"Lace Flowers"

I was talking with my friend Angie the other day about making my own flowers. I have made a few paper flowers but I really like lace flowers so decided to have a go. I have tried this before but it was in a hurry so they were not very neat.

This time I got serious and got out my hot glue gun and the lace and got started. There are heaps of tutorials on Youtube on how to make flowers so I used them as an idea.

I have some beautiful big pearl brads that I purchased on ebay as well as some Kasier brads that I have used for the flower centres.

These flowers (1 above and 1 below) I sewed after seeing a tutorial on Youtube. These would have to be the easiest lace flowers to make. I havn't put a brad in these as I thought I would leave them until I know what colour I want on my layout or project.

I love how these ones turned out. I put my own twist on it and put a piece of muslin between every layer of lace and they were wow so I have made a couple of these in different sizes

look at all them flowers......now for some layouts

Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch #4

Well I wasn't going to do it but I was in the mood to do some layouts so thought I would do one for  the Kaisercraft Saturday Sketch.

This is a photo of Luke when we visited Blue Skies Kindy when Shaun attended in 2009.

They have beautiful trees there for the kids to climb and I couldn't resist in taking some photos of the boys.

I have used the Kaisercraft "Sweet Nothins" collection of papers and some of the Kaisercraft cogs and Kaiser flowers.

I have used lots of bits and pieces from my stash and was pretty happy how it turned out.

"Dusty Attic" June sketch

Well I have just finished my entry for the Dusty Attic June sketch.

I decided to do another page for my family tree album. This is a page using photos of my Grandparents just after they got married in 1938. They started their marriage by packing up my grandfathers car and travelling QLD looking for work. They spent about the first 6 months of their marriage living in a tent in a cow paddock.

I have used the Dusty Attic Fancy Trim #3 and a piece from the large famcy trim which I embosssed in my bigshot and then painted. I also aged it with some of Tim Holtz distress crackle paint in Rock Candy.


Whoohoo....just read on the Dusty Attic website that I won the June Sketch....yay...that means I will be recieving some DA goodness in the mail........awesome...thankyou so much Dusty Attic

"Chooks for Katrina"

Wow, I haven't posted on my blog wall for ages but then have had a lot going on. I have heaps of projects started so I really have to get in and finish them so that is my plan for the school holidays,

Anyways.......

this is a 3 piece canvas that I have done for my wonderful sister - in - law who loves her chickens. I saw a tutorial on using paper napkins on a canvas so decided to give it a go. I have used some Dusty attic chicken panels which I altered with texture paste, paint and embossing powder. I really love how they turned out.

I just realised when I photographed this that the rooster is not sitting in the middle so I will have to do that one again before I give them to her in a couple of weeks time. If anyone has any ideas on what else I could do, please let me know, I just feel they are missing something, maybe some flowers or something



"Ribbon Spool" configurations shadow box

Over the weekend I finished off my configurations shadow box. I had the idea for this ages ago.

The box is by Tim Holtz, its the 6.75" x 8.75' configurations. I took out some of the inside boxes to fit the cotton spool in. Each spool has a bit of lace or twine on it. I decorated the outside of the box with the "Timeless" papers from Kaisercraft. I also used the Tim Holtz tissue tape on the edges.

The spools were made from a kit. There are instructions on how to do the kit but I did mine a bit different becasue I had plans on putting it in the configuration.

I added a few extra embellishments from my stash.

Emma's Birthday Journal

My beautiful niece Emma has just had her 17th Birthday and I wanted to make her something nice so I did this journal for her.

 Its a Kaisercraft Journal, I have used Kaisercraft paper on it also.

I used a couple of new teniques that I have learnt on the embellishments, thanks to Tim Holtz and The Compendium of Curiositys book.

I also used my favourite 2 toned embossing powder.







Dusty Attic "May 2012" sketch

Time for the Dusty Attic monthly sketch, this is my entry for May.

Its really not that good but as I have been pretty busy with travelling down to see my Dad in hospital, layouts have not been my priority.

the lace flowers I have made myself.

shall have to put in a better effort next month.

"Scrapbooking Shenanigans layout challenge"

A couple of weeks ago, "Scrapbooking Shenanigans ran a layout challenge, now I am always up fro a challenge but this one was to use 5 or more techniques.

I decided to do a double layout, another one for my family tree album.

"Kerry's Card Box"

I have just recently been down to Brisbane to be with my Dad as he went in for Open Heart Surgery.

My wonderful friend Kerry travelled down from the Gold Coast to pick me up from the airport and keep my company.

Now Kerry and I met through our Army husbands and just hit it off.

Not just having our men in the Army but our love of scrapbooking and also we both don't mind a glass or 3 of "Moscato"

I decided to make a little thankyou present for Kerry and seeing as she loves her card making also thought it might be the right idea to make her a card box also.

Kerry loves the "Hunt & Gather" collection that Kaisercraft release only a few months ago so I used that theme to create her card box

and she loved it...........

and I love making my friends happy....xx

sorry about the photos they were taken on my iphone using Leme Leme

"Distress Markers"

So very excited ..... as you can see I have the Tim Holtz Distress markers...yay...

I have wanted these for ages but they seem to be hard to get in Australia.

I thought I would have a quick look on ebay to see what the prices were like and there they were, seems the lady who was selling them didn't like them as much as she must have thought and only used a couple of them so decided to sell so I got a near new hardly used set for about $70 so as you can tell I am very happy and they arrived just in time for Mothers Day also.

I see Tim Holtz is coming to Australia next months and as soon as I saw was on the phone to DH who is currently overseas to see if he would be available to baby sit but sure enough the Army needs him more than I do so I will miss out on seeing Tim Holtz this time round...no worries just have to keep watching him on You Tube



"Old Curiosity Shoppe" frame

For the last couple of weeks I have really felt that I have lost my mojo for craft.

Then on Friday I seem to have gotten it back and all weekend I have been crafting up a storm.

Anyway this is Saturdays effort and I love it

I have used a Kaisercraft frame and I used the "Graphic 45" Old Curiosity Shoppe collection of papaers.

I also use a few bits and pieces from my own stash to decorate



My first project for "Scrapbooking Shenanigans"

Have been meaning to upload this to my blog for ages but as a person who has limited computer skills it has been a very hard task for me to get the photos right.

 I  wanted to show my first project as a design team member for "Scrapbooking Shenanigans"

I am so excited to be on their design team so really hoping I don't let them down as this is the first time ever that I have been on a design team.

Anyway these are all the goodies that Michele & Rita sent me to play with

The papers are the "Graphic 45" Tropical Travelogue Collection  and the frame is a Kaisercraft Filmstrip frame

First job - sand the frame down to get rid of any rough edges. You have to push out the centre pieces of the frame. I keep these and use them on other projects.

Then its time to cover the frame with the beautiful papers, after its dry trim and sand back any rough edges.

I have used a chippie from "Dusty Attic" for this project from my own stash.

I used a two toned embossing powder on all the chippies.

I really love the effect that this two toned embossing powder gives

The photos are of my 3 eldest boys at an Army open day that we went to in Townsville

The finished project!

"Angies Card Box"

I am blessed to have some beautiful friends, one of which, Angie....always sends me beautiful handmade cards that she creates, Christmas, Easter, birthdays or just to say hi, her cards are beautiful....

So I decided that I would make Angie something special to keep all her handmade cards in.

I have used the KaiserCraft Recipe box, which comes in a flat pack. I have decorated it using Kaisercraft's "Sweet Nothing" collection of papers. They also have a card embellishments pack and I have used a couple of those pieces as well. I glued them to grungeboard and then cut them out and inked the edges to give them an aged look..

I love how this box turned out and hopefully Angie will love it too

                                                                                                                       

        

Dusty Attic "April 2012 Sketch"

Usually I am pretty quick in getting my monthly sketches done but this month I seem to have lost my mojo......

Anyway this is the best I could come up with for the Dusty Attic monthly sketch for April.

I have used the Dusty Attic "Lacing Tash" which I embossed using the Moon Glow embossing powders. The colours I used areMidnight pewter/Obsidian and Holly Berry/Red Gold.

I have laced it using the tutorial from the very very talented Natasha Naranjo Aguirre. I have also use Natasha tutorial on the Dusty Attic flowers. I dab painted the flowers in 2 different colours and then ran them through the big shot.

"Home"

I have been noticing lately the discissions  on a few of the Defence Wives FB pages and other blogs. One of the discussions was  "What is the hardest thing about being a Defence spouse"....people say the absence of their partner especially when they are deployed is the hardest but just lately I think that for me one of the hardest things is being away from family.
 Look don't get me wrong, I can cope without my Mum and Dad, I am nearly 40 years old and have been living away from home for a long long time but its the time when you get that phone call to say that a close family member is ill.
I have had that phone call before but this time it is my family and not my husbands, its that feeling of hopelessness....what can I do to help, I am so far away, what is my plan if things get worse.

I remember when we got the phone call about hubbys father. We knew he was sick, I don't think he even knew things were as bad as they were. I was due to have my 5th baby, we were in Victoria and he was in QLD.....Hubby was torn, does he leave me, whom was just about to drop or does he go and see his Dad. As it turned out, I took control, which is not usually me, my husband is my rock and I need him to make decisions, but I went to the hospital and organised to have bub induced the following day and hubby was able to be with me for the  birth and then leave to be with his dying father.

My Dad has always had a heart condition, he had rheumatic fever as a child and heart conditions runs in his family. He has always looked after himself because he know if he doesn't it wont be a good outcome. But the old ticker has been working hard for nearly 71 years now and its had enough.......and now we wait and I wait for another phone call to see what they are going to do, how soon they do surgery and pray that any phone calls I do get good news not bad.

Until then I hope my Dad takes it easy.......try telling a farmer to take it easy......and I will pray because there is not really much else I can do when I am so far from..... home.

Vintage keepsake box

Firstly I want to say a very big thankyou to Rebecca from "Scrapping on the edge" for her inspiration in doing this box. Bek had recently posted some photos of one of her projects and I just loved it and decided to give it a go...so thank you Bek.

The box is a flat pack "All purpose box from Kaisercraft.

I have use papers from my stash that I have had for years. My favourite is the vinatge labels paper from K&Co. lifes journey. I am not sure about some of the others I used as when I think about it have had in my collection for nearly 10 years.

I put a thick coat of Mod Podge over the top before applying all my other little bits and pieces.

I use a lot of Kaisercraft products especially BTP and often I have little off cuts left over....

these little off cuts and perfect to cover in tissue tape and the add an extra dimension to your project. I have also used them by adding a label to them. Everything is then covered in mod podge to protect  it.

For the final touches I added some of the Tim Holtz feet.

I had so much fun completeing this project so I am considering making another one.

Thanks again Bek for giving me the idea.

Kaisercraft "Saturday Sketch" March #4