Travellers Inspiration Challenge!

As part of this weeks celebrations over at Travelingmama http://travelingmama.net/ there is a new Travellers Inspiration Challenge http://travelingmama.net/?p=3022. Here is one of the photos but I must recommend again that you visit this blog to see and experience more...




This is the first one I can actually submit!! I had all these ideas about what I could do but then realised that I didn't have all of the ingredients required and I have no craft shop where I am! So I have jotted all the thoughts down and saved them for later...time for my brain to think of something that I do have all the ingredients for! I loved all the photos and it made me think of how I can just become emersed in looking at all of the different items - especially if I am somewhere new, taking it all in...finding all new treasure! I mean I love the internet because my passion would be somewhat restricted without it but its just not the same by any stretch!

From that - this is my creation....Enjoy Lifes Simple Pleasures...something we all need to remember and take the time to stop and enjoy!



Ingredient List:

Stampin Up
Last years blue in colour (sorry can't for the life of me remember the name right now)
Last Years DSP - Brocade Background, DSP Berry Bliss, Fall Flowers
Designer Brad - Flower



Other
Sticker is from old set that I had in my mostly used pile - no idea who
Ribbon same as the stickers - but I know that I did purchase it from Spotlight a long time ago!

The Wait Is Over

For those of you that tune in regularly to http://travelingmama.net/ will know that something has been going on behind the scenes and that we had to wait patiently to find out what it was! Well I am happy to announce the wait is over! I urge everyone to visit http://travelingmama.net/?p=2999 to learn what their new venture is all about! They are such an inspiration to us all in what we can do for our community and others.

The major part of this is the new Etsy shop and I have had a look and anyone that has admired Tina's creativeness and Jack's photography will be very happy to know some of that is now up for purchase!

Have fun shopping and helping out with such a great cause!

My Country

When I was younger (not that Im old now - I mean my teens and early twenty's) all I dreamt about was travel to countries far from where I lived. I wanted to experience all they had to offer - their culture, their way of life, their landscape that was different from mine, the old, the new all mixed together. Australia is a relatively new country to the world and others my age just had no interest in exploring it. We wanted to do exchange years in the US or Europe, we wanted to do a year of Nannying or just backpacking - because overseas everyone loves Aussies!

But what about our own country...is it not spectacular, does it not offer diversity, can you not get lost in its beauty - better yet you can feel like you are the only one there in certain parts - like you are the only ones who know of its existence! I had never really stepped outside of New South Wales (NSW) (east of the Great Dividing Range) before I met Damo, he had moved around all of his life to different towns large and small, coastal and rural because of his parents job. He showed me that there is more to Australia than I might think. We moved to Central West NSW for a few years and then we made the trek to Western Australia (for those of you overseas that is 5000km's - google it). A fantastic drive that I cant wait to do again - we are now North West WA (another 1500kms north from the capital) and seeing an entirely different side to Australia - this place is just magical and where you can go to a beach (that doesnt have waves which I am still tying to get used too) and be the only one there! Five minutes inland and you are in the ranges!

I still have many scrapbook pages to complete about that drive and also what we have been up to in between so they will be coming soon!

So yes I still want to explore the world but first I must explore my own backyard which came to my decision to create this scrapbook page! The pictures are all from my 2009 Australia calendar from Lonley Planet. I also have a France and Italty one. The writing (is Stampin Up markers) is small but it reads as follows:

"Although I wish to see the world...first I would like to discover and appreciate the beauty of my own backyard. Born and raised on the East Coast I moved to the country and then made the journey to the West Coast. What a spectacular trip - one I will never forget. This countrry has everything from the ocean, to the desert, the majestic rivers, the mountains, the rainforest, the bush...Yet so many of us do not venture to witness its beauty - its history and culture. I admit I was one of them wanting to only explore other countries - not now I met Damo - now I'm wanting to visit all of these places and everything in between"

I have also used the Making Memories defined sticker from Journey - that is the discover sticker. The Australia is some old chipboard letters I have in my stash and the rest stamped using the Stampin Up Defining Alphabet in Really Rust.

Hope that you enjoy and inpires you to travel and explore your country (if you are from Australia) or a new country (if you do not live in Australia)!

A New Sketch Challenge

Well the Ball went great...first time I have been to one that was held outside but I guess up here there isn't really that much of an issue with it raining! It also meant that our major concerns with previous balls and functions of being too crowed and stuffy was not going to happen here! Our table was right near the dance floor too...YAY for me - not so YAY for Damo...haha!

Sorry no photos as yet - but I will share once I get hold of some!

Whilst I was blog surfing I came across http://sweetiessketches.blogspot.com/ which is new to me and they have a monthly sketch for both scrapping and cards which is excellent - definitly worth a look! I plan on doing both but tonight I have made my attempt at the card! Here is the sketch first:

I am really happy with how it turned out - and I have now taken some better shots since the ones on here previously were a mess!

Ingredient List:

Stampin Up: Purely Pomangrante cardstock, DSP Berry Bliss, Pretty in Pink cardstock, Symbols of Solicitude, Kanji, Gifts of Joy and Pretty in Pink ribbon.

p.s I am experimenting with a signature too so I hpe you like it!

My First Submitted Challenge!

Ok so on my blog I have mentioned my New Years Resolutions (no matter far into the year we are) so I thought best to explain. I found myself not making the time to scrap or be creative in any way over the past year...I had every excuse under the sun like I have been moving around the country, no space, no time, too much work to do....etc etc...I'm sure that at some point most of you would have had these thoughts! So 2009 was going to be my "breaking the habit" year. I was vowing to do more scrapbooking, more cards, experiment with methods and tools that I havent before, start interacting with others in this online world, even to start my own blog and to participate in challenges - and actually submit them! So it may be August but it is still 2009 so that is a start. Now as the title suggests my FIRST submitted challenge! YAY!!!

I am always a fan of Makeesha's blog and have been for some time. This is my submission for her Inkspirations Inspiration Challenge 11 http://www.makeeshabyl.com.au/index.php/2009/08/14/inkspirations-inspiration-challenge-11/

I decided that this picture to me showed streamlined (no fun swirls here) - very exact - lots of white space (which I admit I have a phobia of). So again I have attempted a card and I even had a time frame because tonight I am going to a Ball so have to give myself plenty of time to get dressed up!!

I apologise for the photo quality but still trying to get used to taking photos of my work! I have used Whisper White cardstock, the Stampin Up Happiness background stamp and the defining Alphabet for the U and R - stamped using StazOn Jet Black. The silver is just my silver uni-ball signo pen!

Whilst I don't think it is the best ever card - I am happy with it and I hope that you enjoy!!!

A New Card

I have made a card for Damo's mums birthday (which is getting there late since her birthday was last week....didn't want to send it without the present though which only just came in)! Now Lisa (my friend and Stampin Up demonstrator), you will be happy with me - two more New Years Resolutions under way (even if it is August). In this card I have used both ribbon and brads...I'm so proud! I am primarily a scrapbooker so cards are still relatively new to me!

Also since this one was just made I can tell you the ingredient list so here we go:

Stampin Up

Lovely Lilac Cardstock for base

Almost Amethyst for scallop circles and tag

Eastern Blooms set - Only Orange and Green Galore

Sincere Salutations - Only Orange

Ribbon - Certainly Celery

Brads - More Mustard

The circles and tag were made using the Making Memories Slice - Basic Shapes 1

Frames

A friend of ours was in need of some cheering up so we decided to put something together for her to put a smile on her face. We have had great fun with cocktail nights and Damo introduced her to Blue Tongue which is a local beer from Newcastle where we are originally from. Damo is very happy to have found it over here.

I am a big fan of quotes and I love this one "We do not remember the days, we remember the moments"!

She loved it and to see a smile on her face as she read all the bits on there and proudly told people about it....made Damo and I happy too! It had been a while since I had done something like this but now I have done a few different frames which I will have to take photos of to put on here!

Some Layouts To Keep You Going!

Hi,

So whilst I am still figuring all this out I thought that I better post a few items of what I have been working on recently!

These are from our family's camping trip to The Murray River that we do every two years. It is such a beautiful place - Kunanadgee is a lagoon off the river just out of Corowa on the way to Mulwala. However, everytime that I have been camping there it has been the best weather up until the time I arrive and then we tend to get a "change" come through in the form of rain or strong freezing wind coming off the early snow that lasts until I leave.

Sadly, the lagoon no longer looks like this - it has been dry for some time and all the reeds have taken over - I prefer to remember it like this!

We are not camping next time around as we are moving down the river to Echuca and going to be going on a houseboat for the week. Definitly looking forward to that!

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my Blog!

After much harassment I finally now have a Blog, Please bear with me though as over the coming days I will be continuing to create it.

Bye for now!