What I have Been Doing.

I suppose you are wondering why I haven't posted anything on my blog lately. Well I have a very good reason. I have rearranged my craft room and have been very busy going through all the boxes that piled up before Christmas and while I haven't been doing so well with arthritis. Anyway my good friend Lee-Anne's mum Chris kindly offered to come over and help me sort out what to do with my room to make it more organised. With a few alterations of cupboards by my wonderful husband Graham I now have 12 x 12 storage. He put shelves in a couple of my cupboards and we moved the cupboards around and put a flat screen TV on the wall so I could make a little area for the kids for a family room and still be able to have my classes etc in here. I will add a few photos of after the furniture move and while I was sorting. I am far from finished but as I had my first stamp club for the year on Thursday night and another one today I needed to at least get the table area sorted. I still have a pile of boxes still to go through and sort where to put things. I am really pleased with what I have got done and realise I have lots to go but one box at a time and it will get done.
these first 2 pictures were taken on Thursday at 1 PM and I had class that evening.


What a difference. I worked really hard and did 9,000 steps on my step counter just in the house. and the result is below. I now have a coffee station set up all the time.

This view shows the TV area with my table for class. We haven't decided how we are going to store the DVD recorder and set top box. Graham did well out of this move as he got a new bigger flat screen TV and we got the old one down here. Luckily there were huge sales on TVs last week so we got a bargain.

I wont show you my work desk and stamp storage yet as I am still working on that area.
These last photos I just quickly took to show you the shelves Graham made for me. Below is the cupboards dividing my work area from the family room. I have put all my nestabilities into CD folders and they are in the CD box I got for $3 at a garage sale, on the side of my cupboard.


These shelves are for my non SU 12 x 12 that I have collected over the years. They have yet to be sorted in to colours and labeled neatly.

This is in my 2 door pantry cupboard. I have plastic containers labeled for storage and then these shelves for all my SU designer papers. I still need to sort them. I have so many that I think I may need to use some of the other shelves as well.

Changing look of Blog

Hi there. Happy New Year. I have been fiddling with the look of my blog tonight and its still not finished but as it is late I am going to have another play with it in the next couple of days. Until then it will have to stay the way it is. I hope your weekend is going ok. It sure is hot here in Perth. It would be nice to have a few cooler days but I suppose those of you that are having winter would like it to be warmer. Anyway wherever you may be, have a wonderful day.
take care
Andrea

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