - The Impossible Astronaut (1).

The colours of an Uluru sunset

I made myself a little colour challenge last week, and finally had a chance to play along on the weekend...once I had managed to unpack a few of my craft goodies! I still haven't found everything though, so don't be looking too close, because there was some craftin' bodgy-ness going on (OH THE SHAME ;-)...

...And here is the card that I put together...

Project Recipe:

Cardstock: Soft Suede (textured), Whisper White (textured), Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie (textured) and Summer Sun (all SU).
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun Classic Inks (all SU).
Stamps: Small Sayings (SU).
Punches: Large Oval (SU) - for the grass and Photo Corners (SU) - for the banner notch.
Accessories: D'Vine Swirl Embossing Folder (Provocraft), Giraffe Pattern Embossing Folder (Darice), Bronze Brad (SU), Dimensionals (SU) and Tombow Adhesive (Penwa).

Maybe someone else will feel inspired by these colours and/or the picture. If you are, I'd love to see what you create!

I'll leave you with a weekend snap taken at Simpson's Gap...it is such a pretty place, and my picture does not begin to do it justice.

Have a great week.

Blogged to: The Final Countdown - Europe, Baby Baby - Corona, This Afternoon - Nickelback and You (Wes Carr).