The pitter patter of little paws :)

On this very very hot Summer day in Perth, the family and I took a road trip to meet a very special little someone...

...our new puppy...Gretel :)

Gretel has been on our minds for a long long time. We almost adopted a female tri-colour Cavalier King Charles several times as a playmate for Clancy, but was never sure how he would cope with a puppy's energy, or the sharing of our undivided attention.

After much discussion and a random meeting with a beautiful tri-colour named Riley (of all things!), we decided that the time was right to hear the pitter patter of paws around here once more. We miss our Clancy so much since his passing in July...life is just not the same without a wet nose and wagging tail to greet us when we walk in the door.

Gretel is just on four weeks old, so she won't be able to come and live with us for a little while yet...long enough for us to pack away all our breakable Christmas decorations, and prepare ourselves for a new baby :)

We can't wait!

TTFN xxx

Rekindling a spark

It's been a while...yes, I know...quite a while. I never intended for almost three months to pass without popping into this blogging space of mine, but there you have it. Life has been good, and busy, and challenging, and exhausting, and satisfying...but good :)


Rather than try to update you on absolutely everything that I've been up to (which would take another few months!), I'll just show you what has me totally captivated at this point in time. Are you ready for a surprise?

This is exactly what it looks like. Cross stitch! Cross stitch was one of my very first crafty loves way back in the day, probably like many of you ;)

I did a lot of it...spent much of baby Riley's nap time doing it...but found with a toddler and then more babies, that I just didn't have the concentration span, nor the necessary pockets of time, to achieve much... so moved on to other things.

Enter The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. Several Instagram users I follow had cute little squares of cross stitch popping up on their screens, and I followed the links and found a treasure trove of cuteness. Serious cuteness.

So I immediately signed up for their two Christmas patterns...Christmas on Gingerbread Lane and The 12 Days of Christmas. The actual patterns are released bit by bit on specified days...and the anticipation is almost killing me! So far, all we have is the border and grid pattern for The 12 Days of Christmas, with the first 4 squares being released at the end of the month.

The first patterns for Gingerbread Lane come out on Friday AND I CAN'T WAIT!

Who would ever have thought I'd be so excited about cross stitch?

TTFN xxx

Santa can't come soon enough :)

You know, it's not usually until I take my Mystery Block of the Month block photo that I realise how...manky...my cutting mat is. You can't even see the worst of it...there are big chunks taken out of the middle of it, pencil drawings all over it, and general discolouration is everywhere.

But I'm kinda fond of it :) It was my first ever cutting mat, and I've been using it for so many years that a new one would really take some getting used to...so I persevere :) It's going to take a special cutting mat to replace it, and so far all I've found is dark green...bleh. Anyone know where I can find a really pretty one? Maybe I'll have to rely on Santa to source one for me ;)

Anyhoo...what I'm really here to show you is my MBOM Block Two all finished! It was designed by Sandy Gervais from Pieces From My Heart, and if I am totally honest, I don't really love it. Despite the obvious appeal of the polkadots, I'm not all that sure that I love the Avalon fabric that the whole quilt is made from either. Could be the brown?

I'm hoping it grows on me.

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Weeks 31 and 32

Hello Weeks 31 and 32...and hello to winning the catch-up battle once again :)

This Project Life journey can be so rewarding...but it can also feel like really hard work sometimes! Lack of photos and periods of sadness have really played havoc with my last few weeks of documenting :(

Week 31 was particularly hard for me, as I wanted to document the passing of our precious dog Clancy, but couldn't bring myself to put it down on paper for a while. The vet had given me a snippet of his fur, and I really couldn't decide whether to include it or not...and what part of the story to include...and how to include it without breaking into tears every time I tried to write about it. It all got a bit too hard :( Anyhoo...I wrote some words down but hid it on the back of a long journaler in the end, and tried to compensate for my lack of photos for the rest of the week as best I could. Once I got past that, catching up seemed so much easier.

I mostly used my Midnight kit, with some splashes of hot pink thrown in.

Week 32 saw me pull out my Honey Core Kit...lots of bright colours and crisp white.

I thought I would really struggle with this week due to lack of photos again, but managed to fill the pockets!

Thanks so much for visiting...hopefully I'll have a bit more crafting happening around here soon!

TTFN xxx

Confessions of a Paper Addict

It all started with some recreational online shopping.

One minute, I was happily popping all sorts of lovely new papers and embellishments into my online cart (as you do), and the next, I was staring in horror at the mess that is my craft room, wondering where on earth I was going to put even a single extra sheet of paper.

The fact is, I have more paper than I can poke a stick at. Pretty paper, plain paper, patterned paper,and everything in between. I have A LOT of paper. Single sheets, whole collections, paper pads...often with co-ordinating accessories. Oh yes...I am a paper addict.

So I decided right then and there to clear a space on my desk, stop the insanity, and actually make something.

Making something wasn't too tricky...my desk was covered in supplies that I'd been using for Project Life, and it all looked pretty good together. This particular layout started with the background paper and "our beautiful life" sticker by Echo Park and came together from there. The photo wasn't a particularly good one of Merryn, but supported the theme of the layout perfectly :)

While looking for the beach photo, I came across this one of Riley from Easter 2013, and decided to pop it onto some chalkboard paper by Fancy Pants. Funnily enough, chalkboard paper and embellishments were filling my online cart not an hour earlier...I had forgotten that I even owned some!

I kept this one VERY simple so that the focus would be on the photo, but couldn't resist the red polkadot background ( everything looks better with polkadots, right?) The embellishments are Sweet Pea by Kaisercraft...I'd used the banner before I realised that there was a "hoppy times" cutout in the pack...hello Easter!

I then challenged myself to put more than one large photo onto a page, and managed five!

Some Basic Grey Basics paper for the background, some more embellishments from the Echo Park sticker sheet that I used in the top layout and Thickers for the title...too easy! There is nothing ground breaking or technique based in these layouts, but sometimes quick-and-easy is the way I roll ;)

I'm finding that now I'm documenting so much in my Project Life album, I'm not feeling the need to journal quite so much on my layouts...not sure if that's a positive or a negative?

Thanks for making it to the end...it got a bit long today! LOL

Have a great day

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 30

Seriously? Week thirty...and we are actually in Week 33 right now, but I'm just a little bit behind ;)EEEK!

I've used some elements and papers from Kaisercraft's Sweet Pea collection for this week's spread...it was still sitting on my desk from the cards I made the other day, and I couldn't help but notice how well it matched my friend Janelle's birthday invitation (which I had hoped to include). I attached the invitation to some of the gorgeous mint bunting paper, decorated with a cutout from the Sweet Pea Collectables pack, and popped it into an insert.

I kept the mint colour scheme running right across the spread, and added some of the cute animal cutouts to my 4x6 journal cards...they are so very cute! I especially love the orange dachsund, and am saving my red polkadot dachsund for another project ;)

Thanks so much for popping in to visit...I really appreciate your comments too ;)

TTFN xxx

Scandinavian Rose...some progress.

I've slowly been stitching away on my Scandinavian Rose quilt blocks lately...this quilt is going to be a long time in the making!

I've found my progress has really slowed now that I have to wear reading glasses. I used to do most of my stitching curled up in front of the TV at night, but have found that wearing single vision lenses for stitching, and trying to watch TV at the same time is giving me a major headache :(

So now I stick to stitching during the day time at any opportunity I get...which is hardly any time at all.

On the upside, my stitches are so much neater now that I can see what I'm sewing LOL!

Hope you're having a great day

TTFN xxx

P.S. still having issues with blogger, thus the small type. It's very frustrating...almost frustrating enough to switch to a new platform. Any suggestions?

A thank you...and cards for July.

First of all, I must say a huge thank you to everyone who has emailed, texted, and sent messages on the passing of our precious little dog, Clancy. Your kind words have really touched my heart.


In trying to get back to some sort of normal around here, I have a few cards to share that I made a while ago.

This one was for my niece who celebrated her 13th birthday in June. I simply used washi tape to create a background, added a stamped heart on top, and decorated with enamel dots...love those things!

This one is for my baby girl who turned 9 on the weekend (where did THAT time go?) Of course I left it until the very last minute, so kept it simple :) Some stitching, a few elements stickers from the Sweet Girl collection by Echo Park, some bling...and it was done!

I have pretty much fallen in love with the Sweet Pea collection by Kaisercraft, and couldn't resist adding this polkadot deer journal card to a card. I added a pearl necklace (LOL) and some wood veneer alphas, as well as a little stitching. This card reminds me of one of my favourite shops, Typo...it has that retro kitsch vibe about it ;)

You can only have a peek of this one...it hasn't been given to it's intended recipient yet ;)

And just so you know I'm on track...

...this is my stack of Christmas cards that I've created for our 12 Months Of Christmas project for July! I know...WAY too organised!

Thanks for bearing with the small print on this blog post. Unfortunately, my blog has decided to play up again and I can't add text in between photos....just a little frustrating!

TTFN xxx

Outnumbered ;)

I had an unexpected chunk of free time this morning...such a rare occurrence around here! The weather was wild and crazy, (which resulted in netballl being cancelled), the kids all had a sleep in (except the eldest who had work) and I had nothing planned...and a stack of pretty new paper to play with.

You may not know this, but I like to buy paper ;) I buy more paper than I could ever hope to use, but ohhhhh dear, how I love pretty paper!  And today, I actually decided to use some of it to scrapbook a page. I know, right?

The collection that took my fancy is Sweet Pea by Kaisercraft...not a company I usually go for, but there's something about these papers that I really like.

 I backed the owl paper with a sheet of polkadot from my stash and stitched it in place with my sewing machine. The wood veneer shapes and numbers are by Studio Calico...and could be the start of a new addiction ;)

I punched the banner pieces  from a sheet of paper from the collection called Foxy, stitched them in place and secured them with enamel dots. The alphas were cut using my Cuttlebug (numbered) and some very old letter stickers (out).

Loving Sweet Pea...might just have to make another layout soon!

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 29

Hello Week 29...a week of white, gold and Tiffany blue which is one of my very favourite colour combinations :)

The colours for this week were inspired by the Summer Stories collection by Teresa Collins. I used some full 3x4 journal cards straight from the paper sheet, and others I created myself with elements that I hand cut. The title card is the back of one of my old PL kit cards which I embossed with my Cuttlebug machine :) I decorated it with two hexagons from the Summer Stories sticker sheet, and the gold hexagon which i hand cut and embossed to match. The title is cut from plain Bazzill cardstock, and the date created with gold alpha stickers by Dear Lizzie for American Crafts...yum!

 I loved the chevron embossing so much that I gave all of my 4x6 backing cards the same treatment.



I punched a few smaller elements, like tiny hearts and paper dolls, from gold card to tie it all together.

And that was Week 29. Thanks so much for popping in, and for your lovely comments recently...I so love to read them ;)

TTFN xxx

Vintage High Tea

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Vintage High Tea in honour of my dear friend Janelle's 40th birthday...and what a beautiful afternoon we had!

The food was divine...all manner of scrumptious treats presented on gorgeous fine china. Scones with jam and cream, florentines, slices, and an assortment of hot pastries...so glad I didn't eat lunch beforehand!

 The company was so lovely too. Janelle had invited many special friends to share the afternoon, and it was such a treat to hear how she had met each and every one of us. She had us in fits of giggles as she entertained us with all manner of details, as only Janelle can ;)

Then there were the gifts...

 ...beuatiful pieces from all over the world, selected with love for this very special friend. I couldn't help but take lots of photos ..she will probably unfriend me for the one above, but I think it captures her perfectly ;)

The card I made for her was always going to be inspired by her love of sewing...

 ...it is, after all, how I met her in the first place :) So I pulled out all my sewing themed collections and stamps, and ended up with this...

Happy happy 40th birthday Janelleybelly...and thank you for inviting me to share your special afternoon!

TTFN xxx

Project 2013 - Weeks 27 and 28

Hello Project Life Week 27...and hello Midnight Core Kit by Becky Higgins.

At first glance, I wasn't that excited by Midnight. The colours are a bit understated compared to what I'm used to working with lately, and I really only bought it on a whim. However, now that I've had a play, it could just be my favourite of all time :)

 I'm a sucker for a white background, and the neutral tones lend themselves really well to adding a splash of colour here and there...love that!

Speaking of colour, for Week 28 I delved back into my Honey Core Kit for a healthy dose of it :)
                                      

We had school holidays here in Western Australia last week, so there were lots of pyjama days and leisurely walks along the beach, crafty catchups and movie dates with the kids. Sigh....I love school holidays ;)

I put my washi tape collection to use on this spread (as if it needed more colour!) and used some plain pinkish red  backgrounds to some of the 4x6 photos to add even more pop! The photo collages were created on my iPhone using an app called Diptic...so easy to use, and perfect for adding extra photos!

So that gets me back on track with Project Life for now....WOOOHOOOO! I'm really loving the extra inspiration and variety that my two new core kits have given me, and have found my enthusiasm for photo taking and documenting once again...which is a bit of a relief ;)

So...how are you going with your Project Life these days? And have you checked out the new release goodies coming out from CHA? Wow...so much to get excited about, especially the Simple Stories collections...love love love them ;)

                                                                   Have a great Sunday!

TTFN xxx

Playing with pretty fabric.

Hello...and happy Saturday to you!

It would seem that my issues with blogger have finally rectified themselves (thank goodness!) and I can get back to normal blogging. My family and work have been keeping me quite busy lately, but I have managed to squeeze in some fabric fun too...I get a bit grumpy when I don't craft for a few days :)

Quite a few weeks ago now, I signed up for my first ever craft class on Craftsy...Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple with Camille Roskelley. If you've been hanging out here for a while, you'll have noticed I have a bit of an obsession with Bonnie and Camille fabrics, and I have collected quite a few precuts over the last little while ;) My thoughts in signing up for the class were that I might learn a trick or two, but mainly to gain inspiration to use up some of those precuts.

Anyhoo, the class is aimed at beginners and while I did pick up a few tips here and there, I found the pattern for the first quilt a little too basic for my precious Marmalade fabric...it IS one of my very favourites.

So instead of making Piece of Cake 3, I made a quilt based on the postage stamp quilt block, with a few variations  thrown in as well. The pattern is available free over at the Moda Bake Shop. Of course, once I realised how much Marmalade I would have left over, I decided to double the size of the quilt to a single bed size, and now it's a bit too big for me to quilt myself...so it's off to the quilter for that one! I'll show you some pics when it returns ;)

I've  received the first instalment of the Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Block of the Month for 2013, and can I just say... the fabrics are delicious!

I jumped right in and made up Block One called Strawberry Picking, by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts....who is also the designer of the fabric, Avalon.

Now I'm waiting very patiently for the next instalment to arrive in my letterbox :)

With a couple of finishes under my belt, I probably should be looking at finishing off a few other WIPs (works in progress) but the call of new and pretty fabrics is probably going to be too strong.

I know my weaknesses ;)

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - Week 26

So, it would seem that my blogger issues are not as temporary as I had hoped :( I'm not quite sure what is going on, but hopefully I can work on it over the weekend.

Week 26 was completed using mostly my Honey core kit, with a few little extras thrown in. I wasn't as thrilled with Honey as I thought I would be...the colours are not as saturated as I would have liked, but I'm finding my groove with it now that I've started playing a bit more :)

Thankfully, Week 26 included a class assembly for Merryn, otherwise I would have REALLY struggled with filling that second page ;)

I have lots of crafty bits and pieces to show you over the next few days...YAY to finding my mojo again!

Have a lovely Saturday

TTFN xxx

Project Life Week 25...in pictures :)

Blogger is not playing nice with me lately, so it seems that "adding captions" to my photos is the only way to add text...frustrating much?

For my Week 25 layout, I used my brand new Project Life Honey Kit, which I thought I could resist, but obviously could not ;) I added an insert to include my photos of our friend, Caitlin's 21st on the Saturday night.

Confession...I also bought the new Midnight Edition as well. Restraint is not my strong point ;) Sorry this post is so incredibly disjointed, but I'm not able to edit anything once it's typed. Is anyone else having blogger issues? Hopefully I can come back later and fix this post! In the meantime, just enjoy the photos...and marvel that I have actually managed to post some sort of blog entry! TTFN xxx