For Marie

I was tagged a few days ago, but had not had a chance to post about it...Thanks Marie... And, I cannot BELIEVE THAT POST about Paris Hilton LOL (!)

*****Photo Memory Game****
Here are the RULES:
1.Go to where you store you pictures on your computer.
2.Go to the SIXTH folder and pick the SIXTH picture.
3.Post that picture on your blog along with a SHORT story about it.
4.You know the rest. Tag SIX people and leave a comment on their blog or email then letting them know you chose them.

Here`s my photo...sorry to disappoint you Marie & (she wanted to see a photo of me LOL), but the only photos I have in our computer are either craft-related, or the ones taken by DD with her digital camera. Anyway, this is our little pooch, Cuddles (in need of a hair-cut LOL) We`ve had her for 14 years & a bit (she`ll be 15 in March) & although she doesn`t look it, she`s getting very frail, & her hearing is going. She still loves to have a play with DD in the garden, but she tires more easily now & I can`t remember the last time she went out for a walk...She has always had a beautiful temperament, & has been a great companion to our DD (& her friends LOL). She has had a great life, & we are dreading the day when she will have to leave us...but we are enjoying each & every day we have with her, isn`t she gorgeous? I feel a LO coming on : )

& now I must tag 6 people...I don`t think I can reach that quota...
1 Meavan
2 Lyn
3 Cuchy

& if you take your time, don`t stress, I know we are all busy with life :) TT4N

Back To Our Regular Transmission

I don`t know about the rest of blogland, but I haven`t had much craft time available to me. However, I have managed a few ATCs, all of which use the beautiful Crafty Individuals range of UM stamps...Thanks for visiting, & I`ll be back tomorrow with a few more ATCs :)

Hot, Hot, Hot...

Yes, it`s summer here in my neck of the woods, & though I do love the outdoors, some days are just too hot to be outside...I have been away from the computer for a few days, as we were sans DD for 4 days (& nights!) so DH & I had lots of "grown-up" time, just lovely : ) On Sunday we went to one of our favourite haunts, the Tyabb Packing House ( in Tyabb, funnily enough) which is a great big antiques centre, full of gorgeous stuff. DH always manages to find a book, or ten LOL, & I love looking through the old habadashery, lots of old buttons, laces & fabrics. I bought this great book, because the title just made me laugh so much...

Can you imagine publishing a book with this title nowadays? BTW, the "Radiation" refers to the sales company which marketed the Regulo New World Cookers, & this was aimed at their customers...The first edition was printed in Octeber 1927, but my edition is the 46th, printed in March 1955...

A few days back, (eight to be precise) the lovely Sandie nominated me for this beautiful award...Thank you Sandie, & my apologies for taking so long to pop it here & pass it along : )




"These blogs believe and invest in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their awards".







I`d like to give this award to all those bloggers who take the time to share their creations with the rest of cyberworld...Sometimes it can be hard to find the time to sit & type, when there are so many other things that must take priority in our everyday lives, but there`s no denying the great friendships that we can become a part of just by investing a little bit of our time :)
And to the following ladies especially...
Cuchy (from Spain)
Maevan (now in the USA, formerly from Aust.)
Marie
Sarah

Drop by their blogs & say hi, & tell them I`m sending a big hug :)

Are You Puzzled?

Here`s something I`ve had in my stash for a long time, something I just HAD TO HAVE, & yet it`s taken me months to finally use it... It`s a Cuttlebug die in the shape of puzzle pieces. I saw it at the last craft show I went to & I just had to have it, but it took this month`s challenge over at Inkurable Stampers to get me to play with it, I had bought it & promptly forgot I had it (!)

I got the idea for the "flowers" the other day, remember this? I had to use some wire hangers as I didn`t have any other wire that was thick enough to hold up those big puzzle pieces...I cut, shaped, & colored them using a green Sharpie. The b`ground alphabet is a great stamp from Victoria`s Secret , & I used the same stamp for the lettering. The "leaves " were handcut with a pair of small zigzag scissors from previously painted pages from an old book. I also decorated the tin using the same painted paper, letters & ricrac in purple & red.

No Rest For The Wicked...

I have lots to share, but very little time...isn`t that always the way? Firstly, I`d like to say a big thank you to the ladies who have left comments for my last post, I have passed them on to my gorgeous other half & he`s very happy with himself, though a bit embarrassed that I included it in my blog... On another note, I just (Friday) received a beautiful Christmas card all the way from Spain, from my long-distance cyber-friend Cuchy. I took a photo, but it doesn`t do it justice, there`s so much texture to it, & it was so hard for me to capture it, so just take my word for it !!!

Thank you Cuchy :)

Just before Christmas I also took part in a quick ATC swap hosted by another good cyber-friend, Helen C.

The first one is by Helen C, then Judith B`s, & another one by Helen, followed by a lovely glittery creation by Rachel B, then there`s Jude`s (which has a beautiful embossed b`ground, but is very hard to pick up with the scan, & then we have Peter C`s (also with glittery accents, also hard to see!)

& the last one is mine, created with that beautiful "girl"image from a rubber plate from Paperforestdesign & the postmark is from the Christmas rubber plate from Darkroom Door stamps, the German scrap is from TheStampingQueen...so a very Aussie ATC : )

Purple Goodness

No, it`s not a giant eggplant/aubergine, it`s DHs gift to me...My DH is a true romantic, so if you don`t want to read about this Lucky Ducky, turn away NOW LOL, you`ve been warned. He said it`s this Christmas, Valentine`s, wedding Anniversary, birthday, & NEXT Christmas present rolled into one!!!!!!!!! It is beautiful, made by him, just for me...& for about 2 weeks I had to walk backwards into the study(he didn`t want me to see what he was working on!) & my scrapping stash was turned upside-down by him, (my rub-ons are still recovering LOL), & he did have an accomplice (DD helped him with colours & some ideas) & she never said a word! Anyway, I won`t show it in all it`s glory, as it is a very personal gift, but I will show the outside of it, covered in beautiful purple velvet... The inside is made up of 50 pages, single-sided, with photos. Now, my DH is NOT a scrapper, but he does have a way with words, & has done a beautiful job with this book, I was in tears when he handed it to me (& not just because he`d used things I had stashed away for different projects LOL) Each page has a beautiful quote, poem, song lyric or his thoughts put to paper, & each one is as heartfelt as his love for me. "I soar towards the clouds with all my senses alive when you are by my side"
The art-work on the front & back cover are prints by Brian Nash, a local (Victorian) artist whose work we love, front cover depicts a scene in Lavandula farm, a charming spot in Daylesford, & the back cover is a scene in Venice, Italy, one of our favourite places we discovered together a few years ago, & where we hope to return soon :)

Long Time No "C"

Yep! It`s been a while between Creations, but DD had the great idea of challenging DH, as well as herself & yours truly to "make something" with the bits & pieces she chose for us...I forgot to take any "before" photos, but we were all given the same things: 1 glass jar, 5 buttons, 3 length of wire, 2 tissues, 9 puzzle pieces & a length of cardboard tubing...

The rules were simple enough, we had 3 hours to make "something", but we had to use EVERY ITEM, so we got to work...

We had a lot of fun trying to come up with different ideas, & even DH joined in...& it`s given me an idea for this month`s challenge over at Inkurable Stampers LOL, just have to work out a few details & set aside the actual TIME!!!

Anyway, the top photo is my DHs work (titled Planet Bug) using all the bits & pieces he was given plus some extra bits & some magazine cut-outs. Next, my DDs lovely bee creation, she covered the wire with the tissues (for the wings) & don`t you just love the crown...(Oh, to have the imagination of a child, I think we would all be better off, don`t you?), & the last photo, my attempt...it`s hard to see, but I painted the puzzle pieces, stuck words on them, attatched them with the wire to the tubing (which I covered with 1 tissue & painted, the other tissue I used to clean up LOL) I threaded the buttons (& some beads) onto wire & stuck some newsprint to the jar. I`ll be back later with a beautiful gift I received from DH ( made by him!!!) Enjoy your day, & don`t forget Sandie`s swap! Today is the last day to join :)

Welcome 2009

Welcome 2009, I hope you all had as much fun ringing the new year in as I did...complete with the hangover to prove it : #

I received some new stamps I`d ordered from PaperForestDesign & had a play with a couple of them...I can only show this one though, as the others are for a swap. This is a quick card I made for my parents` wedding anniversary, I used the "clock woman" from Diva D`Este (isn`t she gorgeous?!), coloured it with chalks, covering the clock face with DM, & adding the corners cut out from paper painted with TwinksH2Os, they loved it :)

On another note, my DD has found a great new use for my Signo gel pens... She did this all herself, & I just had to take a photo (with my phone though, so excuse the quality, or lack there of LOL) I do love her drawings...

BTW, I just read the new theme for this month over at Inkurable Stampers & already I have a couple of ideas (wonders never cease!) & don`t forget to check out SBT50 for their challenges as well. & if you`d like to take part in a journaling stamp swap, head over to Sandie`s blog & sign up, it`s open to overseas swappers as well, & it sounds like she has a little surprise planned ; ) Thanks for popping in, TTFN