A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Here's wishing you and your loved ones every happiness for the New Year ahead, may you have health and happiness in abundance.

We are leaving on a 15 hour road trip to visit one of my daughters and her family, so I spent today making her a bag to take along with me (a belated Christmas present).
Although the photo doesn't show it all that well, it is purple velvet (I always seems to have a problem capturing purple the way it really looks) also lined with purple with an inside pocket, and on the outside, where the lace doily is, another pocket for her mobile phone, car keys etc. Hope that she likes it.

Blessings all,

Rob

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS

Christmas seems to have come around so quickly, but sure enough it is here once again and I am trying to catch up with last minute shopping. I'm going out early this morning to try and beat the crowds, but not matter how early or late you are shopping there always seems to be a crowd of people.

"IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS"

Thanks so much to everyone who comes to visit during the year, your support and comments so much appreciated. We are all on a journey with our art and lives, and it is so nice to have friends come and visit from time to time to share the journey. I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas with your loved ones and look forward to having you visit and to me visiting and being inspired by your blogs during 2011.

Love and hugs,

Rob

CHRISTMAS TAG A LA T!M

I really liked the look that Tim achieved with his Day 9 tag, so I decided to give it a try. I didn't want to embellish quite as much as he does, but am quite happy with my finished result. Looking forward to finding some time to try out some of the other techniques, although I don't have all of the products that he has used. I love the new Hero Arts background that he used on this tag, methinks it will have to be included in my tool kit.

Hard to believe that it's only two weeks until Christmas, I'd better get myself moving.

QUICK AND EASY CHRISTMAS CARDS CLASS

These are the cards that I've made for this weeks "Quick and Easy Christmas Cards" class.
We ordered some of the gorgeous Webster's Pages "Waiting for Santa/Sweet Season" pads to use in the class, but unfortunately they haven't arrived in time, but perhaps we may still be lucky and they might get there before the class starts.
I have included four cards, which we won't get through in class, but the girls can choose which ones they would like to do.

TRASH TO TREASURE ART IS CELEBRATING.

Lynn Stevens is celebrating her three year blogging anniversary over on Trash to Treasure Art. She has some fantastic art pieces to give away, so go on over and take a look around at Lynn's beautiful art pieces and perhaps be one of the lucky winners.

STAMPSMITH CHALLENGE - RIBBON AND LACE

This is a easel card that I've made for my friend's birthday and it features the beautiful Ophelia image from the Stampsmith, one of my very favourites. I have this stamp in both sizes and both orientations. This is the first time that I've entered in the Stampsmith Challenge.

CLASS PROJECTS THIS WEEK.

I really enjoyed teaching this class as much as the girls in the class enjoyed doing it.
One very feminine and one quite arty project. I loved using "My Mother's Dress" stamp on the Side Step Dresser card, and the "Papillon" stamp set for the pocket card.

I FOUND SOME TIME TO PLAY TODAY

I have had two of my grandchildren staying for the last week and so haven't had much time to go to my studio, but today I managed some time to make three cards and an ATC. One card is for a friend for her birthday and the ATC is also for a friend, so I haven't included those, just the other two.
I really enjoyed my little play today and look forward to finding some time next week when I have my days to myself......although I will miss having my little darlings around.

MY STAMP CAMP PROJECTS

I was away for four days at a stamp camp at Quorobolong in the beautiful Hunter Valley. We had a great weekend meeting up with friends and having plenty of time for creativity. These are pictures of four of my creations from the weekend, a couple are still not completed. Our tutor for the weenend was Julie Van Oosten from Collections,who had so many beautiful products to help inspire us.

SOME PICTURES FROM MY WEEKEND AWAY

I went away for 4 days to a stamp camp and along the way, I just had to stop and capture these pictures from a farm gate with the old barn in the paddock.

SOFT COLOURS ARE MY THING RIGHT NOW

Although I usually love lots of colour, this week, I've had a real "thing" for using soft muted colours in the cards I've made. A couple of these cards are for friends who just need a little surprise this week, the others are for later down the track. Later, I'll upload some more pictures of what I've been up to this week.

BEESWAX COLLAGE CLASSES

This month, I'll be doing two "Beeswax collage" classes, one for the regular Thursday class and one for the Mixed Media Artists group on Saturday. I simply love the look, the smell and the feel of beeswax. All of the elements of this collage are fixed in place with the beeswax, giving it a lovely muted, dreamy appearance. I hope that the girls enjoy this adventure into a new medium......so many great things to do and there never seems to be enough time. Oh and by the way, I was compelled to use this gorgeous girl although I did use her a few months ago, isn't she beautiful??

THIS WEEKS CLASS PROJECTS

These are the projects that I taught at my class at Scrapawhile this week. I've used the beautiful Butterfly Garden paper for both of the projects, there are quite a few different sheets, all of which are equally lovely. The girls loved these projects, especially the Tag booklet.

AN ANGEL CANVAS

This is a textural canvas I made last week at a class at the LSS, Scrapawhile.
Great class thanks Amanda, I love the theme.

ARTISTIC JOURNEY DOLL SWAP

Here is the lovely doll that I received for this wonderful swap from Nic Hohn. Thanks so much Nic, I love her. This swap has been so well run by the very talented "Linda Grungy Baldock", thanks so much Linda for a great outcome.

A COUPLE OF NEW CARDS

These are a couple of cards that I made on the weekend. They are off in the mail today to friends..........I love stamping and making cards in case you haven't guessed.

ARTISTIC JOURNEY DOLL SWAP

Introducing LLADORA
"With nimble fingers, she twists silver threads, beads and gemstones into beautiful jewellery . She dreams of the “yet to be” with a deep contentment that all will be well. She is a collector of dreams, she weaves them on to a silver thread and wears them close to her heart"


I am taking part in the "Artistic Journey" doll swap which is being run by Linda Baldock with 80 participants from around the world. Lladora is the doll that I have made for the swap. Her head hands and feet are hand made in Polymer clay, her body is a poseable wrapped wire armature. She is looking forward to leaving on her long journey from the valley of dreams to her new home in the United States, where I hope that she will be as much loved as she is here.

A LOVELY CLASS IN HAND MADE BOOKS

The cover of this book is made from White Mulberry paper which was painted and primped to achieve this look. I need to get some more of this gorgeous paper. The spine of this book is a soft spine which just rolls around the pages as opposed to a hard spine which would be re-enforced with stiff cardboard. I LOVE soft spines .....they seem synonymous with hand made books.



This cover of this little notebook is made with handmade paper in Black with a gold fleck and thread, which the camera doesn't pick up. Both of these books could do with some embellishment, I'll give it some thought and attend to them later.

I did a class yesterday with the lovely Gillian Hand from the Blue Mountains (NSW), who makes many and varied styles of gorgeous hand made books. The class was held at the old Pilot House, right on Pilot Beach at the entrance to the Camden Haven which has been restored and being used for Art Classes. I had a lovely day and made two books with which I'm very happy. Gillian is the "Artist in Residence" for May and is doing more classes between now and the end of May. Unfortunately because of other commitments, I don't think that I'll be able to attend any more of the classes, but really did enjoy yesterday.

WALL HANGER CLASS

These are the pics of my next class at Scrapawhile. It is a wall hanger which can be sent as a special card for any occasion like Birthdays, New Baby, Bon Voyage, Thankyou etc. I really enjoyed creating it and will be interested to see where the very talented girls in the class take this. I love this about a class, everyone interprets the topic so differently and it's great to see what they all come up with.

MONTHLY STAMPING GROUP.

For the last two months, I've attended a one day a month, Stamping Group which is very well organised and a most enjoyable social day as well. Michelle and Nicola are the two Stampin' Up distributors who run this group. I managed to make 8 cards last Saturday which will add to my stash of cards very nicely. Thanks girls, I'll be back next month.

FABULOUS FOLDS

I have spent today making up these three cards for my class next week. I think that the girls are going to love these folds, they do offer a whole new look to presenting a lovely card for friends and family.