Hanging around for some easter treats at MDUC

It's an Easter theme this week over at Magnolia Down Under and you are definitly going to wan to play alog as the prize is a $25 vocher from Simon Says. As you can see I do not own any Easter stamps so I use this Tilda the fabulous Tracey stamped up for me from the raising the ceiling collection. She is holding a little bag of goodies so I thought she would be appropriate for Easter. I have been dying to make a frame card since I saw THIS tutorial, and it was much easier than I thought it would be :) I can see more of these in my future, and the inside of the frame is the perfect place to nestle an arrangement of flowers. I searched all my stamps and did not have any sentiments for an Easter card, so I went with something simple and hand written, my least favourite part of the card because I HATE my handwriting. The cute little butterflies were a random punch from my collection, the label looked like it was needing a little something. The papers are Magnolia, get your HERE, I love these candy papers and after I finished my card I went to my local scrap sore and picked up a MS candy border punch, don't know where I would have used it on this card but I did buy it with these papers in mind :)

So, be sure to swing by the MDUC blog and check out the other amazing DT ladies work, they leave me speechless week after week, and don't forget to get your entries in for a chance to win this weeks amazing prize!!

Anya Ink

It's Anya Ink time, an this weeks challenge is 'Anything but a card'. I normally love coming up with and constructing little projects for no particular reason and I have ideas rattling around in my head when I see particular stamps, but as soon as someone sets anything but a card as a challenge I go blank, it's soooo very frustrating. So for this challenge I have made one of my favourites, a mini pizza box, you can find the tutorial HERE. I decided to make it a bit different and I cut a window in the top of the box and used acetate, so now you get a sneak peak at the contents. These little boxes are perfect for chocolates of small gift or thank you cards, even as a gift box for coasters, it would be fabulous if you stamped up a set and made a box to match!

Be sure to stop by the Anya Ink blog and see the DT's amazing work!

A colour challenge from Anya Ink

It's Sunday again and that means time for another Anya Ink challenge! This week we have a colour challenge for you of blue, grey and cream. So this week my geisha Anya has come out to play, isn't she adorable, and a dream to colour! I have glittered all my edges and the flower in Anya's hair and on her kimono. I have inked all the edges of my DP in blue ink. For this challenge I have made a joy fold card, I did have a tutorial I found the other day for it but now I cannot find it again, typical, there is probably one over at SCS, they have everything :) Here is the card opened up, I have left two areas blank for writing. This card is actually a cream colour but has come out white in the photo and I have inked the edges in blue ink.

don't forget to stop by and see the rest of the DT's amazing work and play along with us!

Buttons and Bows for MDUC

Welcome back, it's Sunday and this week it is my groups turn over at Magnolia Down Under Challenges. Our challenge this week is o use flowers, buttons and bows, your creation much contain a little of each! Our sponsor for this week is Michelle's scrapbooking and more and they are giving a $10 voucher to the winner! Well, the flowers on my card are obvious, the glittery little lady bug on the flower is a button, it had a shank on the back which I just cut off and it went perfectly with these papers I already had, and as for the bow, there is a bot of bow action going on under the flowers, unfortunately you can't tell because I got a bit excited with the flower component of the challenge, lol. I have inked up my adorable little 60's Tilda, she is one of my favourites, who really is as cute as a bug. You can't see it at all in the pic but I have glittered the edges of all the petals and the lady bugs on my DP are glittery too, so I have a whole glitter thing going on that did not show up at all, bugger! I think the only way to get a good pic where you can actually see the glitter is to take a horrible over exposed shot with the flash on, I guess you will just have to imagine it :)
Thank you for taking a look and all your wonderful comments :) I am leaving for holidays tomorrow so I apologize if I cannot get around to comment on everyones blogs over the next week, I do not know if I will have any internet access, gasp!!

Anya Ink goes Monochromatic

Happy Valentines Day everyone and welcome to another Anya Ink Sunday. This weeks challenge is monochromatic. When I saw this I first planned to do a whole card in black and white, but then I had an idea to use browns and try the cracked glass effect, you can find a tutorial here, there are a few around but they all are pretty much the same. I have tried to go for vintage-ish feel. The DP is magnolia and everything is from my extensive stash :) Here is a close up of the cracked image.

i am also going to enter this over at Anyone for Anya, good enough to eat, the colours are pretty chocolatey to me, and Farm Fresh Friday want vintage-esque :)

Thanks for coming by today and having a look. I must apologize for my lack of posting lately, I am leaving for holidays tomorrow so I have been working on some DT stuff in order to get ahead and not have to stress. So I apologize if I cannot get around to comment on everyones blogs over the next week, I do not know if I will have any internet access, gasp!!

Black Saturday

Hi all, this is not a crafty post, I just wanted to share a little something with you all. Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires, that devastated Victoria. While my home was never under immediate threat the fire destroyed homes and many lives were lost in near by towns. My fiancee was supposed to be playing cricket in one of these town on this day and I am just thankful that it was called off as the fire tore through these grounds and destroyed everything that day.
Below are some photos taken from our front door at around 4 in the afternoon. I have never shown these to anyone and have only looked at them once or twice myself. In this one the ash has completely blocked the sun, I have never seen anything like this before in real life, and only once or twice on tv, you can even see the ash falling from the sky, it looks a bit like snow.

Anyway, thanks for looking, I just thought it was a day worth mentioning and remembering.

Magnolia Down Under yummyness!!!

Welcome to the new weekly format at Magnolia Down Under Challenges! Exciting, isn't it :) You may or may not know that the DT has been split into 2 groups so that even though the challenges are weekly the DT are still working on a fortnightly basis and alternating challenges, so Group 1 is up this week and seeing that I am on group 2 I don't have anything to show you... except the crafty goodness up for grabs from the always generous Kellie, a collection of some of her favourite things, and aren't they yummy!! So if that is not inspiration enough to get inky I don't know what is!! So get out your pink and grey goodness and let the mojo flow...

Oh, on another note, I just realised this is my 100th post! yay!! I'm kind of amazed that I made it past 10 :D

Be my Valentine Edward

Welcome to another Anya Ink Sunday! This week our challenge is to make something with a valentines theme. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get out my Edward stamp, I got him from The Stamp Spot a couple of weeks ago on sale (the sale is still on, go and grab a bargain, you know you want to) I figured a needed a guy stamp, and he is super cute and I LOVE his hair (please don't hate me but I have never seen a twilight movie or read any of the books, just bought him for the cuteness factor... sorry) I even stamped him and coloured him to use in next weeks challenge I got so excited about him, but changed my mind last night and went with another idea :) I'm a woman, I'm allowed to change my mind on a whim.
The DP is my minds eye, hugs and kisses (if you look closely you can see x's and o's)The pattern is a bit bigger than I would like but you still get the idea. I think I have finally used the last of this DP, i got 3 cards out of it :) the card stock is from my stash, ticket is a bizzy bec digi (link in side bar), string is from the supermarket, bargain!, and just the texture I need for male cards. Some bling from my stash and some gel pen doodling and... I made this with the idea of it being for a male, then thought perhaps I should have put a female on there, like the card was from me so the image should be a female, like a little me on the card, if that makes sense? then I thought too much about it and just ended up confusing myself so I stuck with the little guy on the guys card, perhaps he can symbolise the guy receiving the card... too... confusing... brain... hurts...
I did have a girly all coloured in and was going to put her on there with him like a couple, but when I cut her out I cut on the lines and Edward has a white border around him so it would have looked wrong, so after all that, I just left the card the way I had it, lol!

This card also plays along with the following challenges!

ABC challenges - N is for new (my stamp is a newbie)

By the cute and girly - love

Creative card crew - Valentines

Creative craft challenge - roses are red

Papertake weekly challenge - love actually

Simon says challenge - photo inspiration

Stamp something - Love somethings

Stampin for the weekend - love is in the air

Crazy 4 Challenges - Be my valentine

Anya is pretty in pink

I came up with this using an image I coloured in last week for no other reason other than she was new and i had stamped her a week or so earlier and she needed some love :) lucky for me I was in a pink mood when I coloured hes so she was suitable for this weeks Farm Fresh Friday monotone challenge and over at Club Anya and Friends the Monday Mania challenge is easel cards, one of my all time favourite things to do! ABC Challenges want to see you use something new, Creative Inspirations want something feminine (and what is more girly than pink?!). I have used the sketch from over at Anyone For Anya?

I am also going to throw her in over at Pile it On and Dutch Dare Challenges who are both sick of winter and want something bright and cheery!

I was desperate to put a bow on this one, I'm going through a bit of a phase, or maybe some flowers but nothing seemed right, so I left it very plain and simple, so not me. I have glittered the head band and the strip of card under the image, I have also put crystal effects on the cake frosting to make it all glossy and yummy and her shoes too.

Delish Magnolias to sketch

Check out my new cutie!!! I ordered her from Kellie HERE on Saturday afternoon and she was waiting for me in my letterbox on Monday, I don't know how it happened but I'm so glad to have her, and on sale too!

I had her stamped once I had put the boys to bed and even finished colouring her that night! All I had to do then was find a sketch... thanks stamp with fun!

I even lugged the sewing machine over for this one, why they have to make them so heavy I don't know, I'm still working on my flying prototype, or maybe a hover version would be better, with a remote control :) Hmmm... maybe not, some stupid man would get his hands on it and crash it right into a wall, what is it with men and remotes, they get very territorial, and the constant flicking of channels during adds and then missing half the show you were watching in the first place because he got distracted... sorry, getting a bit off topic there, lol.

This card plays along with a few challenges today:

Stamp with fun - sketch (I sort of flipped it)

Creative Inspirations - feminine (flowers and bow are a bit of a give away that this is not a man's card)

Cute Card Thursday - Blooming gorgeous (not as many flowers as I usually slather on, but it still counts)

Dutch Dare Challenges - summer colours (it's not overly bright and sunny but the blueberries are pretty summery don't you think?!)

Magnolia Stamp Lovers (oh yes I am!!)- Buttons or bows or both (bow, check!)

Pile it on - Enough of the winter colours (well, blueberries again! and green has a bit of a spring feel to it)

Stamp something - Delightfully Delicious somethings (well, the spoon indicates she has been baking, might have to get out the giant slice of cake stamp and have another crack at that one)