It's Tulips in Amsterdam...... (well, not really)

As I said in a previous blog, we went to Floriade in Canberra, and thought the flowers were pretty.  However, the bulbs at Tessellars in the Dandenongs were beautiful, so I have just inlcuded a few here from both places to compare - don't you just love Spring! In Victoria, there were beds with over 80 ooo bulbs handplanted just for this event - and they were spectacular!

This was one of the beds - there were many more! The next one is of the view down the hill - by mid-morning this was swarming with people and kids, in among the plantings getting their photo's taken - the poor tulips were battered about!

 

Renuncula's were in all colours and superb - this one is almost like a rose and so delicate in colour.

John said to me that this one looked like it had tinsel on it! Have you seen a tulip like this before! And the red almost hurts your eyes.

Pretty in pink! So delicate and with the raindrops on them as well, they were lovely.

These last two were at Floriade - a different day altogether.  It was warm and a hot wind was blowing.  Many of the bulbs and flowers had been planted to come out over the next week or two, as the festival lasts for three weeks, I believe, and they obviously didn't want them to be all over in a rush. There was a theme to the plantings, around harmony and peace and each bed had been sponsored by various groups - so the type of flower varied, but tupils were there in plenty as were hyacthines; and grape hyacthines; and pansies; irises, daisies (the small tight round faced ones in multi colours from white to red, yellow and orange); and quite a few I didn't know.  No close-ups that are good enough from there to add to this page!

I'm baaaack......

Just arrived in fact - and had to put something up already! Came across to the island last night from Victoria on the Spirit of Tasmania II and after a pleasant dinner, and an early and relatively calm and peaceful night, we docked at 6.00 am in Devonport and finally got away at 7.45.  Stopped at the Raspberry Farm at Elizabeth Town for breakfast (YUMMM - can highly recommed this place) and arrived at home at 11.30.  Got greeted by a clap of thunder and a downpour! Now, however, the sun is shining. John has a load of washing in already and has gone to the shops for provisions and I have packed all the stuff away and gone through the mail. Apart from the potplant inthe kitchen (which looks a little ill) everything looks fine and the cleaning lady had been this morning - added bonus! Will try to get some photo's up from our visit to Floriade and then to the Tulip Festival in the Dandenongs, just near the Silvan Dam outside Melbourne on Wednesday - just beautiful!

In the picture in Canberra

We are currently spending some time with our grandkids in Canberra, and with their parents! Today being a school day, John and I spent the morning at the National Portrait Gallery, whcih was excellent.  It is a beautiful day again today here - went to Floriard yestereday and got sunburned a bit despite the sunblock being applied before leaving home. 

Our grandkids have been keeping us entertained, and jumping on us, or talking to us about their view of the world - very interesting - and we have both slept soundly each night as a consequence!  I will attempt to update the blog as we go, and maybe upload some photo's as well, but not today as we don't have the right access. Got lots of ideas for crafting!

Father's Day

Some of us still have fathers and some of us don't. My Dad died nearly 27 years ago now, and my Mum died about 20 years ago - so I guess technically I'm 'a horphin' but there are still a lot of other Dad's out there for other people - so Happy Father's Day to you all! 

We have been bidden to afternoon tea later today to celebrate Father's Day with the 'girls' and general others.  This should be fun.  Tomorrow we (the younger girls and I) will be driving up to Launceston - well technically, I won't necessarily be driving there, as I have volunteer to allow the learner-driver get some hours up on the longer drive. Better take some CD's and my nerve pills! No, seriously, I am sure she will do well. I am going to visit a craft shop in Launceston called Regal Press, which is one of my favourie places - I will be getting some card for Christmas cards, and maybe some other things........who knows until I have seen what they have in stock! Perhaps shopping will settle my shattered nerves (lol)!

I have not made much in the line of craft lately, just been planning stuff and playing around with my Cuttlebug. However I made a card for a friend's birthday (she is in her 8th decade).  I used the birthday embossing folder to create this after I cased the idea from a photo in a Creative Cardmaking magazine. Instead of stamping the sentiments on the candles, I used the appropriate wording from the embossed card.  I also handrew my candle, so they are not exact!  I used SU card  - Pink Pirouette, Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green, So Saffron with Tea Party DP, and some gold glitter for the candle flame. I also used several other embossing folders to create the work 'celebrate' and for a corner embellishment.  I used 'scraplings' for the candles and only placed them on the section of the embossing folder I was trying to get, and then cut out the candles after I had embossed. I drew around the edges with my black SU marker pen to create stitches to define the curve a bit more as well.

This is a close up of the candles and the embossing. I also used the DP inside the card and some of the embossed offcuts to decorate the inside before I wrote my message - plus I used a sticker that said "How many candles?"

Oils Ain't Oils............

Well, I painted yesterday afternoon - and this is the result. when I started it last week it was looking quite summery, but when I finished it yesterday, it was an indication of rough weather. Not sure I think it's any good - but for what i's worth, here 'tis.

It's of no particular place - just memories of cruising down the Channel with John and sailing generally.

Granddaughters....so cute and funny

What a lovely day it is today - full of sunshine and the scent of Spring! I went to work for two hours this morning (doing some relief teaching) and had a good time with a bunch of Yr 11/12's doing River Catchments for Life  Science.  I seem to be versatile - have had Life Science,  Chemistry, Japanese and ESL2 in the lst fortnight!  Earning some spare cash to increase my stamp collection and pay for some of our break on the mainland next week. The mainland is what we call the big island over the Bass Strait, or the rest of Australia!

I did get that granddaughter's card completed yesterday however. I made one for her mother's birthday in July which had a bird on it, with the sentiment saying "Happy Birdday".  Miss 5 thought that was very amusing, and she sent me one back for my birthday in August with a similar message.  She is an avid crafter and loves to make cards - to the detriment of my stash when she is here!  I have made her birthday card as big and bold as I could - its a 15cm x 15 cm so that it could hold all the elements! And it had to have a bird on it so I used the new free owl stamp I got from my UK magazine Crafter Stamper.  It is one by Sugan Nellie and very cute! She is very bright so I think she will enjoy  the play on words (Whoo's) but of course it has to have glitz and glamour as well!  AND be PINK! She is a girly-girl, this one.

The card used is StampinUp's In Colour Pink Pirouette and Whisper White while the ink used is Pink Pirouette.  The card and paper pieces are scraps from DCWV's All Dressed Up Matstock; DCWV's Whimsy card; SU's Sweet Always DP; and a piece of Alison Ellis - Flights of Fancy - Pastel Sky Stripes. The ribbon is just pink satin ribbon from my stash; the letters are from Pink Paisley stick on letters.  I used a SU edge punch on the Pastel Stripes paper - Eyelet Border.

A close-up of the owl - I used Superfine Crystal Glitter Cotton Candy to highlight and decoupaged the owl.  I drew in the branch and used the SU markers to colour this.

The inside of the card had some more Whimsy card and a strip of the Pastel Stripes - the sticker is one from my stash and I have lost the maker's name. The kids all call their grandfather Llo Llo and he chose the whelsh spelling as he didn't want to be 'Low Low'!