Just popping in

(and popping in is all I seem to be doing lately)to wish everyone a very happy new year.
Hoping to have more time for the things I enjoy after the new year, namely crafting and blogging. Have a great night whatever it is you are doing to see in the new year.
Xx

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

I haven't had a lot of time to post lately and I posted off/gave away most of my Chritmasy gifts and cards before I photographed them so you will just have to believe me that I did them ;-). Tomorrow is going to be one of the weirdest ever Christmas mornings as two of the boys are already at my mum's. It will be strange to wake up and only have two here and then we have to leave the oldest behind while we head off as he has to work over the next few days, not really liking the fact that this will be the very first year when we are not all together. I guess it's something I will have to get used to as they grow up but I'm not ready just yet. The lead up has been busy for us, as I suppose it is everyone, though we did take time out on Tuesday to go to the movies in Mt G to see Avatar, amazing movie, really loved it. I was surprised at just how much I really enjoyed it, I knew it was going to be visually huge as I had seen clips here and there but what did surprise me was how much I enjoyed and became involved in the story line. I sat there laughing, crying and gripping the arm of my chair in trepidation at different times throughout the entire movie. I have read reviews that have said the story line wasn't great but every one I have spoken to who has seen it loved it as much as I did, so much for the critics hey... Definitely one to watch at the movie theatre though, so big and so much happening and the sounds added so much to it. Righto I'm off to give the eggnog one last stir and wrap those last minute things that were missed. Christmas blessings to all
Xx

The links from the previous post

Ok Sushi made and eaten (yes Delicious thank you :-) and for now the links from the post below.
Template from Rita at coffeeteaphotography , she has the best range of templates, actions etc and most of them are free (unless you feel like giving a donation which I think I will do this Christmas) The brushes, 09 and Christmas are from designerdigitals also love their stuff, I am not nor will never will be a digi scrapper but I do enjoy dabbling in hybrid stuff and they have great brushes and things that work really well with scrapping.I'm not really sure where the flourish brush came from, I did a google search for flourish brushes a few years back and this is one that came up. And lastly the gorgeous papers are designed by Crystal Wilkerson and are available for sale here
I'm about to try and create some semblance of order in my scrap nook so I can get a few last minute cards done because there will buckleys of getting them done tomorrow as Paddy is going into have his tonsils removed. He's not really looking forward to it at all, not so much the op itself as having to stay overnight in hospital.
Cheers

Wrong hemisphere

I'm quite sure this time of year that I have been born into the wrong hemisphere, especially after yesterday when we had a 42 degrees day. Today it has been drizzly rain for most of the day and I have loved it. I would so love to have a white Christmas, just once.
How do you like my new blog header???It's very simple, my first attempt. The template is a coffee shop one (link on the side bar) the digi papers are by Crystal ? and are available from Jessica Sprague's website and the brushes where bought from designer digital. Sorry about being slack and not putting links in but I have a date with Seamus to make Sushi.
Cheers

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan

So worth watching

Hey now, he's a rock star

A quick couple of shot of Joe from last nights school concert, they did old time rock and roll. Dontcha just love that big 80s hair, ahhh, the memories,lol. Joe and one of his besties(yes the other kids faces are blurred out deliberately)
Seamus' class did boom, boom, pow by the black eyed peas but I don't have too many shots of it because they used a lot of UV lighting which was really hard to take decent shots of.

Happy 1st of December

The countdown begins.

I love to see what they see

While driving in and out to the swamp (this post) last school holidays Joe grabbed my little camera out of my handbag and started snapping away as we drove. I love that they see beauty in this world and hope it stays with them forever. The yellow fields are canola crops BTW.

This bottom one is my fave, love the moody sky and misty rain.

Not entirely sure why each photo is a different shape and one has a black frame and not the others, must have been the mood I was in at the time :-)

Advent calendar

We've started getting into Christmas mode here the last few days, Seamus has been making paper decorations and I made this using a kaiser OTP kit, rubons and papers and my fabulous silhouette, man I love that thing. The gorgeous Christmas tree, gifts etc are stuck on transparency and mounted on a few layers of foam dots and the stars are stuck on the back panel. the numbers are from the silhouette cut and print range. I love that present cut out, it's meant to be for a wedding but was so easy to ungroup and remove the part that said to the bride and groom. Love that most of their designs can be altered to suit what you are doing.

We have had our nativity scene up for a few weeks now but still haven't gotten around to taking photos of it yet. Must soon, it's so pretty.

I off now to go and cool dinner before Glee starts, they have just moved it to Sunday nights. I really didn't want to like it but alas I was sucked in after 1 episode. A good thing that has come from Glee is that it has broadened the range of music the kids listened to, their computer is pumping out Bon Jovi as I type and I never thought I would see the day when they were searching youtube for Neil Diamond,lol.

Cheers,

Sue.

cool iphone app

The gallery girls

Called shake it. Makes your photos look like old style polaroids, you even get to shake it to make the picture appear faster.

Long time no blogging

I have times like that, blog heaps for a while then nothing for ages, nothing like going with the flow. I have been making stuff though but only one layout to share, the rest were gifts which I forgot to photograph before I gave them away,lol. Since my last post there has been a new arrival in our family, no not another baby but a beautiful petite little silhouette digital cutter. Oh how I love it, it's sleek design, it's speedy little blade and the designs, oh the designs. I had previously owned the klic'n'kut element, a birthday gift a few years back, which although I liked, I never really loved it. To get the most out of it you really needed to learn it and honestly I just could never be bothered. The capabilities of the software were huge but you really need to be quite techno savvy (although my husband claims I am, he has mistaken time spent on the computer with knowledge about it ;-)I also find that the silhouette cuts are much more intricate. I know it doesn't have the chipboard cutting ability of the knk but everything else just rocks and the software is very user friendly. I made the elements for the layout above in minutes. the 09 in the circle (which I straightened later)the fun and games in the bracket and yep even the run, jump, skip and play is from the silhouette too, they have a fantastic print and cut range. I can see me using this in almost every layout I do from now on. I have even used it for making costumes for the boys school concert in a few weeks, more of that later..

It was so worth it

To do the 7 hours of driving for a quick overnight stop if only to meet this little man for the first time. Introducing my newest great nephew baby Mitchell, he weighed in at 9lb12oz and is all that of smoochie baby goodness. Even though I didn't arrive until 10 o'clock on the Friday night and left for home around 3.30 on Saturday I managed to catch up with family, drive over to the next town along and cuddle the new baby and had a birthday morning tea out with some of my pals from back home, two and a half hours of girlie chatter and giggles, even made time to squeeze in a quick walk around the Island to the beach. All in all a great day, just feeling a little brain dead now, I think the adrenaline rush has started to wear of,lol. 8 day old cuteness and check out the cute smooched up cheeks and milk spots on the shot below, pure baby goodness..

(forgot to sharpen the shot above for the web, sorry it's a little soft)

Yes, you are in the right spot for the blog hop

It's the post below. while I am waiting for most of you to get out of bed I thought I would share Halloween Australian style. Being close to summer here there was not a whole pumpkin to be found anywhere so we thought we would do the next best thing and carve a watermelon,lol. My youngest son is still right into celebrating all of the holidays, even those we don't normally celebrate here like Halloween, and really wanted to do something. I think maybe he looks over his Mum's shoulder to much at all the lovely decorations on the American blogs i follow. any way he had great fun and we got to have yummy watermelon for dessert tonight :-) He named him Mr Watermelon head, original hey?

It's birthday time

Or anniversary time, whichever you like to call it it's been a year of awesome Twilight related creative bliss over here at Twilight Tuesday. I was introduced to Twilight books by my uber talented and most awesome friend Donna. Donna, knowing my taste in most things rang me one day explaining her lack of socialising for a week or so on a series of books, "you should read them" she said, I did, and the rest my friends is history. so when she said I would love the Twilight Tuesday site I jumped on and checked it out because Donna is always right,lol. I have only played along with a few challenges so far but those that I have have been really enjoyable. so here I am at the blogaverssary once again sharing my humble offerings for your viewing.For the blog hop we were to make something from any one of the 50 previous challenges or something Twilight related. For my first project I did challenge 6, rain. Normally when I use this stamp I tend to lean towards brighter colours with it but but bright colours and rain in forks just didn't seem to fit so I pulled out my ever favourite cosmo cricket papers and even though they have bright colours in them they are a vintagey bright not a vibrant bright if that makes any sense at all(if not I will blame it on lack of sleep). I think if I was told I could only use a limited range of pattern paper for the rest of my life I would choose Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon, I just looove their ranges.

The next challenge I chose was number 37, a little romance. No matter what it is that lights your torch about the Twilight series it is first and foremost a romance so hence my choice of theme.

In an effort to get more photos of Bren and myself together (I made a mini album about us last year and gathering the photos together I realise we didn't have that many of the two of us despite being together for well over 20 years)I handed the camera over to my number 3 son. DH seeing the camera grabbed me for a big smooch session, he has never been camera shy unlike me who hates being on the other side of the lens.

A closer view of the hearts on the page

It is a little hard to pick up the embossed polka dots on the white paper. When I first discovered stamps it wasn't to colour at all, that came a bit later, my first use of them was for making my own background paper which I did lots of once so it was great fun to do this again by pulling out this gorgeous polka dot set from PTI.

And finally I'm not sure what challenge this would fit into, maybe the great Northwest, but I'm sure somewhere in Forks there would be and owl in a tree somewhere, maybe looking down as Edward walked away from Bella in the forest, who knows. I actually did this because I had purchased the digi stamp a couple of weeks back and not had the opportunity to use it yet so while I was on a crafty roll and my desk was messy anyway I thought I would pull it out and play, that and the fact that the owl is soo cute and I seem to have a thing for owls. The yellow behind the owl is vellum, it doesn't show really well here but looks quite pretty with the light shining through it.

I'd like to thank all the sponsors for the blog hop (did I mention there was blog candy, mmm, love candy and this is the sort that won't go straight to the hips :-)

Stamp Happens Shop http://stamphappens.com/shop

Stamp Insanity Stamps http://stampinsanity.com/

The Greeting Farm http://thegreetingfarm.com/shop

Unity Stamp Co. http://http//www.unitystampco.com/

Die Cuts R Us http://www.diecutsrus.com/

Sassy Studio Designs http://buysassystudiodesigns.blogspot.com/

Stars Fall Designs http://starsfalldesigns.etsy.com/

OK, that's is it for me, now it's time to move along to Laura's
blog to see what tasty creative Twilighty treat she has in store for you.

And in case you have missed someone here is the list of other participants.
1. Twilight Tuesday (http://www.twilighttuesday.com/)

2. Tonya (http://stamphappens.com/)

3. Margie (http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/)

4. Dani (http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/)

5. Alison (http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/)

6. Donna (http://donna-wardle.blogspot.com/)

7. Jen Shults (http://deconstructingjen.com/)

8. Heather Lee-Reppen http://inkonmyear.blogspot.com/

9. Tamara Bennett (http://scrapcationgetaway.blogspot.com/)

10. Jacquie (http://jacquiemakescards.blogspot.com/)

11. Erica (http://inkedupandreadytoplay.blogspot.com/)

12. Jennifer O. (http://wannabecr8tive.blogspot.com/)

13. Juanita http://stampintwilghtmom.blogspot.com/

14. Steph http://www.apaperbuffet.blogspot.com/

15. Lisa J. http://www.stampincraftinsnowohmy.blogspot.com/

16. Julie http://www.starsfalldesigns.com/

17. Beth http://www.stampinsanity.com/blog

18. Holly http://www.inkadinkadoodle.com/

19. LaToya http://lmac-emac.blogspot.com/

20. Randi http://www.thedarkmermaid.blogspot.com/

21. Rebecca http://bellacarta.typepad.com/

22. Gabby http://confessionsofastamper.blogspot.com/

23. Sarabeth http://www.scraphappie.blogspot.com/

24. Susy http://susysspace.blogspot.com/

25. Laura http://craftylittlewoman.blogspot.com/

26. Liz http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2461

27. Lady-Sonya http://www.kreativplanet.blogage.de/

28. Twilight Tuesday http://twilighttuesday.com/

enjoy

Another thing I found

while browsing blogs today were these...the nicest camera bags for women (or I guess there would be some men who would like them too,lol) they are available here soon. So much prettier and cuter than my ordinary camera bag.

Stacy Julian giveaway.

While flicking through a scrapbook mag last night I happened to read about the new brad maker from inaginisce and thought how cool it would be,this morning while checking google reader I read about this giveaway on Stacy Julian's blog. I'm entering, what about you???

I did it again

I've added to my layout again, the day ofter posting this I decided it needed something added (see a bit of a theme happening here, like my last three layouts,lol)Not that I add much but I think seeing it on a big monitor right in front of my face makes me pick all the little bits and pieces (or lack of them) so my old friend string was added, a little heart charm and a date block.

Next time I think I will wait for a few days before posting just to make sure I really am done :-) Life has been pretty busy around here lately and it seems like there isn't many days go past without extras added to our little house so when we do get a little time for just us a lot of this happens...relaxing and enjoying the quiet time.

Even the pets enjoy it.

And even more stuff...

So what season did you say it was?

Just on six weeks until the official beginning of summer and we are still getting days like this, not that I'm complaining mind you. He's a good, good man...Chopping wood to keep his family warm.

We thought it would be the last of fires for the year but with a cool wet snap here I'm just glad that I never went to the trouble to give the fire it's last thorough clean for the year.

Scraperlicious challenge number four-change.

As soon as I read on the blog that this months challenge was about change I knew I wanted to use this photo. When I looked at it the first time after printing I was amazed at how much things have changed in the last 17 years between Jackson's birth and the day this photo was taken(My nieces wedding)He from a tiny baby that Mum used to cuddle on her lap to a teenage boy that stands a good head taller than her. and her... well she has had many changes in that time, both happy and sad, good and bad and then there is ever effecting time. I am surprised that I was able to fit the journaling in,and me not usually a big journaler, could have written double what I have here, not easy to condense so much about their lives into a few short paragraphs.

A closer view, you can see here the tone on tone border strip which doesn't show clearly in the top photo.

PP-cosmo cricket, Stamps-Technique Tuesday, Border punch-(you knew I would have to squeeze one of those in somewhere,lol) fiskars Diecut frame-Quickutz Cardstock-(Kraft) Aussiescrapsource (brown) brand unknown but purchased from Camelot studio in Adelaide.

Bella butterfly

Last year some time I won a name this stamp competition run by Bizzy Bec, now while I have used this stamp a few times I have never posted a card with it on, tut tut. With Bec having just drawn the winner of the next lot of name your stamp comp I had thought I had better get off my slack butt and do something, so here she is Bella butterfly. The photo is at a funny angle because I raced outside in the rain, it was a matter of sit the card on the gardening table, shoot one shot and bolt back inside, it was that wet. Previously I have used softer girlier colours with her but today I discovered these SU papers while searching through my paper stash for inspiration and decided to go with them. I realised after posting this that I had forgotten to put a flower in her hair, I have a tiny brown one that would have gone perfectly, I'll have to add that later. Just paying with this terribly over exposed shot of a pot of ranuculas that is sitting at our front door, crap photo, but the flowers are so pretty.

Some stuff...

A little bit of a redo for this layout, only added a few buttons and stamped the play all day circle but I feel a bit better about it now, it's still simple but at least it feels a bit more finished than before.

Ooops, forgot about the reverse loading for blogger photos. These are some of the butterflies I stamped and embossed with white embossing powder on the layout below.

A closer view of some of the stamping and elements, the heart is acrylic backed with p paper and stamped with the family stamp from the hero arts original definitions set with white stazon. The quote is from an Ali Edwards set embossed with butter zing(love this colour, so soft and well, buttery)

Something a little different from my usual layouts. Used lots of stamping and embossing. It was also good to use older products, the PP is one that has been out for quite some time from MM(except for the background, it's MM too but not so old) and the butterfly and definition stamps from hero arts have been in my drawer for years. the other stamps are Ali Edwards by technique Tuesday and Heidi Swapp. I even used vellum, something I haven't done in ages. It's one of those layouts that looks better IRL, or maybe it's just my photography.

Yesterday we took Seamus for a walk down to the swamp to catch tadpoles (yes, we are a catch and release family, at least they will be released soon, it's good for the kids to see the changes the little tadpole's bodies go through to become a frog, takes longer than a kiss from a Princess,lol)
After catching them with him for a while I layed down under his beautiful wattle tree and enjoyed the feeling of the spring sunshine.

Back again

From our little break. Had a wonderful time, caught up with lots of family and friends, got to rub some beautiful pregnant tummies (two of my nieces and my nephew's fiance are all expecting, one of them less than three weeks away)baby sat my almost two year old nephew, (gotta love a spread out family, my nieces and nephews on mine and Bren's side of the family range from under two through to thirtysix), sat by the river, walked on the beach, drank lots of cuppas, took lots(and lots) of photos and generally had a lovely busy time.

the river mouth, that's Seamus walking towards me, the others boys are in the background.

(not so) baby Xave

In honour of world card making day/weekend...

I did a layout,lol, well at least it involved using paper and glue... a quick, simple page, came together so quickly. Knowing me I will probably go back and add a little, I'm thinking maybe some buttons but for the moment this is it 'cause I have to go pack. I taking the three younger boys plus 1 to the coast for a few days. Bren and Jacko get to bach here while I enjoy strolls on the beach and some fishing(not that the fishing would excite either of them, they are not big fans, me I just love the excuse to kick back with a rod and a good book by the water).
Woo roo till later in the week...
Oh and I decided while I've been typing this that I need to put a tab on the top of the photo block with a date or something on it, mmmm, may be a bit more work for this one. Cheers,
Sue.

How would you spend $250

Check out this comp here. Cottage cutz are giving away a $250.00 voucher from their store, wow could I do some damage with that. I loooove my dies...

Wonders never cease

I made something today, just a little card but it felt good to get into the creative groove again. With three teenage boys in the house it means there is a lot of interest in teenage girls,lol. The boys all have a good group of friends both male and female and we are finding they are being invited to celebrate quite a few birthdays with the girls. Having boys I don't have a lot of teen girl based stamps, heck I don't have many teen boy based stamps either, so when I saw a link to these digi images on Margie's blog I knew they would be perfect for girlie cards. The digi stamps are quite decently priced so ideal for a stamp that I don't plan to use lots and lots, I just can't justify paying for rubber that I only plan to use once or twice (now that's not to say there are not stamps in my stash that have only been used lightly or not at all, just that when I bought them I really intended to use them more that I do ;-) I think maybe I'm not the only one out there???) Any way these are rather cool and it seems a few companies are going this way, pink cat studio and hero arts are two that come to mind as well as the linked company above. It makes it easier for those of us who live on the other side of the world who love our stamps but don't like having to pay huge shipping costs and don't like the wait for them to arrive. Pay and wallah, you have your image ready to re size and print however you want, on whatever you want ,whenever you want, however many times you want, gotta love that. Papers-cosmo cricket border punch-Martha Stewart alpha stamps-hero arts speech bubble die-quickutz
And because I seem to be doing lots of photo post lately, my baby.

just bee hapy

Today I learned how to...

How to use the live view function on my camera. I confess I have had this camera for almost a year now and this is the first time I have even attempted to use it, it will certainly not be the last, at least with macro stuff any way. I love that I can focus on an area, then zoom in and see if I really am as focused as I thought, then take the shot, super cool. It pays to do a little research sometimes... I have actually, after finding out about this, ordered a disk with three hours of tutorials on the 50D. I am visual so being able to sit and watch with my camera and note pad on my lap should with any luck be great and a worthwhile investment. Oh and by the way, thank you Donna for the packet of ranuculas bulbs, they are just starting to flower and I love them...

Yellow ranuculas, the centre reminds me of a cats eye. Red ranuculas bud

I missed the centre focus here when the wind blew but I love these little red flowers so much I have put them on anyway, any one know what they are called?

Just a little yellow daisy laying on the grass

All shot using an 85mm 1.8 lens with an extension tube.

Today I also loaded my page for the scraperlicious challenge
here

Boys 'n water

They just go together...

Contemplating making the plungeAnd they're in
Braving the cold



And then it all broke loose

(this is my favourite photo of the day even though it is over exposed, love those happy faces)


And even small dogs love the mud and water.

Just 'cause I thought the weeds growing on the side of the road looked pretty.

Yesterday we decided it was about time we took a trip out to Mullinger's swamp, a few kms out the road. I had never visited it before and even though the boys had been they have never seen it this full of water before. We packed up lunch, towels and some changes of clothes(I have been around boys long enough to know that there is a natural magnetism between them and water and mud) It made my heart happy to see my two youngest and three of their friends having so much fun and being so free. We did take some yabby nets out with us but had no luck with them which didn't seem to bother any of us too much. I think it may be a little early yet for them to be crawling or maybe it was the excessive noise level that frightened them off,lol. Tomorrow we plan to go out to Bool Lagoon, another largish body of water near home that has been empty for several years but is hopefully filling up this season, and do a little bird and nature watching. I love the feeling at the end of the day when you have had an active time out doors, tired but somehow energised at the same time.