Valentines day is nearly here

I've loved creating a few cards for valentines I'm up early to complete on a few today before I scoot off to work...A little crazy I guess...and I've Friday offff to start some albums I cannot wait!I'm craft obsessed at the moment and putting to use some new stamps and trying to take stock of my enormous stash..I think I may have become a real addict.I'm on with the magnolia challenge but will have to post photos later.

Whizzy weekend

Time has whizzed by this weekend...I've gotten up early to keep being as productive as last week!... i'm wondering how long I can sustain this level of activity for but for now I'm celebrating the fact that I managed to create the 'fluffier bow' that Bev had a link to on her blog spot..alhtough I need a little more practice it did not look like Bevs gorgeous one (I've not figured out how to include her link in the text here but her blog will be in my favourites) .. and I've been colouring in my Magnolia and Bear-iations stamps feverishly....Hubby and son are wondering what I'm turning into.So in between cooking, shopping, cinema,the footy run and sunday lunch here are some of my creations...I've a couple of albums in my thoughts and have a day off in February so hope to be able to create two Tilda albums again...and the small keepsakes I'm reminded of for my nieces Tionge and Nana (sorry Mayase they will get to you soon).

Magnolia challenge

I've done the best to create a card for this challenge but do not have many accessories or little animal pals for my Tilda and Edwins... just Tilda's and Edwins!
So this card I created with my hubby and son in mind as they both won their football matches this weekend... they are my Champs and are so patient with me and my crafting obsession...thankyou boys.

This weeks card challenge

This card is for the magnolia card challenge for this week.The ribbon embelli is a "ribbon Bow" and nI've set a velvet prima plower and brad on top of it and flattened it ...I want to perfct a larger 'fluffier' version of this ribbon bow and so am hard at work with various versions trying to perfect it! Any suggestions would be welcome.

Pyjama day

I really needed a pyjama day....... soooo many other things needed to be done in the house but I had to have one! What a treat being completeley emersed in colouring, cutting out and sticking..of course all the housework still needs doing but do you know I feel sooooo relaxed and managed to stay in my pyjamas until 4pm!I am not going to rationalise it I just had to have it ...refreshed for another week...

My first Challenge for the Magnolia Challenge blogspot

Here we go... I created a hanging heart for this challenge a gift of thanks for a dear friend I've left the top open as I plan to put a small bar of chocolate in there...I hope I'm successful at posting this to the challenge blogspot.

memorable holiday moments

So o.k this is not a flattering photograph but this is my jollyest memory from the christmas holiday.. it was a simply great evening with my son and his pal making cocktails...I'm sworn to a major privacy statement to never post photographs of him on my blogspot which I have to honour or life would be very difficult for me! but this is me looking rather strange ..so hey..
What fun it was watching them and then enjoying the fruits of their labours (they were really nice drinks!)...this was my first one!(I think) and I made homemade icecream for the first time on the same night a taste tickling evening...Thanks boys.

HAPPY

Loved creating these quite large 12 x 5" HAPPY albums from a Bo Bunny Template I purchased.I've bound the bottom album (made out of Basic grey 'scarlets letter' with my bind it all and the Far East cardstock album is secured with blue book rings.I spent hours creating the flowers out of a cuttlebug die it was an absolute pleasure putting them together... I had a fest with the oriental theme and used a few of my stamps and the embellis on the other album were a medley of flowers co-ordinating with cardstock .. I loved doing them...they really are 'Happy' albums I may auction one on ebay later for Watoto but at the moment am still enjoying just looking at them!

A completed planner for the magnolia challenge cards

So here we go with my first goal for 2009 to complete some card challenges get to grips with 'colouring in' those images and dare to put them in to be viewed by others!Here is my gift to myself a 'sparkly sweet card planner' to keep the cards in.Its an OTT girly sparkley one and I loved all that glitter! finished off with a large brad and a treasury tag to close it.

Calenders and planners for 2009

I have been browsing so many blog spots and sites for inspiration in creating a calender and some sort of household planner ( i added most of the blogspots and websites to my favourites so take a look by visiting the sites linked to my blogspot and search for them).Well here is my idea for 2009 I have modified a sweet little calender template with my own choice of cardstock to mount photo's on from throughout the year.My plan is then to create an album simular to 'A picture is a thousand words' I created a simple one of these for my son way back last February and the link is still on www.shimelle.com. The cardstock blocks are all the same size and co-ordinate in colour (I think)...I would also like to include a samll journalling block to scribe memries from that month ...now that's forward planning.. not one of my strong points but 2009 is to be a turn around on that score as I've decided I'm going to become more organised with my scrapbooking and enter a few more challenges and be adventurous.

Boxes for those little Albums of Christmas joy

My scrap buddy Louise makes beautiful boxes and I have at last discovered a template that fits my 4 x 4's so they will never go in tissue alone again..the beauty being you only need one piece of 12 x 12 ... I can co-ordinate the box with the main paper used in the wee album... so little sticking and cutting is involved in this one..the link is on melzstamps her blogspot link is on my side toolbar...she has so many lovely templates to try and is really talented.

A spirtually uplifting discovery..thankyou

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu...I'm hoping to find a way to download a track to the blogspot so I can share this beautiful music with you.... view him on you tube now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bawDFY8G-o4
He has been described as a deeply traditional man with the voice of an angel singing of his love of country ( Wiyathul, Galiku), his deep spiritual connection with the land ( Djarimirri, Marrandil), the death of his father ( Bapa), the difficulties of being born blind - which he sings in a mixture of local language and English ( Gurrumul History) - and the importance to his life of continuity and his ancestors.

christmas joy albums

I loved have a creating these wee albums.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It seems like ages!

I've not posted for a couple of weeks (seems like longer)...n have been poorly these past few days (mind due I now have a bursting desire to do everything at 100 miles an hour after being laid up for a day or two!)Anyway I'm on the up and up now and hoping to go to York this afternoon with K and Paula(festival of angels is also on this weekend so should be lovely ) I've found a great template for a box for 4 x 4 books on melz stampz such a great blogspot..and will post piccies of my 4 x 4 albums of joy in there boxes over the next week or so.My Tinker bell books are complete and I have managed to hand make all my cards this year ...can't believe it just have to post them now!Loved our crafty get together last weekend Linda, Linz,Lou and Leah thanks for coming over.I'm going to have a re hash of my blogspot in the new year and get focused again!

A 'Dash' for Watoto

We completed the Abbey Dash and I'm pleased to say have raised 60.00 for Watoto...Thankyou to all who sponsored and/or purchased albums and cards.

An alternative advent calendar

I've created an advent alternative, numbered little sizzix takeout boxes filled with tiny sweets tied with ribbon on a tiny tree.We don't usually get a tree until a couple of weeks before christmas and so this seemed to be a nice christmassy idea and we get a a christmas tree for the first three weeks of December as well!
Here's how I put it together easy peasy....

Christmas card challenge update

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Watoto auction update

I've managed to raise 59.00 for Watoto through sponsorship and selling my crafts so far!..I've a tinkerbell book in the making for Immaculate's christmas gift and hope to create some smaller albums inspired by the one I create for her...God Bless..

clever crafters November's session

Linda, Kim and myself got together and were so creative and productive ....I've only snaps of my wee bags Linda created a chic black one and Kim inspired us with the large daisy which we all fell in love with over again...sizzix fans will know the die I'm talking about!Kim created some great original little tags it was a real crafty fest...we are on a mission next week to create some cards.
The next session is December 6th and I hope to help folk create their own 4 x 4 albums of christmas joy...I've made these time and time again with slightly different themes they are really cute make a lovely gift and sentimental keepsake.
Hope folks can make it.

Hope....and change...

This week saw Barack Obama elected as USA president...I'm not particularly political and a lot of this goes over my head but i do care about global happennings and I felt a little skip in my heart and a smiley feeling knowing that this 'very' genuine man is going to facilitate some change........Here's a little of his speech

"And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.

"You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

"Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

"There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.

"There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

Card challenge update

Our smilebox has 4 new additions Linzi created some gorgeous cards Christmas Edwin is my fave! Well done I'm inspired

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What a great day away

table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff">Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Watoto Auction and fundraising

Make a Smilebox slideshow

K and I are set to run the Abbey Dash and infact managed 10k last Sunday and so will complete the course!Thankyou so much to work colleagues for supporting me through sponsorship and purchases of my albums.I am on schedule to be able to send my moneys raised at the end of November.Please check out www.Watoto.com and find out more about the work in Uganda.

Happy Diwali 2008

I will wait to hear and see the fireworks later on tonight...best wishes on this years celebrations of the festival of light...

Raising funds for Watoto this November

I have wanted to raise funds for Watoto and have 10.00 in the kitty already but November is my month for it.Alongside my creating a Tinkerbell keepsake album to send to Immaculate, my goal is to be able to send 50.00 to Watoto by the last week November. I am running the Abbey Dash on 23rd and folks i know are sponsoring me... thankyou guys. I'll also be taking my cards and albums to work and then popping them to auction to see if I can make up the difference and make this small contribution to Watoto's great cause. The link for their website is in my links list take a look.

christmas card challenge

I'm trying to motivate myself and get my creative head into Christmas mode... I thought I'd set myself a wee challenge of 4 cards a week and I've got myself going with these few cards.I hope some of my buddies might play along and I can add their cards to the slideshow as well. HELP girls inspiration is needed!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ulka's birthday

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

clever crafters

We created this weekend, loved it...its so much fun crafting together..

mothers

I got this text today and wanted to blog it as well as forward it ...

A mum has strengths that no one will ever know.She can handle trouble and carry heavy burdens..she holds happiness,love and opinions she smiles when she feels like screaming.She sings when she feels like crying, cries when she's happy and laughs when she's afraid...her love is unconditionalThere's only one thing wrong with her she sometimes forgets what she's worth....

H's little album of growth!