SOS - #5 - Tools of the Trade

Hi All!

Well I have finally managed to sit down and do a little crafting!

The latest challenge over at Shopping our Stash was to use tools that we just had to have - but don't seem to use that often! So I decided to team this with my usual Festive Friday posts which seem to be very neglected of late and produced........

For this I had decided to use my Creative Memories Custom Cutting System - Large Circle with my green and blue blades and I also wanted to use my Silent Setter for the eyelets. However after searching high and low for my Silent Setter - I have decided that I must have a box missing as I still can't find my Rollagraph handles or ink cartridges either. So luckily I still had my eyelet setter trio from my pre Silent Setter days - which would easily be 6 years ago now. Check it out below! I now remember why I brought the Silent Setter in the first place.

Whilst I had my Cricut and Doodlecharms cartridge out - I decided to make another Santa and try a card that I saw on Christina's blog - Creations with Christina! I also used my Very Merry Tags Cartridge for the Ho Ho Ho!

With these two cards - my total for the 50 Christmas cards by Dec 1st Challenge over at Stamping for Joy with Shirley-Anne is now 46! Wooo Hooo!

Cheers!

A new Cricut Challenge Blog!

Hi All!

I have to share some excitement with you all - my good friend Annmaree has alerted me to a new Cricut Challenge Blog that is starting up soon - Cricut 360º  . They are planning on having weekly challenges!

In the lead up to their first challenge they are currently offering a cartridge giveaway - the fantastic Create-A-Critter! So if you own a Cricut - do yourself a favour and head on over to their blog and have a look.

Cheers!

Upcoming Scrapbooking Workshop

Hello to all my lovely Blog readers!

Just a quick post to let all my readers in the Coffs area know - that I am running a Double Page Scrapbooking Layout Workshop this Sunday (26 June 2011)!

Check out my Upcoming Workshop page for more details!

This workshop is suitable for beginners and features our lovely Jumbo Rollagraph Wheel - Four Flowers.

For more details feel free to contact me at braydonandkel@bigpond.com or on 0427 534 917.

Cheers!

CAAH - A Little Extra Challenge #1

Hi All!

I hope you are all having a lovely day today so far.

As for me I started out making a card for the Card and a Half - A little Extra Challenge #1, where you had to make a male card using embossing folders and punches.  As most of you know, I struggle when it comes to making male cards - but this time - I was working with two co-ordinating SEI papers that I found in my stash and ended up making 4 cards in total! I am only going to show you 3 though as I have already sent one in the mail.

I used my brand spanking new Kaszazz Ezy-Press embossing folder - 5048 Round Dance and a retired Kaszazz Punch - Folk Star. The second card I also had a go at putting the stars on first and then embossing the piece (I can't remember what this is called) and I am really happy with how it turned out. I am not sure that I have a favourite! I must say a huge thankyou to Annmaree  for the lovely blue twine which she gave me last time I saw her - I think I am now addicted to twine. LOL

Cheers!

Craftiness runs in the family!

Hi my lovely fellow blog readers!

I hope you are all having a fantastic start to the weekend if that is the day you are up too!

I just wanted to post a quick one of a little creation my sister has made.

As she is at Uni - I send her regular care packages with homemade cards and bits and pieces that I pick up here and there. Anyway in the last parcel I sent - I put in three Kaszazz 12cm Daisies that I had put a polka dot brad in the centre of thinking that she could stick them on her door or wall.  So I was super excited to see last night that she had made this awesome notice board.

If you are interested you can check out her blog (which she has finally made a post on) here!

Cheers!

An Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

Hi All!

The very lovely Mary from CrazyMaryNSC has awarded me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award! YAY! I love awards as much as I love all my comments from you sweet people.

I met Mary through Stacy from Love That Bug who was doing a Create-A-Critter Card series. I loved how Stacy would do her card then Mary would post hers. It was always exciting to check out Mary's blog to see what she had done.

The rules are simple:

1. To send a thank you to the person who nominated you and to include their link.

2.To accept this award, answer 7 random facts about yourself.

3. Finally, pass this award on to at least 8 other awesome blog buddies.

So Mary a big huge - MEGA Thank you for this award but more importantly thanks for having such an interesting blog!

On to my 7 random facts:

1. I am completely deaf in my left ear! I had the mumps on both sides when I was little.

2. I love watching Alien type movies etc - but they scare the life out of me and cause me to loose sleep!

3. I hate corn chips like Doritos or CC - but I just adore Nachos! Go figure that one out!

4. I was an only child up until I was 15! Now I am blessed with my sister Louie the Fly (Eryn Louise) and my baby brother Keg (Keegan James). Same Mum and Dad too - they just took a little while longer to realise that they wanted more kids.

5. I love cooking Thai Food and without boasting, I am quite good at it, however I can't cook steak or make a white sauce.

6. I hate camping! I love my hot running water for a shower and a proper flushing toilet. Yet I often went to B&S balls that had neither of those things and I would quite often come home in a lovely shade of blue or green reeking of rum or other nasty alcoholic smells.

7. I got married in my RM Williams riding boots much to my MIL disgust - It was a country wedding and I am sure she will forgive me one day!

I am choosing to pass this award on to:

1. Annmaree - Emu up a Gumtree

2. Kylie - Boobaloonka Designs

3. Merry - MerryMade Cards and Crafts

who also has a great challenge blog - UnstampaBelles

4. Tania B - My Passion for Scraping, photography & Life

5. Helen Jolly - Quotes and Cards and pieces of ME

who also has a great challenge blog too - Card and A Half

6. Lisa & Sarah - A Spoonful of Sugar

7.  Andrea - Andrea's Stampin Moments

8. Jane - Jane's Creations

All of these fantastic women above have inspired and challenged me through their blogs to think above and beyond what I had been scrapping, cardmaking and sewing.  I am a better person because of these ladies, even if they weren't directly aware of it. If you have some spare moments please go and have a look at their blogs and leave a little love too.

Cheers!

Look what my Lil' sis sent me!

Hi All!

Have you ever had a moment where you loved and hated the same person at the same time? Well I had that eaxct feeling today when I opened not one parcel - but two parcels from my baby sister. I loved her for sending me some really fun stuff in the mail -but hated her for putting what seems like two whole packets of glitter in the envelope with the card.

The note on top of the Jelly Beans says that they are happy pills! 

See all that beautiful pink glitter  - well that is only half of it that was left in the envelope - the other half is in my hair, down the front of me, all over the computer desk and the carpet in the office.

All I can say is - Louie the Fly - Payback is going to be O So Sweet!

Cheers!

My Blog Candy Arrived!!!!!

Hi All!

My yummy candy arrived yesterday that I won from spreading the word about Card and A Half .

I was so excited when I got it - very much an excited child!

I can't wait to actually sit down and play with it all - just waiting for some child free time.

So a big thankyou again to Helen Jolly for creating the Card and A Half Challenge blog and for allowing me to have a chance to win such yummy candy

Cheers!

Blog-a-Versary Candy Winner......

Hi All!

I hope my Aussie readers had a fantastic long weekend! Not to forget all my lovely overseas readers - I hope you had a great weekend too!

It is still very wet and extremely windy here in Coffs and not to mention very cold, so I have decided to draw my 1 Year Blog-a-versary candy early this morning in hope to get my frozen fingers up and going with some typing.

I entered the lucky numbers 1 - 6  into random.org and got.....

Number 5

(can't figure how to get the little box onto this post)

So that's Kylie who said...

WoooHooo! Happy Bloggy Birthday Kel! :o)

I'm looking forward to celebrating many more with you - keep inspiring and delighting everyone with your creations and postings xx

Congratulations Kylie! I have already sent you an email - it should be waiting for you in your inbox.

Cheers!

UnstampaBelles - A new challenge Blog!

Hi All!

I am just sooo excited that I had to share this with you all!

My good friend and follower Merry has created a brand spankin new Challenge Blog - UnstampaBelles!

And it that wasn't a biggest enough buzz my dear friend Annmaree is also on the Design team. Yay! I am just so super proud of both of these ladies!

The thing that has really taken my fancy with this new blog is that stamping is not allowed (with the exception of a stamped sentiment) - so this is suitable for all other kind of papercraft techniques.   The cogs in my head are already starting to turn and they haven't even annouced their first challenge yet! However....

UnstampaBelles are currently offering some.......

I am also very proud to announce that I will be sponsoring a challenge or two over at this fantastic new site, so head on over and check it out and make sure you sign up!

Cheers!

TLL #22 - Rainbow Paddlepop Swirls Challenge

Hi Everybody!

For my Aussie readers, I hope you are all enjoying your day off today! Nothing beats a long weekend!

Anyway, today I have my entry to The Lollipop Ladies Challenge - Rainbow Paddlepop swirls to show you all!

This is the yummy paddlepop picture that they posted to inspire us all....

and then the newest Candy Striper Annmaree had this picture on her blog.....

Anyway, so by now despite the very cold weather here in Coffs - I was drooling at the mouth and came up with this 6x6 creation.

I am rather surprised with this card - as there is no ink anywhere to be seen unless you class Smooch as ink!

Just lots of Bazzill, plain white card to make the marbled(swirled) pieces, a bit of ribbon, some pearls and I used my new Stampin' Up Sizzlit - Butterfly embossing & cutting folder.

The photos do not do the card any justice, as the Smooch pieces are a lovely pink, yellow, purple with a hint of blue colour with a gorgeous shimmer - but my scanner just didn't pick it up.

I am really happy with this card and how it turned out - it would also be so easy to add a Happy Birthday or Welcome Little Baby Girl sentiment to it, depending on the occasion.

Cheers!

A Belated Festive Friday!

Hi All!

I was starting to feel a little guilty that I hadn't done a festive Friday post for so long! So yesterday after searching high and low for some inspiration I found these goodies in my stash.

and then turned them into.....

It really is amazing what you can make out of a packet of premade cards, some stickers and rubons. All I have left now is the mittin stickers and some Kaszazz Christmas rubons. 

I also wanted to show you all the Folded A4 card that I made way back over at Annmaree's on our first play session. When I go to send this card - I will add some recent photos of the kids and also get them to do a little drawing each as well.

So with another 9 cards - this brings my total over at Shirley-Anne's 50 Christmas Cards before 1 December Challenge to a massive 44! Woo Hoo! 

Cheers!

CAAH - #1 - Follow the sketch Challenge

Hi Everbody!

Well I finally finished all but one lot of paperwork before I decided that I had deserved a well earnt break. So I decided to make my card for the very first Card and a Half Challenge, where we had to follow the below sketch.

I feel a little bit slack because I was really inspired by Tania B's entry and had decided to use the same images - the Kaszazz birdcage and birdie stamps. Anyway onto the card......

I am absolutely stoked with how this card has turned out. Did you notice my little tag that says Happy Bird-Day?????? - I treated myself to the Ezy-Press Tag dies in my last order.

Materials used are:

4215 SB Bazzill Basics - Bahama

4778 SB Paper Enchanted - Alpine Dream

4779 SB Paper Enchanted - Cherry Blossom

9127 Card Pack - A5 250gsm (100) - White

2925 Brads Mini Round (100) - Pewter

1601 Ribbon 25m - 1/2" Grosgrain - White

71007 - ColorBox Fluid Chalk Inkpad - Prussian Blue

TIM19541 Distress Inkpad - Black Soot
4420KI Birdcage Stamp
4413KC Little Birdie Stamp

Twine from Stampin Up

Cheers!

PS - Tania if you think that my card is too similiar to yours, just let me know and I will get Helen to remove it from the challenge.

Look what I got in the mail today....

Hi All!

I am just one very lucky person at the moment.  Look what arrived in my mailbox today from my good bud Annmaree !

A fantastic Circut Cut card and a whole stack of stamped images begging me to stop doing my paperwork and just colour them in.  I happened to mention the other day that I just adored the Tilda stamps - but didn't own any and then she showed me her little collection and some others including a really cute platypus and kangaroo stamps. So you can imagine my complete surprise and instant love when these arrived this morning.

Anyway, off to finish my paperwork so I can have a play.

Cheers!