Ice Dance

Good evening fellow crafters. Can any of you believe it is almost the end of

January already? I can't, nor can most people I know.

We have had an eventful week with John...He is bleeding again, and has another

serious infection, the result of which we have been on the 'doctors and various 

tests rounds', and have more next week.

Onto happier matters. I have managed to make another card, this time for Christmas.

At the speed 2017 appears to be going, I want to be better prepared. Yeah, yeah,

yeah!!!!, I know we all say that, don't we, but this time I mean it (she says with

tongue firmly planted in cheek).

My background paper is a serviette, and like with an earlier card, I have used

the clingwrap/serviette/iron method. When I saw one lonely pack of these serviettes

in the $2 shop, I snaffled it double fast. I had a session last weekend creating a  

bundle of backgrounds, so you will be seeing lots of these on my 

Christmas cards throughout the year.

This cute and clever little puppy dog is a very old Penny Black stamp, which I am 

fairly certain is discontinued. I have not used him for many years (naughty me!!), 

but I will try to remedy that situation this year. He is so easy to colour.

Challenges I would like to enter

Addicted To Stamps #140 - 'Baby It's Cold Outside'

Animal Friends #46 - 'Winter Sports'

Cardz 4 Gals #39 - 'Movie Madness' (Ice Castles 1978)

Cute Card Thursday #462 - 'Something Fun'

Penny Black and More - 'Anything Goes'

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - 'Anything Goes'

Image - Penny Black Ice Dance

Colouring - Promarkers

Dies - Spellbinder Classic Circle, Scalloped Circle; Sue Wilson Winter Trees; Impression Obssession Mini Snowflakes 100F

Paper - Serviette (Un-named brand from $2 shop)
Sentiment Banner - Craft Creations Ltd
Kindyglitz Chrystallina, and Ribbon from my junk stash

Have a happy weekend wherever you are, and until next time, thank you for visiting,

Hugs,
Jennifer xx

Baby

A few days before Christmas our vet gave birth to her first baby...

a girl, so yesterday I made this card to welcome little Olivia.

Concentrating on creating is a pleasant distraction to help  

me deal with the pain.

Of course, the card had to have an animal on it, although I am pretty sure

our vet will not have to treat any giraffes in our little beach side town.

This oh-so-cute giraffe is a freebie digital stamp by Artesanato, and I

coloured her very softly with Promarkers.

My flower arrangement is very sparkly IRL with Star Dust Stickles, 

but unfortunately the camera has not picked up the dazzle.

I completely covered the title die-cut with the Star Dust Stickles, and for

some reason the camera has picked up its sparkle.

The inside of the card co-ordinates with the front. I took this photo after the

sun had gone down, so that is why it is not as bright as the previous photos.

Challenges I would like to enter 

A Gem of a Challenge #185 - 'Celebrate Something New'

CCC Digi Creations #65 - 'Use Die-cuts and/or Punches' WINNER

Crafty Friends #49 - 'New Beginnings'

Crafty Purple Frog - 'New Beginnings'

Daisy Chain #4 - 'Add Some Sparkle' 

Do-Al(l) Kreatives #1 - 'Something New'

Nordsalten Hobbyklubb #153 - 'Baby'

Simply Create Too #123 - 'New Beginnings'

Image - Artesanato (Freebie digital stamp)

Colouring - Promarkers

Paper - Forever Friends New Arrival

Dies - Spellbinder Classic Oval, Scalloped Oval, Classic Circle, Scalloped Circle; Cheery Lynn Flourish Leaf Strip; Marianne LR0217 (Baby); EZ Cut 50046 (Stars)

Stickles - Ranger Star Dust

Flowers, pearl stems and lace are from my junk stash.

After several days of near average temperatures (but with high humidity), we are bracing ourselves again for a major heat-wave here in Australia, so I guess I will be staying indoors with the air conditioning on, and hopefully doing some more crafting,

Until next time, thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Jennifer x

90th Birthday

Hello to all you crafters out there in blogland, and thank for your well wishes. 

I am gradually improving although some pain is still my constant companion. 

I am off all the 'heavy-duty' medications (morphine etc), and just trying to 

cope with several doses of Panadol Osteo each day. I just could not function 

on all the other meds., sleeping about 18 hours per day. The doctors plan was

not only to control the excruciating pain, but to keep me as still as possible 

until the swelling subsided. Because I was asleep so much, I hardly ate 

anything for about 10 days, and lost 5 kgs.....over the festive season!!!

Not long before Christmas, John and I were invited to a 90th birthday party for

a lovely gentleman here at the retirement village, and this is the card I made 

for him. The whole theme of the party was 'black, white and gold'.

His wife made the invitations on her computer, so I used part of the invitation

to make the card. Despite his age, Rick the 'birthday boy', has a lovely 

singing voice, and both he and his wife love music, so I used a 'music' 

embossing folder for my background. 

This '90' and the laurel wreath were on the top half of the invitation, 

and the details (time, date, venue etc) were on the lower half, which I 

matted and attached to the left inside of the card as a memento of the day.

I photographed the card after I had written our personal message to Rick,

so cannot show you the inside of the card. I had die-cut several music 

notes, which I attached in various places around our message.

Both Rick, and his wife Cheryl, are a 'no-fuss' couple with rather classic

tastes, so they loved the card, especially as it incorporated the invitation

that Cheryl had designed and made.

Challenges I would like to enter

Cardz 4 Guyz #152 - 'Happy Birthday'

CAS On Sunday #99 - 'Black and White with One Colour'

Fab 'n' Funky #333 - 'Birthday with a Number'

Image - Computer generated invitation

Dies - Spellbinders Classic Squares, Classic Rectangles: Cuttlebug Music Notes

Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug

Peel-off sticker from my junk stash

For those of you experiencing the bitterly cold weather, floods and storms please stay safe and warm. Here in Australia last week we experienced record-breaking heat wave temperatures...it's a funny old world, isn't it.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Completely Unbelievable!!!!!

I really don't expect any of you to believe this, even in your wildest dreams, but 

guess where I spent part of the Christmas break??? What clever little clogs you 

all are, you guessed correctly...hospital. I very stupidly thought our lives had made 

a turn for the better, but 2015 and 2016 have not finished with us yet...right up to

the finishing line.

That brief post that appeared on my blog on Christmas Day was a scheduled one, 

thank goodness

.

The cute dragon nurse was on a card I made several years ago. I cannot remember the

brand of the digi image, but will edit this post when I improve.
Edited: Bugaboo - 'Clyde Get Well'

The CT scan and x-rays show that I have 4 herniated discs in my neck, and 2 in my 

upper back. Several of them are compressing nerves. I have had a very sore and 

stiff neck for some time, but was functioning okay. However, I lifted and 

dragged several very heavy items at the Fort last Thursday, and struggled to bring 

down our 3 metre long flag in gale force wind. One of the guides, younger and 

fitter than me, was laughing, and commented how funny I looked 'fighting' the 

wind. He is well known for doing as little as possible. I may have to have 

surgery in the future, but as the Doctors explained, it is very high risk, 

so I want to avoid that option if I can.

I am extremely 'woozy' because of all the heavy-duty medication I am on, so

heaven knows what errors this post will contain when I hit 'publish'.

Although I was rather 'sore' on Thursday night, I thought I would be okay on

Friday. Now I know all you crafters out there will understand my excitement, 

followed by disappointment, when I read an generic email on Thursday night 

from my favourite scrapbooking/papercraft store to say that on Friday they were

having a 60% off EVERYTHING in the store from 9-5! I put my clothes out, 

set my alarm for the 2 hour drive, so I could be there when they opened. 

The only drive I went on though was in the early hours in an ambulance.

 I don't know what was worse, missing the sale or the excruciating pain.

I want to say a BIG thank you to those of you who have left comments on my

blog, welcoming me back...hopefully I will get to you personally very soon.

Must say goodnight, as the last medication I took is 'hitting home', and I 

am struggling to stay upright, and can hardly see the screen. 

What a way to spend my birthday...yes, its today.

Here's hoping you all had a lovely Christmas, and I wish you a happy New Year.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Christmas Greetings

Well the big day is finally here, so I would like to wish you all, and your

loved ones a very happy Christmas.

The utterly adorable image is a freebie from Altered HeART Works. 

Thank you so much, Debra.

Big Christmas Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Glittered Bauble

Hello fellow crafters. I hope your preparations for the big day are well

in hand, and you are not feeling too stressed.

Several years ago, I was asked by a large scrapbooking/paperart store in Sydney

to demonstrate at a 4 day craft show. One of the techniques was using black

peel-off stickers, d/sided adhesive paper, ultrafine glitter, and Promarkers.

I decided to revive the technique for 2 of my Christmas cards, and this is

one of them. It is such a fun technique, and the resulting shimmer is 

amazing, but it does not photograph very well.

The red borders, I promise, are perfectly straight, but the card was

lying on an uneven surface when I photographed it.

A close-up view of the coloured bauble. It is so much prettier IRL.

The snowflake and sentiment were die cut from a sheet of 

glittered fun-foam.

Challenges I Would Like To Enter

Cards In Envy - 'Celebrate The Season' 

Glitter 'N' Sparkle #219 - 'Christmas In Glitter'

Passion For Promarkers #375 - 'Use Your Dies/Punches'

Peel-off Sticker - Elizabeth Craft Designs

Loose Glitter - Martha Stewart

Colouring - Promarkers

Dies - Sizzix, Tim Holtz Alterations Holiday Words:Script; Marianne LR 0125

Embossing Folder - Snowflakes (unknown brand)

Thank you for your visit, I must 'crash' into bed as I have been on my feet all day at the Fort. Also, now that we have moved, I have an 80km drive each way on the 2-3 days per week that I am on duty.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x

Joy To The World

It is several years since I have made a card using the serviette and cling wrap 

technique, but when I saw a pack of serviettes with this gorgeous cardinal, I

knew I had to revisit it. If you have never seen this technique, I am

sure you would find many tutorials on the internet.

I added a dot of glossy accents to the cardinals eye, and a few dots of platinum

Stickles on the background and in the centre of the poinsettia. The sentiment 

was a freebie that came with a magazine.

A closer look at my handmade poinsettia and assorted greenery.

Challenges I would like to enter

52 Christmas Card Throwdown - 'Pick A Previous 2016 Challenge' (#49 foliage; #55 critters)

Alphabet - ''U' for Use Something Red'

Animal Friends #45 - 'Anything Goes' (must have at least one animal) 

Image - Serviette (unnamed brand from $2 store)

Dies - Spellbinder Layered Poinsettia; Cheery Lynn Holly Leaves & Wreath Strip
Punch - Martha Stewart Branch

Sentiment - Freebie from a magazine Simply Cards and Papercraft

Ranger - Distress Ink Gathered Twigs, Platinum Stickles and Glossy Accents 

Thank you for visiting, and hopefully I will have another card to show you in a day or 2.

Hugs,

Jennifer. x