Nellie Snellen Square Stitch + Joy Christmas tree Die!

Okay, so it is not Christmas yet but hey, why not get organised ahead of time and here is lovely combo of dies embossing folder from Cardmaking Online. Please do pop over to our brand new blog ( click here!)and join and follow us over there as there is a great mix of skills shown forth!

So thought I just had to share. You know it is funny but photos never quite capture it do they?

First of all we have the classic Craft Concepts Embossing Folder - A2 More Dots embossing folder for the base of the card, with the lovely Joy border of trees down the side and the very versatile Nellie Snellen Square Stitched die.

The beauty of these Multiframe dies is that you can chose how much or how little to add or leave out - you can see very different examples on this one here and this one here!

To finish add computer generated greeting and mount on some matching card and ribbon.

Thanks for popping over everyone for a peek and chat and may God bless your day wherever you may be.

Shaz in oz.x

WOYWW, Australiana and Nellie Snellen die...

Hullo there everyone - well here is another WOYWW and sorry for being absent  on and off and it is going to be that way till June - sorry for that. You see, for April and May I am very busy with several lots of family, visitors, etc and while I really enjoy it, any time near a computer will be practically nil. So madly scheduling posts to cover my responsibilities for that period. Any posts will be scheduled and mainly DT work - yes that is my big news in case you missed it.
I am now on DT and see post below for details. And see a favourite card of mine (which was working on some weeks back but never showed you) below or just scroll down it is the post below this one!.

If time permits for you do take a peek at BRAND new Cardmaking Online blog - especially if you like some stunning European style cards the one today is a stunner - here it is!
The DT was to start earlier ie in Jan, 2012 but because it is such a brand new Aussie DT things take longer than thought ( we all know about that).

 First to my desk here you can see I am about to tackle a 3D work for a frame -  as it is an iris I wonder if you can guess my friends name? The 3D was too large  scanned it and print it at about 80%. At centre back of desk is pile of DT cards which will be posted over weeks to come as I am allowed. and dad's card is on top and his pressie next to it - his birthday today and coming over for arvo tea. :D
 If I am efficient might post finished 3D with a verse next to it for my friend (she does not read blogs so totally safe) next week, God willing, and show the finished item!

Phew, that would be good. Am making another gift too but cannot show it, as the person reads my blog sometimes.
First apart from my desk have few new things to show you, this below is an Australian citrus "Citrus australasica ". Or as we know them a finger lime and this variety is called Pink Ice - wow! is it one awesome explosion of flavour in your mouth!

The little tiny bubbles you can see -  do just that as you eat it - explode individually and you get a real shot of citrus tang of sweet lime/lemon flavour - this is courtesy of the lady at our markets the other day! They are so great I could eat a whole one just like that. There are seeds and thought might read up and see how long it takes for them to grow and produce fruit - I was that impressed!

Our dwarf Coral tree is flowering beautifully (or see here Erythrina) - note ours is dwarf and is about 5 foot and is pruned hard every late autumn, the birds just love it especially the lorikeets (see here for how cheeky the can be!) but I'm never out there to catch them for photos.
The flowers are really huge for the size of the tree, and they produce nice large seed pods to match. Re. Brenda's comment below - it is deciduous, and makes big mess when loses the leaves!
 A card is peeking out on my desk (not that you could tell) is the Nellie Snellen Square Stitched die  - I  have decided to use it in a totally different manner on this card.

Here is a simple computer generated greeting on white card. It is then embossed with the tan mat (instead of cutting it) with the smallest die in the square and sponge dabbed Lavender ink. I will explain method more on later post as it too long for now, and have done it on another card too.
 Please dont forget to hope over to Julia's super blog to join in the worldwide exploration of WOYWW(what is on your workdesk Wednesday)..and want apologise in advance, as my visiting to blogs is going to be limited but will do my very best.

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Thanks for stopping everyone for a peek and chat and may God bless your day wherever you may be.

Shaz in oz.x

Big Announcement! Design Team for Cardmaking Online

Well, there were rumours abroad that there was a big announcement to be made on this 'ere blog! (deep breath) Here we go! (and to WOYWW-ers, thanks for being patient - did not mean to be a tease just not time..)

 I have been chosen (much to my great surprise and delight) to be one of the members of the brand new Aussie Design Team for Cardmaking Online - do check out their online store here... and their BRAND new blog here!

The observant among you might have noticed this on my sidebar some weeks ago, plus the list of the other wonderfully talented members of the team, who are listed below. Please do take a peek at their blogs linked in their names and be inspired as I have been!

• Jan of Scissor Fingers
• Sandie of Delightfully Crazy Blogspot
• Sharon of My craft Cupboard
• Vicky of Vicky Pedlow Designs

So as you know the type of items on sale there, I am posting card I made for an amazingly special lady as it uses the kind of items found in their store..mostly of the European ilk. I am really excited about what we shall be creating with the new DT!

 

As you can see this card is for a 90th birthday! How many 90th birthday cards have you made in your life, dear fellow crafters?
The card also really qualifies for Di's snippets challenge this week,so pop along to the playground for that is if you dare - yep they dip your pigtails in the inkwells over there in the playground!

The elements in this card are as follows:

• the centre square piece is the snippet - it is really a vellum die meant for hand embossing - and have had it for simply ages - and bought it for four dollars many years ago. It is a discontinued Marianne die, rather similar to this Marianne die here.  I was playing one day and tried embossing it on the cuttlebug with the tan mat only embossing, it was not a cutting die. Then hand-cut around the edge and the centre square also, and mounted it on firm card to support it as the frosted paper was like vellum.
• Next snippet was the 3D mount of the columbine (this is discontinued one, but they also have great 3D pre-cut ones I do love these!). I love Columbines or Aqualegia or Granny's bonnets or what ever you call them! I love 3D and sometimes have them made up ready like this to put on card and find doing them very relaxing.
• Then made the extended base in Craft Concepts Embossing Folder - A2 Budding Vine.
•  greeting is computer generated, on Spellbinders Fancy tags2 and small pearls plus a "90" in Olivia cuttlebug die.

Many thanks everyone for popping over for a peek and chat and may God bless your day wherever you may be,
Shaz in oz.x

Crafty Individuals, Jude's Candy (oo-aar!)+ Woyww!

Do you ever berate the clock and ask it to please please wait for you to catch up?? that is my frame of mind this morning.... and suspect it will be for quite a while yet - hopefully by June I can come up for air without this feeling!! yes, have not blogged much lately and I am afraid my appearances will be rather erratic for the reason already stated - plus may not catch up up with as many of you very dear folk as I would like - so please forgive me for my lack of comments on your lovely blogs at times!

First pickie is of a card of scraps -  I have finally made this one up and the one below with my desk. I am going to enter both these in Di's Snippets challenge to use up odd bits sitting around. You know I make more of snippets every time I make a card - so they never ever diminish but propagate more freely than any plant I ever attempted to grow!

The first card uses the Crafty secrets bird postcard stamp with brayer way back here in this post with Big and Juicy Stamp Pad (Hydrangea) and Iridescent medium,(I dropped this on with an eye dropper in the middle of the brayering the ink pad colours) to give it that sheen..so used purple end for this one.

Next stamp is a brayer resist piece I did even longer ago and was not even blogging then. It is with Stamping Up Upsy Daisy stamp and used it for a sympathy card.

The next photo is the amazing candy I won over at Craft International, and the very kind Jude - it was before all the dramas over at her place and it has just arrived and was totally blown away by the great bounty! thank you so very much dear blogging friend and I pray things are starting to resolve themselves at your neck of the woods.

Last but not least are some beach photos as folks do like to see these - there may not be many for while depending on me not the beach - the first was taken late yesterday afternoon on my walk at the creek mouth.

It fascinates me the way the sea is constantly changing. The direction of the mouth and the creek flow changes so much with all our big seas and storms of late. It has reverted back to more early times before the council dumped all the sand from the dredging at the jetty over here - it rather blocked the mouth up for while!

The next is of the sailboats in the jetty on Sunday they have great local races and love seeing them way out to sea as well when walking..

I was going to close with a big announcement but will keep you all in suspenders a bit longer :D and announce it in the next few days as must fly now!
Happy WOYWW everyone - do pop over to our wonderful Julia's blog too as there is great learning to be had a few laughs along the way!

May God bless your day wherever you may be, and thanks for stopping by for a peek and chat!

Shaz in Oz.x
PS Would Elizabeth of Bluebeard and Elizabeth and RosC of Wildcards on my Workbench please email me (via the Profile link it has my email address on it) for the Stampscapes card of a few weeks back. Sorry for delay keep forgetting!

Thank you to Ros also for so kindly giving this blog the Liebster blog award a week ago now - if anyone has not received it as yet please free to take this one from me with great pleasure! you are all dear, dear bloggers!