CreativSpirit

ALICE SPRINGS BEANIE FESTIVAL EXHIBITION

2012-02-12T09:07:00.005+11:00

Examples of the type of beanies which are entered in the festival. Check out this link for more pictures.

Alice Springs Beanie Festival has a travelling exhibit which will be coming to the beautiful Taree Art Gallery in April. As part of the exhibition, the Taree Craft Cottage is organising for local crocheters, knitters or felters (and their friends) to make an arty beanie, some of which will be selected to also be exhibited. So please read the brochure for details if you are in the area and would like to take part.
We will be holding a special day at the Craft Cottage on St Patricks Day, 17th March, where you can be inspired, helped with design and embellishing your beanie, or just a general get-together of interested people who are taking part, it should be a fun day so come and join us.

LITTLE BIRDIES

2012-01-21T17:26:00.002+11:00

I made this felt bird hanging for my dear friend Bethel and the pictures show it hanging in her garden. We had the pleasure of staying with her on our recent trip to visit our daughter in Bundaberg. I really enjoyed making these birds and would like to make some more, oh for enough hours in the day to achieve all I would like.

CUP AND SAUCER PINCUSHION

2012-01-15T23:12:00.006+11:00

I have a wonderful group of creative friends and we get together for several weekends during the year. Today, we had a late Christmas get-together, due to many of us having lots of commitments before Christmas. Apart from having a lovely day in each others company, we exchange Kris Kringle gifts, where we each draw a name out of the had and make a gift the one of the Belle friends. This is the gift I made for Martina, I hope she liked it. The English Bone China small coffee cup and saucer was one from a set which I have had for many years and not used for coffee, so I thought that it would make a lovely gift for my friend with lots of pins and embellishments to complete it.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

2011-12-31T18:40:00.005+11:00

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

2011-12-23T07:48:00.002+11:00

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

2011-12-11T17:38:00.005+11:00

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

2011-11-09T20:39:00.002+11:00

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.

2011-11-06T09:29:00.000+11:00

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

2011-11-02T21:08:00.005+11:00

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.

2011-10-29T17:31:00.003+11:00

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

2011-10-15T21:01:00.003+11:00

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

2011-09-14T14:51:00.002+10:00

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

2011-09-14T14:42:00.002+10:00

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

2011-08-17T10:40:00.006+10:00

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

2011-08-07T12:01:00.004+10:00

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

2011-07-17T08:19:00.003+10:00

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

2011-06-06T07:49:00.004+10:00

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

2011-06-06T07:43:00.006+10:00

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

2011-06-06T07:38:00.003+10:00

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

2011-05-18T18:19:00.002+10:00

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

2011-05-18T14:03:00.006+10:00

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

2011-05-10T11:27:00.004+10:00

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.

2011-05-10T11:17:00.003+10:00

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

2011-04-06T17:41:00.005+10:00

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.

TREASURED BOOKS

2011-03-15T21:08:00.004+11:00

I've had some old book covers for quite a long time and have been planning to use them to make some art. Inspired by some lovely photos which Cuchy from Spain has put up to inspire people, I made up this little piece of book cover art. Gracias Cuchy

A LITTLE COLLAGE

2011-02-26T12:59:00.003+11:00

I had some small pieces of crochet doilies left from making my bag (previous post) so I decided to make up this little collage just to hang in my studio. I've had such a lovely week to myself with lots of time to play.

A NEW BAG FROM OLD LACE DOILIES

2011-02-26T12:46:00.005+11:00

I have been collecting lovely old crocheted doilies for some time to use in various projects. I have lots that were my grandmother's and mothers' which I can't bring myself to cut up, but I have been buying them from Garage Sales and Charity stores and am more easily able to disect them to use in projects. I made this bag for myself and took it out for the first time yesterday and I've already had a couple of people wanting me to make them one. I don't like having to have a list of orders to make, it takes away the enjoyment and spontenaiety,so I will get around to it when I feel so inclined. It is really light and easy to use, I'm really happy with it.

Memo Board from Picture Frames

2011-02-26T12:28:00.005+11:00

The next project that I worked on was these Memo Boards for my Studio. At Christmas I made memo boards from old frames with glass in them, on which you could write with a Whiteboard Markers. I was so happy with them and have been wanting to make them for our house and my studio, so I came across these old Certificate frames at a Garage Sale, they were black and have the glass fixed with screws to the front. So I got to working on them, firstly I tried painting a background behind the glass but wasn't happy with my efforts, so I decided instead to use the absolutely gorgeous paper that I had in my stash, I figure if it love it so much, why not have it adorn my studio. I added some lovely images and quotes, and Voila!! here they are ready to hang side by side in my studio.

Distress Inks Shelves

2011-02-26T12:23:00.004+11:00

My DH has been away for a week, so I've had the whole week to myself and decided to get on to some of the projects that I have had on the back burner. I've had some things that I've collected from Garage sales that I saw a new purpose for.

The first one is the old spice shelf unit which looked just right for my Distress Inks, which I need to have right beside me at all times while I'm creating, so here is the result, I'm really happy with it and it works beautifully on my desk.

ONE WORLD ONE HEART WINNERS.

2011-02-18T06:18:00.002+11:00

I've now done the draw for the winner of OWOH for 2011.
The winner of the first prize of my flag book was Becky from San Diego, USA
and the second prize winner of my collage was Rein from Germany. I have notified both winners by email and will wait now to hear back their details so that I can send their prizes on to them. I chose the winners with the random number generator, but couldn't figure out how to put the result up on the screen....maybe I'll have it figured by next time.

Thanks again to all of the wonderful 425 comments that I received on my blog during this event, unfortunately I haven't been able to get around to all of the blogs before it had to close, but I will definitely be following up and visiting lots more of the gorgeous blogs in the months ahead.

Thanks also to Lisa Swifka for her great expertise and generosity in running this event for the past 5 years, it has been such a joy to be a part of it and I'm now looking forward to the new event that she has planned for 2012 and hoping I see you all there.

Love and hugs,

Rob

TWO NEW FLAG BOOKS

2011-02-15T11:39:00.007+11:00

SHABBY SHUTTERS AND DUSTY CONCORD DISTRESS INK BACKGROUNDS

BROKEN CHINA AND WILD HONEY DISTRESS INK BACKGROUNDS

On Thursday this week, I am teaching "Flag Books" to a class and so I've been very busily making an extra couple of quite different samples to inspire the girls in the class. I have also made small Flag Books in the past, but this size would be perfect as a gift for a friend, a special birthday or a wedding, it is 6" x 8". It was shown to me by Janice Keene in Brisbane at the Stamping Marathon a couple of years ago. I am using one as my gift on the One World One Heart post, pictures of this one are a couple of posts down. In case you can't already guess, I LOVE those Distress Ink backgrounds.

QUEEN OF HEARTS VALENTINE

2011-02-14T12:08:00.005+11:00

Here is a card I am entering in the Quietfire Design Valentine Challenge.
Looking forward to seeing the other cards in the challenge.
Go and check out the other lovely cards in the challenge here:

FLYING ON THE WINGS OF ONE WORLD ONE HEART 2011

2011-01-31T18:21:00.029+11:00

SORRY.....THE COMMENTS ARE CLOSED FOR THIS YEAR AND TO SEE WHO THE WINNERS ARE, CLICK HERE. I'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR TO JOIN IN LISA'S NEW EVENT.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN TO VISIT, WHAT A JOY TO READ ALL OF YOUR LOVELY COMMENTS.

***EDITED*** LOOK BELOW THIS POST FOR A SECOND GIFT THAT I'VE ADDED BECAUSE OF THE HIGH NUMBER OF COMMENTS. THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS.
I'VE JUST NOTED THAT I'VE HAD OVER 20,OOO VISITORS TO MY BLOG, SO WILL MAKE ANOTHER GIFT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND ADD THAT AS WELL.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY, NEW AND OLD FRIENDS. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
Once again, it's time for the worldwide Blog event, One World One Heart. I feel so inspired by visiting all of the wonderful arty blogs, be they paintings, collage, fabric, knitting/crochet, dolls, glass, beads and so many other wonderfully creative and generous sites.
OWOH was created by Lisa Swifka in 2007. The original idea behind this event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. If you would like to be a part of this great international event, go to Lisa's blog and have a look at all of the information regarding participation, the link is on my sidebar.

I am happy to say that this is the fifth year that I have been involved in this event and am looking forward to checking out all of the wonderful blogs who will no doubt, be "Flying on the Wings of One World One Heart 2011". Sadly, this is the final year for this event. Thanks so much to Lisa for all the time and inspiration in pulling this together for the past five years, it is much appreciated.

My gift this year is the flag book (pictured above) with a concertina spine, 6" x 8" which has been decorated with stamping and embellishments and beautiful fibres. It is very hard to photograph successfully, I hope that you can get the idea from the photos. During the course of this wonderful event I will be making some extra prizes as the comment numbers grow so that you will have a better chance of winning. I will post more "goodies" later as the inspiration hits.
Please take the time to have a look around now or come back later for another visit and say hello, I would love to make new blogging friends who have a similar passion for creativity to mine.

Good lucky everyone and I hope that you enjoy the ride.

EDITED POST......I have just added this collage which will be second prize because I have had so many wonderful comments from bloggers/friends from all around the world.

SORRY, COMMENTS CLOSED FOR THIS 2011 EVENT.

THE CHANCE TO WIN A PAPER PACK

2011-01-22T18:28:00.004+11:00

Would you like the chance to win a CoreDinations pack from Ranger.
If you click on this link, you and I will have the chance to win one of the lovely packs of new paper.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY...and the NEW YEAR

2011-01-05T12:44:00.002+11:00

Be happy for this moment, this moment is your life.
Omar Khayyam

THE GIFTS I MADE FOR MY CHILDREN THIS CHRISTMAS

2011-01-01T17:57:00.002+11:00

Above are the 4 note/memo boards that I made for each of my 4 children this year. They were all thrilled with them and they are in use already. I included a Whiteboard marker affixed to the frame with velcro. I also made digital collages for each of my grandsons, using pictures of their favourite things, then printed them out on canvas and framed them. They were a big hit but I didn't take pictures of them before I gave them to their new owners.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-23T08:49:00.007+11:00

This year has flown by and here it is Christmas again. The place is a buzz with everyone trying to get all their last minute shopping done, what fun!!
I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas with your loved ones, health and prosperity for the year ahead.

The picture above is a Jig Saw Swap that I did with some friends about five years ago, I love to hang it each Christmas to remind me of them and how important they are in my life.

MY CHRISTMAS CARDS FOR THIS YEAR

2010-12-17T06:02:00.005+11:00

I've been very busy making lots of Christmas Cards for family and friends plus my online friends on my Yahoo group. I've also been making other gifts for my family which of course I can't post just yet in case any of the stop by to take a look. I've made 80+ cards, lost track of the exact number, but I needed to make several different designs to keep myself interested, otherwise I couldn't keep making the one design for so many cards.

I finished most of my shopping yesterday and won't need to go and tackle the crowds until Christmas Eve now for last minute food items. I'm so excited, this year my whole family will be together for Christmas which isn't possible every year, so we are all really looking forward spending some special time together.

CHRISTMAS BANNER

2010-12-11T19:26:00.002+11:00

This was the project for the class that I taught this week at Scrapawhile. The girls loved doing this banner, all of them did the theme of CHRISTMAS and all did lovely but completely different takes on the theme.

CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR ANNE

2010-12-08T14:34:00.006+11:00

Here is the Christmas present that I made for my friend Anne. A group of my arty friends got together last Saturday for our Annual Christmas Party, we each drew the name of one of the girls to hand-make a present for. This shadow box took on a life of it's own, once I got started, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it and the fact that it was for Anne made it all the easier. I asked Anne to send me some photos of herself when she was a child and some photos of her parents and I have included them into the gift. By the way, Anne absolutely LOVED her present. :)

CHRISTOBELLA

2010-10-19T22:03:00.002+11:00

Introducing Christobella, the "Garden Spirit" which I made for Mary, who was my partner in a swap of Art Dolls. She has flown down to Mary's house in Victoria, where I hope that the will enjoy each other's company.

A TRIP TO SYDNEY.....STAMP SHOPPING

2010-10-04T18:47:00.005+11:00

Last week, I went to Sydney for the day with my friends, Heather and Dorothy. We caught an early train and arrived bright and early to make the most of the day. When we arrived, another friend, Anne was waiting for us, so we had a cup of coffee and some banana bread before we started shopping, you need lots of sustenance for a whole day of stamp shopping. After spending much time and money in the first shop, we moved on to the next shop where we also spent lots of time and bought lots more goodies as well. We then went and had a lovely lunch and a big long chat over lunch. From there we said goodbye to Anne and we left for the train station for our trip home.

I have made some cards with the new stamps that I brought, still have lots to try out yet, but I'll do that this week.

A CANVAS FOR A FRIEND

2010-10-01T22:53:00.002+10:00

I have a friend who is going through some challenges in her life at the moment and I saw this verse and it fitted her situation perfectly, so I made this canvas for her and gave it to her last Saturday. She really did love it which made me so happy too.
I hope that it's some comfort to her in the difficult that that she has ahead.

Vintage Wallpaper

2010-08-02T09:14:00.004+10:00

These three cards are all made with a background technique called Vintage Wallpaper, inspired by the Technique Junkies newsletter. I love the soft vintage feel of this background, hope you do too.

A COUPLE OF CARDS

2010-08-01T14:41:00.005+10:00

I made a few cards yesterday, one with my new stamp "Girl on a Swing from Fay at Port Macquarie. I love this image, it feels so lovely and free.
The other card is one which I made for the "Little Girl Theme" on Boomerang.

ART DOLL REVISITED

2010-08-01T14:32:00.003+10:00

Just a few pics of my art doll which I previously posted. I decided that she needed a little "adjusting" and thought that I had better take some pics. At the Luncheon in Sydney last week, Anne proposed a "one for one" art doll swap and my doll along with Anne's and Linda's was one of the links for ideas etc, so thought I had better put the pictures up. Have fun with it girls, even if it's a little out of your comfort zone. :)

WEEKEND ART WORKSHOP AT NELSON BAY

2010-08-01T14:19:00.003+10:00

We have just completed another wonderfully creative weekend at Lemon Tree Passage with the lovely and very talented Joy Bathie. From Friday night until Sunday afternoon, we were totally immersed in creating beautiful books and binding them, inspired by Joy's wonderful Mixed Media art books. I will post just a few pics of the weekend and a couple of pages of inspiration, some of us are still finishing our books and I'll post pics when they are completed. Pictures above show some of Joy's beautiful pages and after completing their pages, a lovely and innovative way of binding them which needed much concentration as seen on the girl's faces.

FLOWER FAIRY ART DOLL

2010-07-05T12:46:00.003+10:00

I spent Saturday afternoon making this Art Doll, thanks to inspiration from Linda B who makes beautiful art and has made a video on making an art doll. Thanks to Anne for leading me down the path too. THIS WAS FUN AND I CAN FEEL ANOTHER ONE COMING ON.

HERO ARTS GIVEAWAY

2010-06-11T08:44:00.003+10:00

Kathy over at The Daily Marker has some beautiful Hero Arts stamps to give away to celebrate her first anniversary of blogging. Stop over and be inspired by Kathys beautiful cards.

SOME OF MY RECENT CARDS AND CREATIONS

2010-05-31T10:13:00.008+10:00

It's quite some time since I put some of my everyday cards on here, so here are quite a lot from recent weeks, some are Friendship Books and some are special cards for Friends. Now off to the studio to spend the day being creative, I have the day all to myself, so I'm making the most of it. Have a great day all.

DEBBIE'S PASSION FOR CRAFT GIVEAWAY

2010-05-13T11:16:00.002+10:00

Go on over to Debbie's beautiful blog and have a look around. It's her birthday and she is giving away a wonderful collection of gifts to some lucky visitor to her blog.
http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/05/its-my-birthday-blogcandy.html
Have a great day everyone.

READY STEADY STAMP

2010-05-10T18:15:00.003+10:00

THE LITTLEST ANGEL

I believe that this little canvas has all of the elements for this weeks challenge.
I have enjoyed making it and just want to note that the lace is there, although hard to see. It is below "The Littlest Angel" plate. The wood on my canvas is an icy pole stick which I have embossed with silver embossing powder. If you would like to join in the challenge, please go to Ready Steady Stamp for the details.

CATCHING RAINBOWS

2010-04-28T07:49:00.002+10:00

Just had to catch these rainbows in my living room yesterday. How beautiful!!

READY STEADY STAMP

2010-04-22T11:13:00.010+10:00

I have finally managed to try the latest challenge from Ready Steady Stamp, a fairly difficult one this week with 5 elements to include in the design which I have done with both cards.
1. Letter M
2. Purple, Pink, Green & Black
3. Stamped Flowers
4. Gesso
5. Rubber

So for my first card above, I have lightly brushed white cardstock with Gesso, then Stamped "Stampers Anonymous" background with Versamark and embossed with Clear EP. Coloured with Dusty Concord and Shabby Shutters Distress ink, then overstamped with a text stamp and black Versamark. Then I have stamped the "Paper Artsy" little girl on gloss white cardstock with Memories black ink, then sponged Dusty Concord to colour it. Layered the girl image and the background on hot pink cardstock, punched out a piece of white cardstock with Martha Stewart punch, stamped small daisies on to this punched lace in Versamark and embossed in Clear EP, then sponged Dusty Concord over this. Layered all pieces together added the pink flower and rhinestone brad, added the words on a piece of hot pink cardstock and added the three little circles of rubber on the bottom left hand corner and dabbed them with a little gesso to tone down the colour.

FOR THE SECOND CARD I have used white cardstock and painted it with Gesso, stamped on an Inque Boutique swirl with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder, then stamped a french text in black Versafine ink, allowed to dry, then stamped Hero Arts flowers (over the text) with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. I then sponged on Distress inks in Worn Lipstick, Dusty Concorde and Shabby Shutters. Then stamped Memories over the top with Stazon Black ink.
I have punched out with my Cropadile, the little circles of red rubber from the offcuts from a stamp plate and fixed them with Dimensional Magic. Then mounted it on Purple cardstock.
So if you would like to see some more of the beautiful art in this challenge or enter, go to Ready Steady Stamp and take a look.
Thanks for this technique (with variations)that I saved from Sunflowers and Dragonflies blog.

ABOUT MOTHERHOOD

2010-03-03T00:54:00.005+11:00

"WHAT I WOULD TELL HER: (If I knew what to say.)

You are a miracle.
And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory.

You’ll forget all this when you grow up. But it’s okay.

Being a mother means having your heart broken.

And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together.

And it’s the best there is. And also, sometimes, the worst.

Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to.

Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are.

But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters.

And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.

The truth is, being a woman is a gift. Tenderness is a gift. Intimacy is a gift. And nurturing the good in this world is a nothing short of a privilege.

That’s why I have to love you this way. So I can give what I have to you. So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on.

I have watched you sleep. I’ve kissed you a million times. And I know something that you don’t, yet:

You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day.

And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one."
Written by Katherine Center

ONE WORLD ONE HEART WINNERS

2010-02-16T09:06:00.010+11:00

I've had a wonderful time riding the Magic Carpet this year, seen so many amazing blogs and look forward to coming back now at leisure to visit. Please also come by from time to time and have a look around here.

Below are the winners from my draw:

The first prize winner is Gaby Bee, thanks for entering Gaby and for your lovely comment.

FIRST DRAW GIFT to Gaby Bee

The second prize winner is Shelly Schmidt. this is amazing because of Shelly's comment regarding my second gift, so it's will be on the way to you in the next couple of days Shelly, hope that you kept that spot for it.

SECOND DRAW GIFT to Shelly Schmidt

The third prize winner is Wendy at Dragonfly Dreams. Thanks for your lovely comment.

THIRD DRAW GIFT to Wendy at Dragonfly Dreams

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful comments on my OWOH post, they really are appreciated. What a joy to be a part of this great event.

Thanks again to Lisa Swifka for organising again this year, hopefully we will be back on the wonderful world tour again next year.

Rob

ONE WORLD ONE HEART - VOTING NOW CLOSED

2010-02-15T17:29:00.004+11:00

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE. Once again, it's time for the worldwide Blog event, One World One Heart. I feel so inspired by visiting all of the wonderful arty blogs, be they paintings, collage, fabric, knitting/crochet, dolls and so many other wonderful and generous sites.
This event was started by Lisa Swifka who created this event in 2007. The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way. If you would like tobe a part of this great international event, go to Lisa's blog and have a look at all of the information regarding participation.

I am happy to say that this is the fourth year that I have been involved in this event and am looking forward to checking out all of the wonderful blogs who will no doubt, be a part of this "Magic Carpet Ride".

My gift this year is an original 10" x 8" collaged painting on canvas which I did recently. It is a many layered collage, approximately 16 layers of paint and collage material. I hope that the lucky winner will enjoy being the new owner. Just leave a comment making sure that you leave a link to your blog and at the close of the event, I will select a winner via the random generator and announce it on my blog as well as contacting the winner. Good Luck!!

FIRST DRAW GIFT

*EDIT* After visiting many of the blogs already and having some wonderful comments and contacts from other "Magic Carpet Riders", I HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE AWAY AN EXTRA GIFT FOR EACH HUNDRED COMMENTS THAT I RECEIVE ON MY BLOG, TO GIVE EVERYONE A BETTER CHANCE TO WIN. I guess that I had better go and get creative, this ride is under full steam already.
*EDIT 2* OK, I've just finished my second offering for the draw,
simply titled "Mary". If you happen to be the winner of my second draw and would prefer another choice of artwork, we can talk about it and arrange for another prize. I will make a third prize if I have lots more messages so that you all have a better chance of winning.

SECOND DRAW GIFT (the scan doesn't to the gorgeous colours justice) It is also an original 10" x 8" collaged painting on canvas.

UPDATE: Because I've had 320 wonderful comments so far, I am currently working on another gift so that you will all have a better chance of winning, I'll post it as soon as I have finished. Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments. HERE IS MY NEW ADDITION, A THIRD PRIZE which is a Vintage Optical Lens in which I have done a little collage and mounted it on a chain ready for you to wear.

Enjoy the ride and thanks again Lisa for a wonderful event.

ROB

LIVE WITH INTENTION

2010-02-13T20:46:00.004+11:00

In the midst of a hectic week, I found a little time, so I escaped to my studio and had a play. I have been planning to make a series of 6" x 6" collages to hang as a group on my studio wall. I seem to always give things away much to my husbands disappointment, so he brought this into the house and told me that he thinks I should keep it. So I am going to do just that. Hope that you like it, I had fun making it.

Blogiversary goodies to give away..

2010-01-13T04:40:00.003+11:00

Why don't you hop on over to Taylord Concepts and check out all of the goodies that are being given away. Great blog which I'm sure you will enjoy checking out too. Happy Blogiversary.

GYPSY GIVEAWAY

2009-11-21T17:31:00.005+11:00

They are giving away a Gypsy at The Gypsy Spot thanks to Custom Crops for donating the brand new Gypsy (retail value US$299.99)..wow. If you have never shopped at their store, you really should give them a visit. Not only will you find everything you need for card making, but also some wonderful articles for fantastic projects. They also have a Youtube channel where you can enjoy some wonderful videos for awesome projects. There is even new video for husbands or loved ones to guide them with holiday shopping... what an awesome idea. Click on the links to visit : Custom Crops and Custom Crops Videos.

Now for the giveaway. Please spread the word. This is a new blog so they are trying to get the word out so that more can participate in the challenges. So head on over there for your chance to win.

A COUPLE OF NEW THINGS

2009-11-14T15:24:00.004+11:00

In the last couple of days, I've made a card for my friend Heather's birthday (it's a Joy Fold card which I love) and a page for a collaborative book for another stampers special birthday.
I have a couple more things to work on now so back off to my studio to get started on them.

GIFTS FROM JOY

2009-10-24T13:26:00.004+11:00

After recently organising a weekend retreat/workshop for a group of friends with the very talented Joy Bathie as our tutor, I had a wonderful surprise when I received these two pieces of Joy's art as a gift. The weekend of wonderful artistic sharing with friends was all I really needed, but am feeling very blessed to be the recipient of such lovely treasures. The collage is done with a similar technique to one of the techniques that we learned from Joy on the weekend, and the leather pendant has a lovely little concertina book inside with lovely sayings, Joy made a similar one for a international swap recently.

READY STEADY STAMP

2009-10-22T19:40:00.011+11:00

Here is a card that I have done for the challenge on Ready Steady Stamp for this fortnight. I have used all of the elements mentioned in the challenge and may use a similar design on some of my Christmas cards, minus the snowflakes as we don't have any snow here and Christmas is the middle of the long hot Summer. You can check out the challenge here.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL BOOK OF ART

2009-10-06T22:33:00.007+11:00

This book is a collaboration by some of my friends who are all outstanding artists. I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful group, and this gorgeous little gem of a book is a thankyou gift for the wonderfully generous artist, Joy Bathie, who recently shared so much of herself and her wonderful techniques with us. A great weekend was had by all, we all learned and grew so much as artists and we are planning another weekend together in 2010.

New ATCs I've made

2009-10-02T08:50:00.005+10:00

These are two of the latest Artists Trading Cards that I've made, one was for Stamp Camp "In your dreams" and I made 20 of this one to swap at the camp, I made 9 of the next one for a swap with a "Twisted" theme which was so much fun. The writing on mine which is a little hard to read on the scan is "Clones are people two", the ATCs that I got back in this swap were just so funny and twisted.

CHUNKY BOOK ARTISTS-AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMBOOK

2009-09-22T14:29:00.005+10:00

Below is a slide show of all of the gorgeous pages from the recent Collaborative book on Chunky Book Artists. Without doubt, this is the most uplifting and gorgeous book that I have ever been a part of. Hope that you enjoy looking at all of the artwork in this book. If you hold your cursor on the bottom of the pictures as they go through, you will see who created them......and it is a VERY CHUNKY BOOK!!

ART RETREAT AT PORT STEPHENS

2009-08-23T17:23:00.010+10:00

ROB

ROB

HEATHER

Last weekend, myself and 11 of my very artistic friends spent the weekend at Lemon Tree Passage, learning lots of wonderful artistic techniques from our very talented tutor Joy Bathie, who creates gorgeous art, mainly in altered books. She was very generous in sharing some of her very unique techniques with us. She also brought along lots of her beautiful books for inspiration. Apart for the art, we had a such a lovely weekend just having fun and spending time together and at the end of the weekend, although feeling quite tired, we really weren't in a hurry for the weekend to end. This week I have finished two of the pieces that I started on the weekend, but still have a couple of textural pieces to finish. The Flamenco dancer probably has 20 coats of paint and collaging etc. I am also sharing a couple of my friend Heather's canvasses as well, we were all so very happy with what we learned, a great weekend all around.

TREASURE BOXES

2009-06-15T21:25:00.002+10:00

On the weekend, two of my little grandchildren had their birthdays so I made each of them a "Treasure Box". They were both thrilled with them and managed to find lots of treasures to put in them right away. I also have a collection of beautiful shells, so I let them choose some of my shells to put in their boxes as well. Here are some pics, not great ones as I didn't think to take pics under ideal conditions.

GIVING BACK BY JESSICA WESOLEK

2009-06-15T21:00:00.003+10:00

This is a post on Jessica's blog which I found really interesting and worthwhile, so with her permission, I am posting it here. Go and have a look at her really interesting art and everyday life messages here:

"Giving Back . . .
Communication fascinates me and always has. I really think it makes the world go around. So, it has always interested me that only 1 or 2 percent of readers ever leave Comments on a blog post, or have anything to say in a Yahoo Group.

It interested me enough that I have been asking friends why that is. Yes, I have a lot of lurker friends to ask. The answers were really interesting because they went something like this: I’m shy, nothing I say would be interesting to anybody, I’m probably the only one who hasn’t already thought of this, I’m too busy.

Do you pick up a theme there? Pretty one-sided, right? But what if leaving comments wasn’t all about you?

I have an interesting lesson to share. I used to have a very hard time accepting compliments, and like many of us do, I would pretty much throw the compliment back in the complimentor’s face, thinking I was practicing modesty instead of insult. They would say “you’re so good” and I would say “no I’m not”. Those are paraphrases, but you know what I mean. “What a pretty dress!” “Oh, this old thing?”

So one day, my brother asked me if I realized that I was insulting the other person. Whether I realized the complimenting process wasn’t only about me, but rather, a social interaction. What? Something that’s not only about me? How could that be?

But he was right. By arguing with a compliment, I was telling the other person they were wrong, and maybe their opinion didn’t matter much to me.
That was a big lesson, and ever after, I just say “Thank you”

There are lots of things that aren’t just about us, and the amazing plethora of treasure that is internet content is one - a gift that didn’t just get stuck in your computer with the hard drive. It is created and given by hardworking and generous-to-a-fault people just like you (blogs, Yahoo Groups, online zines, tutorials, product reviews, etc. - all free).

If someone brought all this in a box to your door, would you say “Thank you”? Of course you would. If someone at a party told you an amazing thing you never heard of before, or told you about a wonderful new store or book, or restaurant, would you stand there and stare at them silently like you didn’t hear them? Of course you wouldn’t.

Well, the web is not different than the world we live in anymore. It is a social place, and we must all take some social responsibility. I get a kick out of articles that talk about “Netiquette” and Web Etiquette. They mention not flaming somebody into ash, and not TYPING IN ALL CAPS because it means you are yelling.

But they don’t say: speak up and add your voice and your energy to this fantastic exchange so it can keep on rolling and become even better. So the folks who are giving all this don’t run out of gas and stall altogether. They should say that.

And just in case you are thinking this is all about me (LOL), I think we do better here than most with Comments (especially when something free is being given away ;-), and I get so much gratitude in emails that it gives me lots of practice on my compliment Thank You’s! But it breaks my heart to see really good Yahoo Groups fade away because only three people are willing to keep talking, or wonderful blogs go away because the author feels she is hearing the sound of one hand clapping or worse, talking to herself in public.

I know lots of bloggers will say they are doing it “for themselves” and it doesn’t matter if anybody responds with a Comment, but a part of that is just bravado. If they were only doing it for themselves, they would do it in a closet - not on the internet.

So let these wonderful folks know you visited, and if you liked their tutorial, or if their technique gave you a valuable answer you’ve been searching for. Or just say “thanks for all you do,” like many of my wonderful readers do. It’s little but it goes a long way.

Give back - and it will only get better for everyone."

METAL ETCHING WITH JENNY CROSSLEY

2009-06-12T07:05:00.005+10:00

Our tutor for the long weekend Art Retreat was the gorgeous Jenny Crossley. Her classes were wonderful and we had such a fun weekend with her at Yarramalong. There was a very creative class on Saturday doing a fabbo book, but unfortunately due to my ongoing sight issues, I wasn't able to take on this project which did take 10+ hours to complete. BUT I did do both of the etching/pendant classes which were just gorgeous and I can definitely see that I will include this type of creativity in my future.....weeeeeelllll perhaps you might say that one could become addicted.

Thanks to Jenny, Ruth Spitzer and Margaret Weiss for all the wonderful organisation and inspiration over the weekend, also to Ruth for a great class on Saturday night and to Martina for the great Polished Pigments demonstration with which we all had fun and great results....I think there may have been a few orders placed for them after the weekend. To all of the girls who attended, what a great weekend full of comaraderie and artistic accomplishment. Above are two of the pendants which we made on the weekend.

MY CANVAS FOR OUR HOSTESS

2009-06-12T06:58:00.002+10:00

As a gift for our very generous hostess Margaret at the Art Retreat, we all made canvasses of similar size and colour and presented them too her at the end of the weekend. The idea came from the new Apprentice magazine which there were a series of small canvasses all mounted in a large frame, it is a great idea and looks wonderful, so we will all be looking forward to seeing what Margaret does with them.
Above is the canvas I made.

METALLICA CHUNKY BOOK SWAP

2009-06-12T06:44:00.003+10:00

This page (front and back) and the cover were made for a Chunky Books Swap which was organised with the girls who were attending an Art Retreat at Margaret's beautiful property at Yarramalong last weekend. There were 12 of us in the swap and we risisted the temptation of checking out each others pages until the last day of the retreat, when we all sat around Margarets huge dining table and swapped our pages, then we bound them all with a couple of Zutter binders which were brought along for this purpose.
So this was a lovely extra bonus on the weekend, all of the pages are just gorgeous. We also made our own book covers in the Metallica theme. I chose Rusty for my pages which I was very happy with, then I did a colourful metallic cover. Hope you enjoy them.

NATURE JOURNAL

2009-05-21T14:03:00.001+10:00

After attending a weekend workshop with Kathleen Green in Auckland, New Zealand, I was totally motivated,inspired and in the creative zone and plunged headlong into creating this Nature Journal. I really enjoyed the whole process and if I get the opportunity, I would love to attend more workshops with Kathleen.

H2O & SALT BACKGROUNDS

2009-05-21T10:10:00.003+10:00

I've been playing with some backgrounds with H2Os, rock salt and resist stamping. The scans never do justice to these types of backgrounds, but I have made some cards from them for friends.

LOVELY NEW STAMPS TO PLAY WITH.

2009-04-24T18:01:00.003+10:00

I made these two cards for friends yesterday with my lovely little photo art stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and my lovely new Lace background which I bought from another stamper, Kasha. I love this background stamp and can see that I will get lots of use from this. I have lots of catching up to do with making some special cards from my beautiful friends who have given me much support when I needed it. How blessed I am.

MY IN THIS HOUSE SWAP.

2009-04-17T21:26:00.005+10:00

These are the fronts and backs of the pages that I have done for a Chunky Book "In this house" swap. I am so pleased to finally have them finished and in the mail to all recipients of the 45 pages from many countries. There were three groups of 15 and we could each choose a theme for the "Houses" that we made. I hope that the recipients will enjoy my pages as much as I enjoyed receiving their wonderful "Arty Houses". What a beautiful village they make.

FRIENDS BLOG AWARD

2009-04-07T22:31:00.003+10:00

I received this lovely award for which I was nominated twice, from my friends Martina and Anne. This is a lovely award which is handed on to blogs which you enjoy reading. The guidelines are "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in 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 kind writers."

I would like to hand this award on to some more lovely blogs that I enjoy reading.

MY CANVAS FOR WENDY

2009-03-20T11:44:00.003+11:00

I have finally finished this long overdue gift for my friend Wendy. It was such a joy to be making a canvas for her and once I got started, it just took on a life of it's own. Wendy said that she loved it, so that made the cycle of the gift complete. Here are a couple of pictures, one front on and one side on, to show that the picture was recessed but it doesn't show the rosebuds around the side and the green chiffon ribbon.

AND THE WINNER IS..............

2009-02-14T07:43:00.003+11:00

Jackie, who was lucky No. 6 in my list of comments. Hope that you enjoy my little star book Jackie, I will contact you per email to get your mailing details.

Jackie's blog addy if you would like to take a look is: http://jackiesmithblog.blogspot.com/

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 6
Timestamp: 2009-02-13 20:42:42 UTC

Cheers,

Rob

ONE WORLD ONE HEART

2009-01-22T15:05:00.012+11:00

This great blog event is on again, run by Lisa Swifka. I was a happy participant last year and had so many lovely visitors to my site and also visited some amazing blogs which I hadn't seen before. I was also the lucky winner of two gifts form talented artists. I have included some info from Lisa on being a participant in OWOH.

"To be a participant on The Gypsy Caravan with your link on the right sidebar on this blog you must have a giveaway posted on your blog sometime on or after January 19, 2009. The giveaway can be more than one item with multiple winners or just one thing….it’s entirely up to you. You must have a clear reference that you are part of OWOH by adding the badge to your post which makes it obvious to those that visit you and even linking back to the OWOH blog. This also enables those who may not know about the event to still get involved.
You must have an active blog and very importantly an easy way for others to comment on your blog. Also the idea is not to use this as a marketing tool so that those visiting during the event have to jump through hoops, or sign up for anything in order to enter their name. If you have an Etsy shop or another website be sure these are visible on your sidebars instead. The idea is for people to be introduced to YOU and your blog through this event and then bookmark you if they see something they want to go back and see.
This is a jumping off point for meeting and getting to know one another. Keep in mind the participant list will remain up for 6 months AFTER the event ends on February 12, 2009. I leave it up so we all can go back and forth visiting and spending more time at each of the blogs. You may want to bookmark those that particularly interested you."

or you can visit the One World One Heart site here to jump onboard the "Gypsy Caravan" : http://oneworldoneheart.typepad.com/

Here are some pictures of the Friendship Flag Book that I have made especially for this years event. I am also working on a collage which I will add to this same post so that anyone who leaves a comment will be eligible for either prize.

Please leave me a comment below and at the close off time, I will select winners per the random generator and email the winners, so make sure that your blog has an active email link so that I can contact you if you win. Good Luck.
If you would like to look at the rest of my blog, click here: http://creativspirit.blogspot.com/

HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH A QUOTE

2009-01-02T10:25:00.002+11:00

"Woman to Woman Encouragement:

Someone will always be prettier. They will always be smarter. Their house will be bigger. They will drive a bigger car. Their children will do better in school. And their husbands will fix more things around the house. So let it go, and love you and your circumstances. Think about it. The prettiest woman in the world can have trouble in her heart. And the most highly favored woman on your job may be unable to have children. And the richest woman you know- she's got the car, the house, the clothes- might be lonely. And the Word says if I have not Love, I am nothing.So, again, love you. Love who you are right now and let God be your barometer."

"To the world you might be only one person, but to one person, you just might be the world."

Embrace the New Year with accepting who you are, where you are, and what you are; then go out and share yourself with others."

This quote was posted on one of my internet groups and I thought that it was a lovely inspiration to start the New Year with. Thanks Sherre......................
and wishing everyone all the very best for 2009.

Rob

CHRISTMAS CARDS

2009-01-02T10:16:00.003+11:00

These are two of the Christmas cards that I made last year (2008), just managed to get them out in time to be delivered before Christmas. Mmmmm...I must start a little earlier this year.

I GOT TO MAKE SOME CARDS

2008-12-03T08:04:00.003+11:00

While I have been out of action, I have had sooooo many beautiful cards from friends, so I have started to make a few simple cards to send out as RAKs and in various colours. It was so nice, not only to make them but to send them on to friends who have really enjoyed receiving them. I am hopeful of getting some Christmas Cards underway later today.

VINTAGE OPTICAL LENS

2008-12-01T10:14:00.003+11:00

I have a special project coming up in which I want to use some Vintage Optical Lens, so I had a little play with this one and it was a good thing that I did. I had forgotton that Dimensional Magic will fade dye ink colours, which it has done on this little collage that I made, so I will have to either use sepia tones or another method of fixing the collage to the glass, mmmmm thinking....................

WOW.......7001 VISITORS

2008-10-15T18:48:00.004+11:00

It is quite amazing the number of people who come for a visit to my little place on the web. Thanks to everyone who drops by and leaves so many lovely comments for me, it is really uplifting.

Cheers, Rob

MIXED MEDIA MONDAY BLUE AND PURPLE

2008-10-14T22:19:00.003+11:00

This is my Blue and Purple beeswax collage for Mixed Media Monday:

http://mixedmediamonday.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/purplesblues/

Thanks for looking, hope that you enjoy it.

DANS MA MAISON IL Y UN CIRQUE

2008-10-14T14:26:00.003+11:00

I have finally had a play with ripping, tearing and glue today and managed to make a house for the challenge on the Dans Ma Maison Il-y- site:

http://dansmamaisonilya.blogspot.com/2008/10/dans-ma-maison-il-y-un-cirque.html

It is so good to create something, hope that you enjoy it.

ANGEL OF SIGHT TO LOOK OUT FOR ME.

2008-09-18T19:23:00.009+10:00

In the next few days, I have to have some more quite involved eye surgery. I have had this image which is the "Angel of Sight" for quite some time. This afternoon, I decided to make a collage from it to put beside my bed, so that the angel can look out for me, in the hope that I'll have a successful outcome from the surgery.

ATCs FOR A SPECIAL SWAP

2008-09-18T19:23:00.005+10:00

Therese....Brown Cream w words

Rhondie....Wings

Trish....Blue

Wendy....Nature Study

Anne.....Red Black Gold

Chris....Purple with wings

Heather....Words

Niki.......Sewing

A group of my friends recently had a swap which involved making a small star book, and then making each other ATCs to match the theme of the book.

These are the ATCs that I made for them. I also got some beautiful ATCs in return.

A BUSY COUPLE OF DAYS.

2008-09-08T20:45:00.003+10:00

I have been very busy in my workshop, had a few things to catch up on. I am going to a 3 day Stamp Camp this weekend, and so have been making some ATCs to swap at Camp. I have also made lots of individual ATCs for some friends, all to different themes which I will scan and add later, I am very happy with them.

I have also made this page for a Chunky Book for a girl who has left our group and is leaving to bo back to New Zealand to live. There are some beautiful pages arriving from all over.

IN MY HOUSE THERE IS AN ELF.

2008-08-31T17:59:00.004+10:00

Here is my entry for this weeks challenge on "Dans Ma Maison Il Y"

The theme for this week is to include an Elf in my house, so here is my elf house although the scan doesn't really do it justice.

Have a look at this lovely site and some great artwork on this addy:

http://dansmamaisonilya.blogspot.com/2008/08/dans-ma-maison-il-y-un-lutin.html

GOLD CARD

2008-08-29T21:15:00.003+10:00

Thanks so much Mary Beth for this Gold Card Award. Much appreciated.

I will award it to some of the beautiful blogs that I visit when I get the chance.

DANS MA MAISON ORANGE

2008-08-28T22:24:00.003+10:00

Here is my entry for the challenge on the Dans Ma Maison site. This is the first time that I have done this challenge and have had fun doing it. I love these houses and am running a swap on my group called "In This House". I have used texture paste, Golden paints, serviettes, images and beeswax to make this "House".

You can check out Anne's challenge site here:

http://dansmamaisonilya.blogspot.com/2008/08/dans-ma-maison-il-y-du-orange.html

AUGUST SKETCH CHALLENGE

2008-08-28T19:44:00.002+10:00

This is the card that I made for the August Sketch Challenge on Boomerang Stampers List, I really enjoyed making it, although sketches usually don't suit my style.

GOTHIC ARCH B & W WITH A TOUCH OF RED.

2008-08-27T12:51:00.003+10:00

Here is my entry for the Black and White with a touch of Red challenge for this week over at Gothic Arches: http://gothicarches.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/black-white-and-a-hint-of-red/

"I LOVE YOUR BLOG" AWARD

2008-08-26T09:03:00.012+10:00

Thanks so much for nominating me for this award Danielle http://dansnark.blogspot.com/2008/08/blog-award.html I'm so happy that you enjoy my blog, even though I haven't been too prolific lately with the challenges. As you mentioned, I love Gothic Arches challenge too, but haven't had the time to focus on doing them every week.

Here are the rules (or guidelines, as I prefer to think of them):
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Link to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate seven blogs you love to read
4. Link to those blogs
5. Let those bloggers know with a comment that they've been nominated.

People I've nominated - please don't feel obliged to do the same. These memes are fun to do, but sometimes they can feel a bit like a chain letter. I can talk for hours about the blogs I love to read and why, but the people I've nominated shouldn't feel pressured to do the same.Seven blogs I love to read! (Only seven? That's hard.)

I would like to nominate the following blogs to receive this award.

Mary-Beth http://myjourneyintoart.blogspot.com/,
Bethel, http://bethelofbethania.blogspot.com/
Anne, http://creativesharing.blogspot.com/
Carol, http://carol-creative-expressions.blogspot.com/
Martina, http://artymarty62.blogspot.com/
Adrienne, http://adriennegoodenough.blogspot.com/
Linda, http://atclindab.blogspot.com/

Hope that you enjoy all of these blogs, each one has a slightly different focus, but each one has lots of lovely artwork and interest.

A GREAT GIVEAWAY.

2008-08-13T19:36:00.002+10:00

I love Anne Le Toux's blog and artwork, and at the moment she has a giveaway of one of her beautiful collages, so go along and leave a comment for her on

http://bullesdorees.blogspot.com/2008/08/cadeau-plein-de-bulles-ou-giveaway.html

and you will have a chance to win.

GOTHIC ARCH CHALLENGE - WHITE

2008-08-05T16:11:00.003+10:00

Here is my entry for this weeks challenge on Gothic Arches, I so love these little arches. Here's the link: http://gothicarches.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/shades-of-white/

TRINCHIE

2008-08-05T16:07:00.004+10:00

I just had to give this a try on Mixed Media Monday, a Trinchie, 3" x 3" little collage. Quite a nice size to work in, especially after doing ATCs and inchies, this is a great size to make a little work of art. Here's the link:

http://mixedmediamonday.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/trinchies/

GOTHIC ARCH - FOR THE BIRDS

2008-08-01T18:20:00.002+10:00

I have finally finished all my angels for the book swap that I was in and can now concentrate on doing some fun things for me, so I have made a Gothic Arch for this weeks challenge "For the Birds" Here's the link: http://gothicarches.wordpress.com/2008/07/27/for-the-birds/