Put on your sunnies...

before you take a peek at this card.  The Colour Create Challenge blog is having their 50th challenge, with the theme of Hot Pink, Warm Orange and Saffron.  I have to say I'm not really a "brights" kinda girl - I much prefer muted tones and neutrals, but it's nice to break out of the old comfort zone every now and then, right?

Here's my take on their challenge:

I used Colorbox Chalk inks, which are probably my second most favourite inks - distress inks being my fave, but don't tell my ink pads will you?  They may get jealous.  The colours I used were Orchid Pastel, Tangerine and Yellow Cadmium with Blackbird for the sentiment. The best part about it was that it came together in less than 10 minutes.  I am totally a CAS (clean and simple) sort of person.  While I love looking at the heavily embellished creations, all I can think of is the amount of time and effort put into those sort of cards (you know the ones with about 10 layers with flouncy ribbon everywhere, etc).  Don't get me wrong, I do love to use layers and ribbons, just in moderation!  But then, you never know - I may just go all out and surprise you one of these days...

Quote of the Day:

Monika at Write.Click.Scrapbook has an awesome quote (not sure if it's hers or she borrowed it from somewhere):

I don't remember, that's why I scrapbook.

I have a shocking memory, and it's amazing the little details you forget. Often it's when Sophie does something and some little part in my brain says "Hmm, I think I remember Emily doing that".  I'm now making it a habit to write down little things every now and then about what's going on in our lives.  The last one I did was back in May and I recorded our routine, what the girls are doing, our interests, any little things that I think I will forget - because you can guarantee, I will forget!

Not only am I keeping a daily brief journal (just the things we did each day), I'm also about to make a start on my own Journal Jar, so it will be interesting to set aside 5-10 mins each day to reflect on my past.

I am also very grateful for digital cameras and their ability to record the day and time of each photo - no more guessing when we did things after the photos have been sitting there for 6 months (or more) and I finally scrapbook them!

Strike while the iron's hot...

or sew while the machine is set up.
I'm hoping to turn this little pile of gorgeous fabric into something totally wearable by the end of the week...

Can you guess what?

P.S Don't forget to enter the Haus Designs giveaway here.

Remember ROYGBIV?

I can remember ROYGBIV (roy - G - biv) being drummed into us at school as the colours of the rainbow... so for all the teachers out there, I do remember it, but I didn't use it.
I used Red and Orange:

Yellow and Green:

Blue and Purple:

Pink and Brown:

White and Black:

Seriously, who ever uses indigo?  Nevermind.  I made it so that it has little loops and flaps that lift up and are textural in the hope that Sophie finds it interesting to sit and look at/play with.  The 5 year old did ask if they could share it - I said I think she already knows her colours.  Notice that the red page has "red" written in wonky free-sewing... that was the first page and after that I decided that I wouldn't write the colour on each page, but seeing as it was already done it could stay.  It was also partly because I don't have cottons in each of the colours.  For most of them I used clear thread (colour-match by Birch) so that you can't see the stitching.

All of the pages measure approx 3 3/4 inches square - I say approximately because they are hand cut and you can never be exact with felt.  Each page was stitched with ribbons, then I sewed the pages together back to back.  As you can tell, I didn't follow the tutorial exactly but it did give me a starting place and the inspiration to complete this cute little book.

Sew cute!

I came across a tutorial a while ago that showed how to make a felt baby book out of fabric scraps.  I just knew I had to make one for my 14 month old daughter.  I wanted to make the cute little book and because I don't have lots of fabric scraps, but I do have lots of ribbons I knew exactly what to use!

Here's the finished project:

I'll show you the insides tomorrow :)

Clean and Simple multi-use card

I'm sure I'm not the only one that comes across a card, page, artwork, anything really and you just exclaim "I love it!".  I had one of those moments when I saw this card on the Sketch'n'Color blog here.  The blog is in German I think, but craft speaks all languages!
I just had to copy it, and here is what I came up with:

All materials from Kaszazz except the ribbon (Celebrations) and bling (Kaisercraft).

The Bazzill paper has come out quite dark in the photo - it isn't quite as dark IRL.  It has been stamped with the Fancy Flourish using Perfect Medium.  This is a great technique to get a tone-on-tone watermark look when stamping - you always have the right ink colour!  This is the first time I have used this sentiment from the Mini Messages Devotion.  It just never appealed to me before, but on thinking about it it could be used for Engagement, Wedding, Anniversary or any other "special day", making this a multi-use card.

Kaszazz Creative Challenge - May

The kit for May included a yummy new Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad - my FAVOURITE product.

I do love my Broken China and Faded Jeans colours, so I was excited to see I was given Stormy Sky as my kit colour.  I was somewhat disappointed with the colour for a start because it is so similar to Faded Jeans when I tested it on some card, but I have found since that it is the colour I have been reaching for.  It is not as bold and deep as Faded Jeans and is a great colour for a sky - especially when using an ink blending tool or a sponge.  I had ordered the new pink shade Victorian Velvet as soon as it was released, so I paired these 2 colours up for a vintage look.  

I used the traditional blending technique, then spritzed with water - except I used some Perfect Pearls and re-inker in the water I spritzed to bring it to life a bit.  Once the card was dry I also used the distress ink to stamp the flourish on the background.  I also used distress ink and a pearlised water spray on the punched vellum scalloped circles and folded these into 3D flowers. 

I tried to do something different with distress inks this month - more of a technique sampler than a "pretty" card as I had already used the ink blending in my samples for March, so I ended up with 3 different ways of using the distress inks.

Kaszazz Creative Challenge - April

The kit this month included some gorgeous Clearsnap Glitters.  These glitters are the perfect size - small enough to add detail, but large enough so it's not superfine and gets stuck to *everything*.
The colour I was given was the Ocean Spray along with the Bahamas Bazzill and the Brown Organdy ribbon.  I already had the Honey Glow glitter, so paired all of these up for a rather striking combination.  The great thing with glitter is that you don't need to use glue.  Here I used a combination of double sided tape and JAC (double sided sticker paper).  For example, to make the butterflies I covered a piece of cardstock with JAC paper, leaving the upper backing paper on.  I punched out my butterflies, then pealed off the top backing paper and sprinkled with glitter.  The little flowers I simply punched out of JAC and stuck straight onto the card then sprinkled with glitter.  It is important to brush any excess glitter off any of the pieces with a dry, firm paint brush to avoid cross contaminating colours if using 2 or more colours, and it also helps not to end up with glitter falling off *everywhere*.

Now there's no excuse not to add a bit of bling to your projects!

P.S No matter how hard I tried, I still managed to get glitter *everywhere*.  At least my house now sparkles!

Kaszazz Creative Challenge - March

My Kaszazz Team Leader Kym, organised a group of us consultants to be a part of a Kaszazz Creative Challenge.  Each month we pay $20 and get a kit with featured products, and using those featured products we create a set of identical samples based on the number in our group (I have been making 10).  We are allowed to use any current Kaszazz products in addition to those provided in the kit.  Once we have done our samples we return them and get one of our own + all the other participants back, meaning we get 10 different samples using the same featured product.  This is a great way as a consultant to have a range of projects to show people how to use the products.  Another great part is that each of the cards is made to fit inside the Pebbles inc. 6x4 page protectors, so we can display them in an album.
The challenge kicked off in the month of March, and the featured product was Smooch Spritz.  "Glimmer mists" and "shimmer sprays" are all the rage at the moment so when Kaszazz introduced Smooch Spritz to the catalogue we were quite excited.  Essentially it is a pearlised/metallic spray that comes in a variety of colours.  You can use it at a distance as a mist, spray it closer to get more blotchy, ink splotches or even paint with it.
The colour I was given in my kit was Vanilla Shimmer - I LOVE it!!!

I used it as a spray on the background and the flower as well as to paint the centre of each butterfly.  The blue Bazzill cardstock was a shimmer cardstock so it was already shiny.

My only complaint with the Smooch Spritz is that it doesn't last very long :(  I used about 3/4 of the bottle on my samples alone), but the effect is awesome and well worth it!

Family week - day 7

We're drawing to a close of Family Week.

I'd like to dedicate this last day to "love".

There are lots of things that I love - Matt and the girls being the obvious.

I love that we are happy.

I love that we do things together.

I love that we are family.

Couldn't have said it any better!

Family week - day 6

Today is all about today - you know, the everyday.  Let's face it, not everyday is super wonderful with it's own story to tell.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has "everyday" days.  Sometimes I still like to record some of these moments, and instead of telling the story I can express my feelings or write a quote.  Still just as meaningful.

The food:

I am by no means a great cook.  I probably would be if there was a little kitchen fairy that cleaned up after me... but alas no.  I do like to capture some of the out of the ordinary things I make, and the girls enjoying their food.

Past times:

Emily is very content to amuse herself with her toys or watch some TV.  Sophie loves to sleep - well, maybe not loves, but she is a good sleeper.  They play together surprisingly well, despite the fact that Emily sometimes expects a little too much of Sophie (she's a little young to grasp the concept of sharing yet).

Unexpected moments:

I always have my camera out on the bench or on my desk, so it is never far from reach if something unexpected happens.  Take for example the photo below.  Here Matt was trying to fix my sister's computer - he had removed the case and was looking at the insides when he suddenly got some helpers that couldn't wait to get their hands on some cables and components.

Or turning around from the front seat of the car and seeing both girls asleep in the back seat.

The poses:

 Everyday is a great day to grab the camera and put yourself in the photo too.

These are just some of our "everyday" moments.  What are your "everyday" moments?

Family week - day 5

Central to our family is our faith in God and Jesus as Jehovah's Witnesses.  I truly believe we would not have such a happy family if we didn't hold our religious beliefs.  We regularly attend weekly gatherings at our local Kingdom Hall and once a year we have a larger gathering or Convention, which for us is held at Rod Laver Arena - the place where they play the Australian Open Tennis.
Here is Miss Emily some 4 years ago burning off some energy outside at lunch break.

Reading the bible can be a daunting task, but it helps when you understand what you are reading.  The many bible study aids and attending the meetings helps to unlock some of the messages contained within the bible.

(photo from wikipedia.org)

I often get asked about our beliefs - what we do and don't do.  There is an excellent summary found on the watchtower.org website listing beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses and the reason from the bible.
link: What Do They Believe?

Do you and your family hold certain beliefs?  Are you religious?  Did you know there is even a scrapbooking term called "faithbooking" which involves making an album about all of your religious events and recording your beliefs?

Family week - day 4

Today is all about happiness or is that "happyness"?  I find there is so much in our lives to be thankful for, and that makes me happy.
It makes me happy to see my 2 girls playing together and sharing.

To see Emily looking after her little sister.

It makes me happy when Emily has to stop and pick me some flowers (even if they are weeds).

It makes me happy when I get cuddles without having to ask.

It makes me happy to see Matt playing with his girls, and enjoying it.

What makes you happy?

Family week - day 3

Following on from yesterday's post of activities, today is all about holidays.
Traditionally we have never been the long vacation type - we've just never had the money to go on extended travel or to fly far away.  We have spent a week here or there but never very far from home, and usually road-trips.  Last year we got our first tent and set ourselves up with camping gear.  We did our first expedition in the tent last Easter when I was 36 weeks pregnant!  We all loved it.  Matt was in his element fetching firewood and water, chatting with the guys we went with, and playing bush cricket with stick for stumps.  I loved doing the basics (washing up, cooking, sweeping out the tent) then sitting back around the fire and relaxing.  Emily loved being able to run and play as much as she liked.  Don't get me wrong, camping can be a total disaster if the weather turns sour or you encounter a group of louts, but there is something rather satisfying about being self-sufficient (no power, no running water, etc).

 

This year we went camping at a beautiful bush location called Blanket Bay.  It is set in a National Park, and there are no facilities or power - self-sufficient, just how we like it.  It was like a dream when we woke up and found koalas sitting in the gum trees over our tent.

The beach was a lovely sheltered inlet that was safe (but too cold) to swim in.  We had fun building sand castles and playing in the shallows.

There are so many gorgeous spots to explore in the great outdoors, and by avoiding caravan parks we get to experience it all for next to no cost.  Priceless!

Family week - day 2

When we are together there are certain activities that we enjoy participating in.  We often play games - we are very familiar with bingo, pairs, my little pony game (with a colour spinner), mousetrap maths and any other game suitable for a 5 year old.  We sometimes even enjoy playing with 5 year old toys.

We also enjoy getting out of the house and having a picnic.

Or having a kick of the football - AFL of course!

We also have our own interests and hobbies.  Miss 5 loves to do the crafty thing like her mummy.

She loves colouring in, playing with stamps and inks and sticky tape, and even writing (which at this stage is just a whole heap of letters jumbled together).
Matt enjoys playing on the Playstation3, while I like doing my crafty thing.

What are the activities that you enjoy doing as a family or individually?

Family week - day 1

I started this blog to display some of my craft works in the hope that someone would find it informative or get some inspiration out of it.  This week I am going to step back from the craft side and just share a little bit about me and my family.  Perhaps this may inspire you to get out some of your photos and scrap them so you can remember certain aspects of your family too.

If you read my blog and have done so for a while you would know I am a mum of 2 girls.  I love taking their photos and capturing their youth and personality.
Miss Emily is 5 years old.  Her interests include riding her bike or her scooter, AFL (Go Cats!), My Little Pony, Barbie and all other things 5 year old girls like.  She is a very caring child and most of the time is well mannered - I hope it continues like that as she gets older.

Miss Sophie is 1 year old.  Her interests are food, sleeping and stealing her sisters' toys.  She has an awesome personality, even at such a young age.  Her talk is still babble but she uses tone to get her point across!  She is a bit of a firecracker in that she will go off at you if you tell her "no" or take something away from her.  I like her spunk :)

Matt and I don't normally star in the photos, however I have been making a point of taking more photos with us in them (I'm usually behind the camera).

I don't think I have more than about 10 photos with me and Emily from when she was a baby, so I have made an effort to swing the screen around to the front and capture some with me in them with Sophie (more to share later in the week).  I am a primary school teacher, but haven't worked in the field for the last year and a half due to our littlest bundle of joy.  I would like to go back to it once Sophie is a bit older, but right now I love being a stay at home mum (SAHM).  I love crafts - I have done knitting and cross-stitch before learning about the wonderful world of papercrafts, and since have tried crochet (just this month!) as well as jewellery making, scrapbooking, cardmaking and other off the page and mini album projects.  My true love is for all things paper and ink - or should I say "Stamp n Scrap"!
I am so grateful for Matt - he is the BEST husband anyone could wish for.  The photo above shows a more serious side, but then he was driving at the time!  Most of the time he is light-hearted and having a laugh with or at me ;)  Often people he doesn't know very well think he is quiet, but I think he just takes a while to find his groove.  He works hard to provide for his family, which is a very admirable quality.  When he's not working you can find him near some sort of technological gadget (he's especially fond of his PS3), participating in family activities, attending church, or in the garden (which is a work in progress).  He has difficulty sitting and doing nothing and has voiced his opinion that an island holiday is totally not his thing - much to my disgust!  When we do go on holidays, recently we have been on camping holidays which allow us to do as much or as little as we like while experiencing the great outdoors.

So now that you know a little bit about us, why not share something about your family?  If not publicly or online, then grab a piece of paper and let it all out!