A card or...ten?

It would be fair to say there has been a card making frenzy going on around here lately :)

With the arrival of (yet another) Studio Calico card kit this week, I counted up three that I had barely even looked at...eeek! Wasn't the deal that I was supposed to make 5 cards per kit, per month? Anyhoo, rather than dwell on that, I combined all three kits, set them out on my desk, and started creating.

The first thing I reached for was the pack of woodgrain feathers...love them, but what to do with them?

A coating of Mr Huey's Colour Mist in Sunshine turned them a beautiful rust colour, so I found paper, added faux stitching and made a Sympathy Card...just for the stash ;)

Loved this zig zag paper, but there were no embellishments that I loved to match. I'm finding the colours that SC use are a bit muted for my taste...i like BRIGHT!

 No problem... I have a rather  large stash of my own ;) I cuttlebugged the white rose background with an embossing folder, applied Glimmermist and a touch of Smooch to the turquoise flower, used a very old Making Memories diecut, and added a touch of bling.

Studio Calico always provide a sheet of kraft cardstock, and I always struggle to use it...so that was my challenge :)

 Another MM diecut, a butterfly punched from patterned paper,  a vellum greeting and some stitching...love the simplicity of this one.

The pink chevron paper was a must use, combined with floral washi tape across the centre, and an embossed flower with bling in the centre.

 Again, not my usual colour palette, but not everyone likes red polkadots as much as me :)

A boy card is always handy to have, so that was my next challenge. 

 The kit came with a pack of chipboard word bubbles, but I REALLY struggle with word bubbles! So I covered it in washi tape (hello polkadots!) cut off the word bubble edge and ended up with a rectangle :) I love the enamel badges that came in the kit, and the white arrows were leftover from a different kit..stash busting!

While all this flurry of cardmaking activity was going on, my youngest decided to join in and totally show me up by creating 5 cards of her own...and in record time too ;)

 Now she has a card stash of her very own, ready for birthday parties coming up in the next couple of weeks...love that!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend

TTFN xxx

Farmers Wife - The Eyes on the Prize Edition

Yes...you read it right. Farmers Wife is making a comeback for 2013!

Those of you who have been visiting for a while will probably be rolling your eyes, and wondering just how much longer this project could go on for? This quilt has been a while in the making :)  If this is you, I have good news.

This quilt now has a purpose, and a finish date. It is going on my bed, and is going to be a birthday present for ME....and my birthday is in April, so some serious commitment is required :)

So here we go with some blocks...Block 89 Steps to the Altar (weird colouring on the photo...oops)

Block 90 Storm Signal...

and Block 91 Strawberry Basket. Did you notice they go in order? I know...very organised ;)

 Oooh yes, I am on a mission to get these blocks DONE! And probably the most wonderful news is that this quilt is going to be professionally machine quilted...so you don't have to endure my endless procrastinating with the quilting. Once the top is done, it's OUTTA HERE!


This block is a re-do, to add white (long story,but ALL blocks must now have white in them, and this wasn't always the case...I change the rules as I go along LOL)

Looking at some of the seam matching, perhaps another re-do is in order? LOL

I must do a re-count...I estimate I have about 37 blocks to go, and several re-dos as well. Could be a busy few months!

Better get back to my sewing machine...

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2013 - thoughts, kits and Week One

Hello Project Life 2013, and a big hello to PL Olive Edition and Mayfield Edition...so happy to have you in my hot little hands (finally!)

The most ridiculous thing happened to me this week. I suffered from a MAJOR case of Project Life stage fright. There I was, with all this gorgeous new product to use and a nice fresh album to begin , and I was almost paralyzed with indecision...what colour to go with? What kit to use? And should I be using these things up, being so new and shiny and all?

The fact that I recently completed a whole year of PL was suddenly irrelevant. 

I had  been thinking a lot about how I want to approach this new year of PL, and part of that process has been looking at lots of other peoples pages...BIG mistake. Instead of being inspired, I started doubting myself and my style, my photos and my handwriting, and every other aspect that is my way of doing PL.

After several attempts, LOTS of paper shuffling and a good personal talking to, I pulled myself together and went with what I know best...polkadots :)

Of course, it all just fell into place after that :)

I am SOOOO not a one range/one kit type of girl...that is for sure. I need variety. So I pulled out all the kits I now own...Turquoise, Clementine, Olive and Mayfield...and chose elements from there. I also used the backs of 4x6 cards from my oldest kit to mount the photos and journaling cards onto...they need using up!

 During the last week or two, I have had a major sort out of my opened embellishments / sticker sheets etc, and have cut some of the remaining items off the sheets and sorted them into little bowls on my desk, by colour. That way, when I am looking to embellish my pages they are right at my fingertips, and I can top up with more as required...I have quite a few floating around :)  So far, this is working extremely well (hello stash busting!)

 One thing I would like to do more of this year is journal a little more in depth, so my plan is to utilize the "long journalers" more...there are two on this weeks spread. When I run out, I will make more.

I've also included my thoughts on my One Little Word for this year, which is RECLAIM. Love that these are down on paper, and part of my story for 2013.

So there you have it. Week One is now done, and I can take a deep breath and move on.

TTFN xxx

P.S. Thank you so much for your great  response to our 12 Months of Christmas project for this year...I"M EXCITED! I plan to put up a guide for what The Three of Us plan to make in the next little while, and you can either join with us, or do your own thing...anything goes! We can all help each other along, and keep each other motivated. Did I mention I'm excited? WOOOHOOOOO!

The 12 Months of Christmas

The time had come to pack away the Christmas decorations for another year.

Out came the boxes and the tissue paper,  the marker pen and the sticky tape, all ready to box up Christmas and pack it away for another 11 months.

 As I packed away all those special treasures, it occurred to me that the Christmas season goes WAY too fast. Life gets so busy in the month or so leading up to Christmas, and there just isn't enough time to create everything that I want to create...or decorate the way I want to decorate...or wrap gifts the way I want to wrap gifts.

 By the time I think about advent calendars and Christmas tree skirts and new Christmas stockings to hang, I am usually so immersed in the chaos of the season that there is just no time to make any of this stuff! And then there's my Pinterest board, which is chock full of awesome, creative and magical Christmas goodies that I swear one day I will make...if only the Christmas season wasn't so crazy busy!

So then I got to thinking....what if, instead of waiting until Christmas to think about Christmas, we started thinking about Christmas right now? What if we made a list of all the goodies we would like to make, and committed to making one project each month?

I knew exactly where I would start...

 ...with these little ornaments designed by Sweetwater, which I've been meaning to make for the last few years with the labels I bought, but have never quite found the time.

So....what do you think? Are you in?

I had a crafty catchup with my lovely friends Tracey and Linda today, and not only are they in, but they added some must-make Christmas goodies to the list, organised our making schedule, and set the date for our next catchup to create our first project together...those girls are organisers! I've also heard whispers that my friend Hope might be in too ;)

Why don't you join in too? We are thinking a Christmas tree skirt for February...you know, a cute little mat to sit your Christmas tree on? (I currently use an old green towel, so anything is going to be an improvement LOL) There are lots of free tutorials on the net...just type "Christmas tree skirts" into your search engine, and you're on your way :) Of course, anything Christmas-y is more than acceptable...be it a gift, a decoration, Christmas cards, whatever takes your fancy....as long as it gets you on your way to a more organised Christmas 2013! And of course, we'd love to see when you're done, so a link would be much appreciated :)

I started making the ornaments above today as my January project, and my aim is to finish each project  by the 25th of the month....so I'll show you some pics before then. If you have an unfinished Christmas project, now might just be the time to knock it over :)

The 12 Months of Christmas...it has a certain ring to it, don't you think?

TTFN xxx

Some things don't require a second thought...

...like signing up for Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Block of the Month for 2013.

                                              

The 2012 version, featuring Bonnie and Camilles Vintage Modern, has been so much fun so far! I can't wait to receive my pack each month, and there is a ridiculous amount of fabric leftover each time...enough to probably make another quilt!

The 2013 quilt is constructed in rows, and features Fig Tree and Co's new fabric, Avalon...sounds good to me :) The blurb states that it's suitable for beginner/intermediate level, so if you've been wanting to try your hand at patchwork/ quilting then this could be just the project for you :)

Convinced yet? LOL
TTFN xxx

Stitching...

Stitching is one of my favourite pastimes :)

I like to stitch in the mornings while drinking my morning cup of tea, just after breakfast and before the kids wake up. I like to stitch during the day...a lovely little stolen moment or two in the midst of the chaos. I like to stitch at night time, either while watching TV, or after everyone else is in bed.

I like to stitch a lot ;)

After finishing my big stitchy quilt projects last year, I was really missing having something to occupy my fingers...something not too tricky, not too hot (my Woolly Sheep blanket was overheating me LOL) but not just blanket and backstitch either. Then I saw this...

 ...a beautiful new redwork stitchery quilt by Rosalie Quinlan called Scandinavian Rose, and I knew that it was fate :) I bought the full set of patterns which include the pre-printed linen (hoooray for no tracing!) , and also the fabric pack for the quilt. When it arrived, I LOVED the stitcheries, but the fabric pack had a LOT more pink in it than I wanted, and most of the prints were the same prints that I used in my SAL Tis The Season quilt earlier in the year :(

Instead of just going with it (my usual lazy method of operation), I went to my stash and picked a whole pile of prints in colours that I LOVE...can you guess?

 Red, pink, green and aqua of course...with some greys thrown in too :) Most of the fabrics are Bonnie and Camilles Ruby and Vintage Modern (leftovers from previous projects), some Delilah by Tanya Whelan, and a couple of other random prints.

The verdict? LOVE. Which coincidentally, is the theme of the next block ;)

This is my first time using Cosmo thread, and  I was sceptical that it would be any different from DMC....but I'm finding that it actaully is. It's smooth, glides through the fabric beautifully, has a silky sheen, and doesn't tend to knot as much as DMC....nice.

So now my fingers are busy again. Happy days!

What are you stitching at the moment?

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week 52 and December Daily Wrap-up

Hello Week 52.

 Yes indeed, week 52! With the year drawing quickly to a close, yesterday I drew on all the determination I had and pulled together the last two page spread for 2012.

Even though I will be continuing with Project Life for 2013, it was like I crossed the finish line when I added these photos to the album...I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and ate a celebratory chocolate (or five LOL). I've documented a WHOLE YEARS worth of photos and memories! YIPPPEEEEEEEE!

So here are the last pages...

 I've used inserts again, so have placed the white cardstock under so you can get a better idea of how it all looks :) October Afternoon's Holiday Style was the basis for my pages...and since they were on my desk for use in my December Daily album, I figured they might as well be used up!

The insert contains mostly Christmas morning/day shots, while the normal page protectors were used for the days surrounding Christmas.

The journal cards from Holiday Style were great for my journaling this week, and the stickers made the embellishing quick and easy (I was kinda over it all by this point LOL)

 I've placed all my 2012 Christmas cards that we received into a PL big envelope, and popped it into the back of the album...the perfect solution to what to do with the Christmas cards!

And that is Project Life for 2012. Done and dusted. If you are considering starting PL for 2013, my advice is to just GO FOR IT! It is such a worthwhile project, and can be done any way that suits YOU...weekly, fortnightly, monthly...using the kit or your own supplies...basic or heavily embellished. Or any combination of those. Just do it...you'll be glad you did :)

Now to December Daily.

As you know, I kept the format very simple this year, which was a blessing to me when I got so very far behind...as I tend to do each and every year :)

 Each page contains a 6x4 photo, some journaling, and a little embellishment or two...nothing too complex :)

I won't bore you with all the pages, as they all follow the same basic design :)

December Daily probably won't happen again in this format for me for 2013. I found that most of what I wanted to document for the Christmas season was covered in PL, and also found myself getting WAY behind on both projects...extra stress at any already busy time of the year. Maybe it's time to hand over the DD to my children, to get a whole new perspective on it?

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and feedback on both projects...I have appreciated your input!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and yours. May your 2013 be happy, safe, productive and fulfilling...and everything you wish it to be!

I have really enjoyed sharing my projects and thoughts here on the blog, and look forward to another year of creativity and fun...hope you'll come along for the ride :)

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week 51 (and a little sewing)

Hello Week 51...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...another week of many many photos. Well, it was the week before Christmas, after all :)

Someone please remind me to never ever ever get this far behind again! Thank goodness most weeks are just a normal, two page spread...I just couldn't keep up the pace :) 

This week has multiple inserts (again), so I've slipped a piece of white cardstock under the insert for photographic purposes...and I've also blurred some faces(where I forgot to ask permission to publish).

Week 51 was all about movies and Christmas catchups, last days of school, and more Christmas parties (no wonder my bathroom scales are groaning at me right now LOL)

I've used various sizes of Project Life inserts, and they have proven to be invaluable in getting ALL these photos into the album...must order some more ;)

                                 

So that was Week 51, thankfully off my desk....bring on Week 52 (typed with very little enthusiasm, but much determination to finish it before the clock strikes midnight tonight!)

I had the urge to sew a little, in between PL pages, and my Mystery Block of the Month Block Six was just the thing!

The block was designed by Kate Spain, and is called Town Square. I am really loving having these blocks to work on each month...they are quick, fun and the Vintage Modern fabric is to die for! The Fat Quarter Shop include SO much fabric for each months block, that I have already started at least two other projects using the leftovers...gotta love that :)

Off to print photos...again!

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week 50

Hello Week 50...a week with lots and lots of photos to include. So many photos, in fact, that I've added an insert in the middle again :)

 I've used the PL Clementine kit for all the pocket pages, and added splashes of colour to match the freebie digital downlaods from AC Digitals that I've printed (see previous post for details). The insert is Design G, and is almost as big as the regular Design A page that I usually use.

Flip over the insert (which I used to document the end of year school disco photos), and you'll see the back, which I've used for the Perth Christmas Pageant photos.

Then there's another Design A page to document the second part of the week.

Phew...that's a lot of photos. Feels great to have them all in together, and another very busy week documented.

Apologies if you're not so into PL and I'm boring you to death LOL ...I have lots more stitchy fabric-y things to show you soon, but want to start the new year as up-to-date as possible :)  Bear with me just a little longer?
For those PLers...I read online somewhere that the new pre-ordered kits are shipping from Craft House in New Zealand on January 3rd...YIPPPEEEEEEEE! So excited to be starting another year of Project Life (and proud to say I have survived a whole 52 weeks without giving up LOL)!

Off to print more photos ;)

TTFN xxx

Project Life 2012 - Week 49

Hello Week 49...the start of a very busy Christmas period in our house, and where I totally dropped the ball as far as keeping up with my PL is concerned LOL.

I made this weeks spread unashamedly RED, both to herald the beginning of Christmas, and because I had lots of yummy red papers and embellishments sitting on my desk ;)

I used some papers and stickers from October Afternoons Make it Merry collection (totally love the subway art print on the title card!)  and also made use of some of the freebies I told you about a while back, from AC Digital. I added some artwork from Merryn, and a cheeky note to Santa, explaining that he may need to help my husband out with his Christmas shopping this year ;)

 (please excuse the photo glare...it is SO SO hot here today, and I couldn't find a great spot for photos) I love the striped paper from Echo Park Essential Dots collection (it's the back of the dotty paper)...it screams Christmas and candy canes to me...so very festive.

So that was Week 49, where the Christmas chaos really began :)

I then went back to Week 48 and added a Pocket Page Insert H, to include the "putting up the Christmas tree" photos...

...love that you can always add extras later if you feel the need!

So I'm slowly clawing my way back to being on top of Project Life. With the end of the year coming very quickly and a new PL album to begin, I am hoping to be totally caught up. My air conditioner is on, my chocolate is by my side, and I'm all set for another late night of PLing...bring it on!

TTFN xxx