Photo Friday challenge # 5 ~ Animals

 

 

Carly set the challenge this week {Animals}   I was away all weekend and Monday at the beach, so was wondering how I would get a photo done...when the next door neighbour's kitten came over to play.....  Francie is about weeks old... very cute.  I managed to get a few photos of her

 

 

and this one which I cropped and edited

Yvonne dangled some old stalk for her to chase and I got this series of photos.  The kitty was so sweet.  She is very cuddly and was happy for me to pat her.  Sunday night, she decided to pop over for a visit after dinner.... just strolled in through the ranch slider, wandered around sniffing everything and then popped off home again. 

I'm enjoying these challenges and can't wait till Friday to see what will be up next.

Dawn 

What a naughty cat.....

Snoopy has been up to his old tricks again.... but this time he has upset my next door neighbour!!!!!  He bought home her big straw hat the other night.... how on earth he managed to drag it over the fence, up 6 steps and inside, I really don't know.... but unfortunately this neighbour is rather odd and not as tolerant as the other side ones....  she really got into a state yesterday, demanding I get rid of the cat.... and it was causing her to be mentally stressed!!!!!  I was patient and told her to get a water pistol and spray him whenever she saw him over at her place.......... what more can I do?????  He really is a bit of a rat bag.....

Anyway Snoopy got me to make a little card to give to Joshua, Lucy and Elle who feed him while we were away.....

The background was some that I made with distress inks and gold pearlised water.  The image is a stamp I bought of Trade Me for $2.  I added Metallic Accents to the cats ears and feet and tail...  Although you can't see it in the picture... the outer edge of the back of the card has the same edging punched.  To get it to sit properly I had to open the card a bit.   Inside it says " thanks for feeding me.  Love Snoopy"

I got quite a bit done yesterday as it was a bit windy ( to windy to swim)  I made some multi coloured backgrounds with Kaleidocolor  inks and my Fabric design background cling... and I cleaned off the brayer by running it over a scrap piece of card.  I then overstamped the design in Fired Brick ink and cut up the pieces to create a Mosaic background to enter into Louise's latest challenge .  I used some Black Metallic Accents for the grouting ( think it looks more like Stained Glass though)

added some netting for texture and a bird from The Graphic Fairy.   The text was typed onto some translucent paper via the computer and torn

And just when I had posted the Christmas cards from my friends,.... two more arrived in yesterdays mail.... so many thanks to Suzz and Donna...

Aren't they just gorgeous.  Donna also kindly sent me some of her lovely dyed ribbon.  It is so pretty.   Thank you to these kind ladies.

Well today is my last day of holidays... back to work Monday  :-(  and the weather is perfect... infact a bit too hot.... hence being inside at 2pm trying to stay cool.   I think a swim is in order shortly and then shower and get ready to go out to dinner.... Hubby told me this morning he would take me out to the Club ( we belong to the Bays Club) for dinner. 

Thank you all for your lovely comments on this blog.... I ramble on and it is nice to know that someone takes the time to read it.... Much appreciated.

Deck the Halls

I told myself.... "I don't need any more Christmas stamps!"... but my brain wasn't listening.... I bought three yesterday..... two small Inkadinkado sets and one Stampendous.... mind you it was super cute~~~~
Here is the first card I made with two of the stamps...

I used one of the Inkadinkado stamps - from the Winter Time Flourish to stamp onto the cream textured card with Scattered Straw distress ink.  I then  sponged on some Fired Brick and a touch of Faded Jeans and inked up the edges. My focal panel used the Scattered straw to stamp the Music Background from Hero Arts and then the Fluffles stamp from Stampendous. I coloured Fluffles in with Copics and added some glossy accents to the ornaments. I distress the edges with Old Mahogany and my fingernail. Added the gems and ribbon and the little panel of pp to finish - covering the join of the red card stock and the main card. 

I then used the same design and some patterned paper from the Kaisercraft "Gypsy Sisters" collection to make the second card.  This time I coloured Fluffles in as a grey cat.

Think I like the orange Moggy better....what do you think?

I had fun playing with this one and have a couple more stamped images left to colour and make up...maybe as an easel card?

Another lovely day here today... pity I have to go back to work tomorrow.... feeling heaps better today.... painkillers seem to have helped!!!!

Summer's Coming.....and a RAK

I know this for two reasons..... tonight we barbecued our steaks for dinner.... outside on the barbecue - although it was a bit too cool to sit outside to eat. Plus we had new asparagus, new baby potatoes and an awesome fresh salad with avocado, feta cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

And that Darn Cat has been on the prowl again....this is the haul from last week....

Mostly knickers and swimming togs from one neighbour.  He only seems to do it in the summer time or when it is school holidays.  This week the kids are back at school, so nothing has come over....


The card I am going to share today is NOT made by me but by the amazing Tiffany Ervin.... she sent me this beauty together with a whole lot of other stuff in a RAK.... In amongst the goodies were some of the lovely flowers she used on her card.... so without further ado - feast your eyes on this ~

Isn't it just amazing.  Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness Tiffany.  I just love everything you sent me and will be able to use it all.....

I'm having some fun with distress inks and making some more bookmarks.... LOVE DISTRESS INK... there is just so much you can do with it...so that's all for tonight.

Enjoy your week.... for me the weekend is nearly here....a busy one starting with a family dinner out tomorrow to celebrate Hubby's birthday ( on Saturday) and finishing on Sunday with a 5km Fun Run.... Although it is 9.00am on Sunday I can imagine I'll be had it for the rest of the day!!!!

Ciao for now

Tag Tuesday challenge #60 Faces

I thought I'd give Louise's challenge a go this week.  The theme is Faces... Wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

I had this vintage image on my computer. Not sure where I found it... but used Photoshop Elements to crop just the face and printed it out of photo paper.  I then distress the edge with Fired Brick ink.  My cream tag was sponged with Worn Lipstick, Fired Brick and a touch of Dusty Concord.  The Hero Arts Antique Background was stamped in Fired Brick.  Added a bit of Lace under the photo and a flower over the centre of the butterfly.  Think I'm starting to get this vintage/shabby chic thing!!!

Tonight our we are going to a neighbourhood dinner as a farewell to our neighbours of 15 years...  Robyn and Barry have lived across the drive from us for that long!!!  We've been in this house almost 18 years... There are 8 of us having a lovely dinner together at Natalie and Murray's place.  I'm taking the dessert... Lemon Meringue Pie and Fruit Kebabs.  I've got pineapple, melon, mango, kiwifruit and marshmallows.  Wrong season other wise would have strawberries.... The pie is almost ready to come out the oven.  I used fresh lemons off the tree round at my son's flat.  We got a whole bag full last weekend when we were round there for lunch.

Just shooed the cat outside as I've left the pie on the bench to cool.... last weekend I left a piece of pork on the bench to defrost and forgot it when we went out.... came home to find a corner chewed off.... Had to cut it off !!!!!  Was rather annoyed with the cat ( and myself)

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.  Take care

Summer is on the way.....

I know this how?   ...'cause That Darn Cat (aka Snoopy) has started to steal the neighbour's kids clothes..... swim suits, rash tops, bikini tops and bottoms, caps.... on average one item a day.  The kids have a heated swimming pool and are inclined to strip off their togs and leave them on the deck..... in sneaks the cat and drags them home.  This week we also got one bright pink slipper... ( Neighbour says it's not theirs - so don't know where that came from)  He has also been known to bring home dolls and toys, some even bigger than him.  If he can, he jumps in the ensuite window with them in his mouth... some times he just leaves them outside on the deck or in the drive way..    Mind you I try and show him pictures of jewellery and other more expensive items - but he doesn't seem to get the idea!!!!!!
At least Natalie and Murray know where to come if anything is missing!!!!  I usually do a weekly delivery back to them.  For some obscure reason the cat seems to thief things from just this one family....   and only over the summer months.....

Thanks for stopping by. 

The Cat and the Rat...

After behaving himself for the last few weeks, the DARN CAT woke me at 4.00am this morning..... playing with a RAT.... well either a LARGE mouse or a SMALL rat.... couldn't really tell without the glasses.... but the darn thing woke me up with the chasing it up and down the hallway.  As hubby was away from home I had to deal with it....  when I finally turned on the light and put on the glasses there was the cat nose to nose with this THING in the doorway to my room.... Now normally I'd give hubby a shove and he can deal to it... but oh no I'm on my own with this one.  So up I jump and race past the rat and the cat and get a plastic bag out of the pantry, back to the room and throw the bag over the rat, grab the bag and got the tail.  There itwas hanging out of the bag by it's tail, squirming about and make an awful noise.... did you know rat's make a noise.  Sure do...
Tore off outside and threw the thing as hard and far as I could.... grabbed the cat and chucked him outside as well and shut all the doors and windows so he couldn't bring it back again..... boy was my heart racing, the adrenaline pumping.  Took me about an hour to get back to sleep.  Oh why does he always do this when I have to deal with it!!!!  This morning he came in purring and smooching me.  Some times........
Anyway that was the start to my morning.... did get much better.  Will update tomorrow.
Take care

Being sick sucks....

I hate when I get sick... 'specially when I get the coughing bug.... but the upside is that I feel well enough to surf the net, make cards etc. I've got a doctors cert stating I don't have to go back to work till Wednesday next week... but will see how I feel earlier in the week.

Anyway I did get some cards made yesterday and today. I saw a "1" card on HA Flickr group and decided to give it a go for Nathan's 1st birthday in August. Thanks to Anne who posted the template on her site.

This photo is of Snoopy who decided this morning to keep me company. He came into my craft room and jumped up on to the other table and laid himself down on my mending pile.... he is not used to having someone at home during the day so is making the most of being inside.

This next card is one I made for my friend Jean whose birthday is tomorrow. As I said one of the advantages of being sick ( but not too sick) I can surf the net. I came across this tutorial on Faux Postage stamps.
Thought I'd give it a try and am rather pleased with the results. Although I wish I had a paler red or a pinker piece of felt for the flower. I used 3 different types of ink - the lime green is VersaMagic chalk ink in Key Lime, the blue is Pearlescent Sky Blue Brilliance pigment ink and the reddish one is Worn Lipstick Distress ink (dye ink) - all sponged onto white computer paper that I had printed with the template. The butterfly is a HA one from the Artistic Butterfly set.
I made the felt flowers with my CB. and used a Kaisercraft brad in the centre. The blue background card is embossed with the Texture folder in the CB and it is all mounted onto a cream card.

Well I better get some house work done.... not too sick to do that unfortunately... and I want to go tomorrow to the big craft fair being held here in Auckland. It is huge... comes to Auckland twice a year. Really worth visiting.

Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend.

That Darn Cat...

For the second time in as many weeks this little ratbag bought in vermin... yes Snoopy bought in another mouse early yesterday morning. About 6.20am I heard him racing up and down the hall but couldn't be bothered getting up as it was too early. Heard the son get up about 6.30 and unusually go into the kitchen, got a rubbish bag and went out again, poking his head round our door shortly there after - to ask how he got blood off the carpet.... and to say he's disposed of the half eaten mouse.....ugh!!!! Better him than me though.

Snoopy actually belong to our daughter, but lives with us. She got him 3 years ago for her 20th birthday from her then boyfriend.... (partner now not so keen on cats) He is really a cat with character. He is rather large cat, who as well as being a hunter/gatherer is also a bit of a kleptomaniac..... yes that's right, he is a "cat burgler".... a bit choosy as he has only decided to take stuff from one household. On a regular basis he arrives home with swim togs, rash shirts, caps, dolls and toys etc, all from the neighbour across the driveway from us. So once a week I will take an assortment of bits and peice back to Natalie - and she knows if the kids togs are missing, they'll be at our house. (PS Have tried to show him pics of jewellery but no avail, he's only keen on the other stuff. ) I think Emma named it well as he really is a snoopy cat. As a kitten he was into everything. Love climbing into boxes, cupboards, anywhere he shouldn't have been. She had thought about calling him Nosey but decided on Snoopy. Hubby calls him "the dog" as Snoops follows him around all day on a Saturday when he's outside doing his gardening etc.

Photo of him isn't the best, but today we had a lot of sun and he would'nt sit still for me. Thank goodness for the nice weather as I had all that washing to catch up on. Got 4 loads done, but the downside to all that washing is now I have a whole heap of ironing to do and I've only just caught up on the last lot. I HATE ironing, so do my crafts stuff instead and then end up with about 2 weeks worth to do at one time.

Today is Good Friday so have had a peaceful day. My son and his girlfriend have headed off for the weekend so Peter and I are "Darby & Joan" for a few days. I managed to get the housework done, while he surfed the net looking for accomodation for us when we go for our trip to Australia later in the year. We are going to Cairns in Sept as he has an "old Farts" rugby tournament and then we will spend some time up there. As the weather was so lovely I decided to go for a walk. One hour later I got back after going over the cliff path to the next bay and then walking up and down the hills back. Felt really good so didn't feel guilty about doing a card before cooking dinner. Yesterday I had been to Spotlight and got some felt which I cut with my Cuttlebug into flowers. I have never done this before so was pleasently suprised how well it went. I stamped then with a HA stamp - Old French writing. I used a real mixture of stamps on this one. The flourish is by Inkadinkadoo and the grid by Rubadubadoo ( a NZ based stamp maker)
I used a nestibilty to make the oval scallop and white embossed the sentiment from HA CL129 Anytime Messages. I liked how the felts went so will be making a few more of these to have as ebellishments. As I used the sketch from CPS I have linked it to their site for the challenge. I love this sketch and think I'll be using it again and again.

Well I have one more card to finish off before tomorrow. One that has been commissioned by my gym instructor for her friend's 50th.
Hope you all have a lovely Easter and may God Bless us all at this time of hope and joy.
Thanks for stopping by and reading this rather long post... take care