Today for Tomorrow

A Flower Pot Card

2012-01-24T20:32:00.002+13:00

Hello and Welcome.

Today I am back with a flower pot card made over the holidays. I made one a couple of years ago with just one large flower but this one is more like a topiary of flowers.

The flowers are Prima and Wild Orchids with some fabric leaves added.

The flowers were attached to a chipboard circle with a glue gun but you do need to be sure of the placement before adding the glue as there is not much time for mistakes.

The skeleton leaves have been in my stash since the early days. Fiskars and Martha Stewart Punches were used. Main PP is MME and top paper is a scrap.

The 'Thinking of You' flag was printed from the computer. Pearls are Kaiser. This card was sent as a bereavement card but I also think they are nice for patients in hospital in lieu of a bunch of flowers (they don't need watering and don't smell, lol).

Grateful thanks for visiting my blog. That's all for today.

Bye for now....
Dianne

Lavender and Lace

2012-01-23T20:30:00.001+13:00

Back again....

The current Lili of the Valley Challenge is 'Lavender and Lace' so I will share this card made as a 'Thinking of You / Get Well" Card recently. I used the Martha Stewart Swirling Lace punch both outside and inside (Love this punch) and the Vintage Floral punch outside as well.

I also love the Cherry Lynn Fanciful Flourish Die which I am sure is going to get lots of use.

and the inside.

Thank you so much for dropping in to view my blog today. Have a great week.

Dianne

Ingvild's Blog Candy

2012-01-23T20:22:00.000+13:00

The Holidays are over - the last 5 days spent camping again so yesterday we packed up and brought everything home including going down 24 km of dusty road then spent several hours cleaning and getting sorted before returning to work today. Well Day-1 at work went well aside from the 80 odd calls I had asking which classes their children would be in this year (.... and they weren't supposed to phone until Wednesday - I have to wonder who actually reads the newsletters!!!!) Enough gripes....

LOOK what arrived early last Tuesday morning.... (DH was going to make me wait to open it, by taking it with us camping, so as not to delay our departure - NO SHOW.) After drooling over it, taking some photos and emailing a thank you to Ingvild I got back on track but it was hard as I didn't take any scrapping with me that time.

I can't wait to get creating with these wonderful products.

Even Ingvild's trademark lamp included and look at the gorgeous birdbath and birds.

The chocolate did get taken camping and hasn't come home (lol).

I have admired these gorgeous Prima flowers on Ingvild's creations for some time but never before have I had them in my stash. Thank you Ingvild - I am so grateful to receive this wonderful Candy.

Now that there are a few home weekend scheduled I am looking forward to getting creative and hopefully blogging those more regularly.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Regards
Dianne

Birthday Wishes - Side Step Card

2012-01-17T10:51:00.000+13:00

Talk about side steps - That is what has been happening all holidays - I have been away, home, away, home, away, home...and this is a brief stop again. Panic... only 6 days left and I feel I have hardly been home. However it has been all good - lots of cuddles with my new grandson and relaxing time at the lake - next time with good friends. Just not all the scrapping I would have liked to have done. I was just getting on a roll last week and it was time to 'side step' again.

So... last week I completed my 1st side-step card for JoJo's Birthday Wishes. Joanne makes absolutely amazing cards - inside and out - so I had a challenge on my hands and had mulled over it for several weeks before finally getting on with it. Here is what I came up with.

Paper is from a DCWV Mariposa Stack, dress form - Kaiser, Flowers - Prima and Wild Orchid, Bling - Prima. Alpha - Prima, Lace from material some 30 years old, and the button bunting idea I recently saw on someone's creation.

I carefully cut around the bird and left the acetate on the back for the window effect.

Well I must away - lots to do and I am feeling a tad guilty blogging when others are doing my garden. eeek!!

Have a great week and thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Until next time......

Dianne

Circa 1918 with Manor House Flower

2012-01-10T17:12:00.000+13:00

Following on from my last post today I am sharing a layout of my grandmother and her brother which includes a Manor House flower. . As soon as I purchased these papers I knew this was the photo for it and then at the Scrappin Patch Spring Retreat I discovered the Manor House flowers that went perfectly.

A Dusty Attic signpost and leaf vine were inked with a chalk ink and lettering Prima canvas. Besides the Manor House large flower are Wild Orchid Flowers. A Martha Stewart around the page punch was used to create the photo frame.

Another day has flown by. A friend came over to scrapbook this morning - we managed two wedding cards for her. (I am still getting started - I have a very special card to make in the next day and think I am procrastinating lol). However I have installed my new printer today and it took a lot longer than expected and while doing that I got stuck on the old family DVD's - wow did I really look like that in the 80's? but it also showed how far our property has come since being a paddock in 1985. Each birthday celebration my father recorded showed a little more progress inside and out. The DVD also refreshed lots of memories and little things we had forgotten about.

Must away and make some scrapping progress. I hope your week is going well. Thank you for visiting today.

Bye for now.....

Dianne

Manor House Creations Flower Giveaway

2012-01-08T09:05:00.001+13:00

Have you discovered Manor House Creations Flowers? - if not take a look - they are gorgeous.

Manor House Creations are having a giveaway.

Here’s what you can win….

…a bag FULL of flowers! There are 3 to win!

TO WIN…….

* ‘Follow’ Manor House blog

* Leave a comment about Manor House Creations flowers – what you think, what you love, what you don’t love…we want to know!

* ‘LIKE’ Manor House Creations on Facebook HERE.

* Leave this image and a link to this post, on your blog.

* * * *

It would be a dream to win this. A scrapper can never have too many flowers.

Thanks for visiting.

Dianne

Family Memories Pouches

2012-01-07T20:14:00.001+13:00

Spring Cleaning has been the focus again today - the porch cupboard bar the photo shelf (I would have never got anything else done if I had got side-tracked on that shelf) which will be kept for another day. I now have to focus on the area where the TV goes in order to accommodate a new entertainment unit (DH bday pressie) so that meant going through the old video's (almost extinct aren't they?) so we have a box full to discard of but have kept all the family videos (taken by my Dad of the extended family) and also all the shows the girls participated in. Prior to Christmas all the extended family videos were put onto DVD's for everyone so I gave my girls a set each for Christmas and made special pouches to put them in (see below). Today I found all the productions they were involved in and a school camp etc so will now take them to the experts to get put onto DVD. We still have a video player but once it doesn't work any more we will be in trouble.

Here are the pouches I made while up camping before Xmas.

Front and backs -

I used one piece of Bazzill and one patterned paper for each one plus some Bo Bunny stickers.

I put little gussets on the pouches to accommodate the thickness of the 5 DVD's and used magnets to keep them closed.
The DVD's were a real hit but nothing was said about the pouches!!! - Never mind it keeps them together. Once I had made the first one they went together reasonably quickly.

That's it for today - back to the spring cleaning.

Have a great weekend. Until next time ....

Dianne

For You

2012-01-06T22:00:00.000+13:00

Today has been a busy one, starting and ending with a major clean out of 'the cottage' (basically a garage which holds all the good things that you keep and keep) - but not any longer as we have had a major cull and there will be a trip to the transfer station tomorrow. We can once again move around freely in the space. But in-between we went to the batch with our DD#3 to have lunch with Mum & Dad and then to town to do a few things. It's good to have achieved something today but no scrapping as yet.

Below is a card made for a friend while up camping prior to Christmas. I have entered it in the Wild Orchid Challenge Week 39 "Christmas Friendship". I used Wild Orchid gold corners but painted them with white paint and then Twinkling H20s and rubbed some off. Flowers and seam binding are Wild Orchids. Papers are assorted MME, Bo Bunny, Websters Pages and DCWC. The dress form is Kaisercraft finished with liquid pearls.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

I had better let DH have some time on the computer as I have certainly had mine.

Take Care until next time .....

Dianne

Five Favourites

2012-01-05T21:36:00.001+13:00

Well I didn't expect to be back so soon but decided to participate in Debby's blog candy challenge. I am in awe of the cards that Debby produces and the 3-D effects on her cards. She must have had a very hard job selecting her favourites.

Here are my five favourites...

All of my card posts can be found here.

Thank you for looking.

Until tomorrow (this time)....

Dianne

Lili's Little Fairies Challenge

2012-01-05T20:59:00.000+13:00

Hi Everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR and thanks for visiting my blog today. Apologies for not getting another post done while in transit last week - we have just returned from another five days at the lakes. Gorgeous weather again however even though I took all the scrapping supplies the opportunity to scrap was limited with just two layouts and a card this time.

When catching up on the many blog posts while away I discovered Lili's Little Fairies Challenge (formerly Lili of the Valley Thursday Challenge) with their 1st Challenge "New Beginnings". This is the new baby card, to welcome little Tilly, I have entered using a cut out Lili of the Valley Image.

Flowers are from Wild Orchids. Flower border is using a Martha Stewart Punch with liquid pearls.

For a change this card went together super quickly. The paper is a tissue type paper that has been in my stash for a while and I then framed it with the silver border to make a nice edge. The insert in the middle was punched around a 5 inch square using the Martha Stewart flower punch as on the front. The stars had also been in my stash for a long time.

Have a happy week.

Until next time..... (all going well - tomorrow)

Dianne

Creative Camping

2011-12-29T23:35:00.001+13:00

But first.... this is who I got to spend Christmas and the last few days with.

- below photos taken today.

'Snug as a Bug in a Rug' in the lovely blanket Great NanNan made him for Christmas below and above in NanNan's knits - little jacket and booties.

Special times and lots of cuddles.

Back to blogging - When I went into Google Reader today after 2 weeks' absence there were 225 blog posts awaiting to be read - I have managed to skim through over half so far.

Now back to the week before Christmas - Creative Camping. I set off for the lake armed with some supplies and was pleased with what I managed to create.....

in a corner of the awning.

and a few closeups - I didn't get time to photograph them properly in the rush between getting home and taking them to Z's album however these shots give the general idea.

A voucher I was given for Xmas was quickly used on this new punch. Layout created with Bo Bunny Gabrielle Collection papers, Martha Stewart Punch and Wild Orchid flowers.

'Hello' also using the Bo Bunny Collection, 2 different Martha Stewart punches and liquid pearls around the circle shapes. Flowers are Wild Orchid.

The layout below was created using Maraposa papers and was the only paper that went with the papers in the limited stash taken camping. Orange alpha are Basic Grey.

It is way past my bedtime so the rest will have to wait for another day.
Hope your week is going well. We have been enjoying some terrific weather. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Take Care

Dianne

Festive Season

2011-12-26T22:56:00.001+13:00

Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Festive Season.

As you can see by my lack of blogging, life leading up to the end of term and Christmas has been very busy. Work finished on 16 December and on 17th we headed for the lakes with the caravan for the week prior to Christmas. We had beautiful calm, hot weather, unfortunately not a lot of fish (not that I am the fisherman but enjoy eating it and sometimes go at 6.30a.m. to drive the boat for DH). Nothing beats an early morning ride on a mirror calm lake with views of Mount Cook and the mountains.

I have lots to share as while up camping I achieved 3 pages of my new first Grandson's first week, 3 cards and 3 DVD pouches - just have to find the time to edit and post them.

We arrived home early Friday morning and were working through the list of pre-Christmas preparation when we got an SOS from DD#3. She had flown from Dunedin to Christchurch that morning for her work Christmas Function and was playing lawn bowls when the first quake hit. After the 3rd one in which she was inside the reception of their accommodtion that was it and dear Mum & Dad were called to collect her and her colleage from Christchurch as they were not coping too well. They now have a new appreciation for what the Christchurch Community are going through.

We had a lovely Christmas Day with our Girls etc and of course our beautiful wee man. We got to baby sit for a couple of hours tonight and he is still asleep since putting him down. I will also be sharing one of my Christmas Presents once photographed - it is a series of photos of my daughter's grand and great grandparents which she altered for an art project and I just love them. I had seen the early stages of the project but not the completed ones so am thrilled to be given them.
Another highlight of Christmas was that I was the lucky winner of Ingvild Bolme's Blog Candy.

Sorry no photos available to post today but I will be back in a couple of days with some.

Thank You for stopping by.

Dianne

Bo Bunny Card

2011-12-09T20:36:00.001+13:00

It's hard to believe that this time last week we had just been to the 5-year-old birthday party. Another week has disappeared.

Here's the little card I made using a Bo Bunny 6x6 pad which I was my prize in the Paper Chase October Sketch Challenge. Check out their December Challenge here. The image is from Lili of the Valley.

I used a scrap of bling for the bunting and used rubons onto the triangles.

Wild Orchid flowers. I basically copied the design from a layout. KindyGlitz added to create a bit of sparkle. ... and a side view!

I haven't got near the scrap room this week. It needs a massive cleanup before I get started on any new projects so better get off and have a look.

Wishing you an enjoyable weekend and hope the weather is kind to us.

Bye for now.....
Dianne

Too Cute

2011-12-07T22:48:00.000+13:00

Just have to go and visit this special wee man in the weekend. He is growing so so fast.

Hope your week is going well.
Bye for now
Dianne

75th Birthday Wishes

2011-12-03T19:45:00.002+13:00

We have just had our fourth summer day in a row - love it! Tomorrow it is supposed to rain though.

Today we celebrated my Mum's 75th Birthday with a trip to Riverstone Kitchen for lunch. The award winning food was up to expectations although a couple of us decided to try something different with the special of the day "Karitane Paddle Crab". While the dish tasted delicious it is not something I would choose to eat at a restaurant again - we were given finger bowls and a little spike type fork to retrieve the crab meat from the legs, in fact it was all legs - what a mess I ended up - breaking the legs squirted sauce all over my top (lucky it was black), I stabbed my finger with the fork and luckily had some plasters in my wallet but I wouldn't be beaten and was last to finish my meal. Consequently we three were a good part of the lunch time entertainment lol. The Riverstone Birthday Cake was delicious and presented beautifully to each of us accompanied by icecream and berries. The hospitality and service superb.

Riverstone is a fantastic venue to visit with the award winning restaurant, homemade preserves can be purchased and three shops have an abundance of gift ideas and Christmas Decorations. With the weather being perfect the children with us enjoyed a play in the magnificent playground with a real looking fort all surrounded in the manicured gardens from which the restaurant vegetables and herbs are grown.

Here is the card I made for Mum.

Created using a Lili of the Valley image with Prima and Tim Holtz papers with Wild Orchid Flowers, pearl hearts and lace with a little Kaiser pink added to the flowers.

the '75' was painted with Shimmer Paint and then coated with Kindyglitz.

I forgot to take a photo of the inside but used a Martha Stewart around the page flower punch for the white piece to write the message.
This week Lili of the Valley Challenge is "Anything but a Christmas Card" so I have entered the above card.

Two little princesses helped NanNan blow out the candles.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

We went to a 5-year old Birthday last night so will be back with that card next time.

Dianne

May all your wishes come true

2011-11-23T22:54:00.000+13:00

It is birthday season for family and friends at the moment so there is no shortage of cards to make for people. I have spent the last two nights (and the night before that pondering lol) creating a birthday card for my sister. I decided I wanted a change from the image ones and didn't think they were really her so this is what I came up with.

Papers are from a MME 'Lost & Found' 6x6 pad.

Roses, lace & Ribbon from Wild Orchid Crafts

Below I included some memorabilia trinkets - an elephant earring (I have lost the other one and the recipient has an elephant collection), a little black cat (she has a black cat) and a guitar - well that is another story.

The doilies are from an old tablecloth that had a trim of hand crocheted motifs. The finish on the upper dress form is liquid pearls swirled around.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. It is not likely that I will be back here before the weekend so have a good one.

Until next time .....
Dianne

A Special Delivery on a Special Day

2011-11-20T18:41:00.000+13:00

11.11.11 will hold an extra special significance for our family now. Our beautiful little first grandchild Zac Braxton Keane was born that day - a month earlier than expected. It was an anxious day as his mum was unwell with a rare pregnancy condition which resulted in an urgent caesarean delivery. Fortunately the delivery went without further complications and little Zac, weighing 4lb 10oz (2.13kg), arrived on the significant day which only occurs once every 100 years. Interestingly 11 has always been DH's lucky number lol. Mother and baby (still in NICU) are doing well and will hopefully be home before too much longer.

The physical distance between us is hard at times like this. We were there for the arrival and last weekend plus returned for the day on Wednesday and now have to wait another 5 sleeps to see them again. So today I thought the best way of dealing with that was to scrap a page. This is my favourite photo so far and was taken by DD#1 on Thursday night. He looked like this when we saw him last on Wednesday night but after carting my camera to the hospital twice that day in anticipation of a shot I forgot to take it the third time.

The Websters Pages Papers have been in my stash awaiting this opportunity for several months. The papers are Lullaby Lane "Out for a Stroll" and Vellum overlay. As I couldn't decide which paper to use I used a craft knife to cut the frame from the under layer and then a slice of the vellum so it could be slipped to the top layer. The pram is now under the overlay but the horse on the overlay looks quite cute.

Finally I used some gauze on a layout (don't know how many times I have got it out, had a play and put it away again). The flower to the left of the above photo is a fabric flower that was on a floral arrangement I received when I had my firstborn (yes I am a hoarder) so it is good to use it at last and especially on the firstborn grandchild's layout.

The organza ribbon bow was of a gift received for Zac.

The weekend has gone far too fast - now that I have started to scrap again I just want to keep going.... I printed a few more baby photos off today so looking forward to scrapping them (meeting Mum and Dad, first bath, first cuddle with Granny to name a few) however a birthday card for this week will have to come first.

I will leave you with a peek of a proud and special moment.

Not sure what I will be called yet but not 'Nana'. Probably Gran or Granny - we'll see what the wee man comes up with at a later date lol. I named one of my grandmother's 'MumMum' - I was the eldest grandchild and her youngest was only four years older than me and with everyone else calling her Mum apparently I just added another one.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Until next time......
Dianne

Wild Orchid Challenge

2011-11-20T11:12:00.001+13:00

Where have I been - well quite a lot of excitement and happenings over the past 10 days but I will fill you in later. However I have not been in my scrap room creating since about my last post on 5 November until 4.30 a.m. yesterday morning when I had given up trying to sleep.

The deadline is looming for the Wild Orchid Challenge #36 - Blue and Brown so I am sharing my entry and card made for my longest time friend's birthday yesterday.

All the embellishments (except the doily and image) are from Wild Orchid Crafts including the lace, pearl stars, pearls, flowers and pin leaf. The image is Lili of the Valley and punch Martha Stewart.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog and to those who have been waiting for updates Thank you for your patience.

Will be back with more when I get a few spare minutes.

Until next time
Dianne

Paper Chase October Sketch Challenge - Winner

2011-11-05T10:12:00.001+13:00

It's Saturday and time to catch up with the online scrap-booking world. I got a lovely surprise when visiting the Paper Chase site to see that I was the lucky winner of the October Sketch Challenge. The entries can be seen on their facebook site here. Also check out the November Sketch Challenge and have a go!

Here is my October Entry.

Who would have thought that girls would be into this ... but they were. It was great fun until they had to wash it off. They just thought they would jump in the batch shower but NanNan had other ideas lol. It is a page I had had been wanting to do for some time and the Paper Chase sketch was just perfect for the photos.

The journalling tag and rub-ons were from a Kaiser Collection. Papers are from a DCWV Mariposa stack and I used a Martha Stewart around the page punch and some Kaisercraft bling.

I had had this spiral arrow for ages so it was nice to use it.

Oops I see a wee glitch in my punching in this closeup however scrap-booking doesn't have to be perfect does it? it adds character lol.

It is a lovely sunny day here today - lawns could be on the agenda later. We were supposed to be going appliance browsing this morning but DH has baby pigeon problems - they have gone awol on their early morning flight and have landed where they shouldn't. Our 10 yo dishwasher has packed up and on speaking to the appliance people it will be very expensive to fix so we are weighing up some options. It is frustrating that things are not made to last these days. Our chest freezer is still chugging along after 33 years. Also a microwave is on the list (we have never had one) but in the recent kitchen renovation we allowed a space so no excuses now.

Must away and get motivated for the day. Have an enjoyable fun weekend.

Until next time...

Dianne

Amazing Technology

2011-11-03T22:47:00.000+13:00

A few weeks ago I was privileged to be at the 32 week scan of our first grand child and what a thrill it was to see a clear 3D image on the screen. Technology sure has come a long way - it is amazing. I was unsure if the new parents would want to part with the photo but I was allowed to bring it home to scrap so once again we are up to date with the album lol. Continuing with the Bo Bunny Gabrielle Collection, which I have created the previous layouts with, this is what I came up with. I wanted to utilise the patterned paper so added just minimal embellishments.

Embellishments include a Kaiser Swirl, Prima flower, Wild Orchid flowers, Tim Holtz Grungboard numbers. The heart and 'D' I made from chipboard with the D being a double layer doubled together and put through the Cuttlebug in an embossing folder to give it texture.

Another week is almost over - a busy week at work. We were astonished and gutted yesterday to discover that 5 fruit trees were stolen over night from the school's recently planted orchard - unbelievable. However today we were inundated with kind offers of trees and funds to replace them. There are so many generous, kind people about for which we are very grateful. I certainly hope the thieves get what they deserve.

Must away to bed. Thank you for visiting. Have a lovely weekend.

Bye for now.
Dianne

Cards with WebstersPages

2011-10-30T21:44:00.002+13:00

Another weekend is over. My new hobby is lawn mowing lol - 3 hours for our own yesterday and today we had a family lunch / working bee at Mum and Dad's Batch so more mowing but I am not complaining as I enjoy purposeful exercise and I must have had some by the feel of some muscles now. Eighteen arrived for lunch and it is amazing how much work can be achieved in a short time when everyone gets behind it. The reason for the day was a large fallen tree from all the wind and rain a couple of weeks ago and within an hour it was felled, chopped up, stacked and cleaned up. Others were weed eating, weeding, mowing lawns and inside spring cleaning while we enjoyed the entertainment of some little people and 4 cute puppies. On the way my DH said I hope there is something nice for lunch - I replied whenever does my mother NOT have something nice - She is an amazing cook and baker. This is the lunch spread plus dessert of course.

And relaxing after the work was done. Everyone was too busy to take photos of the action. We should do this more often.

And last night I created a couple of cards using 6 x 6 inch Websters Pages Papers and Lili of the Valley images. The first for a 10 year old birthday.

And the second one as best wishes for an upcoming school camp.

Thank you for visiting. Have a great week.

Until next time ....
Dianne

Dream

2011-10-26T20:00:00.002+13:00

Continuing with the last week's layouts for this one I used a Gabrielle Pollacco Sketch found here. Mine is not as Shabby Chic as Gabrielle's style but I was using the papers available to me. However I do like the result and am sure I will use it again some time.

A few butterflies cut from Kaiser paper were added.

Also a few older Prima flower, some lace and bling leaves. The title is velum which was in the stash.

Not such great colour on the last one.

And while we are on this colour scheme here is another cutie.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Until next time
...Dianne

Just a few more

2011-10-25T20:01:00.000+13:00

The first day of term whizzed by - a very busy office but all good.

Today I will share just a few more layouts created this week. The first using memorabilia, the card sent to people.

I haven't been one to use flags much on layouts but liked it on this one. Also I have had a new appreciation for the liquid pearls. They took a bit of getting used to at first but really they are so versatile and effective.

And as I only had one punch set in Dunedin with me the new vintage floral one was used a several layouts.

And this layout "The Pool" - nice and bright for a change and I made good use of the Sizzix circle die cuts - something I have only done with fabric before.

And "Mr Serious" but very cute all the same.

All of the layouts were made using the stash paper given to me. My new challenge to myself is to now use my (extensive) stash of papers to create my layouts and to resist buying until I have made a hole in it. (wonder how long that will last - lol) That may not be too hard though as I can't make any of the local crops between now and the end of the year so some of the temptation is out of the way.

That's all for now. Wishing you all a good week. Thank you for visiting.

Bye...

Dianne

World Champions

2011-10-24T11:50:00.001+13:00

Congratulations to the All Blacks and their support team on winning the RWC 2011. Not usually a rugby follower, last night's game had to be watched, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat at times. It really was so close but a deserved win all the same.

As mentioned in an earlier post, during the last week I have been creating some layouts of a cute baby boy - 10 in total. I had to wait for the results of last night's game before putting the finishing touches on this one.

He looks as if he was 'born to play rugby' in this little outfit especially with the pose. As I like to include memorabilia where possible on my pages I downloaded some images from the net to include on the page.

I digitally altered the ball to include the details of the final. The flag was included to make out he was holding it.

I have enjoyed scrapping the boy themed pages (getting into practice for the arrival of our Grandson in December lol) and have only included flowers on 2 out of 10 pages.

Here are a couple more

All the papers have been from the stash I was given so that has been a good challenge in using what is available and also used the stash embellishments too such as the letters for Yum. I thought the M had already been used so used the outline shape and stuck it before finding the actual M - never mind this one was stuck fast. Oh I did buy a sheet of Kaiser Animal paper for embellishing the pages.

Must away. Looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow for the busy Term 4.

Thank you for visiting. Until next time ....
Dianne

the POSE for Prima

2011-10-22T13:09:00.000+13:00

Hello everyone and WELCOME

I enjoyed creating this month's Prima BAP with the lovely Moulin Rouge Papers and accessories together with a DA Frame.
This is the October Sketch

...and my take.

With such a beautiful model and how could you go wrong. (photo taken by my DSis) The DA 0606 Garden Frame was sprayed with Tattered Angels Cranberry Glimmer Mist.

Prima Moulin Rouge stickers were added to the lace and punched border.

Finally I found a spot for the Vintage bling bird.

The alpha were Creative Memories and Making Memories and the tiny ones Kaiser

Circle border created with a Martha Stewart punch and finished with strip of Kaiser Pearls. The flowers are Prima.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. It is a bit cool today but the sun is peeking through so I am off to spread another 8 bags of compost and plant a plant ..... then reward myself with some scrap room time...

Your visit to my blog is truly appreciated. Feel free to leave a comment to let me know you have called.

Until next time...
Dianne

Wedding Anniversaries and Wedding Card

2011-10-21T14:34:00.001+13:00

Where has the time gone? The holidays have whizzed past. I thought I would blog more in the holidays but it wasn't to be. I spent a few days in Dunedin catching up with the girls. Before going I created a wedding card which is off to Thailand next Tuesday and took my scrapping kit with the plan of making a 55th Wedding Anniversary Card for my Mum and Dad. That didn't happen while there as my DD had sourced some photos of their little 9 month old friend and a whole lot of papers from his Mum and consequently they were so cute I had to scrap them so I was as happy as anything creating away especially on the day of the atrocious weather conditions on Tuesday. I managed 5 pages and have yet to take some photos with another 4 layouts pending.

So yesterday morning the anniversary card for 55 years was created before going out for lunch with family to celebrate. - forgot to take a photo of the card though but will when I am visiting next. We had a lovely lunch at the Shearers Quarters and a brief visit to the batch. Today my DH and I achieve 33 years of marriage and tomorrow DD & SIL - their first year.

Today I will share the wedding card

I used embossing and punching. I was thrilled to find the Martha Stewart Vintage Floral punch last week so just had to have it.

The rubon is Kaisercraft and image Lili of the Valley.

Flowers and pearl hearts are Wild Orchids. Pearl leaves - Zva

and on the inside the heart is coated with liquid pearls.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit. Have a lovely weekend. Go the All Blacks on Sunday.

Until next time when I will be back with the Prima October BAP entry.

Dianne

Mr & Mrs - for Lets Get Shabby

2011-10-12T16:06:00.001+13:00

It was a case of burning the 'midnight candle' last night (just because I could and I was on a roll) - in fact lights out 2am. This layout had been the pipeline for a week or two and it was going to be completely different. Lets Get Shabby's Challenge this month was to be inspired by this picture and use paint and flowers.

I love the peaches and cream theme. I started off with a resist paper which had a circle on it and painted it with glimmer glam paint but what a disaster (that paper is now in the bin), so then I had to dig in the stash and luckily found some papers in the tone and also a beautiful peach knitted doily and this is how it ended up.

I was inspired by the romance of the dining room setting and thus a wedding layout. The chandelier inspired me to add the bling to the layout. The crisp white lace added the freshness. The base paper is Making Memories Je t'adore - a perfect wedding paper with the little gold border of hearts and flourishes. Other PP used was MME Lost & Found Madison Avenue "Girlfriends" J'adore Paper and the photo bordered with Bella Wedding.

I used some really old silk ribbon for a bow. Flowers are a mixture of Prima and Wild Orchids with Kaiser stems peeking out

The paint aspect was painting the chipboard circles first with Gesso and then with Glimmer Glam. The pearl hearts are from Wild Orchids. The trinket "Mr & Mrs" is Making Memories as are the alpha.

The square paper doily was from my stash. The Alpha were mounted on pp and cut around with a craft knife before inking the edges to make them stand out but not too much. The bling was Zva Creative.

I am really pleased with the finished LO and the layout looks better in the flesh - peachy colours seem hard to photograph. It was a great challenge - now on to the next one - maybe Prima October BAP - have a perfect photo for the Moulin Rouge collection.

Thank you for your continued visiting of my blog and WELCOME to anyone new. I hope your week is going well.

Until next time
...Dianne

On This Day

2011-10-11T15:39:00.000+13:00

On this Day 78 years ago my grandparents were married. They were married two months short of 65 years when my grandmother passed away. On this day nine years ago my Grandad passed away - that day signified 69 years since their wedding day, Grandad was 92. They had a very special relationship and were devoted to each other. Here is a wedding/anniversary layout I did a while back.

This photo was taken in the latter years when Gran was in a home - Grandad would visit every day and often he would play music and sing together. Here is a canvas created quite a while back. I did a series of my grandmother as a girl, young lady and a bride.

I remember them every day as these canvases are on my wall but especially today, 11 October.

Well today I have a paper war at home, and unfortunately not in the scrap room lol, but cleaning the top of the filing cabinet and computer desk after an accumulation of ....dare I say it... probably 9 months so it has taken a good portion of the day between getting side-tracked on the computer and along with having an emergency appointment at the dentist as a piece fell off a couple of days ago. ( The numbness has just worn off.) Day 2 of the holidays almost gone.....

Thank you so much for visiting.

Until next time......
Dianne

Maud

2011-10-10T20:57:00.000+13:00

It took a bit of finding but here is the photo of the layout I mentioned a couple of posts ago - my beloved first car 'Maud'. Maud is parked outside my grandparent's house in Otautau in about 1977-78 when my Mum and I went on an adventure to visit. It was by 2nd big trip away (the 1st being to Ashburton an hour up the road lol). I remember it being very scarey going over the Kilmog near Dunedin and willing the car to get up the hill. PP are Prima as are the flowers.

As I didn't have a good shot of the front of the car I improvised by finding an image on the net and editing the number plate. The number plate is significant to as it is the time of birth of Lisa's sister (Lisa commented on my blog 2 posts ago and Maud is her grandmother) S phoned me once to see if I could remember the number plate number as it was the time of her birth 11:49.
This is a sideways shot - included in the layout is the ownership papers tucked under the circle and a replica key.

Every time I pass a Morris Minor, especially a green one, I miss my old car. My DH gave it and his Morrie Van to the Morris Minor Club around 1997 as they were just rusting away under a tree and at that time we couldn't see us ever restoring them.....

Well we went on another journey in the weekend to the Ellesmere District to catch up with our Bestman, Groomsman & their wives and watch the rugby - 4 games in 2 days - whew I did it .... but it is not really me. However the two days were quite relaxing and we got to go on a Fire Brigade Fundraising Garden Walk yesterday which included the garden of Dan Carter's parents and the goal post and location where he first kicked his goals. What a shame we didn't get to see him in action last night but we will be thinking of him as he undergoes his surgery and recovery. We got home just before lunch today, loaded up the pigeons and I took them back up to near Ashburton for a fly home as DH had work commitments (the things we do) so with that, some grocery shopping and catching up on the 70 odd blog posts while I was away 'Day 1' of the holidays is practically over. Could be a good scrapping day tomorrow if this weather doesn't improve.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.

Until next time .....
Dianne

So Sweet

2011-10-08T09:43:00.000+13:00

There are so many gorgeous papers around and it seems a shame to cover them up or cut them up even though the paper I have used on this layout is a K & Company one called "Cut and Paste Butterfly Memories". So for me this is a different type of scrap booking (but they still seem to take too long to put together) as there is minimal additions to the paper allowing the pretty paper to be showcased. Another plus of this is that the dimension is minimal so easier to store in an album.

A punched border (Stamping Up Punch) was added to the PP rather than trimming the edges and mounting it on another piece of paper. Below is the only additions to the PP

and a few closeups.

Some Dusty Attic Music Notes finished with Opals. Other pp used were MME.

Prima Canvas Letters mounted on a felt floral (something that has been in my stash for a long time).

Well I am so pleased it is Saturday after battling a nasty head cold all week and having to keep chugging along with it being the last week of term and all. I am pleased to say that I never coughed all night and am feeling much better today. Two weeks holiday - yay! but lots to do at home.

I haven't watched any WC games yet but tonight is the night - as we meet with friends from afar to watch it together. It will be great to spend time with them.

Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Bonjour

2011-10-03T17:55:00.001+13:00

Bonjour everyone.

The inspiration for the title of course comes as a result of the lovely Kaiser Bonjour Collection which has been recently released. I love the colours and designs of this collection and we were lucky enough to get to use it early up at the Scrapping Patch Spring Retreat at Glentui recently. Steph Devlin designed a lovely layout as shown and then with the excess supplies I decided to replicate the design as much as I could into a Birthday Card. Here is my layout.

The chipboard french word 'Je t'aime' means "I Love You" so I felt it was perfect for wedding vows and the back of the bride's dress was laced as on the chippie on the layout.

And the card.

The photo is replaced with flowers and a Websters Pages Embellishment.

I thoroughly enjoyed creating this layout and card with such beautiful papers.

Hope you had a good weekend. The weather here was very summery yesterday so that enticed me outside to do the lawns, wash my car and the outside of the caravan - subsequently I have sore muscles today and a head cold for good measure. I did manage a layout on Saturday night - this month's challenge over at Paper Chase here. It is a good way of using lots of photos on a page.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for taking the time to comments on my last post. I am glad I made Lisa's day - Auntie Maud was very special and special to me as I brought my 1st car, a Morris Minor, off her and named my car Maud. I did a layout for a challenge once so will post it next time.

Well it is that time of day when it's time to make tea so must away for now....

Dianne

Just an Ordinary Day

2011-09-30T22:17:00.002+13:00

Hello - another week done and dusted and it has been another busy one.

I did manage to get three layouts completed last weekend though so was pleased with that. They all took longer than they should have though - far too much procrastinating. I finally got a photo of this one taken this morning as today is the deadline for the Dusty Attic September Sketch Challenge. See the sketch here.

This photo has been floating around waiting for the right moment for some time now and when I found the gorgeous MME Lost and Found range at Scrapping Patch Spring Retreat I knew they were the ones for the photo. The photo is of my Grandfather and his sister on a bicycle outing circa 1927. In those days it was nothing for them to bike out to the river some 10 miles away for a picnic. I love their baggage - the basket and leather bag. Obviously they are holding the photographer's bike also. Here is my take.

I added a little bike trinket to the hidden tag where the journaling will go.

The Title tag is also from the Lost and Found Collection. The frame is a DA Garden Frame Set DA0606.

Dusty Attic cogs glimmer misted with gold and a Websters Pages embroidered bird were added.

String and brads created the cris-crossed effect and a necklace happened to break that day so I recycled the chain to hold a little bicycle trinket and also used the chain in the top photo down the right side of the photo.

Thank you for visiting my blog - it is truly appreciated but I would love to know who is visiting so feel free to leave a comment.

Have a wonderful weekend whatever you may be doing. My agenda includes mowing lots of lawns but that is good productive exercise so I don't mind. Then hopefully some scrap room time.

Take care. Until next time....

Dianne

Dress Up Fun

2011-09-24T20:18:00.001+12:00

Today I post another Raincliff layout, a double page lo, "Dress Up Fun" created with those lovely Bo Bunny papers. This is a layout going back to the 80's and 90's. Our girls have loved dressing up from an early age and we have always had dress up boxes (suitcases) which had a regular outing at Birthdays when they played "Musical Dressups" (something we did as children too). These photos though are of random dress up times with neighbours and relatives. I wanted to include as many photos as possible on the page.

The Raincliff challenges included using stamps so I used a couple of Kaiser Stamps on the layout. The Bo Bunny paper was flipped for the 2nd page to balance it.

This weekend is South Canterbury is a long day as we have Anniversary Day on Monday - yay - my kind of weekend (3 days). I haven't managed to get to the scrap room yet but am aiming for a Sunday Scrap Day as the weather isn't supposed to be flash tomorrow. The house work and final unpacking of kitchen boxes beckoned today and tonight I might tackle the recipe drawer.

Today I also took my M & D on a short trip to meet their latest Great Grandson - a lovely wee chap just three weeks old. We also enjoyed seeing another two Great Grand daughters and Great Grandson having fun playing together.

Well that is all for today and I think that this layout is the end of my recent ones so I hope my mojo is active tomorrow or it could be a while before any more.

Have a great weekend....
Until next time ....
Dianne

Steph Devlin's Classes

2011-09-20T18:30:00.001+12:00

Steph Devlin has posted about her NZ trip and classes at Scrapping Patch here. ...So today I will share the OTP class and also the self paced kit. The other class will be posted at a later date as we have to wait until the papers are available in the shops for publishing it.

First is the OTP Canvas created with Imaginarium Designs Chipboard and Websters Pages Product. Steph named it the 'Pink Project'.

Of course the frame required painting and paintbrushes and me don't go that well together so I used a little foam roller to paint mine and it gave it more of a smooth stipple finish. I often use a roller for a smooth finish - it probably takes more paint but it is worth it.

We had to cut a WP doily in half (that was hard) but looking at the bright side the other half will be able to be used on another project sometime.

Next the 'Love You Forever' Layout using Pink Paislee PP and Imaginarium Designs Chipboard. I used photos of my daughter's wedding day for both projects.

The green vine was coated with Glimmer Glam and while wet coated with Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter. I hadn't covered mine quite enough so ended up spraying with Glimmer mist and re-coating with glitter. The 'Love You' words were painted with gesso and I finished them off with white chalk ink.

Lots of lovely punches were used. I would love to find the Vintage Floral punch to buy for myself.

To date I still haven't achieved any more scrapping on the home front - things keep getting in the way however hopefully tonight when Scrap group is at my place that may get me going again.

Hope your week is going well. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Prima BAP September

2011-09-19T17:48:00.003+12:00

Today my muscles are recovering from the lawn mowing efforts at the working bee yesterday - it is obvious I haven't used some muscles in a while lol.

Never mind - I managed to complete the Prima BAP for September while at Glentui last weekend.
The sketch -

and my take

I used the lovely pastel Pixie-Glen papers together with a felt gate, Winter branches Grape vine, flowers and leaves.

some lace, punched music paper border and a little Prima Locket were included.

It was nice to get back to some Heritage scrapping with a photo of my Great Great Grandmother Ekin and her daughter. It is a photo that I have been trying to use for some time but the colour I printed the photo turned out to be restrictive however I liked it on the light background. I will include their names in the box at the top right when I hunt them out.

Thanks for visiting. Have a great week.

Until next time .....
Dianne

Spring Garden - New Life

2011-09-18T09:09:00.002+12:00

Where did Saturday go? It was my first Saturday home in a month and I found it hard to get motivated. However I did take the time to smell the flowers so to speak, enjoy the garden and take some photos but I cannot take the credit for the garden. Thanks to two special people who help us with our garden it is looking lovely. The 1000's of daffodils have been flowering for a few weeks but this week the magnolia is blooming as are all the blossom trees. It is a real spring garden, since scrap booking took over, as the 100's of annuals I used to plant doesn't happen any more. I had another play with the panoramic setting on the camera and still need more practice. The East garden is on a slope (as you will see by the photo) and of course everything looks much better in the flesh. This photo was taken at ground level so if the opportunity arises again I will have another go at house level (the sun is too bright right now).

and a couple of closeups

My Dad made the stone sculpture

We have an exciting time ahead as we are to become 1st time grandparents in December and so far I am keeping up to date with the photos lol. I have been using the lovely Bo Bunny Gabrielle collection to record the scan photos. The first two layouts were created at the Dunedin Crop in June.

The scan pics were very delicate so I had put them in photo protectors thus difficult to photograph but you get the general idea.

And the next one, started at Glentui last weekend, was finished yesterday the 20 wk scan. The title is from Imaginarium Designs and butterflies - Cheery Lynn Designs.

Hope the radiologist got it right or that will be another story lol. I have included a blank tag for C to write her own personal journalling on.

It is another lovely day today so we are off to M & D's batch for a working bee and then hopefully I will have some more Scrap room time later. Must away and make some muffins to take. Baking in my new oven is still a novelty.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Until next time......
Dianne

The dawning day

2011-09-16T19:51:00.000+12:00

Another week has whizzed by and I just don't seem to get to my scrap room at nights these days. .... to tired most nights. So today I am going back three weeks to some creations made at Raincliff at the Embellish It Crop.

Tania had included lots of challenges over the weekend including supplying us with a Kaiser Kit to create with. I opted for a layout with the lovely bright papers. Another challenge was to include sewing on the page so I stitched some leaves onto the layout with the templates and cotton which was also given to us from a sponsor. We were very spoilt.

I used a Martha Stewart flower punch for a border.

A closeup of the stitching.

Another challenge was an altered background. This was really going outside my comfort zone as while I consider myself creative I find altered backgrounds usually require artiness (which is challenging for me). However with only 2 hours left to go until the challenges closed I had no time to ponder and just had to 'DO IT'. I took a newly purchased Dusty Attic border and used it as a mask and sprayed some plain card stock with Glimmermist. It ended up my quickest page to date at 1 hour 20 minutes. I used the back of the DA template so will be able to use it on another project.

The photo was taken from our laundry door (and is the ever changing view we have most days from our Kitchen window). I was playing around with the landscape setting on the camera which knitted three shots together. The punch is my favourite EKSuccess one and the leaf flourish is "Flourish with a Bling" available from Embellish It. The black alpha are Tim Holtz.

Another challenge was to include a beach or snow photo. This was the closest to a beach photo that I had with me.

While most will probably be settling into watching the big game tonight I think I will take a look in the scrap room and try and get inspired to finish a couple of projects planned last weekend.

Thank you for visiting my blog and for the comments received this week. They are truly appreciated.

Until next time...... Have a great weekend.
Dianne

New Baby Welcome

2011-09-13T20:03:00.002+12:00

We had an addition to our extended family 13 days ago with the birth of my great-nephew. I was lucky enough to meet him on the way home from Glentui on Sunday and have a cuddle for 20 minutes or so. He is very cute and doing well. Here is what I made to welcome him.

A couple of cloth roses added.

Just love this cute little toy.

And the card with a Lili of the Valley image.

and the inside above. I used rubons on the corners.

Just a short post today. Hope your week is going well.

Until next time....
Dianne

Has it really been that long?

2011-09-11T22:00:00.000+12:00

'A' said to me last week that the last time I updated my blog was 20 August ... Has it really been that long? ...Yes it has. It is not that I haven't been doing anything or creating anything but there just aren't enough hours in the days.

I have just returned home from a third weekend in a row away. Two weeks ago I attended the Embellish It Crop at Raincliff. Another great weekend with lots of challenges, good company, food and fun. Last weekend was in Dunedin to see my girls and my Dad who had an op but is fine now... and it was Father's Day. This weekend Jo and I headed off to Glentui (near Oxford in North Canterbury) for the Scrapping Patch Spring Retreat which featured Australian Scrap Designer Steph Devlin who tutored two classes - we thoroughly enjoyed Steph's classes and it was a nice venue where we were well catered for by the owners. Thanks Adrienne for organising the great weekend. Steph is a wonderful friendly tutor who designed some amazing projects for us. It was also nice to meet Anne, and Michelle in person after having made contact through Inspire and Scrapbook. com forums, and Francine who's name appears on the Prima BAP list and also catch up with the girls from down south - Dunedin and Balclutha. Apart from the sandflies who decided to hide in the car as we packed it to come home it was an event well worth attending.

So while I achieved four layouts and two cards at Raincliff and one OTP class, two Steph Devlin layouts and a further layout and card this weekend today I will just share the two cards from Raincliff.

First up is Fathers Day (not a great photo though). It was a Bo Bunny Weekend as they seemed to suit every project I tackled at Raincliff.

Next up is a birthday card for a friend. Once again with the lovely Bo Bunny pp.

I made an easel card and used a cute Martha Stewart flower punch.

Flowers from Wild Orchids and the little green leaves were left over from a 'Stamping Up' Card class. They are made from leaves punched from cardstock and then put through an embossing folder.

The flower centres were finished with little pearls but after I had done this I saw someone else's project where they had used liquid pearls and they looked equally as nice.

Well that is all for today. One very weary camper needs to go to bed.

Spring is here - have a great week.

Until next time......
Dianne

Better late than Never - Purple layout

2011-08-20T14:51:00.000+12:00

I hope everyone survived the snow and cold last week. Lovely to see the sun and blue skies again.

I have finally finished the layout for Week 5 of the Colour Class at Big Picture. (Class now finished)
On the layout I used the Aubergine fabric from my daughter's dress on the layout and also made flowers from the fabric.

The title are Basic Grey alpha painted with Twinkling H2Os and mounted on a 'Flourish with a Bling' flourish (available at Embellish It)

The leaves below are from a Stamping Up and punched after the cardstock was put through an embossing folder - very effective. Found this technique at one of Deb McRobie's classes recently.

I made the flower from the ball dress fabric by cutting out with the Tim Holtz diecut and layering up, securing in the middle and then applying heat from a heat gun to curl the petals up. (Thanks Tania for this tip) Glass beads were added for the stamens.

Finished off with some Prima flowers, bling and leaves together with Wild Orchid flowers.

I have a scrappy time ahead with the Embellish It Raincliff Retreat next weekend and then in 3 weeks the Scrapping Patch Spring Retreat at Glentui Meadows with Steph Devlin the guest tutor. I am looking forward to both but have a bit of organising to do with photos etc.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Until next time

Catching UP

2011-08-15T17:40:00.000+12:00

Where has the last week gone? I hope everyone is managing to keep warm during this polar blast. My girls and s-i-l came to visit on Saturday but made a hasty retreat back to Dunedin yesterday morning and luckily made it through. They felt that had they been another half an hour later they wouldn't have got through.

We have had a mixed weather bag today - sunshine, snow, wind, hail, rain and a day at home from work although I did work at home. I was relieved that School was closed today as from past experience it is not a good idea to open in a town where snow is a novelty - the wet floors are hazardous with children slipping over and hurting themselves, many do not dress for the conditions and are crying with cold and parents of those who do attend are anxious wondering when and if they will be required to pick up children due to changes in the conditions. Besides all that they cannot concentrate when looking out the window at the snow.   Better at home for all!! ... except for the parents who still have to go to work I suppose.

So much for getting my purple page done and posted the weekend before last - it is still on the table in bits. However I have caught up and finished the colour cards, made a cover and bound them in a book.   The Colour Class has now finished.   I had already completed the black colour card before the polar blast. It is another retro photo taken in Central Otago many years ago. Even though it is white snow I chose to use it on the black page due to the neutral colours in the photo and it reminds me of the black snowy sky that we have been experiencing periodically today.

I used packaging for the black part of the page and then liquid pearls which depict snow flakes. The punch is a Martha Stewart one.

For the white page, although it also contains black I chose this for the 'cleanliness & crispness' of the white shirts and I suppose you could also take purity and innocence from the photo too lol.

The punch is EK Success.. Pic is my sister and I in our Girls Brigade Uniforms. Not the best photos as I forgot to take them before mounting in the book.

Week six of the Colour class gave a handout and video on making a cover. I decided to bind mine using the concertina type method - mainly figured out as I went. A few pics.

Well that is it for today.

It is snowing again as I write this - if this keeps up will we make it to work tomorrow? - I will have to try anyway - a few deadlines looming.

Until next time KEEP WARM...........

Dianne

Purple and Roses

2011-08-05T20:05:00.000+12:00

While on the colour purple I recently created this quick card with a Lili of the Valley image. I love the purple and green together. This week at Lili of the Valley their Challenge is ROSES, requiring roses to be included somewhere on the card.

Created with Wild Orchids flowers and lace.

and Prima PP (Green).

Thanks for visiting.

Until next time.....
Dianne

P.S. Didn't expect to be back so soon. lol.

A Great Week One!, and Purple

2011-08-05T19:18:00.000+12:00

Last Monday I started a new job back in a Primary School as Office Manager. What a lovely week I have had - The staff, students and parents have been so welcoming. I have had emails, welcomes over the phone, cards and today a lovely parent brought in a cyclamen in a lovely textured fabric basket to welcome me. The children are delightful and so helpful and independent. They have even been trained to get their own plasters and ice cubes for minor injuries which is fantastic. My mind is packed full, coming to grips with all the tasks involved but I am loving my new job and am even keen to get there in the mornings (not usually a good morning person lol). ... so all in all a GREAT WEEK. One morning though I hadn't slept well in the night and must have gone back into a deep sleep, waking at 7.57am for an 8.30am start. Amazingly I made it by 8.30.

Consequently I have been on a work high instead of a scrapping high and haven't got anything done since last weekend. Still have the purple layout to do and now Week 6 which are the neutrals. Today I will share the purple colour card from last week.

Another Retro photo circa 1965. My sister's birthday party where the popular colour was purple. Recognise anyone? Along with the popular colour was border anglaise lace which I have included on my page. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will be back with my purple layout.

We are still without a kitchen and dined, once again, in the caravan tonight - very cosy and quite alright. Tomorrow is the day that the kitchen is installed so hopefully without too many hitches. By this time next week we may be back to normal???? but lots of work before then though, both for the installer and putting everything back. Another task tomorrow though is being the 'good wife' and that means because DH is working and it is mating season for the pigeons I have to make half hourly trips down to the pigeon loft to let one pair out of their compartment at a time - every half hour?#@?&^ - the things we do??? I have a map of the order in which to carry out the task lol.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Have a wonderful weekend.

Bye for now....
Dianne

The Fox

2011-08-02T18:45:00.001+12:00

For Prima's BAP for July I decided to use the Prima Moulin Rouge collection which I was lucky enough to win at an Embellish It Crop a while back. In fact I won again last Saturday but as I had already won twice in the last 6 months I drew another name out and it happened to be another Diane who won.

Back to the layout which is of DD#3 dressed up in her late grandmother's fox for a fancy dress party. Very brave - I can't stand touching it at all. I felt the papers were made for the photo. The Prima sketch...

Here is my take.

Oops I hadn't noticed that the alpha had moved when I photographed it.

I sliced and manipulated strips of punched paper around the circle and covered the join with the trim.

The crocheted flour was a bit creamy so I sprayed it with gold glimmer mist and that helped it blend in better and match the chipboard tags on the right of the page. .

A Dusty Attic flourish was added - inked and the edges distressed with gold.

and to finish off some seam binding ribbon.

Monday saw my first day at a new job and I really enjoyed it. Lots to learn, lots to remember but loving the variety, the nice light bright office and friendly welcoming staff so far.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. Your visits are appreciated.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Catching Up

2011-08-01T18:43:00.001+12:00

It's been a while since I updated due to a week away so now I am playing 'Catch Up' with the Colour ,or is it Color Class! Week 4 was the colour BLUE. I found another perfect retro photo for the blue colour card - for blue the following words are mentioned and when I look at the photo I see it all - peace, tranquility, calm, relaxation, reliability & trust (tyre), serene, refreshing, cleanliness.

My 'build it' layout is to Nic's sketch and colouring on her example.

A very linear design for me but another layout done for my daughter's album and a good way to record a sequence of events. It would have been nice to printed the journalling directly onto the paper but after one, almost disastrous, attempt I went for the vellum option. The paper got caught in the printer and it had to be the orange colour which I didn't have any more of so had to straighten it out and think again.

We are without our kitchen at the moment so no dinner to cook tonight. My lovely sister is feeding us today so we still haven't had to resort to takeaways.

Well that is all for now......
Thank you for stopping by. Back next time with my entry in the Prima BAP for July - done in the nick of time.

Keep warm, it looks like another clear frosty night tonight.
Dianne

Using Packaging

2011-07-18T19:37:00.001+12:00

I am a bit of a hoarder when it comes to packaging and it paid off this week the bonus handout was all about using packaging so I decided to finally use the saved up packaging to create this layout.

Apart from the black and white cardstock the patterned items are all from Prima Packaging including some of the plastic flower backings. I used the same layout sketch as from my post yesterday. I started off thinking I would do another sketch but the mojo was slow and time was at a premium so I reverted back to the familiar one and am pleased with the way it turned out. This week's class sketch is very versatile.

Tim Holtz film strip was used to border the three tiny photos.

I felt that the row of circles depicted soccer balls. The layout was finished with a Prima bling flourish.

The photo is sewn onto a frame of Prima Packaging.

The layout was finished with yellow and green ric-rac and a soccer ball brad together with more packaging with the words grow, play and COURAGE.

Prima have been leaders in providing pretty packaging but more suppliers now seem to be doing the same so consider how you could use what you are throwing away. Recently I was given some gifts wrapped in beautiful paper so have saved them in the hope just the right layout will be worthy of it - that way it is saved. Not only is Nic's class making me more aware of the colours around me I will probably be hoarding more (lol).

Hope your Monday is going to plan. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

Goodbye for now.
Dianne

Green This Week

2011-07-17T19:06:00.000+12:00

After a few issues getting the class downloaded I managed to compete the green card for the week, a green layout and also a
'green green' layout (made with packaging). I have had trouble with the Big Picture site all weekend but it seems it could be something to do with my Firewall so have tried a couple of things and it seems a little faster but definitely not instant.

First my green card page. Another retro pic of my brother and I in our paddling pool.

I have had the little green flower with ladybird since I first begun scrapping - nice to use it at last.

In keeping with the challenge to myself of adding to two of my daughter's albums while participating in the Colour Class this layout is of my eldest daughter's formal a few years ago. I had scanned and printed out the photos but they just weren't any where near the quality of originals so ended up using the originals and putting the reprints in my slip album so I didn't leave complete gaps.

These photos do not show the detail on the dress either - it was a lovely Aubergine colour with a patterned chiffon overlay over the bodice and the scarf was made of the chiffon also. I would have liked to include some chiffon on the page but it overtook the page. I was pleased to finally use the Dusty Attic Vine which was glimmer misted and inked and finished with Kindyglitz for some sparkle. PPs are Bo Bunny.

The butterflies and flower vine were cut from the Bo Bunny Papers. Note the 'remember' word tucked in the vine above - from Prima packaging.

Finished with some lace and trim and Wild Orchid roses placed throughout the vine.

It has been a busy weekend - we now have half a kitchen and it will be like that for a few weeks. Amazing how we can improvise when we have to and NO we haven't had takeaways YET!

Today was a warm sunny beautiful winter's day here - I had planned to go to Dunedin for a couple of nights but couldn't leave this lovely weather and all the jobs today so reconsidered and will just go for one night.

I will leave it here for today and post my other 'GREEN' Green page next post.

Wishing you all a good week. Until next time...
Dianne

A little Prima Card

2011-07-16T08:07:00.001+12:00

I am still working on the colour 'green' projects for this week's Big Picture Class so in the meantime here is a little card I made in April - you could say it is green too. Made totally from lovely Prima papers with the addition of a handmade 2.

The little people were cut from the papers and mounted with 3D tape to pop them up.

The inside

Right - back to the green task - only today left to get it completed.

Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for calling by.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Winding Up Orange and Yellow

2011-07-14T19:54:00.000+12:00

I have been hanging out for this week's 'Green' Class all day and it was put up at 7.00 p.m. however while I got to watch Nic's video everyone else in the class must be trying to download at the same time as the PDF files will not appear. .... So in the meantime another post on Orange and Yellow.

Today was spent packing up my kitchen in readiness for a makeover. It's surprising what you rediscover and due to the Colour Class take notice of. I found this little pottery tea set which I won in a raffle about 12 years ago that had found its way to be back of the top cupboard.

Other Orange and yellow discoveries were our Wedding present dinner set with orange and yellow flowers on it - definitely retro now and some plastic place-mats under appliances in the Pantry with Orange and Yellow poppies on them. I don't think there will be a place in the new kitchen for this little teaset - it may be destined for the grandchildren to play with.

Still digging deep - here is the only other Orange and Yellow layout I have ever done (a couple of years ago). It was a spur of the moment decision to 'have a go' at para-sailing as I had never been into heights, and had I been sitting in a more comfortable position I am sure I would have enjoyed the experience more. On the layout I was pleased with the sequence of the parachutes and cut the top of the two bottom ones with a craft knife and inserted the one above.

We were on holiday with friends and the three 'mother & daughters' all had a go. The journalling is hidden under the circle.

Well that is all for now. Will get back to Big Picture Scrapping and see if I can get the downloads now. Nothing like keeping one in suspense.

Thank you so much for visiting.

Until next time ..... 'Keep Warm' (if in NZ where lots of the country are experiencing an icy winter blast. So far Timaru has been spared and today was another nice day).

Regards

Dianne

Yellow - How does it make you feel?

2011-07-13T18:12:00.000+12:00

I always think of yellow as a bright and sunny colour and today we were lucky enough to see the lovely sun for a good part of the day and feel it's warmth.

The Big Picture Colour Class made me realise I do not scrap with Yellow - I struggled to find yellow in my stash and ended up using just some cardstock and ribbon on my layout. I can only recall one other Yellow layout that I have created in recent years so will try and find it too. First is my Yellow Card. A cute pic of my little brother quite a few years ago.

The little card embellishments were bought from the $2 shop (3 packs of cards for $2) Here is my layout for the colour Yellow.

Bananas in Pyjamas provided the colour scheme. My youngest daughter's 3rd birthday with her cousins and all was going well until her 2-year old cousin blew out her candles.

The image was found on the net and matted with corrigated card. The Number '3' also had a timely arrival in the prize pack from Birds of a Feather Craft together. I gathered the ribbon and added a strip of pearls. The blue and cream trim was a wide trim so I cut one strip off and divided it to balance the layout.

A photo of the cake is popped up in the corner and was required to cover up a glitch on the photo. .

Here is the only other yellow layout I can remember doing - not sure if I have shown it before or not.

Well I am finally on holiday for the next couple of weeks although there is a big list of things to do in the next week.

Well it is time to prepare tea again so must sign off.
Many thanks for visiting. I appreciate your comments.
Until next time .....
Dianne

Colour! Or is it Color?

2011-07-12T16:57:00.001+12:00

That is the title of Nic Howard's current class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. This week's colours were Orange and Yellow so today I will post the Orange theme.

My layout ended up pretty much the same as Nic's instructions and example except I included two photos, a border around the text and corner borders and the whole page is matted in 'you guessed it' Orange. It is great having instructions when the mojo is low however it got me going for the yellow layout.

First of all each week we get a printout about the colour in which we are making a mini book with examples of using that colour. This week I used a retro photo of me and my siblings all dressed up for a wedding on 11 January 1969. Mum did all our sewing and used the same pattern for all three although in different colours - you guessed it I have the orange one on. Another time when we were having the treat of going to the Moscow Circus in Christchurch she made two of us woollen trouser suits - mine red and J's green - we were nicknamed the 'Stop and Go Girls'. We had all these 'old' photos taken off slides so it is good to be putting them to use.

Now to the layout. The topic going back to 1986. A lot of hard work has been done since then - hard to believe our place was once a pile of stones, dirt and paddock.

The birds are little felt ones and the cogs Dusty Attic - inked and embossed with thick clear embossing powder.

We were taught to make a faux frill which was very effective. And thank you to Sonya at Birds of a Feather Craft Together the arrival of a lovely prize pack which included orange cardstock and pp which I have used for the matting and the star strip of the layout. Also see my new little punch from Deb at Stamping Up.

This morning I spent time at my new job to learn what I could (lots to learn). Back tomorrow to learn some more - hope I can retain it all over the holidays lol. It is a pity I wasn't there all day as with some spare time I popped into town and you guessed it came home with a few bags.

Well best away and get tea prepared for DH and ready for scrap group.

Back next time with bright and sunny yellow. Until then .....
Take Care and thanks for visiting.
- Dianne

Let's Get Shabby Challenge

2011-07-11T18:20:00.001+12:00

Let's Get Shabby Challenge #25 co-insides with their 2nd Birthday. The challenge was to be inspired by this pic.

We needed to use the NUMBER 2 on the project and use TWO THINGS from a list of Lace, Chipboard, Ribbon, Material/Fabric and Book/Music page. We were allowed to use other items on your project as long as you use ONLY TWO FROM THE LIST.

My inspiration came from the subjects of the pic depicting domesticity so I decided to complete a layout I had partly started two years ago. At the time it was to acknowledge our 30 years of Marriage.

From the list I used music page paper and lace. The shabby edges around the photo are from music paper and layered up with the photo being sewn on from underneath.

I made the '2' by cutting a 2 from cardstock and using dimensional magic covered it it clear beads - let it dry and then finished the slightly overlapping cardstock with liquid pearls.

I used some tatted lace given to me by my great auntie and most likely tatted by my Great Grandmother. I hand stitched the lace on as I didn't want to put sticky tape or glue on it.

I am a bit of a hoarder and I think I have kept almost every card that has been given to me and am often looking at them to see how they could be included in projects. This was cut from the card my parents gave us on the occasion of our 30th Wedding Anniversary. It is always a special time of year as their anniversary is the day before ours (they are coming up 55 years). I added the pearls as 30 years is a Pearl anniversary and have them trailing from a little music note butterfly with the word 'dream' on it.

This little image is cut from a 1909 post card.

I am pleased with the layout and also pleased that I have it finished at long last.

Have a great week everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time....
Dianne

WP New Home Card

2011-07-10T13:24:00.000+12:00

Just a quick post for now. I am in a scrapping frenzy this weekend so need to carry on. I will be back with those once the photos are taken.

This card today was one I made for a House Warming Party a couple of weeks ago. It is made from 1 sheet of Websters Pages Paper and a Martha Stewart Punch.

The inside.

A very simple card but the Websters Papers are so pretty they do not need much more.

Speaking of new homes or not exactly - I have my last day at my current job tomorrow and will be starting a new position across town on 1 August (1st day of Term 3) and am so looking forward to it.

Anyway must get back to the Scrap Room and see if I can manage one more LO for the day - I have already done the colour ORANGE and am now going to have a go at YELLOW for Nic's Colour Class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.

Thanks for visiting.
Until next time....
Dianne

The Colour RED

2011-07-04T22:13:00.000+12:00

As I mentioned last week I have joined Nic Howard's class "Colour! or is it Colour?" over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The first week class was the colour red. Each week we make some pages for a mini book using a template of the colour from Nic and then adding our own photo example on the other side and also a 12 x 12 layout with a sketch and instructions. Nic also offers a video clip of techniques and tips for finishes on the chipboard and flowers and also a handout about the colour for the week. It is not too late to join - Registrations close on 6 July.

I had a few reasons to join the class - 1. I am always keen to learn new things. 2. I wanted to get back onto my daughters' albums for their special birthdays next year and... 3. It is the middle of winter and always a good time for scrapping and projects.

Over the weekend I created the 1st page (it took lots longer than I should have but in the end I am happy with it) and it is another page for the album. The patterned papers are Prima.

I included hidden journalling about the holiday on the tags under the where and who tag. I felt the frame punched with a Martha Stewart around the page punch made the photo pop but was not overdone.

Prima and Wild orchid flowers.

I ended up applying a few layers of experimentation on the Dusty Attic Snowflakes - ink & embossing, ink & embossing but still didn't like the colour so then it was acrylic paint and embossing and glimmer mist and Kindyglitz before a satisfying finish was achieved.

So far so good and I hope I can keep up the pace.

I got another wee surprise last night while scrolling through Google Reader - I was a winner over at Birds of a Feather Craft Together.
How about joining in their sketch challenge for this month. Sonya and Carol also offer some tutorials, tips and inspiration over at BOAF.

Well that is all for today. I had a glitch with the word processing project I was supposed to be doing tonight so I couldn't do it thus time to update. Also I have had people saying it has been difficult to leave a comment so tonight I have changed a setting to the pop up comment box so hope this will be easier. Let me know!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Until next time....
Dianne

Friendship Birthday Card

2011-07-03T19:38:00.000+12:00

Happy Birthday to A for yesterday. A is my S-I-L whom I walk with most week days and truly appreciate our friendship. Best wishes for the week ahead.

I have decided to enter the card in the Wild Orchid Challenge Blogspot weekly challenge. The challenge was for Shabby Chic Friendship. I used Bo Bunny pp, distressed and stitched on to the cardstock. Wild Orchid lace and seam binding ribbon was also used along with the Kaisercraft 'for my friend' rubon.

Flowers are all Wild Orchids as is the metal butterfly.

The paper butterflies were cut from the Bo Bunny Paper.

I thought the image was real cute with two friends sharing a pot of tea. Thanks Rachel for the image which I coloured with a combination of Tim Holtz distresss inks and Twinkling H2Os.

The weekend consisted of lovely sunny days but definitely the winter nip and the good frosts have arrived. I took far too long to create my first page for Nic Howard's Colour class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. However I am very pleased with the end result and will post that next time. Week 1's colour was Red.

Hope your week goes well. Thank you so much for visiting.

Until next time....
Dianne

Gabrielle Pollacco Giveaway

2011-07-02T09:19:00.000+12:00

Gabrielle Pollacco is one of my favourite scrappers. Currently she has a generous giveaway up on her blog. See HERE for details. She also lists a number of tutorials you may be interested in.

Have a great weekend. The sun is shining so that is a good start for us.

Until next time....
Dianne

Big Picture

2011-06-29T20:22:00.002+12:00

Hi All. I have been thinking about it for a while and today I have done it - signed up for Nic Howard's Big Picture Colour or is it Colour class. It's not too late to join in. I am not sure if I will have time to keep up but it is a 'forever access' class so the information will always be there.

Today I share a mini book card made for a friend's birthday last week. I made it from a Teresa Collins Notations memory album kit which had a ringbinder so the pages were punched. As I didn't want to use ring binders I made my own bindings with folded strips of card (some with punched edges) and sewed them together with a binding technique Kathryn had shared with us as a make and take at an Embellish It crop a while ago. I then attached the pages inside the bindings and decorated them - six double sided pages in all.

A little Dusty Attic and Tattered Angels chippie added on the cover.

The theme was the good times we shared over the past 12 months with little mementoes. I have just included a couple of pages in this post.

Well that is all for today. Off to the scrap room to try and create although rather weary tonight. It's hard to believe we are half way though the year already.

Thanks for visiting. Until next time....
Dianne

Sunshine and Fresh Air

2011-06-26T22:23:00.000+12:00

Today was a perfect Winter's day and a good chance to open up all the windows and let fresh air flow through the house, get lots of washing dry, attend to some long overdue housework and then finish up with cleaning my car and doing the shopping. That did not leave any creating time today but I did attend the Embellish It Crop yesterday and finished the Dusty Attic June Challenge and two cards for the day.

This is my take on the Dusty Attic June Challenge.

Using Kaiser Patterned papers and Dusty Attic frame, decorative corners and mirrored dressing table. The outer frame was painted with Twinkling H20s as was the first coat of the inner frame which was then coated in crackle paint and a top coat of white acrylic.

The dressing table was whitewashed with white acrylic and then painted with Tim Holtz Distress crackle. Distress ink was applied around the edges and the handles painted with Twinkling H20s. The decorative corners were inked with lavender ink and then coated clear embossing powder and heated.

The fairies and butterfly were cut from the Kaiser Paper.

Basic Grey lettering was painted with Twinkling H20s. Bling trim was added to the mirror.

The photos, dressing table and papers have been sitting in my 'To Do' pile for a few months so this Dusty Attic Sketch was an ideal way to use them.

That's all for today. Your visit to my blog is much appreciated.

Have a great week.

Until next time.....
Dianne

The Shortest Day

2011-06-22T20:24:00.000+12:00

The shortest day already - hard to believe we are almost half way through 2011. Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch enduring the continuous earthquakes in very trying conditions for many. I hope tomorrow's announcement offers some relief for those affected.

Today I share a layout created a little while ago.

An almost totally Prima layout except for the paper doily and Dusty Attic chippie. PP are the Prima botanical collection.

A short post on the Shortest Day.

Hope your week is going well. Thanks for visiting.
Until next time ....
Dianne

An Enjoyable Weekend

2011-06-19T21:58:00.000+12:00

On Friday I headed to Dunedin to see my girls and attend the Dunedin Crop for which Tania of Embellish It had taken part of her shop. It certainly was a cold weekend but the warm people made up for it. I managed two layouts for the day and will share them when the photos are taken. Since I was back in Dunedin I decided to have my hair cut as I had been pleased with it the last couple of times I had had it done there however I am not so pleased now - my 'trim to last a month' (until next time I am down) and "the back is okay because it is winter" must have gone on deaf ears as it is now so short on the top, back and sides that I have had freezing ears all day and goodness knows what I am going to do with it in the morning. - the only consolation "it will grow".

The weekend started off on a good note with a 40th Birthday Celebration Lunch on Friday for Rachel. As Rachel is an amazing card maker I decided to do something a little different for my card - here is my substitute traditional card.

I covered a wine bottle box in Prima 'Moulin Rouge' papers, added some punched paper trims and vintage lace along with some Prima 'Moulin Rouge' chipboard shapes, stickers and a pebble, and last but not least a pic of Rachel looking very regal when she was dressed up in a serious pose for the Royal Wedding celebrations. I am not sure she liked the photo but I though it fitted the vintage look of the box. Some close ups.

I love the vintage lace found at the Altrusa Club Bazaar a few weeks ago.

Oh and I cut a circle hole in the top for the neck of the wine bottle to pop out of and therefore had to put a false bottom in the box to hold the wine bottle up. If I had thought of it earlier it would have been nice to include some chocolates in this space (sorry Rach) and that would have been a nice surprise when opening the box.

I enjoyed creating the project and also another one that I will return with later in the week.

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Thanks for visiting and all the best for the coming week.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Prima June BAP

2011-06-11T20:35:00.000+12:00

The Prima Design Team 2011-2012 has been announced. Congratulations to Trina McClune for winning a place again this year. Also on the team is Steph Devlin whom is coming to Scrappin Patch Spring Retreat in September and I have recently registered so am looking forward to meeting her and participating in her classes.

Today I attended Deb McRobie's Craft Afternoon where she instructed us on making a Triple Easel Card. A lovely afternoon where all I had to take was my basic kit (so that was great for a change as it is usually a mission deciding what to take and what to do) and Deb provided a kit and afternoon tea. Thanks Deb. I will post pics of the card another time.

Now to the Prima June BAP. I am really pleased with the way it turned out but the photos probably don't do it real justice especially the lace frame around the photo.

Vintage organza lace is paired with the organza and pearl trim to make the frame. Below are gorgeous Prima apricot flowers.

Alpha re Prima canvas with inked edges to make it blend in but stand out at the same time.

I felt it just needed something else so added the frame and a few peaches and cream roses. And this was the sketch.

Hope your weekend is going well. It is a big night in Timaru tonight with the Crusaders v Blues game. As I write this the temperature outside is 3.2 degrees so I hope all who went are wrapped up warm.

Grateful thanks for visiting. Bye for now...

Dianne

Memorabilia and Autumn

2011-06-08T23:09:00.000+12:00

These were the two components to include in the Birds of a Feather Craft Together Sketch Challenge for June. Also the challenge is to scrap something from the previous month. I loved the sketch Sonya and Carol provided. I am sure they would love you to join in - It is not too late to have a go.

The birthday celebration we were invited to was perfect as the invite included memorabilia (a childhood pic of the birthday boy) and doubled as the When, Where, Why part of the journalling. Papers are Prima.

I was also in the team which won the most points - the flag was made by rubbing rub-ons onto canvas and mounting on a toothpick. The flower below made from organza ribbon was one left from the Embellish It Raincliff Retreat where we had a 'Make & Take' of making a variety of flowers.

The tag contains hidden journalling about the entertainment "The Amazing Race". Also included is a little Dusty Attic.

An assortment of autumn coloured flowers and leaves covered the 'Autumn' part of the challenge.

Hope your week is going well - half way through it already. Tonight I have finished my creation for the Prima BAP for June so will be back with that in a day or so.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

Until next time ....
Dianne

A Little Over Ambitious

2011-06-06T15:18:00.000+12:00

The end of the long weekend is coming to a close and I was certainly a little over ambitious with my line up of scrapping plans. I did get a couple of quick 8x8 pages done for an album and the Birds of a Feather Craft Together Challenge layout done but that is all so far (photos yet to be taken). Having one of those lost Mojo moments unfortunately! Lots of ideas but getting them into practice just isn't working.

DH had success in the pigeon race on Saturday with winning the Flock race and having the first local bird home. He also broke a 40+ year time record as he clocked the bird with a 4 hours 19:31 time all the way from Blenheim. He also got 2nd with his 3-bird team and 5th with another 3-bird team. Unfortunately a member of my team failed to return. I will have to plan a photo shoot with trophies and pigeon to record the event.

Today I share a Birthday Card made for a friend's birthday yesterday.

Made with Bazzill card stock, Tim Holtz pp & film strip, Prima felt rubons and a Lili of the Valley image. Thank you Jo for a lend of the diecuts. Check out Joanne's blog to see her creations of late.

And the inside using a Martha Stewart around the page punch. Note: Lili of the Valley have a summer sale on this week - 10% off.

Well must off and get some more photos printed and hopefully that will inspire me.

Thanks for Stopping by. Have a great week.

Dianne

A Childhood Memory

2011-06-04T18:22:00.001+12:00

I follow the 'Lets Get Shabby' Blog but have never submitted anything but this time I thought I would. Challenge # 24 is to Create a project based on a favorite memory or photo from YOUR childhood. Welcome to my blog anyone visiting from Let's Get Shabby.

We always enjoyed holidays when we got together with our cousins and spent lots of time planning and performing our concerts for the family. I learned the piano for four years (unfortunately I didn't keep it up) as did my cousin so we got together to play a Duet - 'The Can Can'. We would practice and prepare (curlers in hair and all), sell tickets and buy goodies to sell to our parents and siblings at 'half-time'. Great childhood memories.

Papers were Fancy Pants. I copied the actual music we used to play and distressed it. Flowers are Prima as well as some of the lace and packaging. Other items used were lace, ric rac, ribbon and beads.

The journalling was printed onto a Grafix Rub-onz and then rubbed them onto the chipboard shape before using dimensional magic to attach the border of beads. Great memories. P.S. - That's me in the curlers.

Hope your weekend is going well. I had a walk around the garden today and guess what I found.

Spring in June !!! There is also blossom on two trees - one 'Southern Gem' does flower twice a year but I can't recall the other one having done it before.

Well that is all for today. Thanks for visiting.

Until next time .....

Dianne

Queen's Birthday

2011-06-03T19:27:00.000+12:00

Yay for a long weekend. The temperature has certainly dropped today but as long as we have a fine Saturday up the east coast DH will be happy. The pigeons are flying from Blenheim to home in the annual Classic Race.

I am planning to spend some time (hopefully lots) creating. The three sketch competitions/challenges I usually enter each month are up so I plan to get them done early this month instead of last minute. Click on the below links for details
Birds of a Feather Craft Together
Dusty Attic
Prima June BAP

I also have two special cards to create so even though it is a long weekend it might not be long enough lol.

Today I will leave you with a card made last month.

This was sent with 'Get Well' wishes across the Tasman.

And the inside

Better go - DH in the car waiting for me.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Dianne

Wiggle Time

2011-06-01T20:54:00.000+12:00

Today I share a little brightness - my entry in the Birds of A Feather Craft Together Challenge for May. See the sketch here and this is my take on it.

Part of the challenge for part of the background paper to be cut out. I found a free clipart image of the balloons on the internet and cut them out to give the layout a party feel and provide nice bright colours. I always like to include memorabilia where possible so included the invitation for the title and journalling for when, where, why.

The frame of the bubble photo is Prima packaging. The punch is EK Success.

The challenge was to also include metal on the page - mine was the butterfly and metal flowers as above.

Birds of a Feather have their June challenge posted, along with a chance to win some goodies. The sketch looks like fun - why not give it a go? The challenge is to scrap something from May, together with the details as listed on the blog. Check it out here.

Last night scrapping was at my place where I managed to get a birthday card completed, and posted it today - back on Sunday with that one.

Enjoy the rest of the week. Until next time ....

Dianne

Prima May BAP and Moulin Rouge

2011-05-30T20:57:00.001+12:00

On Saturday I attended the Embellish It Scrap Pink Day - a great day scrapping although not very productive on my part as it took all day to get my Prima BAP page created with the finishing touches being done at home. However I am pleased with the outcome. One of the highlights of the day was winning the lucky draw prize which happened to be the Prima Moulin Rouge Collection papers, chipboard, stickers flowers and pebbles (Thank You Tania) and I was already using the Moulin Rouge Collection for my layout so was able to add a few more touches.

After setting up at the crop I shot off to the Altrusa Club Fabric Bazaar where I managed to purchase some gorgeous vintage laces and couldn't resist using some on this layout. The aqua lace on the top left corner is vintage lace collar and the border along the bottom embroidered organza. The remainder of the items on the layout are Prima.

I only had a small gumboot photo so framed it with the border paper to make a larger landscape shaped photo to fit the sketch (a large gumboot one would have probably taken over the layout anyway.)

I cut out the photo of the little subject exploring her 'goodies bag' and popped it up on the edge of the frame to show all of her wearing the gumboots. This little dot has a fetish with footwear at two years old.

And Tania - take note - the Pink Ribbon Bow was included on the parcel. That was our challenge for the day to include the bow on our project. Our pink ribbon morning tea (and afternoon tea) included delicious chocolate raspberry cupcakes with pink icing made by Beck - they are amazing.

I did manage another layout for the Birds of a Feather Craft Together May Challenge yesterday but will share that next time.

Your visits to my blog are appreciated as are your comments. Enjoy your week.

Until next time......
Dianne

May Prima Palate

2011-05-30T20:37:00.000+12:00

Look at all these gorgeous colours and Prima Goodness in the Prima Palate for May. Love them all.

See more here.

Back soon with some more Prima.

Dianne

Time for Tea

2011-05-26T17:51:00.000+12:00

I recently made this card to send over the Tasman to Brisbane with 'Get Well Wishes' . The image is from Lili of the Valley and I don't know if it had a title but my own title is "Time for Tea". The pp is from a 'Once Upon a Time' pad, flowers and lace from Wild Orchids, the handbag trinket is available from Embellish It as are some of the flowers.

Well is really is time for tea so that is all for today.

Enjoy the rest of your week. Thanks for visiting.

Until next time .....
Dianne

Happy Birthday Esther

2011-05-21T21:37:00.001+12:00

My baby is turning 20 in 14 hours time and it is great to have her home for the weekend so we can help her celebrate with a Birthday lunch tomorrow and as I could be a bit busy getting prepared for an influx of friends and rellies at lunch time I will post this early.

It isn't a surprise as I had made three cards and gave her a choice - this is the one she chose.

Once again the image is from Lili of the Valley, flowers Wild orchids, Kaiser Bling, Martha Stewart punch, lace, cardstock and pp.

Above is the inside of the card.

Next Saturday, 28 May, Tania from Embellish It is holding a Timaru Crop with a PINK THEME including a 'Pink Ribbon' Morning Tea. All Proceeds from the day will go to the cause. Read more about it here. Would love to see you there.

I will leave you with the vista we woke up to this morning. I love watching the sun rise from our kitchen window.

The whole day was beautiful without a cloud in the sky. Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Thank you for visiting.

Until next time.....
Dianne

Cuddles in the Bubbles

2011-05-16T23:04:00.000+12:00

I have created this layout of these two little cuties for the Dusty Attic May Sketch Challenge.

The photos and papers had been sitting on the 'to do' pile for a couple of weeks and when I saw the sketch I immediately knew what I was going to do with it.

A bubble machine, music and a large garage were the perfect solution for a two year old birthday party entertainment on a cold wet day with 12 or so little ones. Two photos were blended together to fit the circle shape.

Patterned papers used were Fancy Pants, Prima, Kaiser and Tim Holtz, alpha - American Crafts painted to match.

A Martha Stewart around the page punch was used for the border and title.

The Dusty attic snowflakes were covered in white liquid pearls. The large frame painted with Twinkling H2Os then dimensional magic.

I tried not to cover the pretty Fancy Pants 'Love Notes' paper up too much so incorporated the flowers into the sketch design, and rather than cover up the little blue bird, cut it out and added it to the frame.

That's it for today. Hope your week goes well and you are surviving the cold patch. Thank you for visiting.

Until next time...
Dianne

Happy Birthday Jaynie for Yesterday

2011-05-14T10:47:00.001+12:00

Blogger was down last night so I couldn't update. Hope you had a fun sleepover J.

The sun is shining today so the washing line is full. Unfortunately it is not predicted to last so we must make the most of it. Thursday was nor-west and warm but other than that the last two week's weather has been very bleak.A quiet weekend and some creating are on the agenda for the next two days.

Here is the card made for J's 11th Birthday. It is made with a Lili of the Valley printed image, Kaiser pp, Martha Stewart around the page butterfly punch (thanks Rachel) and Wild Orchid flowers.

And some Kindyglitz and a butterfly to add some sparkle.

Here are two of my recent cards with the same image.

I am hoping to get back to some layouts this weekend but still have four card to photograph.

I appreciate you dropping by. Until next time....
Dianne

P.S. Prima April BAP winner has been announced - another mention.

Amazing Race

2011-05-11T22:39:00.001+12:00

Last Saturday we were invited to a mystery 50th birthday celebration starting at 1.45 p.m. It transpired that we were to be involved in an Amazing Race event. About 50 people were put into teams with a driver, a bag of 'accessories' and given instructions/challenges and off we went. Just as we left the rain started falling so after a jaunt around Caroline Bay to find the answers to the clues we were like a bunch of drowned rats with accessories (in my case a tinsel wig) however the competitiveness took over and we just got on with the task which saw us carrying out all sorts of challenges - singing the rubber ducky song to a plastic duck and our clown mascot in a local hardware store was just one of the bonus point challenges. The day was a huge amount of fun for all involved and thanks to J & S for their wonderful organisation of the event after which we had a meal and celebration party. Psst - I was in the team who won the most points.

I will leave you with the birthday card made for the occasion.

For the 'Happy Birthday' sign I used rub-ons onto canvas, folded it over and sewed along the top before threading on a double ended pin. Also used were Martha Stewart punches, Tattered Angels clock surround with the top cut off, alpha, bling, trim and a stamped, embossed image kindly given to me by Rachel. Pop over to Rachel's blog and check out her Mothers' Day 'cake pops' - they look great and they are delicious.

I frayed the edges of the canvas a little and added a hammer trinket.

That's all for today. Was supposed to be having an early night to catch up on some long over due sleep but it is 10.37p.m. already.

Thank you so much for visiting. Until next time .....

Dianne