WOW! What an end to 2012!

Hi Everyone,

My apologies for being AWOL for the whole month of December 2012, it just happened to be about the biggest month of my life – like – eva! lol

As you would be aware, we sold our house and had to move, which was supposed to happen in November, but ended up happening on the 1st of December.

And so began a very busy month indeed!

I won’t go into details and bore you to death, but basically we moved and two days later drove to Sydney for our long awaited and final IVF cycle – Number 13 to be exact.

Therefore we were in Sydney for a couple of weeks.

We came home, unpacked the house.

Held a 70th Birthday party for my Father with all our Family & Friends in the new house.

And then… on the 21st of December, my blood test came back positive.
I am pregnant!
But only just.

The HCG levels in my blood were a little low and I had to go back in a weeks time, again the levels were low, so another week went past and there I was New Years Eve having a final blood test to see if our baby was really there. It was!

The HCG level had jumped to way over 1000 and we were officially
pregnant!!!! – on the last day of the year!

Well, I’ve been so excited ever since I’ve gotten no crafting done at all – and I think I’m going to have to give up my fledgling Stampin’ Up business and just go back to making stuff for fun with whatever I have on hand.

We have a baby coming!!!!

Anyways, I just wanted to share with you all and hope that you’ll keep following my crafting pursuits. I promise to be back blogging as soon as possible, and oh – this is my new craft room…

       

Nicely organised and ready to go – for at least 6 or 7 months, then it’ll have to be packed up and converted to a nursery! lol I guess you can’t have it all in life – and like I’m gonna have time to make a card with a new baby anyways!

Couldn’t be happier with the outcome of 2012 and looking forwards to a completely different life in 2013!

I wish the same for you all too

Sunny Sketch

Hi Everyone,

Well, this is my last week as Guest Designer for Sunny Challenges and Creations. I must say I have had a ball of fun working with Gwen, Chris & Vicky, they’ve really helped me get motivated.

Here’s my card for the sketch this week…

The paper is from the Festival of Prints paper stack – very versatile! The stamp I have used is the Memorable Moments stamp set along with the party hat from Papaya Collage. I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder on the banners and sponged them with Calypso Coral and Crumb Cake inks.

The delicious Taffeta ribbon is sitting a labels Framelit and the Delicate Doilies die cut from Calypso Coral cardstock. I also love how the Labels framelit fits perfectly around the frame stamp from the Memorable Moments stamp set. I couldn’t draw those dots any straighter than that!

I hope you like my card this week, and I look forward to seeing what you make to enter into the Sketch Challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations.

I am sad to end my Guest Designer spot, but am also looking forward to entering the challenges to come.

Ciao for now…

Holiday fun with Sunny Challenges

Hi Everyone,

Wow, I can’t believe 3 weeks have passed already!
My time as Guest Designer is whizzing past so very fast.

So is the time until Christmas is upon us!

This week at Sunny Challenges and Creations we are celebrating the Holiday Catalogue. ( I think I’ve been doing that for while anyways) but please do check out what the girls have made on the main blog. They really are a talented bunch!

I’ve put together a quick and easy card this week. I am actually in the middle of moving house, so it’s a little simpler than I’d normally like to do! Embossing folders and Framelits that match Stamps have really come to the fore here to give what is essentially just some coloured cardstocks a touch of luxurious texture. The Holiday Collection framelits and Scentsational Season stamp set are available as a “Bundle” which is a wonderful way to save some money!

This coffee cup is a lovely depiction of Hot Chocolate on a cold Winters’s day. If only our Winter and Christmas coincided in Australia, as it is – my coffee cup is likely to be filled with Ice Tea at Christmas time! lol The embossing folders used were Vintage Wallpaper, Perfect Polka Dots and the new Fancy Fan.

If you went mad in the Holiday Catalogue like I did, just admit it and show us what you’ve made using the Sketch Challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations.

See you again next week for my final Challenge as
"Guest Designer"

for

Sunny Challenges and Creations!

Shaking it up at Sunny Challenges and Creations

Hello Again Everyone!

Hope you had some fun with Perfect Plum last week! I know I did! This week at Sunny Challenges and Creations we are Shaking it up with Shaker Cards for the Sketch Challenge.

Mine is surrounded in embossed tulips, aren’t they pretty!

I made mine a Christmas Shaker which, this close to Christmas, is a perfect excuse to use the Holiday Framelits is it not? Stampin’ Up has a wonderful new product too that makes Shaker Cards easy peasy to do! They are called Shaker Frames (page 177 of the Annual Catalogue if you can’t spot them). They are essentially a double sided foam tape circle frame in various sizes. 

The small one was perfect for the star in the Holiday Collection Framelits set.

It looked a little boring on it’s own, so lined each cut out with some designer paper from the Festival of Prints paper stack and hand cut the internal part before putting the window sheet behind it all.

The sentiment is from the Embellished Events Stamp set.

I look forward to seeing what you make with a shaker card so head on over to Sunny Challenges and Creations to get your entry in.

Perfect Plum for Sunny Challenges

Hi Everyone,

This is my very first card as Guest Designer for Sunny Challenges and Creations. Thank you so much to Gwen, Chris and Vicky for inviting me along to have some fun with you all during November!

A nice big present made from International Bazaar paper and all wrapped in delicious Taffeta Ribbon – Perfect Plum indeed. Silver sparkle Dazzling Details around the frame and on the party hat glitter nicely in the light and give a real party feel to this card!

Guest Designer – hmmm I like the sound of that! lol I hope you like the card I have made for the sketch challenge SC0066/12 this week. Head on over to Sunny Challenges and Creations to see the sketch and have a go at it yourself. You have a whole week to do so! Don’t forget to use the Stampin’ Up colour Perfect Plum!

I really enjoy using the You’re Amazing stamp set from Stampin’ Up. The sentiment combines with a die from the Apothecary Accents Framelits set to cut it out perfectly and this little elephant above with a party hat on helps you celebrate!

Let’s see what you can make with Perfect Plum and the Sketch from Sunny Challenges and Creations! I look forward to commenting on your entries!

Thanks for stopping by…

Inky Mojo Monday Card

Hello Again,

I wanted to share this card I made for the Mojo Monday challenge this week.

This card was made with a little arty farty and inky bit of fun. There’s nothing like getting your hands all inky and gluey and painted now is there?

This is the sketch this week…

I started with a mixture of purple inks on the frame from the Everything Eleanor stamp set and stamped it onto glossy white cardstock. Then I stamped a pile of different images onto some plain white tissue paper. I then ripped the tissue paper around the images I wanted on the card and stuck them down with clear glue.

The frame is black card stock that has been cut with two Labels collection framelits and embossed with the Lattice embossing folder.

I used a pile of black ink and sponged messy edges on, they were a bit too dark so I went over them with Shimmer Paint and a brush. 

There’s also Bakers Twine of course – because I’m addicted to it, some Dazzling Details glitter and a bit of ribbon and flowers all stacked up too.

Hope you like my card this week and don’t forget to come back and join me next week when my Guest Designer spot starts with Sunny Challenges & Creations.
I would love you to join in with the sketches each week!

Ciao for now…