Belated Christmas Wishes & a New Card!

Hi all. Hope you had a fantastic, festive and love filled Christmas! Can’t believe we are into 2010 in 2 day’s time, wow, this year has just flown by!

I have been busy in the garden this morning, I love to potter & plant. We spent a week down in Scottburgh at my aunt & uncle’s house, and their garden is just stunning, so I came home very inspired!

I was over the moon to wake up this morning and to find that my cardmaking mojo has returned! Yay, I haven’t felt like making cards in a while, so I am so glad to be feeling creative again!

So without further ado…. My card today qualifies for 2 challenges. I have used the sketch from Mojo Mondays, and have used lace on my card which is what you have to do to take part in the weekly challenge over at Quixotic Challenges. I used an image that the sweet Meahni stamped for me.

Here is the sketch:


And my card from various angles. I colored the adorable image with my Copics. I am sending this card to my aunt & uncle to say “thanks” for having us stay at their beautiful house.




Thanks for stopping by. I will be back soon. I would love for you to leave a comment….

A scrapbooking Challenge!

Hi again. Wow, 2 posts in one day! I was doing a bit of blog surfing this morning, and stopped by my friend Cariena's blog. Her hubby has recently had a back op, and I just wanted to drop by to say "Hi". Anyway, while I was there I thought I would check out Scrap & Stamp, where Cariena is part of their DT. As it so happened their challenge for the week was to scrap a gathering and to use one stamp. I had the perfect photo for the challenge. So bright and early this morning I scrapped a page, it's so nice to have my mojo back.

So here is my layout. I had fun putting this one together. I got the idea from a layout in a CK mag. I used my old Making Memories foam stamps for the flourish stamped at the bottom of the page, as well as some yummy pink Sprinkles.


Sorry about the bad scan, the page is quite bulky! Thanks for looking!

It's time for a new challenge! ABSC007

Wow, the days left until Christmas are dwindling at an alarming rate!! Hubby went on leave on Wednesday so it has been great having him home. We have a busy few days ahead, and then leave to go down the coast to my family on Monday. So I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a very "Merry Christmas". Hope this time of year is filled with lots of love and happiness for you and your family!

So.....this weeks sketch challenge will run for two weeks, so there won't be a new one for next week, which makes this the last one for the month, and a prize one!! All entries will have the chance to win a $20.00 gift voucher from AnnaBelle Stamps. We would love to see lots of entries! So please take this opportunity and enter our Bling Challenge. All you need to do is follow the sketch and add some bling to your card, it's as easy as that. Click on the Bling Challenge Blinkie in my sidebar to link your card to our Mr. Linky!

So here is the sketch Andrea gave for us to work with, it's another goodie.



For my card I used the Holly Branch set and it's another wonderful Christmas set packed with sentiments. The holly branches are an essential for anyone wanting to make a Christmas card. Here is what is included in the set:


And here is my card, I used 3 of the different holly images and of course added some gorgeous Olive 6mm Sprinkles. They are stunning!



I also wanted to send a special message out to Andrea and all the other DT girls. It's been great fun working with all of you, and I am inspired by your creativity every day. Hope you all have a wonderful festive season. X

I got an Award

Morning. I received a lovely award from a fellow DT girl Michelle. Thanks very much Michelle. I also received 2 other awards recently from Cariena & Michelle, but didn't reply to theirs. Sorry girls, really appreciate the thought though. Now that the boys are on holiday (and both are playing at friends houses right now), I am able to find the time to answer the questions that go along with these awards. So here is the award I received:


And my questions & answers:

With this award I have to answer these questions and pass it on to 5 other exceptional Bloggers.

Your cell phone? Nokia
Your hair? Wavy & dirty blond
Your mother? In Pennington
Your father? Don’t know where he is. Just as well I think!!
Your favorite food ? Baked goods
Your dream last night? A weird one about an ex friend of mine
Your favorite drink? Tea
Your dream/goal? For my life to continue just as it is!
What room are you in? The family lounge/hobby room
Your hobby? Knitting, scrapbooking & cardmaking
Your fear? Something bad happening to one of my children
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Right here
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Unhappy
Muffins? Yes please
Wish list item? Overseas travel
Where did you grow up? Scottburgh in KZN
Last thing you did? Spun some singles on my spinning wheel
What are you wearing? Cords, white long sleeve top & a scarf I spun & knitted
Your TV? Crime channel or any sport
Your Pets? Billy – dog, Socks - cat
Friends? Not very many
Your life? Full & just how I like it
Your mood? Content
Missing someone? Poppy
Vehicle? Nissan X-Trail
Something you're not wearing? My wedding ring
Your favorite store? Scrapbooking shops
Your favorite color? Brown
When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
Last time you cried? A while back
Your best friend? My husband Ray
One place that you go to over and over? My knitting & spinning room
Facebook? Yes, but I don’t go there very often
Favorite place to eat? A lovely lodge here in town which is surrounded by a game park with lots of lovely animals in it.

Now passing something like this on is difficult because I would love to give it to lots of wonderful people out there, but here are my chosen five, Check out their blogs.

Sharon
Paola
Linda
Debbie
Meahni

And here is a photo of my latest knitting project. It's going to be the Travelling Fern Lace Scarf, which is a free pattern that is available at Ravelry. It is a really lovely pattern to knit, and of course knitting it with my own homespun is even better!!


Thanks for looking!

This Week's Sketch - ABSC006

Morning. It's a cooler day in Dundee today, yahoo!! Can't believe the first week of holiday is over already. We have had a great week, and I am loving having the boys at home. We have another great sketch to share with you today. It's simple, and fun to work with! I got my Xmas stamps from Andrea, and really love both sets! The set I used for today's card is the Jewelled Tree set, and it is lovely! Add some Sprinkles to this set, and you have the perfect recipe for a stunning Xmas card. Here are the stamps that are included in this set:


And here is my card. Once again my photography has let me down a bit, the card is much prettier IRL! I have taken a few photos this time!


This is the sentiment inside the card.


And a photo to show you how stunning the Sprinkles are!


We would love for you to take part. Click on the Annabelle Bling Challenge Blinkie in my sidebar to find out more details. Hope you have a lovely weekend. Hubby and I are off to PMB to do our Xmas shopping, so looking forward to a day out, just the 2 of us!

My new Room!

Morning everyone. We are all enjoying our holiday thoroughly so far! Yesterday we had a lovely day! The kids were well behaved and we spent some lovely time in the pool!

A few posts back I mentioned some renovations that we were having done, so today I thought I would post some photos of my new room, and my new "baby". I am truly blessed that my husband agreed to give me my own "space" where I can be away from all the boys stuff, and I can sit and knit, spin, watch t.v., read or anything I like! So here goes:





And my new "baby", a 20 year old Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheel. I love her!


And some spinning I have done on her: This is the Morning Surf Scarf, and is such a lovely pattern to knit. It is available for free on Ravelry.





Thanks for looking. Hope you are having a fab week!

ABSC005 - A new Sketch

Hi all.

Andrea has come up with another lovely sketch this week. I was unfortunately not able to participate, cause of a whole bunch of commitments last week! Happily today is the 1st day of the boy's holiday, so hopefully I will have more free time on my hands! I actually worked on my card for next week's sketch this morning, and am really happy with my card. I used the Jewelled Tree Set which is totally awesome!! So check back on Friday for that. I would still love for you to take part in this week's sketch. You have until Friday to enter your card. Here is the sketch:


Please also stop by at the other DT girl's blogs. They have all made some lovely cards. Remember click on the Annabelle Blinkie in my sidebar to go to the Annabelle Stamps blog where you can link your cards.

ABSC004 - Annabelle Sketch 4 & a Prize!

Morning to you on this Monday morning! Sorry I am a bit late in posting my Annabelle Sketch for this week, it was a very busy weekend! Only 1 week left of school before the boys go on holiday, so I am over the moon about that! Wow, it was hot yesterday 37 Degrees Celsius, happily it is a bit cooler today. Me, I battle with the heat!

Anyway, Andrea gave us another lovely sketch to work with this week. Here it is:


And here is my card:


I decided to use all the lovely little elements that are part of the "I can fly" set. I must say that this is definitely one of my fav sets, there is so much that you can do with it!

And there is another bonus to this weeks sketch. If you take part in the challenge you stand a chance of winning a $20 certificate to spend on any Annabelle products. Wonderful!! So we really would be chuffed if you took part! Just click on the Bling Challenge Blinkie in my sidebar to link your card for the week. Remember, you don't have to use Annabelle stamps on your card, just some Bling!!

Hope you have a great week!

ABSC003 - Another Annabelle Sketch

Wow, I have had an early start to my day today!! Got out of bed at 4:00am, made myself a cup of tea, and am now updating my blog. I am terrible, when I wake up an hour or so before the time that I am due to wake up, I just can't go back to sleep!! I do love this quiet alone time though!

So moving right along (before one of my kids wake up too), we are on to our 3rd Sketch over at Annabelle Stamps. We would really love for you to take part this week. It is a lovely sketch to follow, and remember, all you need to do to take part is add some Bling!!

Here is the sketch Andrea gave us to work with:


And here is my card and closeup photo. I am really in need of a new camera. I just can't seem to take a really good photo of my cards lately!



We would really love for you to take part. Just click on the Annabelle Bling Challenge blinkie in my sidebar and it will take you right to the place you need to be! Hope you all have a fab weekend. x

P.S. If you are wanting to purchase any of the lovely Annabelle stamps just click on this link: Annabelle Stamps to go directly to the shop.

Annabelle Challenge 2 - BSC002

We are onto our 2nd challenge over at Annabelle Stamps Bling Challenge, and this week's sketch was quite an unusual one!

I struggled initially, but once I got going it was a fun one to work with, and it really made me think outside my box!

I noticed that quite a few of the other DT members used a stamp from the new Christmas set, unfortunately mine hasn't arrived yet, so I used an Annabelle stamp that I already have.

Here is the sketch:


And here is my card:


I used the Elephant Valentine Set. I recently also created another card using another ellie from the same set.

We would love for you to take part in our challenges. Remember, you can use any stamp you own, your card must just have some bling on it!! Click on the link in my sidebar to go and see what the other DT members have done.

Hope you all have a fantastic week. Caide only has 1 week of exams left. Yahooo!

Our first Bling Sketch Challenge

Hi everyone. Hope you had a lovely weekend. Ours was lovely, very hot!!

Today I waned to share a card I made for Annabelle's first Bling Sketch Challenge. Andrea has created a new site where we can showcase our Annabelle cards, and it is lovely!! The great part about this challenge though, is that you don't need to use Annabelle Stamps, it's all about the Bling!!

Here is the sketch I based my card on:



And here is my card and closeup photo. I used the set which is called "I can fly". This is another lovely set, this little girl is SO cute, and it includes the cute butterfly stamps and some lovely sentiments!



We would love for you to take part!! Just click on the Annabelle Bling Challenge blinkie in my side bar, and go and have a look. It's going to be lots of fun!

P.S. You also have until the 22nd to enter for the awesome blog candy that is up for offer on the Annabelle Stamps Blog so don't wait too long, go and enter your name!!

It's Release Day & Some Lovely Blog Candy!!

Hi All.
Sorry I have been so scarce, terrible I know!! I have my Mom visiting this weekend, but I needed to check in to tell you about the fantastic news! Annabelle Stamps has 3 new stamp sets that are being released today!! They are Christmas sets and are absolutely fabulous! Andrea is also releasing some new Sprinkles sets, and I am telling you, you have gotta get some of these! They are absolutely perfect for finishing off a card! Andrea has also started a new blog, where we are going to be having lots of Annabelle fun, so please hop on over to her site, Andrea's Stampin' Moments to find out what is going on, it will really be worth your while, she has some awesome blog candy which she is giving away!!

And just because I have been so slack, I thought I must share a card today! This is a card I created using one of (the many!) images Meahni so kindly stamped for me. She is one of the Bella Gals, and these are the first Bella images I have gotten my hands on, and they are just so cute! Thanks Meahni!! This card also happens to qualify for the challenge over at Cute Card Thursday, fancy that!



P.S. I have used some pretty pink Sprinkles on this card, aren't they just perfect!

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend, and that all the overseas people enjoyed Halloween!

I have reached 5000 hits!

Hello all. Yes I am still here, haven’t run away (yet!!). So let me explain my absence! I have got a job! It happened very suddenly, but I believe it was meant to be, and is the perfect “part-time” job for me. I am working Mon – Thurs from about 8:30 till 11:30, and I am helping out the lady in town who gives swimming lessons to the little kiddies. I go to each playschool, pick up the kids, get them ready for their lesson, climb into the pool and assist Jenny, and then get out, get the kids dressed and back to school. On a Mon & Wed I do 3 classes and on the other two days 2 lessons. So needless to say this week has been rather hectic with me trying to get used to my new routine. On top of that we are doing some renovations, so I had the builders here this week, and Caide and Bryce have also started with their swimming lessons. Their lessons are at 2:30pm Mon – Thurs. So, as I was saying, busy, busy busy. As a result my cardmaking has unfortunately taken a bit of a backseat for the last week or so!!

Hopefully I will be able to get myself back on track soon.

So, I do have a card to show you today. It is one I made using the Elephant Valentine set from Annabelle Stamps. This is an adorable set. It is called a Valentine set, but I think the ellies are perfect for baby and little kids cards too. Here is what is included in this set:



The card I made is quite a simple one, I paper pieced the elephant, and used some Making Memories patterned paper, which I think matches the ellie image perfectly!



Andrea from Annabelle Stamps is going to be releasing a few Christmas sets at the beginning of November so stayed tuned for those. She also has another surprise up her sleeve, which I should be able to tell you about soon!

I have just realised that while I was away I reached 5000 hits!! I am going to have to come up with some blog candy to celebrate!! What do you think??

I'm finished with Clue 2

I have been taking part in the Mystery Sock KAL (Knit a Long)over at Ravelry and I am having so much fun. This is the first time I have taken part in a KAL, and thus far these have been the most complex socks I have knitted. In the past I would have been a little nervous to knit something which I would have viewed as quite difficult, but the pattern is extra easy to read, and I have sailed along with the pattern. If you haven't already signed up, it's not too late. Click on this link and it will take you to the place where you need to sign up. It's great fun and an awesome pattern to knit. I have also started knitting a pair of socks by Cookie A. which are called "Monkey Socks", the free pattern is available at Ravelry, and this is also a gorgeous pattern to knit. I am using my new wool which I mentioned in my previous post and it is knitting up beautifully!!


It's a stunning day here in Dundee today. Hope God blesses you all in some way today. His awesomeness has already touched me this morning!

My first Mo's Challenge

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. It was a good one for us. On Friday we had 2 boys come and sleep over in celebration of Bryce’s birthday, which was yesterday. We ordered pizza, they each boy had a KFC ice-cream cup, played Monopoly and had lots of laughs. Bryce really enjoyed his birthday, and we got him the Wii Island Resort Sports game, so guess what he did most of the day yesterday!! This morning Caide left for his week long tour down in Winkelspruit, so needless to say Mom was a bit teary eyed this morning. He has never been gone from home for so long, or so far away. Like 3 hours away. Luckily all my family is from down that way, so if there are any sort of problems, help will be right at hand!!

So should we get onto the card for today. This one is one I created around 3 challenges. The main one for me is the new challenge blog over at Mo’s Digital Pencil. I adore her images, she has such a wide range of them, and there is one to suit every occasion. I love the fact that they print perfectly every time, and you can adjust the image to any size you want it. The challenge for this week was to create a purple card, and for this card I used the “Jack & Ginger” image which is just perfect for anniversary cards. I had so much fun coloring this image, the photo just doesn’t do it justice I am afraid. Coloring and blending is just so easy with my Copics! I also added a charm to the card, which is part of the challenge over at Cute Card Thursday. I think the little heart just finishes off the card perfectly. Over at Caardvarks the challenge is to use ribbon in a wonderful way, this may be a way others have used ribbon on their cards, but this is the first time I have attached a charm to a card in this way, and I also attached the ribbon to the card with colored staples which gives the card a bit of a rustic feel.

Anyway, without further ado, here is a photo of my card, and a closeup photo of Mo’s wonderful image.



I was touched by 2 acts of kindness over the weekend which I thought I just had to mention here on my blog. The first person who I want to mention is Meahni!! She is a girl who I met through blogging, and is one of the sweetest people I have “met” online. She is on the DT for Stamping Bella, which is a huge achievement, and she makes the most gorgeous cards. Anyway, a while back she kindly stamped me some images, which is popped into the post and sent to me. At the time our wonderful post office staff were on strike, so somewhere along the line my parcel went “missing”. I was so upset!! Not to be deterred Meahni again stamped me “some” images and sent me off another parcel, which I received on Saturday. It must have taken her days to stamp me the amount of images she did!! I now have enough images to last me a year. Thanks so much for your kindness Meahni, you are a star. Please hop on over to her blog and have a look around, and tell her I said “hi”.

For those of you that don’t know, besides cardmaking and scrapbooking I LOVE to knit. I find it terribly therapeutic, and my secret passion is to knit socks! I recently found a South African based online shop called Pure Wool, where I found some lovely handspun yarns, and just had to buy a ball of sock wool. I have been corresponding with Linda the owner of Pure Wool, and she too has been so nice and friendly. When my parcel arrived Linda had included with my sock wool 2 lovely surprises, which she really didn’t have to do!! So I also wanted to thank Linda for your kindness. You are very very sweet. If you are looking for handspun yarn please go and have a look at Linda’s stock, it is lovely. I started knitting some socks with my sock wool over the weekend, and it is knitting up beautifully!!

It’s been a really long post for me today, so let me sign off. Have a great week!

Mojo Monday Sketch

Hello all. Friday again, first week of the new school term done!! It's Bryce's birthday on Sunday and then Caide leaves for his tour on Monday. We are also starting with some renovations on Monday, so a busy time ahead. I am also going to be putting my cards in the local Christian Book Shop, so once again I am making cards like a mad person. Lots and lots to do!!

So moving on.... the card I am posting today is one I made for the shop, based on the Sketch over at Mojo Mondays. This is a fantastic sketch and I will most definitely use it a lot in the future. Here it is:


My card is made using an image that was given away for free over at The Greeting Farm a few months back. This image is just perfect for little boy's cards. I coloured him with my Copics.

Here is my card and closeup photo.



Hope you all have a lovely weekend! Hugs

Simon Says & Annabelle

Hi everyone. It is a GLORIOUS day here in Dundee today. The sun is shining, my garden is smiling and everything seems to pretty and shiny!!

The kids went back to school today, and I am missing them. It was such a short holiday! Saying that, Jamie is almost being as much as a handful as both the others put together!

The card I am posting today is one I made for the weekly challenge over at Simon Says. I try and enter this one every week, cause Heidi and Heather and all the other DT girls are so sweet!

The challenge is to use Green & Red on a card. I decided not to go the Christmas route and instead made a kid's card because green & red are lovely kids colors. I added a bit of blue as well. The image I used is another one from a set of Annabelle stamps called Helen's Party. This is a lovely birthday set and has some really cute stamps in it. I am going to try and make a card with the cake and presents for a male birthday card soon. I used my Copics to color cute Helen! If you are interested in buying any of these sets please click on the Annabelle link in my sidebar and go and have a look!


Here is my card and closeup photo:



Thanks for stopping by, and thanks again to the lovely ladies who leave me comments. I SO appreciate it!

Just Magnolia.

Hi All.

I thought it was appropriate that I post a card today, on World Card Making Day! What have you all got planned to do today, anything exciting?? Just a quiet one at home for me!!

The card I am posting is the one I did for the challenge over at Just Magnolia. Only thing is I am a bit of an airhead, and didn't post it in time to take part in the challenge. Oh, well!

I have to say, this is one of my all time favourite cards!! The challenge was to use grey & pink together, and this would have been a color combo I would have never thought to use!! I love the 2 together!!! This little image is an absolute pleasure to colour, and the Copics are just so rich and blend so nicely. I cut out the image and mounted her for a little extra dimension.

Hope you like it as much as I do!! Here is the card and closeup photo.



Stop by again on Monday. I will be posting my card for the challenge over at Simon Says and I have used another of my Annabelle stamps for this card too.

Hope you all have an absolutely fabulous weekend!!