Post 2 – Cool Colours

Tags

A Word for You, Just Add Ink Challenge, The Play Date Cafe Challenge, Vintage Vogue

Hi again!

Well … a bonus post today! (Scroll down to see my “Love Defined” card!) As is my usual habit … I finish a challenge only to find that it is about to close! Actually … there are plenty of times that I finish AFTER the challenge is closed!!! So … to get this submitted on time … you all get a bonus post today!

Just Add Ink had a very tricky challenge this week. It is a “Just Add Stamps” challenge! And … the JAI blog goes on to say “That means no DSP, no ribbon, no buttons, no die-cuts, no punches … a lot of no no’s actually. We hope you get the picture!!” Now that is a challenge! Here is what I put together! I’m not sure if it is a little overdone???

So I did some sponging … some tearing … some hand cutting … and some twirling! I think all those elements are allowed! I hope so anyway! Isn’t it a Cool Colour combo??? This was the Colour Challenge from The Play Date Cafe. I haven’t played along before … so it was nice to try this pretty combination. I almost added a little green (leaves & springs) to this … but the swatch at the bottom didn’t have the green … so I went without it!

Well … better go clean up my mess … and I am starting to “wilt” a little … might have a little “nanna nap”!? After all … I have to practise for when Stacey has the baby! Hugs xxaxx

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Love Defined

Tags

Love Defined, Makeesha’s Inkspirations Challenges, Stamping 411

Hello bloggies!

I stamped!!!!! Yay! It has been a while! What better way to start … than with a challenge … or three!!! Always the best thing for flagging mojo! I decided to pop by 2 of my fav challenge blogs … and combine a sketch and a colour challenge! And … then I decided to challenge myself a little more … and use a stamp set that I haven’t used much – Love Defined. I actually love this set … but find I don’t do a lot of “love” type cards. This was a fun card to do …

I wanted to show you a quick way to stamp several images on the one piece of card … like I have  for the main image panel here. Try popping your stamps onto a larger block … so you can place them in exactly the right place … before you stamp. You can check the placement will fit the card before inking … and move the separate images around until they are perfectly positioned.

Then you can use markers to ink the images up … and stamp them all in one “go” … creating a picture with your images.

Another little trick … instead of using markers to carefully ink separate bits of this tree image … I have inked the tree image using my Night of Navy Stamp pad …  then … using my Blender Pen … I have lifted the ink off select parts of the image. You will need to keep “cleaning” your blender pen … on scratch paper … to remove the ink from the pen … as you work the ink off the rubber. Then …  you can use Markers to add a different colour ink to the bare spots of rubber. A Q&E technique!

These are the two challenges that I used for this card! Why don’t you pop by the websites … to see some more gorgeous samples. You should see what the DT girls have created!

Well … it felt good to get out my stamps and ink again! I might go and stamp some more now! Have a great day! Hugs xxaxx

INK4U! Inkspiration Challenge #5

Tags

Bliss

Hi there!

Our 5th Challenge for INK4U! this time was a gorgeous INKspiration challenge … using the picture shown here! The great thing about INKspiration challenges is that you can use anything you see in the challenge pic. Colours / Lines/ Images / Embellishments etc etc. It is almost a FREE challenge. I loved the colours in this pic … including the tiny hint of Cherry Cobbler (the phone) … so I chose to use the Colours as my Inkspiration! I was desperate to ink up my brand new “Bliss” (Sale-a-bration) stamp set … so this is what I came up with!

I have had several comments on the INK4U site … that it looks like I have created my own background DSP. The main flourish image has been stamped off on scrap paper before stamping on the card. This means that the bird stamp stands out a little better … because it has been stamped directly onto the card and so … is a little deeper in colour. I have seen so many gorgeous cards around using this set … it is so divine! And … so versatile! I have this vague idea that I saw a card like this via my blog travels recently. I didn’t deliberately CASE this … and I have tried searching for my inspiration … but if this was something I saw in cyberland and you would like acknowledgement … please let me know!

The Cherry Cobbler seam binding (ribbon) is some “contraband” (ie. not available in AUS) from Fiona who has a lovely friend in the US who often shares some of her SU! purchases with Fi. Wouldn’t it be lovely to get some “happy mail” like that from time to time! I do hope we get some of this seam binding in the next catty. It is so soft and easy to work with! I want to hoard it … because I only have a small amount. But … I do love it!!!

You will all be pleased to know (for those who have been nagging me!!!) that … I finally got to the docs this morning. Typically … by the time you go to the docs … you are feeling better … BUT … the cough is still driving me nuts … so I am glad that I went. It have an Rx for antibiotics … and have to contact her if I am not finding any improvement in a few days. I am hoping to do some stamping soon. I don’t think I have picked up a stamp for about 10 days!!! I am running out of things to show you! Don’t forget to add a comment to my 150,000 hits post … to enter the blog candy comp! Anyway … gotta go … C U soon! Hugs xxaxx

150,000! Wow!

Tags

150 000 Blog hits, Baby Shower, Stacey

Hi there to all my wonderful bloggies!

You can imagine my excitement to pop by my blog this morning … after being “absent” all weekend … to discover that I have  just clicked over the 150,000 hits milestone! I noticed a couple of weeks ago that it was getting close … but it was a surprise this morning … to see it had clicked by!

I’m not sure if you all realise how much I appreciate the support & friendship that I share with my blog friends. You are all such a special part of my life! So … as a token of my appreciation … it is…

If you would like a chance to win this blog candy … you need to leave a comment on this post … and tell me about a milestone you have reached and why it was important! I will probably get my gorgeous girls to help me judge a winner!   I hope all my blog faithfuls will pop a comment here … it will mean a lot to me! (Entries close 10pm Sunday 3rd Apr – Sydney time!)

Well … once again … a weekend has passed and I have not done any stamping. Apart from it being a little busy … ie. baby shower / soccer etc … I am still not feeling 100% and wasn’t feeling like stamping!  I have a doc appt tomorrow morning … so hopefully I will get on top of this darn thing soon. (It is 3 weeks now!)

Stacey’s baby shower was a wonderfully happy time … and a treat for everyone who attended. We all shared a coffee (& most had cake or even some wonderful bacon & egg turkish rolls) at a lovely cafe/restaurant overlooking Wollongong. The Cliffhanger also caters for weddings … and is a lovely intimate spot for special events. The staff were so obliging and helpful and the coffee & cake was delicious. We played some “silly” word games …  gave Stacey some wonderful (& hilarious) “hints” for her new adventure … caught up with some old friends and just enjoyed each other’s company. Here are a couple of happy snaps!

Me & My girls! Sorry ... this is a great photo ... but ... I am disappointed about the glare!

 

Stace, Mel & Heather

Stacey got some gorgeous gifts!

I forgot to take a photo of the “thankyou” favours that I made for Stacey’s guests. They were little pillow boxes … and made a wonderful little gift. You might be able to see a glimpse of them on the tables??? I had also tagged the tiny plastic Chinese boxes that I got from party supply place … that held some choccies for our guests to nibble on! Stacey had a lovely time and our guests seemed to really enjoy themselves. Anyway … don’t forget to add a comment with a memorable milestone … before you hop on by! That blog candy could be yours! I am looking forward to reading your responses … I feel sure that there are going to be some wonderful things to share! Hugs xxaxx

 

A sweet friend!

Tags

Sweet Summer, Well Scripted

Hello to all my wonderful friends!

It is always exciting to get some happy mail in the mail box … and it was so nice to have a little package waiting for me when I got home yesterday! This is what was inside –  A purse pack tissue holder … A lip balm holder … and a gorgeous matching card!!! ….

This lovely gift was from my dear blog friend Lynda. She is such a sweet friend. When my b’day rolled around earlier this month … she was on an enforced “no stamping” period … due to some health issues. But … as soon as she was able … she sent this gorgeous gift to say “happy birthday”. What a lovely surprise! I love the colours! (Lynda is good at remembering details like that!) And … check out the amazing patchwork DSP that she has created so carefully! Isn’t it stunning!

I have another lovely INKspiration Challenge from INK4U! to share with you today! This is the pic we used as our inspiration. Isn’t this just the prettiest baby room!!! I love coordinated rooms! So … I wasn’t quite as “literal” with this challenge as I was with the INK challenge I showed you all yesterday. I picked out the colour scheme from this pic … and used that as my inspiration.

This is one of the gorgeous Sale-a-bration sets that were FREE!!! “Sweet Summer”. To be honest … this wasn’t my 1st choice from the stamp sets on offer … BUT … I am so glad that I did get it … now that I have had a chance to play! It is just the sweetest set … the branch/berry stamp is so versatile … and the butterflies are soooo cute! I can see this will be a long time fav! The frilled ribbon is another “element” from the INKspiration photo that I ended up incorporating into my design. And … of course I had to add some bling to the flowers (Dazz Diamonds & Rhinestone Brads) & to the butterflies.

Well … I have a few little things to do for the party tomorrow. I hope I might have some time to do some stamping at some point. But … I had better keep moving! Have a great day, everyone! Hugs xxaxx

A Birthday Cupcake!

Tags

Cupcake Card, Simple Birthday Thanks, So Happy for You

Hello bloggies!

Well … you know what they say … sometimes the best of intentions …. go astray!

I was all set to pop by yesterday morning to do a blog post … but WordPress was having issues. I couldn’t get in to reply to comments or do a new post. So … instead of wasting more time … I decided that I needed to “bite the bullet” … and finally get my grocery list onto online shopping. (A big job that I have been procrastinating about.) I already do my mum’s groceries online for her every 2 weeks … and without a car most days I thought it might be helpful & more efficient to do this for my shopping also.  You probably won’t believe this … but … the first 3 items took 1 hour to list!!!!!!! That is NO EXAGGERATION. And … to submit the whole list … took 5 hours! It was taking several attempts & a very long time to “refresh” each time I added an item. You can imagine the tears & the frustration by the end of the task! So … long story short … (I’m not very good at keeping a long story short ) I ran out of time yesterday to do my post.

It has however prompted Gav to once again test and retest different settings … positions … network issues etc etc … and with a few changes … it does seem to be behaving much more postively today. Poor Gav! We have lost track of the number of hours he has spent on trying to maximise out internet performance! But … fingers crossed … it will be stable for a little while! I promised the girls over at INK4U! that I would get the details for this card posted asap! This was an INKspiration challenge … using this photo for the inkspiration! Talk about taking an INK challenge literally!!! Here is my card …

I really enjoyed this challenge … just the whole idea of trying to carefully copy the whole picture was fun! These INKspiration challenges are completely FREE … ie. you can take all or just one element of a pic (eg. colour / images / theme etc) to base your card around. I decided to go with the lot! Nothing like a real challenge!

I also thought I would enter this for the current SUO (Stampin’ Up! Only) challenge – which is to create a birthday card! I think that this one qualifies! My card recipe for this card (at the end of this post) is quite detailed … including a template for cutting the base of the card. I hope this is a help if you decide you would like to CASE this one!? You might want to click on the recipe to view the template better? And … once the image is open … you should be able to click on “CTRL +” (together) … to enlarge the pic as much as you wish!

And … I also wanted to pop this on Shelli’s latest challenge … too! “Crazy for Cupcakes Creative Challenge”! It seems birthday challenges are a little “hip” at the moment! I am pretty sure this qualifies as a cupcake card!!!!! :wik:

I wanted to show you this pic … so you can see the gorgeous shimmer paint spray (a mix of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint +some isocol). It really does add such a sparkle to the icing and the cupcake “paper” base … and is a really pretty finish!  Click on this pic to open … the shimmer really does look a treat when this pic is enlarged!

Well … I have been out this morning with my mum … stocking up on a few baby shower goodies for Stacey’s party on Saturday. It was fun … and we are looking forward to a girly morning tea at the Cliffhanger Restaurant, Bulli … with gorgeous views down the escarpment to Wollongong! Stace is getting quite excited now. She only has one more week of work … and it is 4 weeks today until the baby is due. I must admit … now I am getting a little excited too! Another new stage in our life adventure!

The last two days have been glorious sunshine … and today there is a gorgeous breeze blowing. It is a beautiful day. Apart from looking out on an overfull pool … you wouldn’t know that we had been through such a downpour on Monday! I hope it is a lovely day in your little part of the world! If only I could get rid of this cough!!! C U all soon! Hugs xxaxx

Flood update … plus a card!

Tags

Flood March 2011, Welcome Christmas

Hi there bloggies!

Have you read my post for yesterday … did you see the photos? It was a  bit of a mad day … with the worst (seriously … no exaggeration) rain I have seen in the 11 years since we have been here! Gav managed to get a video of the water raging down the side of the dam … through the paddock and over the road. Even though the rain eased a little about 3ish … and the water levels dropped a little … it started to “close in again” with more rain coming over the escarpment. Apparently a few of the school buses managed to get out via a back road around 6ish … but it still wasn’t safe for Skye to try and get home. She finally managed to get through and home at 9.30pm via a back road that was very dark and very wet! Gav met her at Dapto and followed her home. Our road into town is still blocked. The water has receded but the road is a bit of a mess. It won’t open until they get some clean up & repairs done to the road. There were 3 cars stuck … washed into the fence … and mess everywhere. We went for a bit of a drive … and got some photos. Here are a few more …

 

Our street at the bottom of our front paddock ... the water was not quite at its highest yet!

Looking at the same spot a little later ... from a different angle. Can't see the road now! The water was really massive by this time! I can't believe how much that paddock filled up ... there is quite a dip between the dam and the road ... and there was sooo much water!

Some of the debris down near the Calderwood Rd bridge. This is WAY above the creek banks ... the water must have been really high over the bridge here! There is stuff all over the place ... including caught on many of the farm fences around the area.

Calderwood Road -- our street runs off this road -- look at the sludge over the road. This was 1 of three cars that had been washed off the road into the fence.

Sandy is cheering today … our school is one of 2 that is closed today. There was not much damage to the school … but this road (shown above) is the main access into the school … and it is still “officially” closed. I am going to make sure he works on his art assignment, though!

Well … enough of our dramas … time for a quick card! I know it seems that I have only had INK4U! projects to show you lately … but I am a little stuck for things to feature at the moment … after so many days of being laid low! I just haven’t had the inclination (or the energy) for stamping. I do hope within the next few days I might find the time. But … in the meantime … here is a card that was a combination challenge over at INK4U!

This was a sketch challenge … combined with a technique challenge Madeline called “Neutrals Shadowing”. I have always thought of this technique as “Emboss Resist”. But … Madeline did use a neutrals colour and did this on whisper white cardstock. I used glossy white card and Cherry Cobbler ink.

A big thank you to all my blog buddies for all the lovely comments yesterday! You are all so wonderful to be so concerned! I am off to reply to them all now. See you all again soon! Hugs xxaxx

 

We are flooded in!

Tags

Flooding

Dam overflowing (on left) flooding paddock below

Hi there bloggies!

I was working on a card post … but just had to share some weather news. In the 11 years we have lived on the farm … I have NEVER seen so much water! It has been raining heavily on and off since Friday afternoon. Today has been torrential … all day. Apparently 60mm in half an hour at one point! And … 195mm … between 9am & 2pm.  Latest: Albion Park 228mm since this morning! That is an astronomical amount of rain. The pool has overflowed and water is collecting around the back of the house. Our dam has overflowed! Yes … it has done that several times before … but NOT LIKE THIS!!! The whole of the paddock below the dam is under water … our driveway is flooded … and our road in both directions is cut. Thankfully, Gavin came home early … and was able to see that the road was soon going to be impassable … and we managed to get down to the school to rescue Sandy. He would have been stranded at school! Shane was on his way out 1/2 an hour ago for his 1st day of prac in the renal ward at Wollongong Hospital … and he tried all the roads in every direction … only to be turned back each time. He has had to come home … and wait it out. All the family is safe at home … except Skye … who is in Wollongong at uni. (1/2 hr drive) There is no way she will get home for several hours at this rate. Thankfully, Stace & Jono live near the uni … and she can shelter there until this passes.

 

From our road looking back up to the (big) dam on the left near the tree (hidden by the rise of the hill). You can see the "rapids" flowing into the front paddock.

Honestly … it is still bucketing down … and it seems like it will never give up. I am very thankful that the house is on a hill and is really not in any danger of being flooded. But … I am sure that there are others who will be flooded out. Sandy’s school is at the end of our street … in the middle of dairy farm land. It has never been cut off …. but I have a feeling that there might be some kids stranded this afternoon if they can’t get the buses into the school soon. The bridge into town is almost under (Shane got through to get home … but he said it would be under very soon.) As I write … the wind is now starting to pick up … and there is a severe weather warning for the Illawarra.

TOP PRIORITY FOR IMMEDIATE BROADCAST

DETAILED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING for FLASH FLOODING
For people in parts of the Greater Wollongong area.

Issued at 1:54 pm Monday, 21 March 2011.

The Bureau of Meteorology warns that, at 1:45 pm, severe thunderstorms were
detected on weather radar near Albion Park, Shell Harbour and Kiama. These
thunderstorms are slow moving. They are forecast to affect Jamberoo and waters
off Kiama by 2:15 pm and Gerringong and Gerroa by 2:45 pm.

Very heavy rainfall and flash flooding are likely.

Albion Park has recorded 63 mm in the hour to 1 pm. Kiama has recorded 48 mm in
the past hour.

Albion Park … yep! That’s us! So … I guess it is all a little exciting … but also a worry for parents who haven’t got their kids home, yet. I just rang my sis (PA to principal at the school) and she said that they are all “stuck”. The phones are running hot. Only 1 bus is allowed through to Dapto (this road is cut to normal traffic)  … and all other directions are completely cut. I do wish I had all my kiddies home safe and sound … but I know that God will be watching over Skye, Stace & Jono. The weather must be interfering with the internet … and the TV signal. We keep losing both. Hopefully I will manage to get this posted.

 

The water in the front paddock has gone over the road ... for the 1st time since we have been here. Since this photo was taken an hour ago ... the water has risen substantially and cut this road. Several sections of our street have gone under.

So … just to let you all know … I am feeling a little better today. My cough is easing …  and the fevers are beginning to recede. I am up and around … but spending time catching up on a few things. I didn’t feel like gym this morning. And … I was glad that I didn’t go out in the rain. I will try and get that card post done … but am feeling a little unsettled & distracted at the moment!

This is the causeway at the end of our road ... that often floods in heavy rain. But ... this is the deepest we have ever seen it! You can't even see the road ... or the creek that flows beside ... it is just one mass of water!

Praying that you all stay safe and dry today! Hugs xxaxx

Added 6pm: The school has managed (at 5pm) to get some buses out via a back road … but this route is only open for an hour. The rain is starting to close in again … and so the police have said they will be closing this road again soon. There is not enough time for Skye to get to this road before it closes and the reports are all saying not to try and get into Albion Park for now. I think she should stay put … and as it gets darker … it seems more likely that she won’t get home tonight. The total rainfall 9am to 6pm for Albion Park is now at 269mm!!!!!!!! and that is on top of the 129mm we got over the weekend. xx