My Favourite thing..............

The Stampman are hosting a blog hop over the next few days and Jill asked what our favourite project was for this year. This was quite a difficult one for me because it's the year I discovered Promarkers - which I love and wouldn't want to be without now, so lots of my cards are coloured in with Promarkers. Having said that my favourite project was a scrapbook page using a favourite photo of my son Jake playing in the sea. That picture really sums up alot of things about us coming to Australia, the fab weather, the wonderful beaches, the boys being able to spent more time outdoors, the sense of freedom Australia has and best of all, I feel like I'm on holiday all of the time!!! We've been here 16months now and there's no sign of it wearing off yet! This page also features acetate and alcohol inks and use of the Craft Robo, it's one I really remember enjoying doing.

This is my first blog hop and I've really enjoyed spending the evening sipping red wine and eating chocolate (well it is Christmas!) and catching up with some familiar blogs and discovering some new ones too. Cheers Jo x

A late post.

Here's a quick card I made this afternoon. Obviously an image from Mo's Digital Pencil with the same technique as yesterdays cards, simply mounted on to bazzill card stock that has been stamped with Kaisercraft Flourish stamps. Very simple but quite effective I thought.

We have just returned from our middle son (Jakes) graduation from Primary School. He made a speech in front of his entire year group (okay only 18 kids but parents as well) and he "thanked his parents for bringing him to Australia for a better life", I was so surprised he had never said he was going to say that and it brought a tear to my eye. It makes me feel really good to know that we made the right decision to move here and that it is appreciated deep down. I'm going to bed now feeling all warm and fuzzy! Night x

Here's his 'official graduation photo'.

I'm Back.........

I'm back...... for now anyway. Well there seems to be tumbleweed rollling through this blog, I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last blogged. I've had my mom visiting me from the UK for 6 weeks and she kept making me take her out and forced me to eat cheesecake and muffins most days (hello mom)!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've got the 'outlaws' here now until the middle of January so I'm managing to find a bit of time here and there (when I need a break!) to craft.

I've made lots of copies of this card for new friends I have made in the last year. The idea came from a combination of blogs I've looked at recently. The first one is Mel Stampz, she has some great ideas and fantastic tutorials and the second one is A Consuming Passion, Sue recently made an easel card so I thought I'd give one and go and loved how easy they are.

The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil, coloured in with Promarkers and mounted on card stock stamped with Kaisercraft Flourishes.

I've have also decided to step down from Tuesday Taggers for the time being. I've got the children on holiday for 7 weeks now and once they are back at school in February I am planning on getting involved in more local craft workshops in a bid to make some crafty friends. I'm sure Tuesday Taggers will continue to go from strength to strength, they are all amazingly talented girls and I wish them all well.

That's all for now. Have a good day everyone. x

Tuesday Taggers

Tuesday Taggers time again. This week Teri on the design team has given us all one of her gorgeous images - a lovely little harvest mouse - for us to use how ever we see fit. She is also very kindly going to be giving this weeks winner 3 of her digital images of their choosing. Hope all that makes sense.

I decided to cut my little mouse out and colour him in in promarkers. Then I stamped a poppy image from, the stamp is a Funstamps one called Scarlet Poppy, and coloured that in with promarkers and mounted the mouse on top. The flowers are from Kaisercraft and the black card stock is from my stash.

Pop across to Tuesday Taggers and have a look at what the other DT members have come up with this week. Cheers. Jo x

Mo's new challenge blog

Well, you've probably noticed that I love Mo Mannings digital images so I'm thrilled that she has started a new challenge blog. The link is here. The theme for this week is to use the colour 'perple' and any of Mo's images. Here is my entry.

Birthday Card

Hi,

Had a bit of time today to make a quick birthday card for my middle son, Jake. He'll be 12 on Thursday, where does the time go, it doesn't seem 5 minutes since he was toddling around in a nappy and not answering back!!

Anyway I thought this digital image was quite appropriate for him as he is always on wheels of some sort, be it his bike, rollerblades, ripstick or in this case a skateboard - its not too surprising that he is up to his elbow in plaster at the moment as he fell over rollerblading on the first day of the school holidays!

The digital image is from Mo's Digital Pencil, coloured with promarkers and scraps of paper from stash that were from Kaisercraft, as was the rub-on.


Hope he like it!

Tuesday Taggers

Tuesday Taggers time again. I have missed a week or two what with renovating the garden and the boys being on school holiday, I haven't even been in my craft room for two weeks until yesterday. So, the theme for Tuesday Taggers this week is 'Shades of Autumn', which is entirely appropriate in the northern hemisphere, not quite so here in Oz though, I'm looking at a cloudless blue sky, blossom on the trees and sunshine from dawn till dusk (well, today anyway!). Still, I think I remembered autumn well enough to come up with this card.


The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil - I love this image, it reminds me my youngest son a few years ago in the leaves at Cliffe Castle in Keighley. It's coloured in with Pro markers and mounted on scraps of bazzill card stock, the ribbon is from my stash. Have a great day.

Tuesday Taggers

Tuesday Taggers time again. This week the theme is 'Die Cuts and Punches', I've made a card using a large die cut snowflake from Craftwork Cards and punched some smaller snowflakes out with a punch. All mounted on left over bits of card. The snowflakes are all covered in fine glitter but it doesn't show up too well in the photograph.

Hi,

Time for Tuesday Taggers again. This weeks theme is 'buttons and bows', in whatever form you like, so I have made another card. The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil coloured with promarkers. The background paper is from Trimcraft the Smirk range and the buttons and ribbon and flowers are from my stash. Go and check out what the other design team members have come up with this week at Tuesday Taggers.

A few cards.........

Spent a very nice day making a few cards. All the images are from Mo's Digital pencil, they are such lovely drawings, I'm thoroughly enjoying 'colouring in'. The cardstock and paper is Bazzill and Kaisercraft, the flowers are from my stash and of course coloured with promarkers.

Chance to win.............

How would you like to win a $250 shopping spree at the Scrapping Cottage? That's right - the winner will get to choose $250 worth of products at The Scrapping Cottage!

Heres the link, take a look.

Tuesday Taggers.

Tuesday Taggers time again. This weeks theme is to fill a bottle or jar and decorate it as a gift. Now, if I'm honest, I have cheated this week, I have made a Journalling Jar and notebook for my Mom. The jar is filled with slips of paper with questions on for her to answer and write down in the note book. There are questions like 'describe your wedding dress', 'whats the best thing that has happened to you', 'how/where did you meet Dad' etc., etc. The idea is that as some point I will get the notebook back and be able to scrapbook photos and memories of my Mom and know some of the things that we very often don't ever get round to talking about with our loved ones. The cheat is that I actually made this the year before last for Mothers Day for her and the reason I haven't done anything new is because my fingers are so flamin' sore from cutting trees down and laying slabs at the weekend that I'm not managing to do any crafting at the moment - didn't think that through very well did I!

If I remember rightly the paper is from 'Deja View', ribbon and flowers from stash and the lovely little jar was from Ikea.

Made this card last Friday for no other reason than that I love the digital image from Digital Pencil, it is called 'End of Summer' and I coloured it in with promarkers of course. The background paper and flowers are both from Kaisercraft. I've decided not to put a sentiment on it until I'm ready to use it.

Tuesday Taggers....

This weeks theme for Tuesday Taggers is 'Retro'. I think it's fair to say that we all struggled with this one, me included. I had planned to set aside a day to do this challenge as I wanted to do a scrapbook page but as it turned out I had a nasty case of 'gastro' and so I hadn't left enough time to do what I had originally planned, nevermind.

The background paper is from K & Co called Girl Scout. The images from my childhood were downloaded from the internet and hopefully you can just about make out '1970' in vellum. The flowers are from Kaisercraft. The photo of me was taken in 1973 when I was 5.

Pop across to Tuesday Taggers and have a look at what the rest of the design team came up with this week.

Just a quick post. Made this card today for a friend of Lewis's for his birthday on Sunday.

The spaceman is a digital download from Mo's Digital Pencil, coloured in with promarkers of course. It is decoupaged as well but it doesn't show up too well in the picture. The letters and numbers are just random chipboard bits that I had left over - thank goodness he's got a friend with a short name! Hope he likes it.

Tuesday Taggers Week 13

This weeks theme from Tuesday Taggers is 'The Birds and the Bees', chosen by Janet, I think, who also happens to be celebrating her birthday today - Happy Birthday Janet x.

My offering this week is a tag, stamped with a little bird from the Francoise Read range of stamps called 'Robins', it is actually decoupaged as well, but I don't think that it shows up too well in the photo. It is all coloured in with promarkers. The 'just because' stamp is from Studio G and the tiny little flowers were in my stash but I have no recollection of buying them actually I don't remember ever seeing them before - maybe the stash fairy left them. Pop across to the Tuesday Taggers blog and have a look at the design teams fantastic offering this week.

Tuesday Taggers Week 12

Flowers.

This week Tuesday Taggers theme is 'flowers'. I decided to make a card this week for a friends birthday. I have used a digital image from Lily-Boos Boutique and coloured it with promarkers - I've got the whole set now and love 'em. The paper is left over scraps from My Minds Eye - Grow and Bloom Range, some bazzill card stock and ribbon from stash. The fancy edge is done using a Martha Stewart punch, the flowers are also from stash and coloured with pro markers to match card stock. There are several new designers on the Tuesday Taggers Team this week so pop across and have alook at a whole range of very different ideas and styles.

Here is a card I made for a friend in the UK, a few weeks ago. Her birthday was last Friday so I hope she received it okay and that it is 'safe' for me to post the picture now.

It is another Tri-fold card using Inkadinkado and gel a tins stamps. I hope she liked it!

Week 11 Tuesday Taggers

Week 11 already, the weeks sure do fly by. This weeks brief from Tuesday Taggers is to make a 'wall hanging'.

I really enjoyed doing this and got the chance to use a Kaisercraft wall hanging kit that I have had for a few months now. I chose my own papers and went with the new Kaisercraft range called 'Offshore', I love these papers because they are so bright and sea-sidey and go perfectly with the photos that I took a few weeks ago of the boys on the beach in Torquay, doesn't look much like winter does it?!

So I painted the edges of the bits of board with blue paint and then put paper over them and neatened the edges. Mounted the photos on to orange Bazzill and stuck them in position, did a little bit of stamping with an Autumn Leaves Swirly stamp, added some embellishments from my stash and some orange flowers and fastened the whole lot together with ribbon. The rub on quotes say "cherish the time spent together" and You never know when you're making a memory".

I'm on a roll...........

Wow I'm on a roll this week. Yesterday I made this lovely little desk clock. The blank pieces are from Kaisercraft as is the paper (Sublime range), the brads and rub-ons. The flowers are from my stash. I really enjoyed doing this and am keeping this one for myself but might do some more for pressies, they might turn out slightly better now I know what I'm doing. The photograph in the frame isn't the best but it is of me and James on Alcatraz with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background during my 40th birthday trip to San Francisco - it's the only picture we got of the two of us together the whole time we were there!

The card is for my God-Parents Diamond wedding anniversary. It is a Tri-fold card (can't remember where I had the instructions from though!). The card and paper is from DCWV, the Far East Range and the stamps are from Inkadinkado, Garden Delight and little 'diamonds' from stash. Imagine being married for 60 years - nevermind diamonds, they both deserve a medal!!

Tuesday Taggers.....

This weeks brief from Tuesday Taggers is 'swirls and curls'. I really enjoyed this one because I got a chance to use my favourite stamps - Swirls from Autumn Leaves.

So, this tag started off plain white, I sort of rubbed a piece of sponge in a Brilliance ink pad (peacock) there are 3 colours in it and smudged it around the tag - sounds very technical doesn't it! Then I stamped the swirls on with black Staz On and simply went around some of the edges of the swirls with a white pen, added some ribbon and bling from stash and hey presto - a quick and easy tag that I am quite pleased with. Maybe my mojo is resurfacing at last!!

The rest of the DT at Tuesday Taggers have once again come up with some fab ideas so why not take a look.

Blimey, this is unheard of, I've actually managed to post something more than once in the past week. I have actually made a few cards as well but can't post them until the recipients have got them.

This scrapbook page is just a few photos of us 'en route' to Australia. They aren't particularly good and there aren't any of James (hubby) and it's not very arty BUT, I just wanted to do a record of our journey including the flights, packing up boxes in the UK and unpacking and moving in here. There will be more pages to follow and I'm trying to get it done before we have been here 1 year - only a month to go so I'm pushing it now! This really is for the boys so that they can look back at where we lived and remember the adventure of moving 10 thousand miles. I was really keen to use the quote "a journey of a thousand miles, begins with a single step" as well, it seemed quite appropriate. I've also got lots of plane tickets and bits of memorobilia to include on these layouts but forgot to put any on this one!

This weeks theme for Tuesday Taggers is 'Texture'.

I have made a card for a new baby using a background paper that is very heavily textured - although it doesn't show up too well in the photograph. The paper is almost like sandpaper and I did manage to ruin a cutting blade in the process of making it! I think this paper is from Kanban in Skipton although I have no recollection of buying it! All the other bits and pieces are from my stash.

Take a look at the other design team members ideas this week, as usual, there are some lovely creations there.

Tuesday Taggers

Well another Tuesday has rolled round yet again. This weeks brief from Tuesday Taggers is 'Best Pals', preferably using sentiments.

I have made this tag with my friend Elaine in mind. Shortly after we had arrived in Australia I received an e mail from Elaine and in it she wrote 'you felt like the sister I never had', I thought that was so sweet and touching that I made this tag with Elaine in mind.

The sentiment reads 'a bestfriend is the sister that destiny forgot to give you'. The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye, Bloom and Grow range as are the flowers, the rest is just bazzill basic cardstock and ribbon from stash. No messy fingers this week just cutting really, it's all could manage with the boys being on holiday still.

So, why not pop across to Tuesday Taggers and have a look at the fantastic ideas over there and there is a prize this week very kindly provided by The Craft Emporium.

Thank you..

Hi Everyone,

I've had several e mails and comments from people asking how my sister is. Sadly, she passed away last Tuesday. She had, had practically no 'quality' of life for a number of years and so at least now she is no longer suffering.

Thanks everyone for your comments and e mails offering good wishes and kind words of support, they are all greatly appreciated. Jo x

Age It

Tuesday Taggers - Age It.

This week at Tuesday Taggers the theme is to 'Age It', distress it, make it look old. So here is what I have done.

The tag was originally white so I grunged it up using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Weathered Wood, Milled Lavender and Tea Dye colours. The stamps are some new ones I have just bought - the wild flowers are from Gel-a-tins and the dragon fly is from Inkadinkadoo, I haven't had much chance to play with them yet so I'm looking forward to that, mind you with the boys on school holiday for the next 2 weeks that might be easier said than done! The dragon fly also has some pigment powder in gold on it to give a little shimmer but I don't think it show up in the photograph.

I don't have much in the way of Mojo at the moment, I've had some sad news from the UK. My sister, Carol, who has Multiple Sclerosis, only has a few days left to live. When we left for Australia 10months ago, I said my 'goodbyes' to her then and knew it would be the last time I would see her but getting the phonecall that she won't be with us much longer has shaken me and strangely come as a shock. Needless to say all the feelings of 'guilt' have reared their ugly heads again - not that I could do anything if I were there but that doesn't stop me feeling bad. Anyway, that's enough from me, this is beginning to feel like therapy! Have a good day everyone. Jo x

New House Card

I have spent quite a lot of yesterday and a bit of today making this 'new home' card for some very good friends of ours. We only met this couple when they invited us to their house on new years eve, even though we had never met them (their son and Elliot are good friends). They are aussies but relocated to Torquay a few years ago and so know exactly what it's like being 'new' here. Anyway, they have finally moved into their own house now and so here is the card I have made for them.

The template is from The Next Level Tutorial and is the stair step template, the little houses and trees are cut out of scrapbook paper from Fancy Pants Designs. The chipboard letters and little flowers are from my stash. I've really enjoyed making this card and think I will do some more in this style. Hope they like it.

Tuesday Taggers Week 6

Tuesday Taggers Week 6

This weeks brief is to 'use your stamps', any colour, any theme just use your stamps. So here is my tag for this week.

I have used, believe it or not, 14 different Art Impression Watercolour stamps! It has been a while since I have used these and I've probably made loads of mistakes but I think the end result is okay. I have used these stamps in conjuction with Marvy Le Plume markers. Hope you like it!

Tuesday Taggers Week 5

Tuesday Taggers Week 5

This week brief from Tuesday Taggers is to design a tag, atc or inchy with a macho theme. As it is Fathers Day in the UK at the end of the week we thought this theme would be quite useful.

I have made a card, with a tag sort of incorporated into it. The rubber stamp is from The Greetings Farm, coloured with pro markers and mounted onto various bits and pieces of left over bazzill card stock. Buttons and ribbons from stash.

As I had to send my father in laws card weeks ago to be sure it got there in time I will have to keep this card until the next 'macho' birthday crops up!

Here is father in laws card. The whale is an image from Dustin Pike, coloured with promarkers, mounted on blue paper from Kanban and blobby things from Kaisercraft. Hope he likes it.

Tuesday Taggers Week 4

Tuesday Taggers Week 4

The brief this week is to make a card, tag and wrapping paper to match. Here is my effort, a noodle box rather than wrapping paper!

I have used Blonde Moments Just Plain Dotty rubber stamp, embossed the flowers with black embossing powder, cut them out and inked the centres with bright pink ink. All the other bits of ribbon and card are from my stash.

This week on Tuesday Taggers there is a great tutorial for you to take a look at, this week is being sponsored by The Craft Barn and there is a fab prize on offer as well, so why not pop across and join in the fun.

Finally, I've got round to posting a few things I've been working on over the past few days.

Firstly, the scrapbook page 'Beach Life', was a happy accident. A while ago I had printed out the background photograph and it came out A4 size so I put it in a drawer and forgot all about it. Then reading an old copy of Scrapbooking Memories I came across a page that used a large photo with smaller ones over the top, so I have effectively 'scrap lifted' this page, I hope that's okay! Anyway, it was a very quick page to do, no messy fingers, just croping and matting. I like its simplicity though.

Here's what I used, Bazzill Card stock, and chipboard letters off ebay a while ago. The quote reads "our memories of the ocean will linger on long after our footprints in the sand are gone", don't know who said that but I've had it written down for ages waiting for the ideal place to use it.

And a couple of cards. Both using images from Dustin Pike, I love his drawings and have really got into 'colouring in' since I got my promarkers. The chameleon card I printed onto the flowery paper (from Kaisercraft) and then drew the lines in darker over the top, the idea being that the chameleon has blended into its background!

The final one of the monkey eating a muffin is also from Dustin Pike, the papers are from Kaisercraft and the edging at the top is a Martha Steward punch.

Well Tuesday has come around again so it's time for Tuesday Taggers Week 3 challenge. This week the brief is to alter a clothing label.

So, I searched the house for any kind of label and even considered going on a spending spree but thought that was probably a step to far! Anyway, managed to find the 'label' from around a pack of socks and came up with this. As I was laid low for a few days with a migraine I'm afraid this wasn't what I had envisaged.

Very simply though I covered the 'label' with Blonde Moments (Spring Fling) paper, cut flowers out and added brads to the centres, added some Blonde Moments ribbon and green droplets from Kaisercraft. Then I wrapped some chocolates up in sellophane and tied a ribbon around the top and pushed them inside the 'cuff'. I think it makes a nice little pressie for a teacher or maybe for kids to make for mothers day and of course you could fill it with whatever you want. This particular 'cuff' actually looked okay around the bottom of a plant pot too so maybe a novel way of wrapping a plant! Hope you like it. Why not pop across to Tuesday Taggers and join in the fun.

Right, I finally got round to making Elliots birthday card. He will be 15 on Sunday, obviously I was incredibly young when I had him!!

In my last post is the picture of the tag for week 2 of Tuesday Taggers challenge (bold and bright). I wanted to use this on Elliots card with a photo of him in the 'cut out' bit but thought it looked a little young for him so I have grunged it up with black staz on and mounted it on Kaisercraft paper that I have torn and inked around the edges.

The photo of Elliot is of him 'done up' as a punk (he doesn't normally look like this). He very kindly offered to be 'punked up' for a girl in his photography class, so that she could take photos of him for a poster. When the day was finished he thought that no one would remember the day he wore make up at school but the finished poster was so good that it is on display in school - so he just can't get away from it. Fortunately, he is good natured about it so I thought I would wind him up abit with his birthday card.

When I picked him up from school and noticed he'd got eye makeup on I was a little shocked and he said in a very 'gay' voice "oh, I thought I'd got it all off, it's playing havoc with my skin" - he's got a very dry sense of humour! Hope he likes his card.

Tuesday Taggers Week 2

Tuesday Taggers Week 2 Challenge.

Blimey this week has gone fast and I think I speak for all of the design team when I say we have all thoroughly enjoyed looking at everyones entries and blogs. It's been fantastic seeing everyones 'take' on the brief 'new beginnings', and how we all have different ideas. Looking at all these blogs though I, for one, haven't lifted a duster all week (okay, nothing new there!).

This weeks challenge is Bright and Bold so I thought I would combine this challenge with my eldest son, Elliot, 15th birthday on Sunday. However, once it was almost complete I though it looked too young for him and so added some graffiti style rub ons. The star in the top is actually a hole in which I thought I could put a photograph of Elliot. Not sure the cut out bit shows up too well in the photo (note to self - practice taking better photos - oh drat would have to give the dusting a miss again then!!!). Anyway, if this tag does make it onto a birthday card I'll post another picture of the finished product.

I have used textured card as the base. Inked the edges in Brilliance (Red), cut out letters on Craft Robo (or Robo Cop as he is mostly referred to), other stars from left over bits of card and the rub ons from Kaisercraft, ribbon from stash.

So, why not pop across to Tuesday Taggers and have a go, if only to avoid housework!

I've got loads of birthdays coming up in the next few weeks so thought I would make a start on some cards. I managed to get this made while the boys were occupied watching the Simpsons. It came together quite quickly and I'm pleased with the results. I wanted to get the flowers so that they didn't lie flat on the card so, hopefully, it looks like the bird-bath is nestled in the flowers.

Here's what I used. Bird bath download from Dustin Pike, coloured with promarkers. Hero Arts Large Daisy Flower stamp, ultra fine glitter and all the other bits from left over stash. Hope the recipient likes it!