Deb's cardmaking afternoon...

Last Saturday, Deb McRobie held another of her card making afternoons to showcase some of the latest Stampin Up! product available. We made two styles of card. Here are my two versions of the first one:

We stamped the flowers and flourishes on glossy cardstock with Versamark ink, then inked over the top with our colour of choice using a brayer. Very cool technique! We did the Soft Suede one first, using a stamp set from the new Autumn-Winter mini catalogue, and also the bird/leaves punch. I used my own materials to make the card again using Regal Rose. They look quite different in the two different colour-ways.

The second one we made was my favourite - mostly I think because of the colour scheme... Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive. We did a bit of two-step stamping, and got to play with the new Medallion stamp from the mini catalogue too - it's HUGE! Check it:

And a peek at the inside...

I really think that this card is gorgeous. And seeing as I made it without a sentiment, I can use it for pretty much anything. Fab!

And even MORE cardmaking!

This one is my favourite for the day....

Card Base: Stampin Up! Not Quite Navy Cardstock, cut out with Nestabilities Labels Eight, then embossed with Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder. Flower stamp: Hero Arts Clings. Leaves: Hand-drawn, coloured with Copic Markers. Pearls: White Kaisercraft ones, coloured with Copics to match card (which I also did to the button to make it match too - love that I can do that!)

Here's a peek at the inside...

I must've written 'thank you' a zillion times on scratch paper first until I was happy with the version I used here. I don't often handwrite sentiments, I usually cheat and use a stamp! I wanted a quirky/funky look, and I just didn't have a stamp that cut the mustard, hence the writing practice!

And that's about my lot for today - not too bad considering some times I can spend hours at my table and struggle to get a card finished. I might have finally cracked my creative block, just in time for the Autumn Escape in Taupo this weekend... I am very much looking forward to that! I will have to start sorting through my scrapping stuff tonight, so that I can figure out what's going with me, and what's not. Tough decisions to be made!

More cardmaking!

We have our niece staying for a couple nights at the moment, so while J is otherwise amused, I am making the most of today and getting some cards made. Unfortunately we have two friends who have had bereavements in their family lately, so I needed to make a couple cards to send to them. I ended up with four, all the same, just different colour schemes:

The base card is kraft, then I used four Stampin Up! cardstocks as my accents - not quite navy, chocolate chip, baja breeze, and rose red. The stamped flower is one of the Hero Arts Clings, and the sentiment is also Hero Arts - from one of their clear stamp sets. I stamped the flower and sentiment with embossing ink, and then put white embossing powder on and heated with heat tool. When I say heat tool, read "Darryl's Heat Gun" !!! I then sponged some white ink in the centre of the flower, smearing a little down each petal as a highlight. Then I ruled white lines around the edges with my Uniball Signo gel pen. So simple! Cards don't always have to be fancy to be effective.

Now I just have to write in them and send them out.... That's always the hardest part.

More soon... Toodles, B x

School Hols, Hair Dye and Card-making...

So the school hols are more than half over already - where did THAT time go?! I have been at home with J, and I had a huge list in my head of the things I was going to get done while at home. Note I said things I was going to get done... I haven't gotten many of them achieved so far, dammit.

Although, having said that, I got one thing done that wasn't even on the list - my hair! The hairdresser down the road from here is doing a half price special so that their apprentice can get experience doing colours. So I got foils and a cut for $44. Bargain!

One of my scrappin buds just moved into a new house on Friday - so exciting for her! I went for a grand tour on Saturday morning - it's just lovely, and so perfect for them. Here's the card I whipped up before I went...

What have you guys been making lately?

The Lake with no water...

Well, not very much water, anyway! We went to Fairlie for the day yesterday, to catch up with D's mum and dad while they were staying in the camping ground, and for D to do some waterskiing at Lake Opuha while we were there. Fat chance. This is us parked on the lake bed. Which would usually be under a whole lot of water. Incredible.

There is still some water in the lake , but certainly not as much as there usually is. We reckon it must be down by a couple of metres. At least. All the boat ramps are out of the water, and the only one that is remotely accessible is right at the dam site, and you need a four wheel drive to get down to it, cos it's that steep, and muddy. Yuck. Ironically, it was the only time we have ever been to Opuha when it wasn't windy. Not even a sniff of a breeze evident. And the water that was there was flat as. Just beautiful. But unfortunately impossible to get to. Cruel, that's what that is. Here's the view from the lake bed where we were parked, across to the island.

And this is what the ground was like that we were walking around on... like something on the moon, for goodness sake!

So, long story short, there was NO waterskiing for us. Some people managed, by using their giant four wheel drives to drop their boats in the water. But even if we had managed to get the boat in and out, there was no-where to 'beach'. The edges of the lake were all muddy and disgusting. Not surprising as those bits are usually underwater! Not cool man.

So that was our day yesterday. A little bit of a non-event. Bummer. And today is nothing flash weather-wise... we have the fire going for the first time. It's only 12 degrees outside. Brrrrr. It's now a lovely toasty 23 degrees in here. Looovely.

What are you guys up to? Anything exciting to share?

Toodles, B x

Like a duck to water...almost!

Those of you that know us, know that J has always been a bit reluctant when it comes to swimming. By a bit, I really mean A LOT. I took him to baby-swim classes (as all good new mothers do) when he was a little over a year old. These classes ended in tears, usually mine, after he spent the whole time screaming at me. Fun fun fun - NOT! We had to pull out before he could graduate.

Looking back, I'm guessing that the swimming wasn't fun for him because of his ears. He has since had three sets of grommets, poor boy. So he has never really enjoyed swimming.

Fast forward to March 2009, and school swimming meant he had to take part. This resulted in tears and arguments when being dropped off at school on swimming days. I couldn't even go as a parent-help to the pool, because I knew he would refuse to get in if I was there. By the time that Bluestone had it's end of year pool party in December 2009, he was happy to play in the pool with his mates (according to the teacher, as I was still not prepared to go with him and put up with the ensuing drama).

Now, in March 2010, it is school swimming time again. And this time he ASKED me to come and watch. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go, to be honest, but I was SO proud when I got there and saw what he could do. Using a kickboard, he could kick himself across the width of the pool. All by himself. With a smile. Unheard of!

And he could put his head right under the water (as long as he had his goggles on, and was holding his nose!). See?

So here he goes, off across the pool...

It really is a pretty long way... see how tiny he looks on the far side?!

And then he did it all over again to come back to me.

Such a look of concentration!

Nearly there...

Made it! And VERY proud of himself to boot!

So I think we may have cracked that nut. Thank goodness! Hooray!!!!

My awesome grandparents...

I am very lucky at my age to still have two grandparents left - my Mum's Mum and Dad. They are the best! One of the layouts I completed at camp was a Nic Howard class kit, with a photo of them at Mum's 50th birthday party a while back. I put it in a frame and gave it to them the week after camp. They loved it (thank goodness!). Here's a pic I made them sit for, albeit a bit reluctantly!

Then I tried to take one of them with J, but it was a bit tricky... Nanny kept tickling him and he wouldn't sit still! This was the best one:

Although this one would have been better if J hadn't kicked the camera while he was laughing... it's cute, but blurry :(

My grandparents rock.