Monday, February 28, 2011

Fabric, Flowers & Frills







I found this challenge late last night and thought it was a bit of a challenge.....check it out and see what I mean. The Paper Players decided fabric was the challenge, could be material, lace, ribbon etc. This is what I came up with, hope you like it!

I love my Job!!

The Play Date Cafe is another colour challenge and I enjoyed making this bright funky card. Now I have just the card ready for anyone having a bad day at work.....not me, as I am still looking for a job!!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Springtime Thanks







These are for the CR84FN Colour Challenge this week. Really pretty colours to work with this week...very fresh. The ceramic flowers were created by my old school friend Jen Greneklee (nee Webber) who has her own business ArtbyJen & sent to me to play with sometime ago.....I am sorry Jen for taking so long to use them. I think they look lovely & I will spread the word about your product.

Blue as the Ocean

I was not altogether happy with the other entry I had put into Ann's layout challenge so have decided to add another one.....Here it is!

Invites done!!

The Baby shower invites are done....finally!! Luckily my daughter-in-love really likes Vintage so have tried to do a simple, vintage design. I used stamps from Stampin' Up set called 'Baby Bundle' a great set for baby cards, baby shower, baby scrapbook pages.

Friday, February 25, 2011

My Husband's Hobby

My husband has a hobby too.....she is quite demanding though, and sometimes whether he likes it or not he has to spend time with her, getting her purring along like she should. She isn't too good in the rain, leaks a bit. Not so good in the cold either & hot as hell in the summer. Who or what is this temperamental female that pulls my husband away from his wife? She is a 1960 Morris Minor Panel Van....ain't she cute????

I could be a rich woman if I got a dollar from everyone who asks us for an ice-cream when they see us? Or smiles at us as we drive by, or see kids waving and pointing at us. And no, we didn't paint her like that, however, we did buy her like that. When my husband showed me the photo of her on the Internet, my reaction was that we would need to respray her pretty quick. It's funny now, as we really like it and the reaction we get. My dear friends children love it and anytime they can they come for a drive in it they do!

In 2009, we headed up to Brisbane with the Morris Minor Car Club of Canberra for the Australian Nation Rally, held over Easter. It was a great time and we saw so many amazing Morris Minors there. Some stock standards, some done up with turbos, wonderful restorations, and a huge range of colours and styles. We have since moved on and became founding members of the British Motor Club of Canberra, (just wanting a more social club than what was offered) This year the clubs head to Port Macquarie for the National Rally. At this stage we are unable to go as we hope to head to Europe in September, plus we will have a new grandchild & want to spend time with him/her. So if you are up that way, check them out, you will see them around the place for sure. 

So this is how I can combine our two interests....I scrapbook our journeys in the Morris! I did this page at Ann Craig's scrapbooking night. You may have read previously of her. We so enjoy doing all the different techniques each month. This one, we used Versamark ink & then chalked over it. The row of flowers that I have placed the photo of the Morris on is done in this way. Try it sometime, it is a great affect, quite soft too.

Fleur My Valentine



This was the first card I made to enter a Midnight Madness Challenge I really love the Layers of Color Fleur Heart stamp so decided to make it the feature of the card. I also love square cards, finding it much easier to work in the square space. I am enjoying using up all my scraps so that often dictates the colour I will choose. I bit of bling always finishes things off & pearls add a certain elegance I think which go with the heart. Wouldn't mind this as a tattoo I reckon!!  LOL!!! Not sure if I am game yet though.....we'll see! Thanks Lovely Linda for the photography on this card, my phone's camera didn't do it justice. x

Another Bump in the road....

You have a plan....you move towards that plan, life is sweet, then another bump in the road. Yesterday was a big bump with the devastating news of not one diagnosis but two. Not only our friends 2 yr old with Leukaemia but our daughter-in-love's pregnant sister with cancer. We live in a fallen world, where sin abounds and pain & death is the norm, but should we ever get used to it? No, never. We have a deep rooted desire for something better, for something more, for something forever. We weep, we get angry, but how much more must God. Do you choose this mortal life, even in it's best and greatest form there is so much more that God has in store. Choose Life, life now, life eternal. Christ is coming back to take us to forever. Forever love, forever joy, forever in relationship with Him. Live that life NOW, choose HIM, with God for us who can be against us. We will never walk this walk of life alone again, this is my experience, I hope it is yours too. Until next time, with love

Debby

Thursday, February 24, 2011

And there is more....

This is a bit of a peak at the 2nd card I did for the MMSC92 layout. I am sorry I have tried to rotate this without success, so you will just have to strain the neck to get a good look at it!!

The Colour of Nature








I only realized late last night that there had been a mix up with the Midnight Madness challenge & I had made a card for MMSC93 so had to quickly do the MMSC92 today thinking I was heading off to Adelaide....however I am not going now. My friends who I was grabbing a lift with have just had their 2 yr old diagnosed with Leukaemia.....we are all devastated. I had made this card quickly and thought it would be great to do something bright & cheery. So glad I did now as I will send it to my friends. Please if you are a praying person, pray for Sharna as they plan her treatment. Pray too for her parents Rick & Anne as they come to grips with this news.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

SSIC The Art of God

This is my first time playing along with the Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge - I was introduced to it by my friend Lovely Linda. This card I did a month or so ago at my friend Jean's card class. It was a fairly quick & easy one, but fit the challenge theme of green (the main card) Jean runs classes as well as orders product from various papercraft companies. I was able to get a really good price through Jean to get my Cricut. If you are interested in product or classes leave a comment and I can send you her details.





CR84Fn Wings and Swirls

This card is for this weeks CR84FN Colour Challenge
Monday night I headed over to do a Card Stack class with Ann Craig our Stampin' Up demonstrator, friend and teacher. Knowing what the colour challenge was for this week I decided to make at least one of my cards fit the challenge & this was it. I love the technique of using ink on the embossing folders, & I do love butterflies, stamped & embossed salebration stamp set 'Bliss' flourish & of course, Tim Holtz's die cut flourish. The colours for the challenge were light pink/bright violet/grey. 


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

PLANNING A BABY SHOWER......so you don't think it can be that hard?

With only 6 weeks to go until our first grandchild is due we are quickly running out of time to have a baby shower. All the weekends are booked up now until after baby comes. Finding a venue that we don't have to pay for that will fit a LOT of people in is another problem. Deciding what to do about food, another issue!

Tonight we finally found a date and we are going with it, if the venue is available to us (our daughter's home, that she shares with 3 other girls!) Being a week night we must be mindful of not being too late as most will have to get up and go to work the next day.....what to do then?

So the time frame will be 6pm until 9pm at the latest. Everyone is to bring something towards having dinner (being that it is early). With only 2 weeks til such event will take place, I need to get invitations out to about 50+ people. So I actually hand make about a dozen (for those people not on facebook) then send the rest out via facebook).

There is loads of fun stuff to do thanks to the miracle of the Internet, themes, games, suggested food, you name it, everything you need to have a great baby shower is there at your fingertips. I continue to marvel at the technology we so often take for granted. If anyone has anything they enjoyed doing at a baby shower PLEASE let me know via comments to this post....I would love to hear from you.

Love Debby x

A Worrying Week

I got a call from my brother Paul on Saturday morning, sounding a little worse for wear, and seeing that he rarely calls me, I immediately become worried. He has called to tell me that our mother was rushed by ambulance to hospital in the wee hours of the morning with severe chest pain. He then informs me that tests show it is not her heart, but that they & mum are concerned it may be a clot as it has only been a few weeks since she had knee surgery.




I get off the phone and call family who need to know, then try and call my mother. She answers the phone but is so doped up on Morphine that she can hardly talk, but she still has a enormous amount of pain. It would seem that she started getting severe pain at about 10pm but put up with it (never do this anyone, you have chest pain you call an ambulance!!) until 4.30pm!! The hospital did scans which did not show any clots, they then said it was double pneumonia which didn't make any sense, as she was well right up to when the pain started. I finally found this out about midnight Saturday.

This is when it is so hard being so far away from family. I was so worried, and had to just wait it out. On Sunday when I called she was talking much better and her pain although still there was at least manageable. The hospital also thought that it was strange that if it was pneumonia that she was well and that it came on so quick.....so they decided to scan again for clots, & again without success.

Monday she sounded even better although still having pain, & by today Tuesday, they had finally got a diagnosis......now I can't tell you what it is as I have never heard of it and neither had she. However, it is an infection that attacks between the heart and the lungs and comes on very fast. She is on intravenous antibiotics as well as oral antibiotics and they hope she will be well enough to go home on Thursday.

This is good news & I am scabbing a ride over with friends who are driving to Adelaide on Friday and coming back on Monday.....the only bad thing with that is that I have to go in their Chrysler 300C....what I call an ugly car....LOL!!!....but beggars can't be choosers!! I am grateful for the ride, and consider it a real blessing that I can go and see mum without the expense of a flight. Praise be to God for good friends and perfect timing. x

MMSC91 Hey Chook



 I have used the Layers of Color Rise and Shine art stamp set that I stamped off from my friend Lovely Linda

I have linked my card to the challenge through SCS!

Thank you for visiting!



Thursday, February 17, 2011

Baby Shower

 I have created this card for two challenges. The first is my friend and SU Demo Ann's new challenge jac-inks Paperceaft Challenge and the CR84FN Challenge

The colour challenge : Green, Yellow & Teal


Stampin' Up stamp set : Baby Bundle


Hi everyone,

What a month & a half it has been.  We got back from Adelaide & hit the ground running, with a house full of people (at one stage, 11 of us for 3 nights plus extras around the dinner table!!) but how great to have family & friends stay. 

My job hunting is proving to be rather unsuccessful, although I did get a job & had it for a record breaking one hour....yes you read that right....one hour!! It, I discovered, really wasn't for me & rather than waste their time and mine trying to make it so, I quit. They said they were thankful for my honesty. This week I had an interview that I felt went well & I REALLY wanted the job, however, it was not meant to be. At least it gives me time for my craft, & to be the domestic goddess my husband enjoys. 

It is going to be a busy year & already I feel it is slipping away. With about 6 weeks until our first grandchild is expected things are gearing up for a manic amount of excitement. I have to really focus over the next few days to get Baby Shower invites out, just hoping we will all fit into our home. 

In the middle of the year I shall celebrate a milestone birthday.....yes but I am not going to say which. I organised my last milestone birthday party and have decided that I am not going to organise my own this time. That will be the job of my family & friends. Our sons partner has already got some ideas so I know at least the ball is rolling.

The next big thing, (if we can finally get travel insurance) is a planned trip to Europe with my mother-in-law & my sister-in-law. They are doing 70 days, while Shaun & I will do just a little less than 6 weeks. I will talk of this more once we get the insurance. The only company who seems willing to cover Shaun's pre-existing medical condition is only willing to insure us 6 months out from the trip. We cannot even book the trip til we have the insurance, so the tours and flights are now filling fast so hoping that we can still do what Patria & Pat are booked to do. Anyway, will keep you all posted.

I had a great day today. My parcel from the States arrived with my order from Shaun (my Christmas present. http://www.ohmycrafts.com/ Papers, embossing folders and the cricut catridges (4 for $80, when they are about $90 each here!) So check out their website for some great bargains even with the cost of delivery, with the AUS dollar so good it is a great time to buy. At 10am I headed over to Lovely Linda's where we made cards for a few challenges that we were entering. You will see the results of that above. It really is a great way to spend the day!

Well, I will keep you posted. Have a great weekend.....yes, it is almost the weekend again! 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Welcome!!

Well it's my first Blog and I'm in for a scream with you all...here we are gonna have fun and show off all our art..hope you will leave a comment and come and visit me often
Love ya
Deb