to a good friend...thinking of you

needed a card for a nana today 

and came up with this

 loads of layers and simple colours and flowers and butterflies

 simple design using some dsp on the background ad a little bit in the centre of the flowers

 i used an embossing folder for some texture on the background

added some boho blossoms, bird punch and circles for the flowers

large scallop circle die that i pierced some holes in

cute little button with matching yellow cotton

for a little bit of whimsy i added in some string and some matching beads 

not my normal kind of card

do you think i got my nana on enough?

girl on a swing

remember when you were a kid 

and all you wanted to do was 

swing sooooooo high you could reach the sky and touch the clouds?

now as a mum i watch my kids swinging 

and see that same determination in their eyes

it's so cute

this card was made with that in mind

i was inspired by a card made by jackie topia

and tweaked it to make my own version

now i would tell you the punches i used but i am offering this as a card class this month

(or as a kit **australia only sorry folks**) so feel free to pop on over here to find out more information

cheers ears

maisy the mouse

i have a three year old who loves loves LOVES maisy the mouse

not sure who she is?

watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdLgaeAIKFs

she is so cute

just like my three year old

so my mission was to make maisy for miss 3

 the tricky bit was getting the head the right shape. a triangle was too pointy so i used a large scallop circle to get the shape i needed. i also used an oval to get the rounded bit at the back

the rest of the card is easy :>

large scallop circle die for skirt and ears

square for body and arms

modern label punch for hands, feet and legs

scallop oval for lacey bits on sleeves and neckline

owl punch for hearts and eyes

1 1/4" circle punch for the balloon

1/2" circle for her nose

tail was done by cutting around the edge of a cut-out oval

a great big shout out to the people who have come from the southern girls blogspot challenge-it is lovely to have a few new people checking out my punch art :> this card was done with their challenge in mind-it was die cuts and punch art!!! they must have known i was making something punchy today :>

okies cheers ears

knock knock

who's there?

owl!

owl who?

owl be sad if you don't let me play!

my kids love knock knock jokes 

and they also love board games-not hard when their dad is a certified board game geek lol

also being a teacher i was after a simple learn the colours game for my littlest ones to play and thought what better than to use what resources i have to make my own game

the cute owl from the new punch bunch sale-a-bration set was perfect for the job

so i set to work

 i recycled a tin from some retired su xmas stickers and covered it with dsp, whisper white cut from the scallop square die, a strip of dsp run through a crimper and, of course, an owl!

the game boards are a square of dsp, a scallop square of whisper white and 4 different coloured owls which i then laminated so it would be a tad more durable with those little fingers using it 

(plus it would make it too hard for little miss 1 to pick off the owls-lord knows she has tried already hahaha).

the games pieces are different coloured owls punched out and then laminated. 

on the back of the owls i have also written the names of the colours in english and maori as an extension for my older kids

 here they all are in their tin-easy to pack up and put away and not lose the pieces....in my dreams lol

ah well.... at least it is easy to re-produce aye?!!!

the rules are very simple. 

pick up an owl-if it matches one of yours you keep it. 

if not, put it back. 

when you have all 4 you are the winner! 

hooray!

for the bigger kids they have to read the english words, spell them 

and say the equivalent maori word.

hmm tricky

now all i need to do is think of some other ways i could make some games with my stamps

any ideas?

cheers ears

time capsule

 a project i have in store for my family next year is a time capsule.

i have been wanting to do something like this for a while and never gotten around to it...

like most things most mothers of young children always seems to say lol

this one is made from a recycled bandage cylinder, the scallop circle die, 

the beautiful greenhouse gala paper and a variety of circles from the circles #2 die cut

inside i have made up a mini mini album for each month of the year-just a space to put a couple of little photos and room to journal down events.

there is also plenty of room inside to put special things in that we may collect during the year like sea shells or stones

fingers crossed i remember to do it!! hahahahahaha

cheers ears

friends across the sea

one of the things i love about my hobby is all the amazing people you meet through it one of these ladies is kathy we did a swap recently and this is what she sent me!! and you know the cool thing? it arrived on my birthday:> thank you sooo much kathy-you are a very kind and generous lady!

here is a card i sent her made with the all aboriginal stamp set. i used an embossing folder to make the texture on the side and then sponged all sorts of earth element inks over the card. i did the lizard with crystal effects

okies cheers ears!