Happy Birthday Grace

Yes, One year ago today, our little granddaughter Grace was born.

Unbelievable how quickly this year has gone.  We have not been able to see her for nearly 8 weeks... how she has grown in that time is incredible.  She walks everywhere now and is very focal.  We had a video chat with us and her other grandparents to see her get her cake and walk around the room.  Can not wait till we can get real cuddles.

Her Mum posted this funny pic this morning on her instragram page.

 Quite amusing!  

She is a real cutie

We haven't been able to give her our present or card yet.

Here's her card - Using Gracie Giraffe digi stamp from CuteNCrafty Mommy.

I made a subtle background with some Heartfelt Creations wild rose stamps and added my little printed, coloured and fussy cut Gracie Giraffe.  Added a die cut 1 and a Peelcraft sentiment.   Very simple little card.

Happy New Year from the Die Cut Divas

Happy New Year to you all. 

Today I'm sharing my card for Die Cut Divas

The challenge is NEW THINGS 

(new stamps, dies, stencils, embossing powders or folders, papers, digi images)

 

My card started as a trial of some watercolouring a background... 

 

 It turned out a bit bright and garish but once I matted it onto the bright pink card it started looking better.  Arlene had sent me some die cuts from Kat Scrapiness (Hello my crafty friend) in white so I added this to it.  Much better again!  

I forgot to schedule this post for last evening, so I'm sitting here in my PJ's at 10.00am in the morning typing it up.  We are still camping on our friends backyard.  Had a lovely Christmas and an awesome New Year - our friend has a party New Year's Eve and we all had a great time.   New Year's Day was spent with our son and his partner, her parents, aunties and uncles and Grace, at the beach in Waipu Cove. 

Wishing you all a Very Happy New Year and and Prosperous New Year.

Perfectly CAS - Birthday

Hi I'm back to enter the Perfectly CAS challenge - this time the theme is "Birthday"

This CAS challenge asks you to only use a third or less on your card.   I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Top Picks for the first challenge.. so had to join in again.

Once again I chose to do the bottom third of my card for my focal point.  I used a stamp set that was a freebie with a magazine. (note to self:  write the magazine it came from on the back of the stamp set!) I decided to leave it black and white and only add the pop of colour with the bright pink Happy Birthday die from Elizabeth Craft Designs.   Really happy how it turned out.  I added a scored line all around but not other embellishments.

I am also enter this into the Addicted to CAS - code word "Birthday" 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope the weekend was fun for you.  I did get a bit of stamping in and on Sunday did a 6 garden, Garden Ramble in Coatesville (about a 25 min drive from our place in the countryside)  It did rain a bit, but we saw some beautiful gardens from a sweet "Bumpkin" garden to "Mincher" a very elegant and large, well know garden.  Had a great time.  And got to see our little princess on the way home.  She was 6 months old yesterday

This is so typically "her" - full of smiles.  The last 6 months have simply flown by.

Playful Plumeria

I love the name of this Altenew set.  I recently purchased this set but only got around to playing with it this afternoon while Hubby and my Dad watched some rugby.   I started by stamping the two flowers and 2 leaves in a variety of colours using my MISTI.    I used these to make two cards.

For this first one, I started by sponging a light layer of Mountain Mist ink in the lower corner and added some watered down black ink splatter.  I used the same Mountain Mist with Volcano Lakes and Lagoon inks for the leaves.  I used a variety of pinks and yellow inks sets to stamp the flowers.  I added the flowers to the corner and finished with a sentiment from Build a Flower Rose stamp set.

And for my second card I used the branch from the Playful Plumeria set

I stamped the branch with Milk Chocolate ink before using the Broken Chevron stencil to dry emboss the background.  I used the sentiment from the Plumeria set.  I smudged the bottom of the panel so added a strip of gold foil washi.  I then added the flowers to the branch with some dimensional tape.  The leaves were glued directly to the panel.  I added some clear yellow sequins to finish off. 

I'm entering this card into the Anything Goes at The Flower Challenge.

My Dad and his new partner Ngaire, arrived up yesterday to spend some time with us and to meet his latest great granddaughter, Grace.  Her second name is Georgina... named after my Dad (George)

Dad is staying till Tuesday, which is his 82nd Birthday.  So happy to be able to spend time with him on his birthday.  He drove the 650 kms (about 450 miles) over a day and a half.  Not bad for his age!

Thanks for stopping by today. 

My weekend fun

NB - photo heavy

My weekend started a day early on Friday when I took a day's leave to spend some time at SENZ (NZ's biggest craft fair of the year)  I picked up my friend, Suna and we got to the venue at around 9.15am - it opened to pre-purchased ticket holders at 9.30.   We had a ball walking around checking out the stalls and catching up with some friends.  We even got to see the one and only Dyan Reaveley doing a mini demo at the Warehouse Stationery stall.

I spent up large... on some necessities like storage pockets and glues and then some fun stamps, dies and stencils.

I did a make and take at Uniquely Creative - the sweet little elephant water colouring - love the stamping so much I got the stamps and dies - as a kit including some patterned paper and flowers.  I even found time when I got home Friday evening to make a sweet little card for my son to give his partner, from their daughter, her birthday.

 

Saturday I went again to the fair.... as I was booked into a class in the afternoon.  Interactive cards with Paula from Craftables.  It was a full on 2 hours - got 3 kits to make interactive cards...we managed to get two made, and one to bring home to finish.

 This one has a magnetic closure which allows the centre panel to open and has a gift card envelope inside. 

The second one is a hidden pull sentiment.   Lots of fussy cutting of the flowers and leaves on both cards.    The one I still have to do is a telescopic card.  Luckily Paula has written detailed instructions. 

Sunday - I've started making cards - will share them later... and then a visit with Grace to drop of her Mummy's birthday present.    Here is Grace with her Pop

 

So if you made it this far.... thank you! 

More 3D Floral Focus homework

Today I'm sharing some more homework from the Altenew Academy class - 3D Floral Focus.  I was so taken by the inspiration from the class that I just had to order two new 3D dies.   I got Wild Rose 3D die and Virginia  Rose 3D die and they arrived on Thursday.

For today's card I used the Virginia Rose dies.    Day 5 of class was to use designer paper/patterned paper with the dies.   I have used some rose gold foil card as well as the patterned paper.

It was really hard to take the photo of the gold foil card.  I layered the Patterned paper with the foil card.   I decided to use some maroon card for my card.  It is embossed around the edge.  The sentiment (from More Than Words stamp set) was embossed with Rose Gold powder.  I finished off with some translucent gold gems.

I'm also entering this one into Virginia's Show and Share for July

I also got some DT work done - so keep an eye out over the next few weeks.

I'll leave you with a couple of super sweet photo of Miss Grace... 9 weeks old now and super smiley

Weekend fun

Hi there... I'm been playing in my craft room over the weekend and today... The kids were away down south for a few days...

I got a few cards made on Saturday to get ahead of my samples for Watercooler Wednesday.  So keep a look a out for them in the future.. Sunday I spend catching up on watching videos.  And trying out a technique from Lydia Evans... an oldie but a goodie.... using inks on an acrylic block.  I follow Karen  Dunbrook on Facebook and was inspired by her cards as well.

I used some Zig markers to scribble onto my block and spritzed with water before stamping onto some watercolour paper.  I then used a Hero Arts stamp Night and Day Flowers.  I used my MISTI  to stamped the flowers firstly onto the smooshed piece which I had positioned onto the card base, then moved it out of the way and stamped again fully on the base.  I then lined up the two lots of stamping and stuck it down.  I added the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp  and some clear jewels.

Sunday I decided to make a card for Jo's Christmas Kickstart challenge... the theme is "The Elves and the Shoemaker"  I used a sweet elf from Bugaboo for my card.  I finished it off this morning. 

I originally put my panel onto a red card base.... but did this~

Yeap... put it on the wrong side of the card.  As you can see above, I managed to salvage the card by trimming the red base and adding to a blue card base. 

I'm on holiday this week, to spend time with Emma, Andrew and Archie.... today we spend some having coffee, shopping and playing in the playgrounds at the Mall and then later in the day, Emma and Archie joined hubby on his daily walk

and today Miss Grace is one month old

She has started smiling now....

Thanks for stopping by. 

Another Snarky Christmas Card

My bloggy friend Jo, runs a great challenge called "Christmas Kickstart"  The latest challenge is "S for Snarky"

I have a number of Bugaboo images that are Christmas snarky so I've entered a couple of Snarky cards.

First one

I used watercolour paints to colour up this image and to make the striped background. 

and my second one:

For this one, I printed the snow globe and coloured with Alcohol markers, some white paint pen, and some glitter glue.    I embossed some white card for my textured base and added the snow globe

I had some fun with these cards.

Baby Grace is now home and all cozy in her own bed. Mummy is not sleeping well and is feeling very tired, but I am so proud how my son has stepped up to help with baby and give her time to rest and gain her strength again

Thanks for stopping by today.

Introducing Grace Georgina Turley

Our beautiful Granddaughter has finally arrived... 11 days overdue on 10th May 2019 at 1.59am, weighting in at 8lbs 1oz (3.69kg) 

Mum, Dad and Grace 

 Proud Nanny with Grace

 Pop, Nanny and Grace

Happy Baby Grace

As Erin had to have a C-section, they spend the day and night at the hospital and today moved to the Birthing Centre in Warkworth (about 30 mins north of our place) to have a rest before going home in a few days.  We are heading up tomorrow morning to visit and cuddle again. 

Here's the card I made to celebrate her birth 

And then late afternoon got a panic message from my son... he hadn't got a Mother's Day card for Erin and asked me to make her one for tomorrow.  Lovely that Grace arrived in time to celebrate Mother's Day.  

A sweet little card for Grace to give to her new Mummy.  Inside it says "it doesn't get any better than this" 

Thanks for stopping by today.  One proud Nanny signing off