Holiday news

Hi there, I thought I would surprise you and do 2 posts today. Wow what has got into me... unfortunately for you though its not card making related but for my family it is holiday news.

With only a set amount of time for going online Graham has told me to type up my blog post before going online, which of course is good advice. Yesterday the girls went to the beach and then went out with Graham on the boat but as I can’t go out in the sun and it was 40 degC I chose to go shopping. We are staying at South Yunderup so Mandurah is the closest beach and shops so I wandered around the shops in the cool. I bought myself some earrings and enjoyed just pottering. I took my book so I could sit and read as well.

Later in the evening we took the boat on the Murray River where we are staying and just cruised up the river looking at all the lovely houses on the banks. It was so peaceful. Emily and her friend Jackie have been feeding the ducks and also the huge Koi fish that are in the lake outside our apartment. As we booked very late to have this holiday the only place that had vacancies was a very expensive place but we are enjoying the chance to have a really nice place. I hope you are also having a nice week wherever you may be. Emily patting the fish after feeding it.

and below the girls feeding the ducks.

Graham and I enjoying sitting on the balcony.
Below, the unit we are staying in.

The girls helping launch the boat.

Christmas Baking

Hi there,

Here I am again. It’s amazing how much extra time I have on my hands now that it is holidays. I thought I would show you the baking I did on Boxing day morning for our Family Christmas party. I don't make sweets very often so I had fun making a ginger bread tree and some cone cake Christmas trees and also a lemon Meringue pie. I'm told the recipe I used this time is better than my old one so that was good to know. Not being able to taste test is a little hard so have to get others to do that for me. Anyway just a little bit of different creating from me today. have a great day
Andrea

Advent Calendar Box

Hi there,
I hope you have all had a safe and happy time over Christmas. I had a lovely time and now am on holidays with my family for 4 days. Its going to be 40 deg C here today so I plan to stay inside most of the day. The girls want to go to beach. I think I will stay at the shops in the cool while they are there with graham. Anyway we have some access to the Internet at the place we are staying so i thought I would post some photos of the little advent calendar box I made for my Secret Sister on the ESAD group I am on. I had so much fun making and then filling the little drawers. I put all SU accessories in the drawers so she could enjoy her Christmas present for 24 days.



well I'm must get off here now as we have only bought an hour of Internet use and the girls are hanging out for their turn.
have a great week
Andrea

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.

I hope you are having a wonderful day with your families.
When we were young we lived on a farm and to me Christmas meant cherries from my grandma's tree. I love cherries and always buy them even when they are really expensive, as I have to have some, even just a handful. Last night we had friends over for a BBQ and this is a photo of Skye checking out my bowl of cherries. I think her look tells it all.

Christmas Ornament

Wow I'm really enjoying the holidays as I am finding time to do extra things like visit my blog and show you some things more often. This time its not a card but there is some paper in it.

Every year I make my sister Marion an ornament for her wonderful Christmas tree. When I smocked it was a smocked one and then painted ones while I was doing folk art so each year it changes. This year I decided to make her one that I had learned recently with beaded dangling bits. I also made a box to put it in. Anyway the easiest way to describe it is show you some photos.

1. this is the box 2. When you lift the lid the ornament is attached but can be taken off easily

3. its the empty box
4. Close up of the ornament.

Well I hope you have a wonderful weekend doing whatever you have planned. I am having a nice quiet one as my kids are both away.
Andrea

Animal Stories

hello how was your weekend? I have had a quiet one, doing very little with this heat. I just downloaded the photos from my camera and found one of the cards I made with the new sets from the mini. Animal Stories. At first I wasn't going to buy this set but now I am thinking its OK. I am quite pleased with how this card turned out. It is a case of a Halloween card done in grey but I changed the colours. I am not sure where I found the card so I cant acknowledge the original designer. Sorry about that.


have a good week...... Andrea

More Summer Mini Cards

We had a great afternoon making cards with sets from the Summer Mini on Saturday so I thought I would show you another couple of cards I designed for the day.
The first one I used my new circle scissors to cut the circle out of the centre of the front piece and used the new set Hello again to make a little garden scene in the window. I used the new wheel Retro Remix to decorate the front piece.
This second card I used the Butterfly prints stamp set along with the wonderful new butterfly punch. The background I sponged in soft subtle colours before stamping over with En Francais background and the Baroque motifs swirl. I love the verse in the butterfly prints set. I have punched it out with the wide oval punch.

Well Id better get off the computer and go and get my Christmas cards finished so I can post them. As usual I'm running late. I do tend to leave things until the last minute which is naughty of me. I hope you are all more organised than me. have a good week
Andrea

Nature's Nest

Hi everyone,
Wow I couldn't believe it when I came on to my blog to find that I haven't updated it for so long. I haven't been very well and also went away for a week with my friends for a break but still I should have had something by now. I have made some cards with the new sets from the Summer mini that was released yesterday. I am using some of them for my catalogue launch on Saturday but I thought Id show them here now to let you see at least something of the new sets.
these cards I made while away and I have used the set Nature's nest. One with the turtle and the other with the peacock feather. I have included a close up of the feathers as I was quite happy with the way they turned out. I used reinkers to paint them with. I havent really finished the feather card as it needs a greeting but I will add that later. Both cards are using sketch challenges for the layout. I coated the turtle's shell with crystal effects to give it a shiny look.