More Trellis work....

The atmosphere was cooler this morning and it rained a bit overnight, but it was still very smoky here in the morning. However, around 4 it cleared a bit with a stiff southerly - so fires are now moving north I guess - which has blown the smoke away up the river valley. I took this shot outside just before I sat to do this. 

However, I have also made another card using the Climbing Rose set from SU

My trellis is not straight! Bugger!

Stamped image underneath and coloured with w/c pencils

Die cut trellis and glue down over coloured image

Stamped 6 small roses and w/c'ed them and then diecut them also

Diecut five sets of leaves - arrange the roses and leaves on top of the trellis

Stamped the sentiment

Mounted the whole on card and then onto folded card

Quite pretty!

See you soon!

Roses are still Blooming

Even tough it is mid January, roses are coming into a final last flush again. In the funny, smoky red sunlight today, mine looked amazing. All the colours of the flowers in the garden seem enhanced in this strange orange haze. I didn't take any photo's of them though as they are getting a bit passed it.....

The view outside last night - the smoke was so thick. 

My two tuberous Begonias - so pleased they flowered again this year. Isn't that yellow intense. 

A friend's brother passed away so I had to make a sympathy card

I used the new SU Climbing Roses set to create this but the rectangles were non SU (Scrap Dragon and an old Nellies)) and this trellis is from Memory Box. I used the SU markers to colour this with as well and there is some die cutting and some fussy cutting involved as well. 

There is also some layering up

The die set has a trellis in it but it is quite big gaps so I used this one instead for this piece

After the sadness, a happy picture of the Beast recovering on the couch from a big game hunt where he actually got a baby bird. He was pee'd off because I took it away from him and actually bit me - we had severe words as a result! Don't think he was that scared by the threats of retribution..........

Naughty Mr Weasley!

Happy Australia Day!

A slightly different photo today!

Not really the colours of Australian sporting teams but....

Plenty of colour at Cornelian Bay thanks toCassandra Leigh who says:
Combine bushfires, a northwest wind, and sunset, serve with boat sheds and a side of yacht. Hobart was engulfed in smoke from a couple of bushfires yesterday but it made for some beautiful colours.
www.instagram.com/cassleigh_

Last week Hubby and I went to lunch at a lovely restaurant just to the left of this photo,and sitting inside we looked out on a clear blue sunny day at the boat sheds above. The bay to the top right is Lindisfarne and our bay, Geilston, is just to the left out of the picture. This is the smoky atmosphere we endured a few days ago and there will be more coming over the long weekend as there are over 40 bushfires in the state now. Most of them are in the National Parks so they are hard to reach and hard to fight. We have people from the mainland and New Zealand here helping and a large contingent of flying machines dumping water on the fires as well. while we are not in danger except from smoke everyone is on a short fuse and agitated, including the animals. It is expected to be 40 on Friday and strong winds - just what we don't want!!!

Here is a map of what was happening at 9 am Thursday morning

                                  

Happy 2019 to all!

Hello - thought I should remind people I am about!

It has been a wonderful summer here in Lindisfarne to date - albeit with a few bushfires in the National Parks with smoky days and windy days thrown in. We need it to rain of course, but the garden is not doing too badly - we are lucky compared to the central and northern areas of Australia where the heat wave is bring temps of over 40 degree's day after day. As I write this it is currently 26 degrees here and that will probably be the maximum.  We have been quite social and visited friends and family and they have visited with us. 

This photo popped up in my Facebook feed and it intrigued me.

Are you the kookaburra or the snake?

This kookaburra caught himself a stokes sea snake. The food chain is alive and well!
Photo by Joey Jo Jo at Bushland Beach, Queensland | ABC Open

I have been cleaning up after the Christmas splurge and getting rid of stuff - interspersed with making something when I come across some item or similar that inspires me to have a go. Here are some of them made from Freebies and scraps:

Practicing with my SU watercolour pencils

Using the stamp block and some TH Distress ink and a spray bottle of water to create a background for the frog

Similar technique used below

Copic pens practice in colouring in

This ribbon came off a Christmas present (Dior perfume)

I liked this technique - the small embossing folder strip came with the stamp and this is three different parts of it highlighted with some sponged ink to show the images - cute huh?

I just embossed three bits of scrap SU Whisper White and after selecting the area I wanted, smooched some SU ink around with a sponge 

I have thrown out lots of magazines and collated the bits that I want to keep from the freebies but I still have a long way to go!

I have lots of SU stamp sets (old) that I want to get rid of so I might have a big sale here soon.

I have created some more space which is a good thing as my passion for buying craft stuff has not diminished!!! 

I might make something with the stash soon!!!

Until then - Happy crafting!

It's the little things.....

Think you are finished and then - wham! Finally got my WiFi back and the problem was diagnosed as a faulty modem - and a new one was duly sent to me. When I set it up - lost the  land  line! Ring help - you have the wrong modem and need a new one. Will send it after Christmas. Reconnect the old one and see if it still works - it does! BUT no wireless in the house. Out comes the trusty paperclip and reset and guess what - it worked again!

While I was still under the allusion that a real-life technician was going to be visiting, I thought I had better clean up the craft room - that is where the modem is placed. One day later - clean workspace: still no technician!

Meanwhile, time had slipped away! Cards were all done and sent - oh, did we send that one? Do we need to get something for this person? Well, thank you, that was lovely of you - (quick, have we got something to reciprocate?)...you know the drill. Bragged I had finished, didn't I - serves me right really. Such a fun time of the year as we get lots of invites and catch up with folks we haven't seen in ages - swap photo's and stories of families and current lives and promise to not wait until a whole year has passed before we do it again......eat lovely food and have special treats so the waistline expands even further as well!

All that to say I have no inspiration to show you that is paper based - although it is based on a piece of baking paper!

My new oven has not in the past made good meringues (pavlova's) so I did some experimenting with different recipes - I made two; the first one started slow and the oven was then turned up high - it burnt. You can see it burning in the photo - most of it made a Eton Mess for dessert. I used the three egg yolks to make real custard!

The second one was a low temperature for an hour and then turn off and leave. 

The recipe is from NZ and it worked in my oven!

It was a four egg meringue and so Hubby and I had scrambled eggs for breakfast!

The point is, I have not scrapped the photo of the meringue yet - it will be creamed and piled with seasonal berries before served and photographed then. So for now these photo's will have to do....too hot to eat Plum Pudding in Tasmania at Christmas time - and meringue is traditional here now!

The Unstampabelles challenge is still running until the 28th December

Australian floral Christmas emblems

We always have beautiful flowers in the house at Christmas. It is a family tradition.

So, native flowers are obvious.

 A sprig of flowering gum is very festive, especially if they are sparkly! Painted leaves with sparkly ink and some liquid gold pearls on the ends. The leaves are grey green.

A sparkly diecut and a ribbon.

The leaves are only attached in a few places so they float.

The WiFi is down and this is being done on my phone. Small post. Catch you soon.

Christmas at the Beach

Hi - one of the common traditions in Australia at Christmas time is sharing the holiday at the beach with family and friends. In my family my Uncles and Aunts had beach 'shacks' and each December at the end of the school term, they headed there for the next 7 or 8 weeks. Dad travelled back to town to work each day and the rest of them camped out at the shack for the festive season and the summer holidays.

Christmas trees were set up there and Santa visited the shack for them. 

My DT piece for this week is a Christmas tag - a big tag, made from a recycled card with some glitter added to various places.

The deck chair and a good book, along with a glass of cool white white is a great way to spend the Chrissie holidays!

If you go to Unstampabelles you can get some more information about 

the current challenge and November winners

WOW... the most amazing Bioluminscence last night at White Beach thanks to Stanley Aryanto who says 🌊💙🌊

These are called Bioluminescence, it’s a bright blue glow caused by billions of single-celled algea or plankton. It’s also called Sea Sparkles. I pulled out the camera and start taking photos. The clounds getting thicker and thicker as it’s forecasted to be thunderstorm and heavy rain. Then it gets better. The sea turned into a disco light. As the rain drops hits the surface of the water, the sea sparkles sparkling. I woke up this morning and still can’t believe our luck.

Oh and by the way during the day they create a red tide.

You can also follow Stanley via instagram:
www.instagram.com/thewickedhunt

Eclectic Ellapu wants Anything Festive!

You know my lost week? Well, this was one of the casualties too - my DT work for Eclectic Ellapu

The theme for December is Anything Festive!

I made and decorated a long box which is currently full of lollies (sweeties/candy) for a gift!

It took most of an A4 sheet of card

A button on top to help pull open the lid

Lots of deco's!

That's it!

Sorry Elaine that it is late up!

Challenge#85: What is your Country or Family's Christmas Tradition(s)?

Over at Unstampabelles, the new Challenge#85 is to tell us what is traditional in your country around this time or how does your family traditionally celebrate this time.

Produce a card; or tag; or a scrap page; or an off-the-page item to represent the tradition and then explain in your blog (as the twist) what it is all about!

OK - we share many different traditions in Australia from all the various groups who have come and settled here and the original inhabitants did not celebrate Christmas or similar before invasion. However, there are some things that have become quite traditional or significant here in Australia. One is the annual Carol singing session - not individuals or groups wandering around singing but a whole suburb or community gathering together to sing together and wave candles and wear Christmas hats. At the end, Santa arrives himself and small children are amazed! If we cannot make one in person, we watch it on the TV - either Sydney's but for us mostly it is the one at the Melbourne Myer Bowl in the park in central Melbourne. Usually they are on Christmas Eve and it is a good reason to sit back and drink eggnog or Baileys and eat mince pies and shortbread while enjoying the lovely music.

For my inspiration to day I made a card

This is NOT my idea - I did make this card but under supervision

I made one at a class with Jen at Bellbird Crafts back in October

I did change this one a little as I cannot use stamps

It is s Z fold card

The tradition is the story of the Six White Boomer's

My kangaroo's are in silhouette so this why they are black (and gold from the setting sun)!

There are six pulling the sleigh

The bird on Santa's shoulder is the white cockatoo!

Cheers and off you go to 

Unstampabelles

Midway for Unstampbelles: Box, Parcel or Bag for you?

Challenge #85 is all about the way you present your presents!

Do you parcel them up, box them or put them in a bag?

Show us some of your crafty handiwork!

The TWIST is to recycle something as well

I had two middle sized bags purchased from the $2 shop for $1 each!

I added a recycled Christmas card on a mount and made a tag for it

Here is the tag as well

They will be quite handy in a few weeks time!

We are well into Spring and the weather is treating us to all four seasons in one day sometimes!

Last week we had snow as well!

Yesterday was fluky but today was spectacular!

An incredible capture of a gorgeous wallaby posing in front of Dove Lake and Cradle Mountain thanks toJai Moyle photography who says:

A nice fury friend and not a bad backdrop either. I don’t blame him for hanging around Dove Lake either... 

www.instagram.com/jaimoyle_photography