Happy New year (although a little belated!)

Welcome to 2011! I am approaching this year with a slightly different view to managing this blog. Previously I have mainly used it to enter challenges, and while I hope to continue to do that - although TRY to be more frequent in both challenges and blog-writing. I will include some photos of cards (and whatever else interests me at the time) - this is my blog after all.

So, to start with I have included a photo of Sawyer & Ethan as they finished decorating my"Christmas" tree - they did such a great job! And Christmas is great with two special little people around to share it with.

The cards I made as a batch using the SU Elements of style stamp set. They are gorgeous stamps. And the photos are taken with my new digital SLR - I knew there was a reason for working!

And now for the big news - I have ordered Becky Higgin's Project Life , and am eagerly waiting it's arrival - one day very shortly, I hope. I have been journaling daily, and taking photos most days. I am planning to have weekly double spreads. More later - thanks for stopping by.

Inkspiration sketch challenge #43

Hi, everyone - I can't believe that I've completed another one of Keesh's great sketch challenges -image below (or above - I can't work out how to organise the positioning of any image - they appear wherever they want to! - I did mention that I'm very blog challenged, didn't I?) Okay - they've both decided that they are at the top of this post. The card is actually a birthday card for my Mum, who is 82 today! She loves the bush and outdoors, and I love this stamp set - Lovely as a tree.

Most products are SU, apart from the cricut cut label shape, and the punch, which is a Martha Stewart. I don't actually own this stamp set, but have it on loan from a very good friend - and I need to stamp lots of images for use before i send it back.

Thanks for stopping by.

Inkspiration colour challenge # 40

Another gorgeous colour challenge from Keesh. I have managed to finish and scan a card just before cut-off. The stamp is from the beautiful Elements of style, which I have only just received, stamped with crayons and water spritzed for the soft effect. The background white cardstock has been put through the cuttlebug with an embossing folder. The flower was made using a 6 petal flower punch and cut and formed from a lesson at my local scrap-shop, and kindy-glitzed for fun. All seems to be uploaded now - one day I will have lots of time and not do this in a huge rush. (might even get the time to take a decent photo - ah, well, I can always dream, can't I?)Thanks for stopping by.

Two challenges in one

Well, it has been a very long time - so this could be interesting, as I try to link to a couple of sites. I have finally managed a card for one of Keesh's color challenges (# 38), and also a sketch challenge from Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge # 84. I will apologise in advance for any politically incorrect methods I inadvertently use - it's purely because I am totally blog illiterate, and anything I may have learnt from my previous postings is hidden in the deep, dark and cobweb covered recesses of my mind. However I will try to recover what I can.

Okay, I have at least managed to upload images from the lovely ladies' sites - now to try to link to their sites. But first, a brief description of the card - I decided on seeing Keesh's challenge that it was time to try and get back into the swing of things, so I have used the stamps from Lovely as a tree (all products mentioned are Stampin' Up, unless otherwise mentioned), with watercolour crayons and water-misting in choc chip, ruby red and old olive (as these colours reminded me of a beautiful autumn afternoon), then I re-stamped with choc chip using a marker - so basically two-step stamping! Then a little colouring of the sky, with a waterbrush and baja breeze ink, and the ground, with old olive. Cut the image out using nestabilities and cuttlebug, and the mat from CC cardstock., and ribbon from my LSS. A strip of some DSP at the base of the card, with a strip of choc chip cut with a scallop punch completes this card.

The sketch SSSC84, was a perfect help once I had decided on the image.

Thanks for stopping by - I hope I can find the time to join in again sooner rather than later, and a big thank you to the wonderful challenge setters, who keep us all motivated with their inspirational ideas.

Keesh's sketch challenge #18

Rushed as always - another great challenge from Keesh (don't know where she gets all these great ideas from). I'm not really happy with this card - they never turn out as well as they are in my head. Still, that is what a challenge is all about - improving as we go! I do love these colours (regal rose and choc chip) together, and had a great time with the Pretties kit!! Stamp sets were Great Friend, and Friends 24-7, also used the eyelet punch, and white embossing powder for the sentiment. Thanks for stopping by!

Keesh's Inspiration Challenge No 17

Well here we are - another year , and already into February! It has been a hectic couple of months, but it's great to have Keesh back, with her wonderful challenges to get me thinking. Its been good to catch up with her exciting news over the past two months as well. I'll need to get used to the idea that her timezone is ahead of mine, and not behind - hope this gets posted in time for the challenge, but I seem to be having trouble with this blogsite at the moment.

Okay, that has the card uploaded, will try for the challenge image in a moment. The image was gorgeous, and some of the resulting cards have been beautiful, as always. I'm not particularly happy with mine - I wanted it to look a little more light and airy, but it will have to do - no time left to fiddle. Still, it was fun!! Thanks for stopping by.

Keesh's colour challenge #16

Managed another of these wonderful challenges - http://www.makeeshabyl.com.au/wp-content/uploads/makeesha-colour-challenge-16.jpg

I love these colours - beautiful, bright and summery, and while I was in the shops yesterday, I saw a gorgeous bag, which I used as another inspiration for this challenge. All products are SU, the flower image is from the One of a Kind trio stamp,punched out with the corresponding punch, some embossing and some glitter, ribbon and hardware. It was fun - thanks for stopping by. (P.S. These photos prove that I wasn't kidding when I thought that I needed a new camera - my daughter left hers behind last night, so I took the opportunity to use it for these photos today - much better, no editing needed!)