Oh The Irony

(This post is completely non craft related, just me doing a little rant and relating a completely ironic story which may or may not tickle your funny bone. You have been warned.)

Any of you who live on the east coast of NSW will know that the weather (so far) this summer has been totally crappy. Seriously, worst summer since we moved here 14 years ago.

Not many days of sunshine, just seemingly endless grey, gloomy skies and rain ... rain ... and more rain. So much so in fact that I could seriously start to believe that I am in the UK. (I hope that doesn't offend any visitors from said Kingdom, but you guys have got to admit that your weather sucks. I have spent enough months in England, Scotland and Ireland to know that this is so.)

DD19's boyfriend was in Perth last week. He rang her one day to say he was at the beach and it was 46 degrees Celsius. Did he bring any of that nice warmth and SUNSHINE back with him? No, he jolly well did not. On the night she went to collect him from the airport it was ... well, surprise, surprise - raining.

Today has been another case in point. Gloomy. Raining.

This evening I went to see my doctor and after looking at my last blood test results, she gave me some interesting news ...

I AM LOW IN VITAMIN D. I NEED MORE SUNSHINE.

HA! 


Now I am absolutely certain that somewhere in this vast country - not to mention in other parts of the globe - there are people who would dearly love some of our rain, who are crying out for rain in fact, because they are in drought. SOMEBODY has got to organise the weather better and spread this stuff where it is needed and NOT HERE where it damned well isn't!

I AM LOW IN VITAMIN D. I NEED MORE SUNSHINE.

Just saying.

Cheers

Kez

NSU Sisters

It's been over a week since I posted and I've been getting antsy, but hey I had to have something to show ya, huh? There's been a lot going on around here but I finally got the chance to sit at my craft desk.

In the mood for watercolouring, I got out my Magnolias and created a soft, sweet card dedicated to my two darling daughters. Although there are six years between them they get on really well and enjoy spending time together, even arranging "sisterly bonding" sessions where mother is excluded (usually banned to the craft room, which is certainly not a hardship!). They often share clothes, shoes and makeup - first up, best dressed! - and go out together to such varied events as a Shakespeare play or a rock concert. Both of them love to hear stories about themselves when they were little and we all enjoy a giggle at some of the funny and endearing traits they had then!

Materials used:

• stamps - Tildas by Magnolia, sentiment from Papertrey Ink
• card - pool party, island indigo, whisper white and watercolour from SU
• papers - Grace Taylor by Grant Archival
• inks - pretty in pink, blush blossom, so saffron, wisteria wonder, pool party, close to cocoa, sahara sand and island indigo by SU, black StazOn
• other - doily lace punch from Martha Stewart, island indigo ruffled ribbon and dimensionals by SU, hat pin and heart charm from LSS, nestabilities dies, white gel pen

On my second card I've used "Tilda needs a hug" and she is sooooooo sweet! The colour combo is my fav black and vanilla with yellow to brighten it up. And just for something different, I added real ribbon knots in her hair!

Materials used:

• stamps - Magnolia Tilda, Field Flowers by SU (sentiment)
• card - basic black, daffodil delight, watercolour, very vanilla, Love Letters DSP (retired)
• other - nestabilities dies, daffodil delight grosgrain and taffeta ribbons, aquapainter, dimensionals, decorative label punch

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

What Was He Thinking?

A very simple, tongue-in-cheek card for you today! I found a range of stamping-related stamps and this particular one is so perfectly suited to SU's Domestic Goddess papers that I simply HAD to make a card!

Here tis:

(If you can't read the sentiment it says, "God would not have made me this creative if He wanted me to cook and clean") ROFLOL! I love it! It's just perfect for those days when you would MUCH rather be stamping than ironing, washing, cleaning, vacuuming .... in fact, anything remotely connected to housework, lol. Which, come to think of it, is most days!!! Maybe I should turn this into a framed plaque to give to DH!!!!!!

Materials used:

• stamps - Craftier Taglines by There She Goes
• card - pool party, calypso coral, watercolour, Domestic Goddess DSP
• other - nestabilities dies, dimensionals, aquapainter

Thanks for calling in. Hope there's not too much domesticity in your household today!

Cheers

Kez

Cruising

I love cruise control.

In fact, on our 10 hour journey home from Melbourne yesterday, cruise control was my BFF.

Mind you, I wish I had $1 for every kamikaze insect that gave up its life to attack my windscreen - would cover the cost of petrol for the round trip, I reckon, lol!!!

We had a successful trip and managed to find DD19 a great flat to live in with an excellent location and facilities, so she is all excited about moving in at the end of Feb when uni starts. The apartment complex boasts two swimming pools (one indoor, one outdoor), a tennis court, BBQ area and gymnasium - I think maybe I should move down there too!!!

However it sure is nice to be home and I can't wait to get into my craft stuff, but for now will show you a card I made before we went away.

Over at Splitcoaststampers you can get tons of inspiration for great cards and it is usually my first port of call when I get a new stamp set. Today's card is a case of one by "marmie43gs" - she used bright primary colours but I have changed mine for a more feminine look with pinks and purples.

Up, Up and Away is a set you might overlook but I think it's great for masculine cards of all ages and as you can see here, looks terrific in girly colours too - good for teens, I reckon!

Materials used:

• stamps - Up, Up and Away
• card - Cheerful Treat DSP (hostess), concord crush, bashful blue, whisper white, melon mambo, wisteria wonder
• punches - small tag, large tag, cupcake
• other - dimensionals, melon mambo grosgrain ribbon, white bakers twine, stripes EF, Big Shot, sponge dauber

Thanks for stopping by today.

Cheers

Kez

Earnestly

Here I am in Melbourne with my two DDs, so no chance of any crafting for a while. We did, however, have the pleasure yesterday of seeing MTC's production of The Importance of Being Ernest starring Geoffrey Rush as Lady Bracknell.

The movie (with Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Judi Dench) has long been a family favorite, so for us it was always going to be a hard act to follow. Thankfully the cast were great and had us in stitches most of the time. The set was brilliant and the production superb - and GR? Amazing as always, such a talented actor. We had a great time and even DD19, who being a theatre major is far more critical of things than the rest of us (lol), thoroughly approved!

On our way to the theatre we had the dubious pleasure of Melbourne's famous "four seasons in one day" weather - it began as sunny, then we got rain, then a sudden freak storm hit, with the wind whipping branches off trees and all over the roads! 

Now it's down to work to find DD19 somewhere to live this year and I'll be back home (and back crafting) next week, hopefully. See you then!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Fabulous in Kerry Cobbler

Inspired by a gorgeous creation by Diane Vander Galien, I sat down with Fabulous Florets and made a card. I had a go at the re-inker spritzer method that Diane used, but it was an abysmal failure! So I adapted and watercoloured using re-inkers instead.

Here's my card:

Materials used:

• stamps - Fabulous Florets
• card - pink pirouette, cherry cobbler, whisper white
• punches - scallop trim border
• other - pink pirouette and cherry cobbler re-inkers, cherry cobbler and old olive markers, dimensionals, aquapainter, black StazOn

I LOVE this colour combo and I'm very pleased with how my "disastrous" card turned out in the end - simple but fabulous if I do say so myself! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Welcome

We have some new neighbours who just moved in and the hostess set Up In The Air from the Summer mini has the perfect stamp for this occasion. I cased my card from the US Occasions mini but added in the shadowing behind the image, which makes it "pop".

Materials used:

• stamps - Up in the Air (hostess)
• card - wisteria wonder, lucky limeade, soft suede, watercolour
• punches - scallop edge
• other - mini library clip, white bakers twine, dimensionals, aquapainter, wisteria wonder ruffled ribbon, square lattice embossing folder, Big Shot

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez

Time For Tea

Today's card was made with my girls in mind; they love going out together for coffee or a pot of tea. DD13 talked me into buying this die set when I was browsing an online store last month and this is the first time I've used it. I love the shapes, they are so homely and comforting somehow - even for someone who doesn't drink tea!

I loved making the little tea bag, with it's cord hanging out of the cup, lol!

Materials used:

• stamps - Morning Cup
• card - pool party, calypso coral, Domestic Goddess DSP, whisper white
• punches - large oval, scallop oval
• other - dimensionals, white bakers twine, sponge daubers, blender pen
• non SU - MFT time for tea die set, paper doily

Both girls love it but DD13 complains that looking at it makes her want a cup of tea! Hope you like it too.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Sweet Start

Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping 2012 is a real cracker!

I started the new year off with some sorting and de-cluttering for a few hours and then I decided I deserved a reward for my hard work, so sat down to make a card. I've been playing again with the lovely papers coming up in the SAB catalogue on the 24th of this month.

Only a portion of the stamp was used (with markers) on the main panel. Instead of the butterflies on the stamp I die cut some and then used a marker again to ink the sentiment part of the stamp.

My stamped panel is inside a recessed portion, with the dsp panel being raised up. I made the watercolouring nice and soft in keeping with the muted tones of the papers and I used poppy parade again! LOL!

Materials used:

• stamps - Up In The Air (hostess)
• card - crumb cake, lucky limeade, watercolour, poppy parade, Everyday Enchantment DSP
• punches - large oval, scallop oval, 1 1/4" square
• other - lucky limeade ruffled ribbon, dimensionals, Beautiful Wings embosslit die, Big Shot, sponge dauber, aquapainter, markers

If you've achieved something already today, why not give yourself a little reward too? Begin as you mean to go on! 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Birthday Browns

Today my wonderful SIL is celebrating her birthday and naturally I had to make her a special card. I've used the new Spice Cake DSP from the Summer mini as I know the earthy tones and touch of blue will really appeal to her.

Materials used:

• stamps - Field Flowers, Tagtastic
• card - crumb cake, very vanilla, pool party, spice cake dsp
• inks - more mustard, early espresso, soft suede, cajun craze
• other - early espresso bakers twine, designer frames embossing folder, dimensionals

Hope you have a lovely NYE day and a wonderful celebration to welcome in 2012.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Second Poppy

Can you believe this is only the second time I have used 2010-2011 in colour Poppy Parade? I wanted to try out the gorgeous new Everyday Enchantment papers from the upcoming Sale-a-bration catalogue and I must say, this colour is now growing on me.

I love that the papers have a bit of a shabby look to them, so I've torn, distressed and sponged my papers to accentuate that and threaded some of the matching 1/8" organdy ribbon (also in SAB catty) around my border. I love the long tails on the ribbon and can't bear to cut them shorter, so I'm sticking with that length cos I think it adds to the charm!

Here's my card:

The colours in these papers are lucky limeade, pool party, peach parfait, calypso coral, poppy parade, very vanilla and soft suede - so a veritable feast of in colours to play with! I'm sure you're going to love it.

Materials used:

• stamps - Field Flowers
• card - poppy parade, pool party, very vanilla, Everyday Enchantment DSP
• ink - calypso coral, poppy parade, lucky limeade, crumb cake
• other - calypso coral organdy ribbon, dimensionals, distressing tool, sponge dauber
• non SU - spellbinders lacey ovals die

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Dramatic Just For You

A dear friend is celebrating her birthday on Saturday and I wanted to make her a special card. I saw a gorgeous creation by Andrea Ewen that inspired me; the dramatic colours, flower and bling are all just perfect for my friend.

Here tis:

The flocked paper just makes you want to touch it! Here's a close up of the bling:

And something simple to decorate the inside too:

Materials used:

• stamps - Tagtastic
• card - basic black, whisper white, pumpkin pie, mocha morning DSP
• other - little leaves die, black satin ribbon, decorative label punch, dimensionals
• non SU - Spellbinders roses dies, Martha Stewart punch, Kaiser rhinestones

I'll have another card for you on Saturday as it's my SIL's birthday too!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

The Full Table

(Not to be confused with The Full Monty! LOL!)

I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas Day; I know we did. The girls slept in, so we didn't get disturbed until 8 am - a record! After the loot opening it was time to prepare our portions of the menu and then of course the mad rush to gather up everything and out the door to my SIL's house, where the table was all set and ready for us.

Here's a photo of our Christmas table complete with all the decos I made and showed you in an earlier post:

Doesn't it look pretty? Makes it worth all the frantic rush to get everything made on time! I am determined every year to be better organised earlier the next year ... but it never happens. They are right when they say the time passes more quickly the older you get - so next year I'd better start my table decorations in April!!!

Some card making soon, I hope, to show you, as I have a couple of birthdays this week to prepare for. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Season's Greetings

Well, it's only a matter of hours now until the big day is here, so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all the happiest of Christmases. I hope your day is filled with the love and laughter of friends and family and that you enjoy a safe and peaceful festive season.

Merry Christmas!

Kez

Christmas Table Bits

I've been busy making a few things to decorate our Christmas Dinner table this year using SU's Holly Berry Bouquet papers and fabric (thanks to those rellies overseas).

I made placecards:

Candy wrappers filled with chocs:

Boxes made from the fancy favour die for the table gifts:

The centrepiece, a wooden sleigh filled with baubles:

Cute stocking cutlery holders made from fabric and felt:

And our menu, decorated with a felt rolled rose and poinsettias to match the dsp:

And here they are all placed on the table:

Materials used:

• stamps - Creative Elements, Tags Til Christmas, Welcome Christmas
• punches - 5 point flower, scallop square, pennant, decorative label, blossom petals builder
• dies - stocking, fancy favour, candy wrapper
• card - real red, wild wasabi, garden green, whisper white, chocolate chip, red glitter
• papers - Holly Berry Bouquet, Cocoa Speciality (retired)
• non SU - Kaiser wooden sleigh kit, gold paint, craft glue, red and green felt, calligraphy pen, chipboard poinsettia, computer and printer, sewing machine, star stickers
• other - dimensionals, rhinestones, brads

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez