Win Win!!!

Ok, so you all know I love American Crafts, right? And you probably also know that my scrapping idol is Lizzy Kartchner? Well, how do you think I reacted when I saw this??? Yep, I was just a tad excited!!! 1337 people left comments, and lil 'ol me was lucky enough to be chosen. I seriously cannot believe it!!! What are the chances?! This is seriously the best day ever (ok second to my kids being born, but it's right up there!!!)

Here's what will soon be in my hot little hands, being licked and fondled...


















This adorable tote was handed out at CHA. You can't get them anywhere else. OMG!!! This is too good to be true!!!

And it just gets better! On Thursday, I was crowned Scrapz' Queen of the Stampers 2010!!! Yep... all that stamping really paid off! So now, not only do I have heaps of cool projects made (some have even been picked up for pub!!!), but I also have a beautiful stamp set and a very generous voucher for the store! Thank you so much Heike and the DT girls!!! I am so truly grateful! And thanks to everyone who popped by and left comments on my work during the comp. Your kind words and support never fail to brighten my day!

I guess this makes up for the few days I spent being sad and sorry without my computer!!! LOL! I hope you have a wonderful day! I'll be buzzing all day for sure!

Not Happy Jan!!!

Sorry if a Jan is reading this! I am not upset with you. I am upset with my computer. It broke!!! On Wednesday, I went about my normal morning routine; fed Ollie, turned the computer on, got Tilly and I breakfast, then sat down at the computer... but it was frozen. No response. Nothing. I even tried turning it off and on again about 20 times, but that didn't work. I considered picking it up and throwing it against the wall as a last resort, but am glad I resisted the urge cos it likely would've cost much more than the already hefty $355 I was charged to fix it!!! The hard drive was faulty. So some poor guy had to take all my data off the old hard drive, put in a new one, then transfer all my data back. Believe me, with the number of photos I (stupidly!) have sitting on my computer, he would've had his hands full for quite some time!!! In the meantime, I have undergone some serious withdrawal issues. I love my computer! I like to check my email every half an hour. I like to blog hop during lunch and while the kiddos nap. But for the last two days I've had to keep myself occupied elsewhere. I am embarressed to admit, I even sat down in front of my blank computer a couple of times just to feel like normal! LOL! As off 4pm today, we were reunited, and the world was a happy place once again!!! Only problem is now I have heaps of emails, and forum chatting, and blog hopping to do to make up for lost time. Oh the pain!!! LOL!

Well, that's it for my venting for today! Thanks for listening! And at least now you know where I've been the last few days!

It's Been a While...

since I posted some photos of the kids. I've taken a few cute ones lately that I'd love to share!

Last night, Ollie rolled over in the bath for the first time. It's kinda strange really that he hasn't done it sooner as he's been able to roll for quite some time now. The water was shallower than usual so maybe that's why?



































Aren't these just the most adorable photos? He has such a sweet little face and those dark eyes always melt my heart!

The next photo shows a little ritual that has recently begun. Of a morning, Tilly goes in to her baby brother when he cries. She gets her chair, and uses it to open his door, then climb into his cot. She talks to him and gets his dummy, and sometimes even gets him toys to play with and books to read. She has a heart of gold!














And last but not least is our most recent family photo, taken on Valentine's Day. I set up the tripod I got for Christmas in the front yard, set the timer and snapped about 9 pics. This is about as good as it gets! DD can be mighty stubborn when she wants to (which is most of the time!!!). I had everyone dress in red, white and/or black to make it easy to scrap! LOL!














Thanks for stopping by!

Done and Done!!!

Some say I'm a freak (Tanya... that's you!!! LOL!)... and I probably have to agree with them! LOL! Because today I finished the last two Scrapz.Amour challenges... for the second time! Yep, that's 20 stamping projects in just over 2 weeks. But it has been so fun and really inspiring, plus I've used so many of my stamps that I hadn't yet had a chance to use (read: too lazy!!!).

So here's my final two projects;


















Get Well Soon! Card
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Scenic Route, Stamps - Stampin' Up!, Pink Paislee, Mask - Jenni Bowlin (bracket sticker), Rub-on - Karen Foster Designs, Ink - Tsukineko.

This butterfly card has to be one of my fave creations for the comp. I tried out a new technique that I found online - using a sticker as a mask to stamp over. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to use something thinner as the mask, like copy paper, but I am still happy with the rustic look of this little card. Such a fun way to create custom accents for cards and layouts!


















To/From Tag
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Making Memories, Die-cut - Sizzix, Stamp - Pink Paislee, Ink - Tsukineko, Felt heart embellishment - Making Memories, Button - unknown, Ribbon - unknown, Cream embroidery floss - DMC.

This tag is a little sneaky in that it uses MM Christmas paper and a a Pink Paislee Christmas stamp, but is actually a V-Day themed project. I love when my products can do double duty! I can't believe it has taken me this long to realise Christmas products CAN be used for stuff other than just Christmas!!! LOL!

Well, that is it for a few days, me thinks. Gotta rest my poor hands after all that stamping! LOL!

I hope you have had a wonderful weekend!

2 To Go!!!

I completed another 2 Scrapz.Amour challenges today, which means I only have another 2 left before I have completed all 10 challenges twice through!!!

I did another card that incorporated stamping on fabric today, but it kinda sucks so I'm just gonna keep it myself rather than share it here! LOL! However, I will share my entry for Challenge 5; stamping on acetate, as modelled by my sweet baby girl...


















For You Tag
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Sassafras Lass, Basic Grey, Stamps - Stampin' Up!, Studio G, Ink - Tsukineko, Punches - Martha Stewart, Christina Re, Carl, We R Memory Keepers, Pearls - Kaiser, acetate, black ribbon.

For this tag, I stamped a piece of acetate with StazOn, then used the stamped panel to replace the bottom section of my handmade tag. This makes for a cute see-through tag!!!

And I couldn't resist pulling out my brand new Martha Stewart butterfly punch that I bought this morning!!! I have wanted one of these for what feels like forever... now it's mine, MINE, MINE!!! Bwa ha ha ha!!! LOL!

I think I might finally be going crazy from lack of sleep!!! I might just have to hit the haybale early tonight.

Enjoy the rest of your night, whether you're having an early one like me, or will spend it crafting til the wee hours. Back again soon!

Inky Fingers!!!

That's what I have, almost permanently, given all the stamping I am doing!!! LOL!

I have another three projects to share today, all of which I completed last night. I really should have been sleeping, but I was having too much fun! I can get so much done in the night when the kiddos are asleep!

So first up is a small chocolate slider. This is much smaller than the larger one I made before Valentine's Day. It only requires a 6x6 piece of paper.


















Enjoy Chocolate Slider
Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, PP - Little Yellow Bicycle, Stamp - Stampin' Up!, Ink - Tsukineko, Clear embossing powder - Stampin' Up!, Brads - Stampin' Up!, Ribbon - unknown, foam adhesive.

Next is a card using the Kissing technique. For this one I 'kissed' the solid elephant stamp with a small floral/dotty background stamp.


















Happy Belated Birthday Card
Cardstock - Bazzill, Stampin' Up!, PP - Fancy Pants Designs, Stamp - Stampin' Up!, Ink - Tsukineko, Stampin' Up!, Alphas - Adornit, Rhinestones - Kaiser.

And last but not least is this;













Yum! Card
Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, PP - Making Memories, Stamps - Hero Arts, Ink - Tsukineko, Black embossing powder - Stampin' Up!, Brads - FTI.

You may have noticed my recent addiction to my new Hero Arts Cupcakes stamp set!!! LOL! It is just so cute, great for birthday cards, and was such a bargain, too. I got it for about $8.50 on eBay. Gotta love that!!!

Off now to stamp some more!

Can't Stop Stamping!!!

LOL! I have well and truly caught the stamping bug! I am totally addicted to stamping at the moment... which is great given all the stamps I have (most of which are unused, but don't tell DH that!!! LOL!)

Last night I made another two cards using the design that I used for the fabric stamped card I posted yesterday. This time I stamped the cupcakes onto pp and cardstock, then layered them together for a cool paper-pieced look.
































Celebrate today! and happy birthday to u! Cards
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Fancy Pants Designs, Alphas - American Crafts, Rub-ons - Imaginisce, Stamp - Hero Arts, Ink - Tsukineko, Punch - Fiskars, black machine thread, foam dots.

You will notice on the second card I layered one heart over another with foam, plus propped the entire cupcake up on faom for some extra dimension.

These cards are my repeat projects for Challenges 1 and 2.

Yesterday I bought heaps of the new Cosmo Cricket releases. I get a $40 a week spending money budget... I blew the whole lot in one go on these gorgeous gorgeous products! LOL! No money for me until next Thursday... but lots and lots of happy crafting! I hope to get stuck into it tonight! Yippee!!!

It's much cooler here today. Yay!!!

Have a happy, scrappy weekend!

Inkurable Stampers Metallics Challenge... and More!!!

It has been almost forever since I've had the chance to play along at Inkurable Stampers. But I loved this month's challenge so much that I just had to make the time to sit down and create something special for it!!!

This month, Sarah has challenged her blog readers to create any stamped project using metallic colours or metals in your design. Here's what I created;


















Love Tag
Tag - Bumble Bee Crafts, Stamps - Grant Arhival, Fancy Pants Designs, Ink - Tsukineko, Embossing powder - Stampin' Up!, Chipboard heart - Collections, Button - unknown, Metallic thread - DMC, Metal key embellishment - 7 Gypsies, Ribbon - unknown.

I decided to alter a plain Kraft tag using stamping and a few other embellishments. I stamped the tree stamp (from Grant Archival) using black ink, then layered over that a Fancy Pants 'Love' stamp. I stamped this is Versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder. I also embossed a chipboard heart with the gold and added that alongside the tree image. To finish I knotted a metal key through ribbon and embellished with a button threaded with gold metallic thread. So that's 4 different gold elements all rolled into one little tag!!!

I have now completed all 10 challenges for Scrapz.Amour, and because I'm having so much fun actually using all those stamps I've had sitting around unused, I have decided to start the challenges all over again! Uploads must be done by Sunday, so I'll just try to get as many more done as I can between now and then.

The final challenge I completed was this;


















Sprinkled with Fun! Card
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Fancy Pants Designs, Punch - Fiskars, Rub-on - Imaginisce, Alphas - American Crafts, Fabric - unknown, Stamp - Hero Arts, Ink - Tsukineko, Embossing powder - Stampin' Up!, black machine thread.

For this challenge, Lydell instructed us to stamp onto fabric. I never even thought this was possible, but it is. What really surprised me was that the image actually turns out pretty clear. I initially thought the ink would bleed through the fabric, but instead I was left with a well defined image. Pretty cool!!! Even more interesting is that it is possible to heat emboss onto fabric!!! I doubt I am the first to have discovered this technique, but I am really thrilled with this awesome find! There's really no trick to it either. It's just like embossing paper, except I found it was crucial to use an Embossing Buddy to prevent the powder adhering all over the project.

And now for the first of my repeat challenge projects; a set of Easter gift tags for Challenge 7;


















Easter Gift Tags
Cardstock - Bazzill, PP - Fancy Pants Designs, Imaginisce, Stamps - Stampin' Up!, Ink - Tsukineko, Punches - Stampin' Up!, Raffia - unknown, Buttons - Basic Grey, assorted unknown.

Although I'm not really sure why, I'm generally not very creative when it comes to Easter, so I'm happy to have at least one project done in readiness for the big day! If anyone has come across any cool Easter ideas in their blog travels, or if you have any of your own, please post a link here so I can check it out. I need all the help I can get!!! LOL!

I'm off now to feel sorry for myself as it is super hot here today. We have been forecast with 38 degrees today. Grr!!! I hope it is cooler in your part of the world.

Happy scrapping!!!

You Could Win This!!!

Just leave a comment here before the end of the month.

She Loves Me!!!

Last night I finished this layout;


















i love... Layout
Die-cut pp - Jenni Bowlin Studios, PP - American Crafts (i heart you collection), Alphas - American Crafts, Stickers - Jenni Bowlin Studios, Heidi Swapp, Brads - FTI, Font - Kristen ITC

And a close up of the hand-made flowers;














I have been working on this page for a week or so now, between completing the Scrapz.Amour challenges. It is also for a comp at Scrapz - the February Monthly Challenge, as set by Mel. She asked us to create a LO that documented your love for someone. Instead of journalling from my point of view, which I do a lot of the time, I thought that I'd instead journal about my DD's love for me by using a direct quote from her. If you cannot read the journalling it says;

After a long day of you nagging and annoying me, you came out with this...
“I love your boobies.
I love everything on you.
I love the things you wear.
I love the stuff you say.
I love the things you give me kisses with.
I love everything that you always do”.
It’s moments like this that make the nagging and naughtiness all the more bearable!
I love you too, sweet girl.

So reassuring that she loves my boobies, hey?! LOL! The things kids say!

I think I will also enter this into the American Crafts challenge I entered my card into.

That's it for today. Have a great day!

More Scrapz.Amour!

Two more creations that I've made for the Scrapz.Amour comp;



































I am currently working on Lydell's challenge to stamp on fabric. I never even considered this techniaue possible, but now I'm stamping, flocking, and embossing fabric! Crazy!!!

I hope you have had a wonderful Pancake Tuesday! We had eggs on toast followed by pancakes cooked on the bbq down at the beach this morning. They were so yummy!!! Tilly had a swim with her Daddy too. I hear it was VERY cold!!! LOL! Little Ollie enjoyed bouncing in his bouncer, too. It was a really pleasant and relaxing way to start the day.

Have a great week!

I LOVE American Crafts!!!

At the mo, my biggest crush is on American Crafts!!! OMG! Don't they just make the funnest products around?! I am hanging out to get my hands on some of the Dear Lizzy line, plus I have accumulated a stash of the Blue Skies range that I am just dying to dig into. Oh, and Thickers... who doesn't love them?! My stash seems to be breeding! It's out of control!!!

In the Dec/Jan Ticklez kit from Scrapz, I was happy to find there was a sheet of I Heart You pp from American Crafts. It's red with white hearts all over it... so sweet! So, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I decided to make a quick V-Day card with it;


















I simply punched a circle from the pp, making sure to get just one heart inside, then lined them up in a grid. I used one of the punched circles as part of my sentiment too! I used some old American Crafts rub-ons for the lettering. And then just a touch of stitching and it was done! Easy peasy!!!

I have entered this card into this week's challenge at the Studio blog.

Oh, and for those of you so kind to wish me well, I am very happy to say that I will be getting a refund for my concert tickets!!! Now begins my trying to think of another 'best' present ever!!! LOL!

Happy Valentine's Day for tomorrow too! xxx

Challenge 7!

Last night I completed Challenge 7 for the Scrapz.Amour comp at Scrapz. We pretty much had free reign for this one, so long as it included stamping, however Melleny did give us the opportunity to re-create her gorgeous hanging heart box by providing us with a template and a stunning sample. I jumped at the chance, and here is what I created;
















I am totally stoked with how this turned out!!!

I think I will fill the heart with lollies and hang it from Til's bedroom door for her to find on V-Day morning. She is really appreciative of the things I make her, so I have no dramas giving it to her even tho she's little. She might accidentally wreck it or something, but if it makes her day then that is all that matters!!!

In other news, my brother and I were heading to the Good Vibrations Festival on Sunday to see The Killers, but today it was announced that they had cancelled their appearance due to illness in the family. I totally understand their situation but I am still really bummed cos I'd bought the tickets for my bro for his 18th wholly and solely because they would be there. The Killers are his fave band. I have my fingers crossed they will allow for a refund but I won't hold my breath. It just really sucks cos I spent a lot of money on those tickets, and now my poor bro has nothing from me for his 18th. I wanted so badly to get him something special and now he could quite possibly end up with nothing more than an e-ticket... I certainly cannot afford a second gift. Such is life, I guess.

Well that's it for my ranting!!! LOL! Have a great night and a wonderful Friday! Tomorrow I get to meet my friend's new baby for the first time. Can't wait!!!

Another Card for Scrapz.Amour!

I pulled out some of my 'old' Cosmo Cricket pps last night and set about completing Challenge 6. Deb allowed for us to create any stamped project so long as it incorporated a tag or journalling block, a button, and ribbon. I hand-cut a journalling block from the Elements pp, and used red buttons and purple ribbon.

















From now on you will prabably notice me making more birthday cards. I neer seem to make birthday cards, despite them being the type of card I use most! Crazy really!!! So it is my mission to build up my stash of birthday cards over the coming weeks... and maybe even months.

It is a lovely day here in Perth today. It's cool, lots of clouds in the sky, and a sprinkling of rain. Love it!!! Summer is almost over! Yay!!!

Anyway, I'm off to do some scrapping and today's Scrapz.Amour challenge.

Have a great day!

Scrapz.Amour Challenges 4 and 5!

Been working on a couple more challenges for the Scrapz.Amour comp at Scrapz.

This one, for Challenge 4, was all about kissing... 'kissing' together two stamps, that is! Here's my take;


















Pretty simple design using the SU! Sanded background stamp for the kissing.

The second card I've made was for Challenge 5. We were asked to stamp onto acetate. So I created a card with an acetate window onto which I stamped the happy birthday stamp from American Crafts. Most of the other bits and pieces on this card are from Collage Press.


















My apologies for this terribly fuzzy photo. I tried several times to photograph it nicely, then just gave up and settled for this LOL!

That's it from me. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Scrapz.Amour Challenges 2 and 3!!!

Just a quick post to share my entries for two of the Scrapz.Amour challenges over at Scrapz. I've been having lots of fun completing the challenges so far and have learnt a few new tricks as well.

Challenge 2 was to use foam tape to add dimension to a stamped image;


















Challenge 3 was to create a chocolate slider and incorporate stamps into the design;


















I haven't put a chocolate block into the slider just yet... might just leave that until Feb 13th because otherwise I might just find myself having to buy another block!!! LOL!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!

Wanna Win Stuff?

I have come across two awesome blog candy giveaways that are currently being run on other people's blogs.

The first is this incredible prize pack full of Imaginisce's Scooter's Vacation pp and embellishments. To go into the draw, leave a comment here before Feb 12.

The second is a cute pack of goodies from For the Love of Buttons. Leave a comment here by March 4 for your chance to win.

I have some fun news of my own to share too... I am an aunty!!! Yay!!! Last night at 5:02pm, my wonderful Sister in Law gave birth to my gorgeous nephew, Lawson Neil. He weighs 6 pounds 13 ounces, and is quite possibly the second most adorable baby boy I have ever laid my eyes upon! (As yet I only have photos on my phone so you'll have to wait a bit for a piccie). Labour was tough, but Mum, Dad, and Bub are all doing really well. Now begins the waiting game until I am allowed to go visit... grr!!! They live in Kalgoorlie and will be swamped with visitors staying at their house so I'm going to leave my visit until everything settles down. I know how hard it can be as a new Mum, and sometimes a bit of space to take your time to get to know your baby and to learn the ropes is a good thing. I'll just have to keep reminding myself I'm doing the right thing, because right now all I wanna do is jump on a plane and cuddle my nephew!!! LOL!

To keep my mind off aunty-hood, I have been busy creating cards. One has been picked up for pub, but the other two I can share;

I totally love the Japanese doll card. I might make a set of these in different colours and using the other dolls from the set (it's by Hero Arts in case you are wondering!).

Well, that's it for me. I have some baby boy gifts to knit, sew, and scrap! LOL!

Wanna Win a Scene?!

Check this out;


















So cute!!! And guess what?.. you can win it here!!!

I have been making lots the last week or so but a lot of it has been picked up for pub so I can't show it here. I can share this layout, however. I made it for this weeks' What's Cooking challenge at Scrapz. Sheree challenged us to include the colour yellow, string, stripes, and two types of alphas into a layout. Here's my take;


















I love this photo of DD. She is such a cutie... and she NEVER stops talking!!! Drives me mad sometimes!

Today sees the Scrapz.Amour challenges kick off at Scrapz. Do check it out as it should be lots if fun and super inspiring.

In other non-scrappy news, tomorrow I will be an aunty for the first time! I am so excited! My Sis in Law is being induced tomorrow morning. So please keep her in your thoughts and I'll hopefully have some piccies to share really soon!

Enjoy the rest of your week!