Michelle's Birthday

My baby sister turned 40 and wanted no presents but I couldn't resist this Kaisercraft skull and crossbone album for her. I was lucky to get some very weird Halloween charms from the US before our dollar dropped again. Michelle's house is full of witches, bats, voodoo dolls and skulls so she was very excited to receive this book. Emma mosaiced her a "funky girls" table, in memory of many previous shopping trips together.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Firstly this is NOT our house. If Emma had her way it would be. Sarah and I have been driving around looking for Christmas Lights. We drove around Gail's estate and then took this pic in the street next to ours. Sarah can see these lights from her bedroom window and requested I share the Christmas Spirit.

Teacher's Pet

My husband was/is a teacher. When he was a class teacher he got some pretty ordinary Christmas gifts. ( Most of the coffee cups at Hann Made are donated ex-Chrissie gifts).

Now being a private tutor some of his gifts are extraordinary. We actually started drinking red wine because we had so many given to us.

This delightful tree was gratefully received last week. It is HUGE and the chocolates on the tree are my favourite, Ferrero Rocher!

Crafty Mums Kris Kringle

We had our Christmas Lunch today and swapped ATC's, hand made cards and gifts. My gift to Helen was a soldered Nativity decoration for the tree. Photos were difficult to produce today, maybe it was the champagne!

Helen made me a beautiful jewellery piece. It is difficult to see in the picture, at the front in the middle. It is made from shrink plastic with a tatted centre. A very unusual and delicate combination. Thank you Helen and to Gail, Michelle, Jennifer, Jayne and Suzanne, the Crafty Mums who share my life.

Christmas Cards

Well I have started them, but I am easily distracted and decided to do different designs only to find it takes ten times as long! These are an assortment of those I have made to date. Which one will you get?

Arty Oz Kris Kringle

This is my surprise parcel which arrived last week, I didn't open it until mine had safely arrived at it's destination so it's all good now.

This incredible piece was made by Coby and included a gift of products in the box! I love the tag on the wrapping paper. Christmas has come early for me.

Kris Kringle

I couldn't wait to post this picture for my Arty Oz Buddy, it should arrive in her box today unless it has gone to the wrong address like previously lost mail.....

It's Christmas time

Time for me to get organised! I started with ATC's for the HannMade Group and liked them so much I did extras for all of my special friends. These ones double as tree decorations. I should really be doing Christmas Cards.......

Another wonderful class...

There are so many other things I should be doing at this time of the year but following the tragic news this morning of the passing of Richard Marsland I am so glad I had something to keep me away from MMM.

Teresa taught the most fabulous class today at Little Bits. Sarah and I are proud owners of our own hand made journals, lovingly Zutterbound with Teresa's help. It was great catching up with Teresa and coming home with a bag of supplies, of course I never get things finished in class so I have even more crafting to do before Santa comes!

Goodbye November...

I made these pages for Marilyn's 60 book which we presented to her last week at Hann Made end of year ATC night. So many events were a surprise but it's over now and I can focus on Christmas.

We got our Christmas Tree today, Emma has started putting lights around the place but because she is still supposed to be resting it won't be the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation house that we have come to know and love!

House page

This one is for Kaeren, Family House. Greta is posting her page with mine and Gails so Kaeren should have all three very soon.

Tuesday Craft Day

Usually I don't get a lot done when the "Crafty Mums" get together but today I was determined to work hard. Despite many, many weird and whacky distractions I completed four birthday cards for November. I only have 8 more to do! I can't work in bulk nor do I do cards in advance. As with my swaps I do them when they are due.

These are for Marilyn (note: special birthday), neice Ruby (6), nephew David (15) and Leseley, who I am taking out to dinner on Friday night.

House book

My latest creation is for Greta, cream house. I liked the door on the last one so much that I did another! I just hope Greta likes it too.

Puzzle Pieces

I have had this swap on the go for months and months and today sent my 9 pieces off to Tassie. I love the fact that you can just think about what you are going to do for ages and then -bang - everything falls into place, and they are not due until 28/11! The theme is Vintage Woman and I used a photo of my Great Grandmother. There are some very talented artists in this one, covering most of Australia so I can't wait for the returns.

A date to remember 6/11/2008

Emma is home today following major surgery, a very new beginning for her. We are all so glad this is over. She would kill me if I uploaded pics but she is very happy in her 12c surgical bras. She is also tired, sore and swollen and needs her Mum at this time, which is why I will miss Judy's (Red Velvet) class this weekend. I hope all of you lucky ducks that are going have a great time, looking forward to seeing some photos next week.

House book

I have done 4 pages so far and this is my favourite, Architectural House, for Lucy. She told me she liked it too! I had a few problems with this one, Gail sent me a new image and when I tried to print it my HP jammed. I spent last weekend ripping bits out of the rollers. I didn't want to be late with my page so the image behind the door narrowed my choice a bit as I could only use what already had printed off. Luckily it all ended well. And the printer is now cleared ready for this month's swaps.

Paperific

The credit card bills are coming in thick and fast now but this photo is of all of the free Make and Takes. The Collections card takes pride of place in the front, always a highlight with Jen and Julie and well worth the 90 minute wait (we just spent more on Collections stuff).

Some of the make and takes on offer were very average but I promised to bring them home to Sarah. It's cheaper to leave her at school and spend the entire Friday at the show without returning ovet the rest of the weekend. I did 8 out of the 11 stands that had them, two of the make and takes were different items from Pipedreamlink using Opals, another very popular stand.

Sarah's favourite is the pink (Stazon) stamped acetate heart.

Little Bits Class

It was a while ago now but this Liz Aitken class was the best I have done in a long while. First we made a piano hinge book and then a pendant. We used lots of Collections, German Scrap, Paper Whimsy, transparencies and bits and pieces. Teresa has a better camera than I do, check her pics - www.thetamarisk.blogspot.com. Thanks Liz, can't wait to see what you come up with next (no pressure LOL).

Lovely Teresa took these photos for me, I was getting nervous about getting them in on time (yes Vanessa, she is a tyrant). I completed my pages at Teresa's a month ago but forgot to take my camera. Teresa is the hostess with the mostest at the moment, working hard on the covers for our books and compiling all the pages that must be flooding in, the due date is 22/9. A group of Victorian die hards will be assembling soon after. I can't imagine a book project so big!

Arty Oz Collaborative Book

31 Artists contributing this year, the theme being Woman. As usual I try to think outside the square, I was determined not to use a vintage woman image, instead stamping out a beautiful vintage shoe. What says Woman more than shoes?!

House book

Aaaarrrrgggghh. Another swap I signed up for, this one was intriguing, 19 or so others have signed up too! We all have the same house template to make our pages and choose our theme. The hostess chooses 2 themes per month and we all make those pages and send to the owners. The first theme chosen was "Glass House" for Nikki. She likes reflective surfaces and mirrors so I used silver foil board and mirror tiles, I hope she likes my page, I am never too sure about what to do when I haven't done anything like this before. The words behind the door are (with apologies to Blondie) ...Once had a love and it was a gas, soon turned out had a house of glass!

another tag book page...

This one is Debra's, with the theme of Angels. The photo is not the best but I loved doing this page and hope Deb loves it too.

This... is lucky Gail's Book!

This collaborative tag book has been around Australia and I was the last to work in Gail's book. Her title page is Birds of a Feather and the last page is now Flock Together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....and Gail, and Jennifer and ...

I lost computer access for nearly two weeks then I lost the will to blog! I have done a few projects but forgot to take photos.

There are lots of special people celebrating birthdays in August. Mine is in the 25th and Gail's on the 28th. Happy Birthday to all Virgos :)

Happy Birthday Mum!

75 today! Just home from hospital so we couldn't go anywhere but her house for lunch. I was up at 7am, on a Sunday, to put the Weber on. Kathryn wanted to do a BBQ but she is renovating and has half moved into Mum's house so I suggested a roast. It was a great day with all the cousins getting together for a family Lamb roast. I am buggered now so I might have to give Dexter a miss tonight!

Play Day

Crafty Mums got together today after the school holidays although a couple of us were missing. We usually talk and muck around too much to get anything done but today was different. Jayne worked on her personalised family history, Gail worked on Stuart's Birthday card, Suzanne made her neice a card and I have a new ATC folder which I love. It is foolscap size and when it was given to me was covered in red vinyl. I also had help with my collaborative book so everything is looking good!

Sarah also received two personalised canvasses. Emma made the bright pink one (her nickname for her sister is Booney) and MartheJane made the square one (note all the MartheJane photos!!!).

Sarah's Birthday

These are the hand made cards she received, from her Mum, Gail and cousins.

Luckily my swap pins turned up in Queensland so I didn't have to re-make them but I did have to re-do four puzzle pieces that I somehow managed to do backwards! This is my completed set.

The ATC's are an atc buddies art bag challenge, the only rule was that we had to use the silver rings provided, and of course imagination! I liked my houses so much I made extras and sent out a couple of RAK's.

June 2008

There are three reasons why I can't use my computer - 1. When the kids are doing exams and need my laptop, 2. When the computer is in for repair, usually with a virus and 3. when we go on holiday. All three of these occured in June. The worst was the virus that would not be cleansed until all files were wiped. Luckily I got to keep documents and photos (I have lost these previously) but I did lose all emails and contacts so it was a very quiet month. And I cannot understand how such an infection can occur when anti-virus stuff is up and running and I do not share files and download music like my 21 year old who was previously responsible for all these stuff ups.

A holiday to Torquay has restored my energies, walks on the beach, shopping and eating out! I did take my collaborative book pages to work on but didn't get a lot done. It was just too good staying in a brand new 5 star resort! The pic is of Emma and Sarah mucking about outside our room, across the road from the beautiful surf beach. It was cold, being mid winter but we are going back in summer to use their pools.

Puzzle pieces

A very successful "play day" at my place today, I finished off these puzzles to be sent across the countryside, hoping Australia Post can keep up. My last swap (the trading pins) sent to Queensland over two weeks ago have gone missing. If I can get my hands on some more clock hands I will try and re-do them, patience girls!

Bad Luck

I thought these things happened in "threes". I have had more than my fair share recently, starting with the washing machine flooding the house on Mother's Day. Then my clothes drier started to smell like it is on fire. I haven't used it since. Emma wrote her car off last week and is ***most importantly ***unhurt but is without wheels, reliant on parents again to drive her around. Adam told us the power had failed in our P.C. when it is in fact a blown motherboard and then the brakes of my car gave me a scare last night. I was going to fill up with petrol before the price went sky high but turned around and came straight home. My car is now in a queue at Mentone Mota works, waiting until they have a chance to look at it. It can just sit there until it is fixed, I can walk to work, even Southland if I have to!

And now for something completely different.....

No, not really, but I did put Monty Python in my car CD player this afternoon, much to Sarah's disgust.

These delicate little brooches are for an Arty Oz Pin Swap. I have been working on them for aaaaages. I have been tweeking with all sorts of things and they are not like I had originally planned (nothing ever is). It is the first time I have used Crackle Accent and am very happy with the results. The next problem is sending them to hostess Vanessa in Queensland.

Tag Book Swap

An Arty Oz swap going round the country as we speak. 8 ladies doing a double page in the owners book, sticking to the owner's theme.

This one took me FOREVER! The theme was colour, der, and after printing all the photos for Adam's 21st album, constantly running out of ink, I now find that I cannot print anything out at home. I had saved a few images after hours on the internet looking for something special but couldn't use them anyway.

So the silhouette image was cut from sticky backed vinyl I bought at Paperific (don't you love it when you find a use for stuff you had to have even though you didn't know what you were going to do with?) Because no one else had done lumpy bumpy (to keep postage costs down) I couldn't just add chipboard letters, I had to cut them myself, so many colours to choose from, I hope Nikki likes the final selection.

Mother's Day 2008

A day I will not forget in a long while. We had a late night Saturday night with Adam's party at the pub for his lively friends. Dale doesn't sleep in so he made me breakfast in bed, I really enjoyed that! But after 2 cups of tea, the Sunday papers and bacon, mushrooms and eggs, I felt I should do something other than lay around in bed so I put on a load of washing - and then return to bed. I love my bed.

Half an hour later all hell broke loose, the water didn't cut out when filling the machine and flooded the laundry and made a pool down the hallway in the carpet! The commotion got the kids out of bed and it was all hands on deck with every towel we could find. I had to get dressed to take the washing to Mum's to wash and bring back home to dry. I spent the rest of the day washing and drying, leaving notes on neighbour's lines to explain why my towels were hanging here, there and everywhere.

It was mid-afternoon before I calmed down enough to receive my hand made cards and - a CUTTLEBUG!!!! What a great surprise, I had been hinting to my girls but they protested that they had no money!

A week later I am still sorting towels, insurance sent out blow driers for the carpet and then it was steam cleaned. The carpet really needed a good clean.

I haven't even caught up with my Mother In Law yet but her card is pictured with one I made for my Mum. The first time I have used white rub-ons and I can't wait to get my hands on some more. And something to put through the cuttlebug!

Silver Wedding Anniversary

Dale and I have been married for 25 years , but with his Mum's 70th, Adam's 21st parties and Mother's Day, we couldn't really fit in anything special. We did have a seafood dinner for two at home, food lovingly prepared by a local restaurant. Hopefully soon we can celebrate with Gail & Peter and Jennifer & Robert, all married in 1983!

The Key Book was my card to Adam for his 21st. The pages for signing by relatives and friends.

The blue card, which in reality is a darker denim colour, was made by Gail.

Adam is 21!

We had a wonderful dinner on Sunday night for 39 relatives! No not at home, at Southland, my home away from home! LOL