Lots Of News & A Project

I was thrilled to make it through to the second round of the "Embellish This" Challenge Competition at Scrap 'N' Craft with T.
Then I fell into the dreaded procrastination hole!.....lol
I changed my mind three times before I decided what I was doing for the second challenge and it took a bit of rummaging in the kids craft box to get the light bulb idea!
The details of the second challenge were:

HERE IS THE WEEK 2 CHALLENGE.....

• Create an embellishment to be used to decorate the outside of your gift wrapping, using the colours red, white and green and also using some wire.

• It is preferable to have it attached to your gift wrapping, whether that be a gift box or gift bag, or alternatively it can be attached to your layout or card.

• The embellishment will be judged only... not the wrapping/layout or card.

I found a polystyrene cone shape in the kids craft box and decided it would make a great xmas tree. I die cut some hearts using Spellbinders Nestabilities and turned them upside down to create the branches of my tree. I gave them a quick lick of Kindy Glitz and attached them to the cone. On the top of the tree I used some holly leaves and berries and topped it off with a gorgeous star charm from my2angels (thanks Tracy) attached with wire. I coiled some wire and attached beads to the end and placed these randomly on the tree. Then the whole tree rests on some more holly leaves and fibre base. All of this is attached to the lid of the box with one piece of wire through the bottom of the tree that can easily be removed if I wanted to use the tree as a decoration.


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Products Used: Bazzill : Spellbinders - Nestabalities Classic Hearts : My2Angels Star Charm : Kindy Glitz : Craft Holly Leaves & Berries : Jewellery Wire : Beads : Rhinestones : Fibre : Silver Craft Wings : Silver Craft Ribbon : White Gift Box

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Now onto other news.
Yesterday afternoon I got my subscription copy of Scrapbooking Memories Vol. 11. No. 10.
(Thank you again for the beautiful gift by the way. You know who you are!)
How excited was I to see 3 of my creations in this issue!
Plus if you check out the back page where the Sneak Peeks are you will see another creation of mine coming up in the next issue.
WOO HOO!
One of these publications features my gorgeous grandson Chay for the first time so needless to say I will be putting a copy away for him to keep....lol

Last but not least, my test results.
The good news is my Breast ultrasound showed the lump was nothing sinister.
Using my Doctor's words, I have "naturally lumpy breast tissue"....lol, so it means I have to be very aware of what is normal for me and do very regular checks.
The pap smear results not quite so encouraging.
All 3 showed consistently abnormal cells but they have not got worse so my Doctor wants to give me another round of tests in 6 months.
Not "ideal" news but I get 6 months to push it to the back of my mind and concentrate on other stuff.
I can live with that :)
Thank you for all the continued support & best wishes. Your kind words and positive thoughts mean a lot to me.

So that's another huge post. Hope you made it all the way through.....lol

Another Layout To Share

Just a quick post to share another layout I completed for my CPT work at DownUnder Direct.
I used the sketch for this week from Pencil Lines for this layout.

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Products Used: Bazzill : Bazzill - Cardstock With An Edge : Bazzill - Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles : Spellbinders - Nestabilities Large Labels : Making Memories PP : Basic Grey - Infuse PP : Queen & Co. Felt : Prima - Camelot Roses : Prima Flowers : Prima - Say It In Crystals Centres : Pink Paislee - Fashion Script Alpha Stickers : Versa Color Ink : Gel Pens

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I have some test results back today but I will save that for another post :)

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Gift Box With An Edge

I can't believe it's Thursday already! Seriously, someone is stealing days off me!
Maybe there is a Time Grinch out there that gets it's kicks by stealing days.....lol

Yesterday I worked on a cute little gift box for my CPT work at DownUnder Direct.
I used the new Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles and the Crafter's Companion so it came together really quickly. Half the work is done for you!
It turned out that a JustRite Stampers box slid perfectly inside the box but I can see it filled up with some chocolates or some yummy smelling soaps would be nice.
There is a tutorial attached to this project if you would like to check it out here.


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Products Used: Bazzill - Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles : Bazzill scraps : Spellbinders - Impressabilities Flowers : Spellbinders - Scalloped Ovals : JustRite Classic Oval Stamper Set : Crafters Companion : Versa Color Ink : Staz-On Ink : Prima - Fleur Vines : Kaiser - Pearls

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Many thanks for all the congratulations on my new niece Lyana.
I have passed all those best wishes onto my sister as well :)

Photo Update

Quick Photo update of the gorgeous Lyana.
There is no doubt she is the spitting image of her big brother. Wrinkled frown and all....lol
Love it!

Fascinating!

New Baby, New News, New Layout & A Thank You

WOO HOO!

I love it when I have good news to share. Today I became the proud Aunty of a gorgeous new niece. Welcome to the world

"Lyana Kayla"

Now I admit to a bit of an emotional hiccup when my sister asked if she could use Kayla as Lyana's middle name but I was so thrilled and naturally I said yes. For those of you who don't know, Kayla is my daughter who passed away when she was two and a half. So for my beautiful sister to name her own daughter in her memory is a wonderful, loving gesture. I am eagerly waiting for "real" photos and not grainy mobile phone ones. They are on early release from hospital so I am sure once they are settled in at home I will have an email bursting with some yummy baby pics.....lol


AND if today hasn't brought enough good stuff I have more news as well. My son and his partner had an ultrasound done today and the official due date of my second grand-baby is May 7th. Assuming the new little bubba decides to arrive on time, Chay will still be a day away from his first birthday! Who knows, maybe they will be sharing a birthday.

Now if I haven't bored you enough I have a layout to share as well.
I decided to join in the "Embellish This" Challenge Competition over at Scrap 'N' Craft With T.
Here are the details of their first challenge:

EMBELLISH IT..... and.... CREATE IT
This challenge is brought to you by... Karen Calcutt

Your challenge this week is too....

• Create a layout/project about a loved one
  
• Must journal about what you love about them

• Create your own flowers on your layout
• Must use beads
  
• Must use felt
• Must use fabric
• Must use a doily

*Important NOTE: no commercial flowers allowed please

I was hoping that by joining in it would give my Mojo a kick up the butt......lol
So this is what I came up with for this challenge.

The flowers are made from tulle, lace, calico and beads. I used a felt frame from Bella and the gorgeous paper is My Minds Eye Bella Bella range.

I also wanted to everyone for each of the beautiful comments that you left on my last post. I felt humbled, slightly embarrased but most of all extremely grateful for all your best wishes and positive vibes. It was an amazing feeling just reading all your aweome comments.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

xxx

All The Big News!

This is going to be a pretty long post so I hope you brought a cuppa with you!

The last couple of months have been crazy for me and anyone who really "knows" me will also know that my family is MY WORLD. There is nothing more important to me than my kids, my husband and of course my Grandson. I feel blessed and extremely lucky to have them. When any of them hurt, I hurt, when any of them struggle, I want to give them a hand, when any of them are sad, I cry for them. But man oh man when they smile and they are happy, my whole world is sunshine and chirping birds....lol

We have a pretty busy household with the three kids and we love it like that.
Our house is about to get even busier though as my son Nick, his partner Rachel and my gorgeous Grandson Chay are coming to live with us here. They will probably have to stay with us for some time so we are in overdrive at the moment re-organising the house to fit everyone in. It will be a squeeze with 4 adults, 2 kids, 1 teenager and 1 baby but I just know there will be a heap of fun and laughs as well.

Now if that's not enough there is going to be an extra little bundle joining our big, crazy, happy family as well. Nick & Rachel are expecting again and although we are not sure of a due date yet it looks like their babies are only going to be about 12 months apart. They really need all the love and support we can offer them at the moment and my husband Brett and I are looking forward to giving that to them and having the opportunity to have a closer relationship with our beautiful Grandchildren. I can't wait for the hectic life this is going to bring because although it is not going to be easy at times, we see it as a whole lot more love to go round. BRING IT ON!

Now onto more serious stuff. I have had a few health issues lately and I had no intentions of sharing these struggles but I realised today that ignoring stuff is a BIG problem. It's important and it it matters, not just to me but to all of you as well.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so I am going to take my recent experiences and turn it into a plea to all the women who may read this. Please make sure you all do your self breast exams and if you are hopeless at it like I am, get your GP or a nurse to do one for you. I recently have discovered a lump and although my Doctor is feeling very confident it will be nothing I am still getting a ultrasound to be sure. I am staying with positive thoughts and I am sure it will come out ok but you have to be sure.

I have also had the discomfort of having 3 Pap Smears in 6 months as I have abnormal cells. Again I am feeling confident that all will be ok but this is my chance to encourage all of you to make sure you have your regular tests. I was always pretty good about this and although I have had to suffer through 3 tests in quick succession I am being PRO-ACTIVE. It feels so much better to be doing something about it and not sitting on my hands, biting my nails or turning my head and ignoring it.
Just Go Do It!
If you have been putting yours off please make an appointment.

I will let you all know the results of my latest tests.

Today was such a turning point for me.
I learnt to speak up and speak out.
I learnt that the best friends are the ones that stay by your side even when they know nothing!
I learnt that the sound of my kids laughing and hugs really do make everything better.
I learnt that it doesn't matter how much you give, so long as one moment or one person makes it all worthwhile.
I learnt that on every cloudy day, the sun is shining somewhere.
I learnt that I still have a lot to learn......lol

So that's probably all my bravery used up for a while but if just 1 of you go and have a test done that you have been putting off then I can live with that!

Last night I made a tree (or is that "grew a tree"?)....lol
OK I did have some help from Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Circles and a Prima Felt Branch!
I used the new Bazzill Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles as a photo mat for this layout and Bazzill Swiss Dots as my background.

Another layout featuring my gorgeous Grandson Chay.

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Bazzill - Swiss Dots : Bazzill - Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles : Prima - Felt Branch : DCWV PP : Thickers : KI Memories Butterfly Paperclip : Paper Studio - Clear Stamps : Buttons : Leather String : Journaling Pens : Versa Color Ink : Staz-On Ink

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Just a quick post to share a couple more projects for DownUnder Direct. Both of these cards were made using the new Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles. They are the perfect size for creating cards.

The first is obviously a Christmas card. I also used the Create A Snowflake 1 Spellbinders again on this card.

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Bazzill - Cardstock With An Edge Rectangles : Spellbinders - Create A Flake 1 : Spellbinders - Classic Scalloped Square : Acetate : Glitter : Stickles : Dimensional Magic : Prima - Say It In Crystals Centre : Gesso

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This one is Christmas inspired but I have left it blank to use for any occasion.


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Bazzill - Cardstock With An An Edge Rectangles : Craft Floral Decoration : Versa Color Ink Ribbon : American Crafts - Eyelets : Raffia

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I hope everybody has had an awesome weekend :)

Now don't get scared but I have started doing some Christmas projects for DownUnder Direct. Yeah! really it's that close.....lol.

This is the first one I have finished so I thought I would share. This started off as a plain cheapo silver tree ball decoration. Then I used 2 of the Spellbinders Create A Flake 1 dies layered and decorated with lots of bling. I used a hot glue gun to attach the layered snowflakes to the ball.

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Bazzill : Spellbinders - Shapeabilities Create A Flake 1 : Ball Decoration : Glitter : Kindy Glitz : Dimensional Magic : Kaiser Pearls : Kaiser Rhinestones : Hot Glue Gun

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I would love to try some with a hint of colour as well :)

I was in the mood for a chunky layout last night so I created this layout (and a huge mess!)......lol
Love my Grandson Chay's beautiful baby blue eyes.

I used Bazzill's Swiss Dots as my background for this layout. I just love the extra texture it gives a page.

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Products Used: Bazzill Swiss Dot - Sand Box : Prima - Say It In Studs : Francheville - Floral Decor : Craft Floral Embellishment : Leather String : Tattered Angels - Glimmer Mist : Hessian : Prima - Down Home Collection Heart : ? Felt Leaves Border from RAK : Bella - Chipz Alpha : Carolee's Creations - Adorn It Alpha : Versa Color Ink

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Also I finally finished a project I was working on for weeks!!! Seriously I have never taken so long to finish to finish something.
Was it particularly tricky....No. I just would do a bit then put it away, bring it out a week later and do a bit more, etc, etc.
Any way this was a cheapie Paper Mache Mannequin thingo that I picked up for a couple of bucks from a craft store. I am sure you have seen something similar around.



I painted it entirely with Gesso then another coat of Antique White acrylic paint over the wood area to give an aged, shabby look. On the body part I covered the area with a decoupage type of technique using Rice Paper and Mod Podge. Then I created a necklace with some string pearls and a gem. I have no idea what I am going to use it for but my daughter will probably steal it anyway because it's pink!.....lol

I think you will see a couple more Digi Layouts featuring this kit by Cara Mia Designz.
This kit was awesome value and it is LOADED with gorgeous goodies.
If you want to check out this kit "Sophie" or any of the other beautiful goodies by Cara Mia Designz you can view her shop at Pickleberry Pop here.

All elements from Sophie Kit by Cara Mia Designz
Font used MyType.


Can't wait to see what else I can create from this kit :)

This is a digi layout that was supposed to be for my October Number Challenge at RSS.
Obviously it is no longer required so I might as well share it with you all....lol


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I have used elements from the following : Little Dreamer Designs - Vinatge Dreams Retro Freebie : Ann-Marie - Lime Aide Alpha Kit
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Actually if you want to play along with this challenge the details of the challenge were:

As easy as 1,2,3


You must use:


1 Frame

2 Different Ribbons

3 Metal Embellies


I would also like to see a NUMERAL used in the title.

I have a super cute OTP RAK here that I have been dying to give away so if you want to post a link to your creation I would love to give the RAK away at the end of the month :)