Rainy Saturday

Yesterday was a Rainy Day here.... warm but very wet......so what better thing to do than bake biscuits ( cookies for my USA/Canada friends)  The latest Countdown  ( supermarket) magazine had a recipe for a basic dough that you split into 3 to make different varieties.  It is a big mixture using 250gms (1/4 lb) butter but made a number of biscuits.  The 3 varieties:

Choc chip cookies

Apricot Almond

Vanilla Hearts

I have frozen the Hearts and will take them with me for Easter.  I will be sandwiching them together with Passionfruit icing and dusting with Icing Sugar.  I have also frozen some of the others too.... but not all!!!!!!!!  Hubby insisted that some stay out for supper last night.

Got to make a couple of cards made too.... here is the first one.  Using some new Penny Black stamps I won over at Kathy's blog ( The Daily Marker)  I loved this Mimi stamp ~ dressed up in her bunny suit

I stamped her onto some Neenah Solar Paper and used Copics to colour her in. I added some liquid appliqué for her tail. I cut out with a Nestie oval and added some Spun sugar distress ink while the die was still in place. I had this lovely pink PP in my box so thought it went well enough to cover the background of the card. The label is a new one for me.. Grommet Tags from Spellbinder. Again sponged the ink while the die was in place and used a Sharpie fineliner to draw round the centre. Sentiment from Hero Arts. Added the bright pink flowers and it's ready to head off overseas.  Won't get there by Easter.... but the thought is there!!!!

Today is much nicer.... up to around 24 degrees this afternoon.  I've been out to get new cushions for my lounge suite and some lettuce plants for my little trough garden.  Now just to plant them out!!!!!

take care

Dawn

More inspiration from Nancy and Michelle,

Now I have found out that Nancy's card that inspired me was actually inspired by this one from Michelle.... I can say thanks to both of them for the wonderful design.  I thought of all my stamps that would work well with this design ... the Silhouette Bells came to mind.  I started by stamping them in black on some PP by Kaisercraft - but decided I didn't like that and re-did them in a green pigment ink on white card.

I put the PP on the white base after I masked and stamped the Old French writing.  I added a strip of black an mounted the three squares and added the sentiment.

I then played around with the first pieces I stamped  and came up with this....

It is a tall skinny card... but I am really pleased with the outcome.

I have also been working on something special - but can't reveal it all.... so here is a sneak peak.....

Hope you are all having a great start to the week.... Take care and thanks for visiting

Something a bit different.

I found this wonderful blog yesterday - while surfing and blog hopping with TiddlyInks.... Valita had this amazing template for an Iris fold dress.  I decided to give it a go and ended up making this card for my niece's 21st ( previous card now back in the pile!!!)  This one is so pretty I am really pleased with it.

The silver is a very shiny slippery piece of Christmas wrapping paper - but it gives such an awesome look.  I used the same Inkadinkado stamp that Valita used on her card.   ( Note - yet another Purple card!!!!!) 

Tonight I quickly made a Thanks card for the woman I sit beside at work.  Jasmine came in this morning with a pile of old stamps she had and doesn't use any more.... All of them by a company called All Night Media.  One of them was a lovely Spring Bouquet and I used it to make this card.... following one of the Caardvarks sketches for this months challenge.

I coloured in the image with my water colour pencils and cut it out with Label 4 ( just arrived today) and used some of the Kaisercraft paper and die cuts that also arrived today - part of my prize from Paula for the Cuttlebug challenge last month.... Thanks Paula.... ( will blog Em's card once I get a good photo of it!!)   The top scallop is cut with a new border die from Spellbinders. 

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day... dinner out with the kids and their partners was just lovely last night, a lovely finish to a wonderful day.  Have a great week.... and thanks for visiting.

Overseas mail ....

I have taken part in Deborah's card chain challenge from the beginning.  I have received cards  from all over the world..... This month I received a delightful card from Corey in Urbana Illinois USA.. and delightful it was.......

 Believe it or not, Corey tells me the green stripe is packing tape.... it is so shiny ( doesn't show up well in this photo)  Unfortunately my postie dropped it on the ground ( or it fell out of my letter box) and got rained on.... but I managed to get it dried out okay.  It is just adorable.  Thanks Corey.  As yet I haven't heard if Arlene has received my card so I'll post about that when she does.

Yesterday I picked up the latest addition of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft -  It had a great article on Quilted cards.... using strips of tonal papers but me being me, had to try something different.  This is what I came up with

I used contrasting strips to make my quilting.   When I had finished the 120cm square piece I cut it smaller--- but forgot that the quilting was centred.... but it worked out okay as it meant that you got to see more of the quilting.  The image is one by Meljen Designs that I coloured with water-colour pencils.  I cut out the image with a circle nestie and then matted on a scallop cut from a paint chip.  I wanted the pastel colour to go with the quilt as it reminded me of a baby's quilt.  Added the ribbon and bow and the sentiment from Stampin'Up!  

Hope the week is going well for you all.  Take care.

Vanessa's blog candy - go check out one awesome blog!!!!

 

Look what the wonderful Vanessa over at Wings of a Butterfly blog  has as blog candy.  You just have to publicly follow her ( definitely no issue from me as her blog is awesome!!!), post on your blog and leave her a comment..   So go be amazed with all her wonderful creations and be in to win...

Two cards today

I have managed to get tow cards done tonight.  I had half done the colouring in on the Outline Flowers yesterday and finished it off tonight.  I had started this by just colouring in the blue flowers but saw that someone had already done one like that for the Hero Arts colorit challenge, so decided to make this one a bit more colourful... hence all the other colours.  I used watercolour pencils by Mondeluz.  They are lovely soft pencils that colour so well.  I used a white-out pen to add the white dots.  You know the ones you get to white out mistakes in writing.  I edged the card in blue metallic Marvey pen.

This next card is for Father's day which here and in Australia is 6th Sept.  I have to get this posted off to my Dad in Australia this week.  I have just got the Dots and Flowers design block stamp so decided to give it a go.  I stamped it in Aged Mahogany Distress ink on a dark cream card.  I used Shari's sketch from last week as my design inspiration.  The scalloped oval was cut out and inked with the distress ink as were the edges of the panels.  The small star from HA CL180 (Happy Messages) was used with the sentiment from that set.
Well thanks for stopping by and big thanks to all of you who leave me such lovely comments. I do appreciate them.

Hero Arts challenge - Mail it

This week Hero Arts challenge is about making a card and then ACTUALLY POSTING IT to someone....
My inspiration for this card was from a Papercraft essentials magazine. I have a lady in New Plymouth ( other end of the North Island to me) whom I speak to on the phone every day for work....and I decided to send her this card.
The flowers are made by me- using the cuttlebug asterisk die. I put two different pieces of pattern paper together - off centring them and then added the green punched flower for the centre. I add a Blush coloured pearl to finish them off. The flourish is by Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment by Hero Arts CL129 Was a bit disappointed with the ink colour in the end... no quite bright enough. I used my new Martha Stewart punch to put a butterfly in the corner. Think I'm going to be using this one a bit.... more butterflies.....
Thanks for stopping by.

Can you have too many butterfly stamps?

I don't think so!. Today my local stamp store ( Stamp'n'create) were having a birthday sale - 40% off. I couldn't resist getting this set by Stamp-it. I know I don't need more butterflies...but..... 40% off!!!
I also got a new set of nesties - The Dahlia plus some replacement channels for my cutter, some silver alcohol mixative and two sheets of different green Bazzil card. A good buy... but I'm locking my credit card up now. It needs a rest ( and allow me time to pay it off a bit)

Can wait to cut the stamps out and have a play. But it will have to wait as I have other things to do tonight- like the ironing Ugh!!! but it needs doing so I can have some clothes to wear to work.

Thanks for looking and I hope the week starts as well for you as me.....

Saturday Blues.......

but in a good way!!!

Yesterday was Stamping club day at Stamp'n'create. There were 9 of us, - 7 regulars and a couple of newies... I had a great day - blue seemed to the my theme. I did these three cards. I used a Sketch and Stash sketch that I had used in the past, this time in blue, black and kraft. I CB'd the background with Floral Fantasy folder. The scalloped border is Fiskars Threading water punch. I used nestibilites circle and scalloped circle. The sentiment from Hero Arts was embossed with Winter Illusion powder. It changes colour depending on what angle you have the card. I finished it of with some HA and Kaiser flowers and pearls.

My 2nd card is one of those ones that when you finished making it - you don't like it. I started with just one Label 1 nestie but got some ink on it so decided to make a smaller on and layer them. From there on... nothing seemed right. I do like the bird ( from Kaiser craft Loire Valley set) Sentiment is from HA's. I think I'll recycle some of the elements and have another go later.
The 3rd card I did just seemed to fall into place. I had one of the new CB folders (Victoria). I inked up the folder and embossed. Turned out really great. The sentiment is a stamp that Betty had at group. She let me borrow it to show her how to use Tombow pens to colour the stamp and then huff on it and stamp it off. I matted in onto the same dark blue card I had matted the background.

I also managed to make a mini pizza box in an orange colour with some butterflies on top - cut and embossed with Spellbinders butterflies from a piece of alcohol inked background. I made 3 background pieces.
So all in all a busy and happy day ,... not "blue" at all. Finished it off by going to friends for dinner ( so didn't even have to cook)
TFL have a great week

Purple and Yellow

I am enjoying the challenge this week at Hero Arts. There are lots of different colour combos to work with. Tonight I chose purple and yellow. I used two shades of pale creamy yellow - whipped cream and cameo cream for my base cards. I layered then used faux stitching round top layer. I used two shades of purple to cut my nesties frame. I stamped the flourish in the corner ( from Inkadinkadoo) and sentiment from HA CL 129 Anytime messages. Finished with the yellow and white flower. I have a 21st to go to this weekend - so this will do even if it is for a boy.... it's not too girly.
On the home front, hubby's Mum is deteriorating quickly. I am pleased we got to see her last weekend. I pray she does not suffer.

Thanks for visiting.

The end of a long week...

Finally Friday. It seems like it's been a very long week. Hubby was away from home Tuesday to Wednesday on business. Stayed over night in Napier. The phone never stopped ringing for him as his Mum is not at all well and everyone was worried. His sister from London rang.
Wednesday evening I went out for a long walk with the Walking Group from gym. We did around 5ks in 55 mins - up some rather long steep hills and now my knee is rather painful. Have had to put a support on it. Enjoyed the walk and talk we do as a group even though we now leave after the sun has gone down. So far in 6 weeks we have not had a rainy night at all.
Good news though was Wednesday I got the cuttlebug back - like new..... so as you can see I have managed a couple of cards using it. I bought new nesties yesterday - plain and scalloped long rectangles. For the blue card I used the plain rectangles which I cut and embossed. I had stamped the image from Helen's Stampin Up! set so cut round it. Not sure what sentiment I will use on this one. If I use a Hero Arts one, I post it into the "manly" challenge as the colours are male orientated.
The second card is for a lady at work who has a friend having a little girl shortly. I used some stickers from the $2 shop which are lovely and glittery. I cut the 2nd to largest oval scallop and put the sticker on. I stamped Congratulations from a HA set and used a verse from my American Greetings creatacard CD. I often use the verses from this programme and PrintMaster 15 - another computer generated cardmaking programme.
Yesterday I was going to take the day off as the carpet layer was coming. Had applied for 1/2 days annual leave and was going to use up some of my extra hours I have made up.... but as usual - best laid plans etc etc.... Work decided to announce the changes to the work streams yesterday. So I had the morning off and had to be in at work at 1.00pm for a confrence call and then to announce to my staff what work we will be doing.... 2 1/2 hours - then I decided that I would head home - via the stamp shop of course.... that when I got my new nesties, plus a few other bits and pieces. Got one of the Fiskars finger cutters. Quite easy to use.
Thanks to all of you who are visiting and leaving me such lovely comments. Wishing you all a great weekend