Post Christmas Geekery!

Helloooo! I hope everyone had a lovely and restful Christmas, I know I didn't :) It was complete chaos at our house, as usual. The lead up to Christmas was pretty full on, with lots of gatherings to attend, and then our two oldest boys woke up sick on Christmas Eve! Bastian was scaring me a little, because his temperature was so high he was hallucinating, absolutely terrified of things only he could see. But we managed to get the temp under control eventually, and he woke up on Christmas Day a little worn out, but much improved.

As happens almost every year, the boys got Lego for Christmas!! Boxing Day has been renamed "Official Lego Construction Day" in our house :) The boys love putting the minifigs together, but they're not really patient enough to see the larger parts through to completion, so that means Daddy and I get to unleash our inner children and play with Lego! We are not afraid to admit we love it.. so much so, that the last few years we have given each other Lego as presents too :) Look at what I got this year!!

It's pretty cool... eventhough he looks a little drunk when he's walking :)


I did promise you geekery, remember. So here is some more! Bastian's best friend is having his 7th birthday party today, and Bas requested this card for him:

He's a bit of a Dr Who fan (well, really, who isn't? David Tennant... mmmmmmmm), so the TARDIS was totes apropos. I found the basic design on Valita's blog, and I tweaked it a bit so instead of being a styandard card, the message was hidden under the opening doors. I was quite happy with how it turned out in the end.

We also had another birthday just before Christmas, so I thought I'd add this one to the blog too. I haven't used this set as much as I thought I would, but it works really well for the younger, male slot.

And just to finish off, a few pics of the delights of my life (well, most, some, every second day).

I know it's a day early, but HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I would come back and post at the appropriate time, but I have two buckets of frozen cocktails in the freezer with my name on them, so I fear I may not be able to :) See you next year!

More Christmas cards!

Just a quick one today... must dash off for school pick up!

I was very excited yesterday when the postman left a parcel for me... NEW STAMPS!!! I've been lusting after the Welcome Christmas set for a while and scored it 50% with the awesome December Frenzy sale. I had two more teacher cards to make, so I trotted out my supplies last night and made these. The first one I have seen so many versions of around the interwebs that I don't know who to credit for inspiring me, so I may just have to send out a general "Thank You" to everyone in the world, just in case ;)
The second card I can credit.. I was flicking through the galleries on Stampin Connection and saw a gorgeous creation by Bridgette Gray (it's not on her blog that I can find, but have linked so you can see her other lovely creations).

On to some non stamping crafts! A friend at school asked me if I would make some of my felt hair clip hangers for her to give as Christmas presents, so voila, here they are!

And one last photo.. my gorgeous boy Wil. He was happily sitting there clapping along to the songs in the car until, of course, I got the phone out to take a photo (while sensibly pulled over, not driving :P), then he pulled the grumpy face. Still cute though :)

Golden Dasher

Well paint me pink and call me Captain Slacky McSlackpants... it's been far too long since I last graced the interwebs with my awesomeness! I blame it on the pre Christmas chaos fest, though some may argue that I'm just lazy :) I actually have been really busy though, honest. Last week was mostly taken up with organising things for the kids workshop I had booked and helping friends get their cards, gift tags and assorted other goodies made. The kids workshop actually ended up being a success... I was a little apprehensive beforehand as I hadn't done a workshop specifically for kids before, and I was told there were going to be about 16 kids, with the youngest being 5! I had three very simple projects set up at different stations, all using only one stamp/set and one ink colour and that seemed to be quite a good way to go. No one had to wait too long to do anything, none of the inks got mixed up, and the older kids were great with helping the younger ones! Now if only I had remembered to take some photos on the day...I'll have to come back and add some photos of the projects instead :)

I do have one photo to add for this post, cos it'd be a bit boring without one. I made some gift bags for the boys' teachers a couple of days ago, full of chocolatey goodness, of course :) Here is the card I made to go with them. Nothing too flashy, but I do think Dasher looks quite lovely with the gold embossing. My friends will think it very unlike me, but I must admit to loving my new Very Vintage jumbo wheel - it's going on just about everything because it makes such a good background!

I decided to stick with fairly Christmassy colours a) because I like them and I think they look good, and 2) so I could enter some challenges!! That's right, I'm aaaaall about the challenges ;) This time I've used the Paper Players colour combo of cherry cobbler, very vanilla & gold, and I've decided that the sparkly gold embossing just qualifies for my fave challenge blog, Just Add Ink!

Card: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark, Pear Pizzazz
Stamps: Dasher, Short & Sweet, Very Vintage Wheel
Other: gold embossing powder, oval punch, modern label punch, real red ribbon

Lovely as a tree

A friend (Hello Michelle!) came over last night to make a few christmas gift boxes, but once she saw the card I was planning to make, she decided she *HAD* to make one too! I needed to make a pretty spesh christmas card for my oldest son's teacher to go with the gift the class has made for her. I didn't have much in the way of original inspiration floating around in my head  (I think it was drowning in cider and peach Omni!), but after a bit of a blog surf, I found a gorgeous card on Becky Jensen's blog.  I have kept it pretty much the same as Becky's creation but decided to try out a new technique.  Michelle had some tissue paper with her, which led to our first attempt at the faux silk technique... and I think they turned out really well! I used Always Artichoke for my background, but I also love the Rich Razzleberry too. I'm debating about whether or not to add a sentiment to the front.. I don't want to take away from the reasonably clean and simple design with too much frou - any thoughts?

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree
Inks: Crumb Cake, Bravo Burgundy
Card: Always Artichoke, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Other: Vintage Wallpaper ef, Scallop Trim Border punch, Dotted Scallop Border punch, tissue paper, Chantilly Crochet Trim


I've been a bit slack with the posts, mostly because of my poor little/old man. My Stoli had to go to the vet to have his ears removed and cryosurgery on his nose :( He's home now and feeling very sore and sorry for himself, and I don't blame him. I feel really horrible about it, even though I know it was the right thing to do.. the cancer was getting worse and I didn't want it to spread and cause him more problems. Hopefully in a couple of weeks the stitches will be out, his fur will be growing back and he'll feel a bit like his old self. He's a gorgeous old man (14 years!) and I love him to bits!

Frenzy Stance!

Frenzy, Frenzy, Frenzy!!
I guess that will only be funny to people who like The Big Bang Theory as much as I do.. remember the episode where Penny gets really into a MMO? No? Ok, just me then :)

But enough about BBT... it's time for Stampin' Up!'s December Frenzy Sale, and the release of the Summer Mini Catalogue!! Very exciting times indeed, and perfect for some last minute Chrissy presents :)

Here are the specials included in the December Frenzy sale...but hurry, because at this price these sets are sure to sell out fast!

Item	Page	Description	Discount	Retail  Price	Sale Price
120597	22	Welcome Christmas Clear-Mount Set	50%	$39.95	$19.98
121584	22	Welcome Christmas Wood-Mount Set	50%	$49.95	$24.98
117715	28	I {Heart} Hearts Wood-Mount Set	40%	$42.95	$25.77
121528	35	Got Treats Wood-Mount Set	40%	$40.95	$24.57
117699	42	Something Sweet Wood-Mount Set	40%	$44.95	$26.97
116686	46	For Everything Wood-Mount Set	40%	$47.95	$28.77
119163	67	Cottage Garden Wood-Mount Set	50%	$32.95	$16.48
121508	72	Every Moment Wood-Mount Set	40%	$31.95	$19.17
121480	74	Awash with Flowers Wood-Mount Set	40%	$71.95	$43.17
121522	75	Friends Never Fade Wood-Mount Set	50%	$31.95	$15.98
120618	75	Friends Never Fade Clear-Mount Set	40%	$25.95	$15.57
121600	75	Ornate Blossom Wood-Mount Set	40%	$19.95	$11.97
123551	88	Clearly For You Wood-Mount Set	40%	$47.95	$28.77
123848	96	Chloe Stampin Around Builder Wheel	40%	$9.95	$5.97
116911	126	Padded Envelopes (3)	40%	$6.50	$3.90
119263	138	Poppy Parade 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119267	138	Blushing Bride 1/2'' Stitched-Poly Ribbon	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119731	143	Regals Flower Brads	30%	$16.95	$11.87
119730	143	Neutrals Flower Brads	30%	$16.95	$11.87
118762	146	Distressing Essentials	30%	$37.95	$26.57
103179	149	Craft & Rubber Scissors	30%	$37.95	$26.57
112531	149	Circle Scissor Plus Glass Mat	30%	$37.95	$26.57

Party bags!

I'm a bit of a spanner sometimes, I really am. I've had a very busy week, making lots and lots of cards, tags and other cool stuff.. and I forget to take photos!! Thankfully, I did remember (well, I did get reminded) to take some pics of these totes gorge party bags I helped my friend Bron (Hi Bron!!) make for her daughter's 2nd birthday party!

We had a lovely morning of crafty goodness making these babies.. once I got the measurements for the base right ;) It's a box-in-a-bag, super simple to make (heaps of video tutes around) but they look pretty special. We used my SU tools on Bron's paper and I think we did a good job... you too Simon :) I hope all the kiddies at the party will like them... but I reckon they'll be more interested in the goodies inside :)

SU Tools: Round tab punch, 5 petal flower punch, boho blossoms punch, fancy flower punch, scallop trim border punch, timeless type junior alphabet, big shot, sticky strip, snail

Pop Up Owl with Balloons!

Get ready for another installment of "My Obsession with Pop Up Owl cards" dunh dunh duuuuuuunh!

My 5yo is going to a friend's birthday party tomorrow, and I must admit that making cards for 5yo boys is certainly not my strong suit. So I decided to do my own version of a card I found on Tami White's blog. I pretty much followed her closely for the front, but decided that the inside needed a bit more pop...hahahaha, get it, POP! Ooh I crack myself up sometimes :) So a couple of circle punches and some owl feet later, a nice, bright bunch of balloons that jump out at you when you open the card!

Stamp Sets: Short & Sweet, Create a Cupcake, Woodgrain

Card: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Real Red DSP, Under the Big Top DSP, Tangerine Tango

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Black marker, white gel pen

Other: Owl Punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, scallop circle punch, oval punch, modern label punch, Bird punch, silver cord.

JAI #93

Time for another Just Add Ink challenge!! This time the lovely DT ladies have come up with a gorgeous colour combo that features some of my fave hues:




I must admit to going slightly off the SU reservation today. My darling friend Jo (Hi Jo! *waves*) got an awesome new toy a few days ago - A Silhouette! It is very cool, and can do some amazing stuff. I went for a visit today and made her push a few buttons and cut out this very cute box template, which I then faahhbulously decorated ;)

An added bonus was that the postie came this afternoon with my pre order from the new summer mini catalogue!! So if you look closely (or scroll down to the close up ;)) you'll be able to see one of the new products available from December 1st - Iridescent Ice embossing powder!! SU have saved us all the bother of having to mix our Dazzling Diamonds with clear ep or heat & stick powder by bring out the pretties! I love adding sparkle and I know I'll be using this heaps.

I really do think I need to employ my husband to be my official photographer.. because I totally suck! It doesn't help that most of the time I'm trying to take pics at 10pm, but even in the day I can't take a good one. He's tried to explain how to do it properly lots of times, but it's a bit like when he starts talking computer stuff to me.. my eyes start to roll back in my head and I start to drool a little. I love you sweetie, but I DON'T CARE about the details, just take the damn photo! ;) Of course, the not caring part pretty much means I don't get to do the whining about not taking a good photo, and whining is something I'm very good at :)

Anyway... back to the topic. Head over to JAI and check out all the other gorgeous creations or enter your own! I'm off to play with my lush new Spice Cake dsp!!