Bizzy Becs DT Post No.1 - Penny Black Wonderful Day + NBUS

Hi there everyone .. such great excitement here today!!
WOO-HOO!!!!!

 My very own first blog post on the Design Team of Bizzy Bec's Aussie Crafty Website Store! 
Bec has amazing prices on all your crafty needs!
If you cant find what you want, Bec is only too happy to source it for you.

 Each month we have a Store blog challenge, Anything Goes! 
Please join us do - prize posted world wide!
Anything Goes! and the winner of each months challenge, will receive a Mystery Prize - being a die or stamp.

 Well, my card for this months challenge is a 3D PB stamped image. Will share how it's made it step by step.

 For those who don't want to know all the details - then just look at the pickies :D

As I was using the Penny Black Wonderful Day Stamp set I stamped it out a number of times in Versafine Onyx Black with clear embossing powder. This was a birthday card for a lady suffering with dementia, well along in the illness. She loves bright colours so went with these digi papers I had. I looked online through images of daises to find one that was a suitable colour, and chose this one here, yellow with deep purple centre. I also decided it would suit best of all the Spellbinder Majestic Marvellous squares, using the largest die from it.

Here colouring the edge of the die whilst it is in die, with PanPastel and a chalk in deeper colour to match base navy card I was using.

On right are all the layers coloured (Paper stumps for coloured blending), rounded and shaped (using a shaping tool and a foam mat).
I only coloured the layers which were going to showing, and cut out the "letter" in Hedgie's hands of base piece, as needed to colour it and overlay it on top where made slight mistake ;).
Grey Promarker and scrap pf paper is there because I go around the white edges of all the cut pieces, to hide stark whiteness on the side edge.

Emboss with cuttlebug lightly navy cardstock for to hand cutting around, as a cutting guide to put under main image die cut.

 Here it is all finished. Used the two wee butterfly stamps, also shaped, which came with the set, as Hedgie needed to be looking at something !
Added some ribbon from stash to it, and that was all it needed really.

And please go over and check out all the other wonderful inspiration from the rest of the DT here and join in with "Anything Goes Monthly Challenge!" and maybe win that Mystery Prize! :D

Thanks so very much for popping over! 
Please say hi - to let me know you've been by!

Shaz in Oz.x  

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;" Psalm 46:1,2

I'd also like to link up my card to:
1. Allsorts Challenge where they want all things feminine, this is for a dear lady with dementia.
http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/week-353-international-womens-day.html

2. Cuttlebug Mania Challenge - called Hello Spring!

3. WAW = Word Art  Wednesday. http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com.au
 4. NBUS Challenge no. 6 - Digi paper printed out ages ago and this PB stamp NBUS.. curously had used many other stamps in this set but never the largest one!

Fridays Smiles, Free Butterflies and the latest video

Hullo everyone joining up over with Annie's Friday smiles .. 

I thought you might like this..

 Pecking order at bath time with Rainbow Lorikeets, on my You tube video!! 
This is mum and dad (from last year's video) and the one that sits on side, and looks quite puzzled by their antics, is the juvenile. It is taken again through the lounge room window but this time from other side and the windows were cleaned recently too inside and out :D so sort of clearer. 

In the end my hands gave way so stopped it before end just as baby one started to have drink at the end, then flew away, sorry missed it .. (music is Handel's "Water Music", on video)

The bird bath is in the courtyard, on fence side, near the Mother-in-law's tongue which was in flower a while back (see here). Here it is a weed, I gave up pulling it out and decided was better than nothing. Photos often are taken of cards out in courtyard, on stone mat, or in courtyard garden which is shells stones and plants.. mostly collected over many years, shells and stones. Lots of walks... :D
Also saw a freebie today which made me smile, so if you like butterfly images you might like this too - see link here at FREE Vintage Digital Stamps. It was in different colour tones too. Would look fab printed on vellum, and fussy-cut out and mounted on card dont you think?
Thanks for popping over for peek and chat, and may the LORD bless your day with its burdens wherever you may be!! 
Shaz in Oz.x
PS would like to welcome my newbie encouragers on my blog, months since welcomed properly so here they are - thank YOU SOOO MUCH for encouraging me:
Silvia, Janet, Lucy, Shirley Anne, Gail, Ike, Karen M., Ria, Annette in Oz, Rosie, Angeliki, Betsy 
So many I thank you all however this is more than THREE whole months  - was actually ashamed when realised it is well over three months since welcomed any by name (shame on me!) links where I could find some.. not all share, so can reciprocate which  I always do, when able.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 93 + Challenge + Freebie!

Well, another Wednesday is peeking into view!! And so is another WOYWW! Are the weeks getting shorter as the year of 2011 progresses?

So much happening too in the bigger picture of our world (sadly not all happy – and so I am in much prayer for Japan and Middle East) - let alone on our small work desks.

Mine is slightly tidy again - sorry will try to leave it messier - next time I will take  pickie on Tuesday before cleaning day! I have been working none the less as you will see I also have some more stash newly arrived. Two new Penny Black Stamps (they have come! two weeks ago saw one on Brenda of Butlers Abroad desk ) - yet to play with them, but have done some others.

Up the top left are the House Mouse stamps (have had this one for a while) and just coloured a rose-smelling mice twosome. I have a number of friends with birthdays who are rose lovers so they will be getting them; and tried it this time with combo of the Dovecraft pearly chalks and Promarkers. I just loved the look of it! yet to make it up... 

Oh and I have new storage for Promarkers, which I found at Spotlight. This is a DMC thread sorter roll –AND it has perfectly sized spaces for Promarkers - I wish I had two of these instead of the Letraset one I had already bought, as like it much better. And a third of the price!

The left hand middle card is detailed here. And it is made using the paper from free downloads of Glenda Waterworth two weeks ago on WOYWW! Do love her paper!

The Hedgie card is one I had stamped on last weeks WOYWW (someone commented on it?).

I have made it for a friend's newly born daughter. Brayered the Flower Cuttlebug (called Caramello) folder in baby pink dye ink, embossed then sprayed in Diamond Glimmer Mist, a Nestie mount and Sticky "Sweet" button at the top with pink checked ribbon to finish it off.

 Underneath it is the card I am entering in this weeks   Christmas challenge @

Hazels.   Go for Gold!

So it has used Victorine Originals Bauble stamps in gold plus pine tree stamp from Sheena Douglas (Little Sketchy 2 Faith set) with deep green (not black) corrugated mount and the Marianne Die Snowflakes in Mirri Card.

The other card done with the Penny Black Aspire stamp. The recipe & card is shown in detail - to see click here. 
Some very clever ones of you may recognise it as newbie stamp from last week. :D

For those of your puzzled why we are looking at work desks... join in the fun take a trip over to the queen of WOYYW, drop by Julia's Stamping Ground!

And may God bless your day wherever you might be,

Shaz in Oz.x

PS just looking around and found this gorgeous freebie so check it out folks from our very clever Donna at Bearly Mine Designs.. to get bigger resolution with Windows make sure after right clicking you select "Save Link as..." not "Save as..",  which is what I used to do till Glenda sorted me out..

PPS. CUTTLEBUG USERS - HELP!! any answers please? 
My cuttlebug is one year old, but it has had lots and lots of use with various cutting dies- not just embossing and I think it is going to die soon.. the last two weeks of use it seems to separate at the top side join near the handle (which is getting looser too)  and make funny noises. It goes back together it can be either embossing or cutting, but mainly with thicker folders. I am very weak in my hands due to my arthritis plus very poor manual skill in strength items. So I dont think I am forcing it, as dont have the oomph! 
I noticed in my Google search on this matter, the new bugs have green honeycomb plates for the A plate - so it has more give?

1.Does anyone know what may be happening here?

2.Are there maintenance things I should be doing with it? I always test shims/plates levels before cutting/ embossing. 

PPS. In answer to Jude - your comment on loose screw may not be entirely off the mark. I printed off pdf manual on assembling the bug and praise God I still had the Allen key used for assembly and tightened up the handle an awful lot and seems better - however time will tell!! (pray it all good now as not $ for Big Shot let alone Vagabond.. they are so dear, plus different power to Oz at present..)
Would you believe it is one year and 4 day sold! just out of warranty!
love Shaz in oz.x 

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 91 + Freebies, folks!

Well, I will post a picture of my work desk, but nothing has happened in the past week. Basically I have been what we Aussies call "feeling crook" for the better part of the week and for me not to have crafted or something is pretty evident I am not myself! I have done one or two small things like a colour a picture and shopped a little online (crafty variety of course -that always cheers ones heart)!

 For fun I thought I would show you a cartouche for WOYWW  - for the curious ~ according to the final judge on all things ~ Wikipedia: cartouche:

"In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is a rectangle with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name."

 Howzat?? we are royals ~ folks of WOYWW!! 
Ah - a Christian is a child of the King of Kings, & our God anyway : )

 I mentioned last week we are doing Egyptian script this term at Calligraphy and we had to design our our own cartouche.. now there are handy little links that will do this for you without too much brain drain; IF you want the one I have used is  HERE.

I will have to do my own name and hand draw it but this is just for fun! 

Hope to do a Calligraphic post at the weekend (see previous post for reason here).

   I have seen the Rosetta stone in the British Museum in London ~ it was truly beautiful. It was this stone that enabled them to decipher the meanings of these Egyptian hieroglyphs. In 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V, the decree appears in 3 scripts: the upper text hieroglyphs, the middle portion demotic script, and the lowest Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three it provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

On the table you can see two of the pictures of lilies I have coloured. If you want to see an amazing card made with a stamp similar to this check it out on the "Instead of Ironing Blogspot" by Jocelyn here  -it was one of the favourites that week on Splitcoast Stampers; I do love it so! And Jocelyn is great fun too, she is a fellow Aussie! I have no idea what I am going to do with my lilies, as I dont have her DP but going to have some fun - any ideas anyone?

Also you can see my print out of my latest freebie there and I was playing with Nesties to work out uses for it. It is the second of Glenda Waterworth’s freebies, I just adore her papers and they are here - under downloads tab, if you want to follow her on Chocolate Baroque, her new blog - cool name eh? and then you can get her freebies too!
Oh, and if you want another freebie link here is one for some extra cool digi stamps just pop here!

 And in case you dont know what WOYWW is drop over to our royal hostess, Queen Julia and join in the fun of WOYWW, drop by Julia's Stamping Ground!

Ah well off to do some looking at other desks...

May God bless and keep you this day through and in all that you do,

love Shaz in Oz.x