Barb's Art and Travel Diary

Ribbon ATC's

2012-01-26T13:26:00.002+11:00

These are the ATC's I made using ribbon. One to match the card and one for my ATC group theme for February.

Ribbons on cards.

2012-01-26T13:08:00.004+11:00

The theme for next months ATC group is "ribbons". So I thought I after making my ATC I would make some cards. My collection of ribbons is fairly big...hmm that is a bit of an understatement:) Of course there is always room for more as I discovered when I found some striped ribbons I just had to have yesterday! I have this great book by Making Memories called "Ribbonrie" which is full of inspiring ideas for using ribbons. I actually added a 60 to this to send to friends who are celebrating their 60th (Diamond) wedding anniversary today.

I made an ATC to match stamping the image on shrink plastic brought it down to the right size.

Daniel Merriam images

2012-01-26T13:01:00.003+11:00

Using images from a 2009 Daniel Merriam calendar I have made these cards. I bought myself another of his calendars so I will have images to play with next year:)

Teddy Bear Calendar

2012-01-26T12:53:00.003+11:00

I had a cute teddy bear calendar last year that had some images on it that I thought would be nice on cards. Here is what I have put together so far. Using backgrounds I have made myself as well as bought papers and some rub-ons.

First post for 2012

2012-01-07T10:16:00.006+11:00

I have had the images used in this card since 2009, they come from a calendar by Daniel Merriam which I fell in love with and had hanging up for a couple of years. I thought now was a good time to use them. I went searching through my "zillions" of backgrounds (all filed away waiting to be used after I had a tidy-up fit late last year...hehe) to find something that went with the images I had selected. The background actually has a sparkle to it which was achieved with Glimmer Mists. I hand cut the template from a Deluxe Cards template (so please excuse the wiggly edges as even when cutting along a metal ruler I seem to be able to cut a crooked line!). The edge punch is by Martha Stewart. The butterflies were cut using Sullivan's punches. The card stock is Bazzil.

2011-11-04T17:28:00.007+11:00

Today I went online to find ideas for using black and white gloss card. There were lots so I played with a few and here are the results.
I like some more than others.
Now to make them into cards.
Faux Rust Technique Batik TechniqueWax Paper Resist Technique Heated Pearl-X Technique Joseph's Coat Technique

Paperific

2011-09-08T09:00:00.007+10:00

Over 3 days August 26-28 Paperific was held at the Showgrounds in Melbourne. An annual craft fair for stampers and paper crafters (started by the late Stacey Apeitos) it has become the mecca for crafters from around the country. This year as we were headed off on holiday on saturday I could only attend on friday which of course I managed even though my suitcase was calling me to pack it...LOL It is a time each year when I catch up with stamping friends from around the country, this year the Tasmanian and West Australian contingent were missing but the girls from NSW made it and we had a great day at the fair then in the evening we went out to dinner.

Lesley (owner of Little Bits Craft Shop in Keysborough) is busy demonstrating products to one and all.

Here Kerri and Marion are sprung doing some major damage to their credit cards...LOL Cheryl does not mind in the least.

Saturday and Sunday

2011-09-07T18:18:00.003+10:00

After a great night at Bistro C on friday we slept in saturday then wandered down to Noosa Woods to hear more music on the Tingirana Stage. School bands mixed with professionals, including Charlie Horse Funk Band. A wander back through town had us stopping to listen to Jan Preston on the honky tonk piano. Home to freshen up then back in to Lindoni's for dinner and more jazz. Great dinner, music act rather late turning up. Slow paced jazz for a change from Willy Qua and Wil Sargassion. On our way back to the car we stopped to listen to Jeff Duff livening up the town as only he can.
Another sleep in sunday morning then a walk down to the local fresh food market. Ah what delights to behold shame we can't take anything home with us so we just bought some fresh strawberries and tomatoes to go with our bread and cheese for lunch. A relaxing afternoon reading and puddling on the internet oh and a few more games of Yahtzee before we headed off to Bicentenial Hall for the big last night Jazz Party, 6 hours of solid music from a stunning line up of musicians young and old. Boy can they rock that place!
Another late night but well worth it.
Monday time to pack and meander down to Maroochydore to return the car. First we stopped in town to pick up our annual holiday Tattslotto winnings...a whole $17.50 this year! One day we will hit the jackpot.
Our plane was delayed by about 10 mins no big dramas we were back in Melbourne around 3.15pm. Collected our baggage and rang "Busy Beaver" to pick us up so we could collect our car from them. Did I mention we had had a very early start to our holiday with a 3am rising to get out to Tullamarine and drop off the car before being taken to the airport to catch a 6.15 am plane!
Great service and very economical.
After a slight detour through the back streets missing most of the peak hour traffic we made it home to Gardenvale. Unpack..."what's for tea? Take away of course , no one wanted to cook on this last day of our holiday...hehe
Can't wait for next year to do it all again...well maybe we won't try and fit both side of the country in on the same trip next time !

PS. Mike headed off to work on tuesday with his flowing locks and beard...he returned after his first professional shave and a number 5 all over haircut!!
I laid low all day with a runny nose and hacking cough..bummer babe.

Friday Jazz

2011-09-07T18:09:00.005+10:00

A beautiful sunny day in Noosa for the Jazz Festival.

Getting ready to march down Hastings Street Noosa.

Young and old musicians marched together in the street parade.

A young student from a Qld high school singing with the confidence of an old pro!

This bird was trying very hard to get any hundreds and thousands from the container outside the ice cream parlour in Hastings St. He looked at me as if to say "these are mine, don't even think about having any!"

Thursday night Day 1 Jazz Festival

2011-09-07T15:09:00.003+10:00

Thursday night saw us being entertained up close and personal by James Morrison and his band along with singers Evelyn Duprai and Glenn Cunningham. What a fabulous night's entertainment and great food to go with it.
James Morrison blowing his horn!

James Muller lead guitar, Gordon Rytmeister drums and ?Brent Hurst on bass.
Evelyn Duprai in full voice.

Glenn Cunningham singing up a storm.

Thursday in Noosa

2011-09-07T13:57:00.009+10:00

A bush turkey common enough around Noosa but hard to get a good picture of as they rarely stand still!

Hell's Gate itself. Alexandria Bay from Hell's Gate.

Views toward Tewantin and down the river from Leguna Lookout above Noosa.

Day 5

2011-09-07T13:37:00.004+10:00

Wednesday in Noosa was set aside to catch up with some current and ex-neighbours from Melbourne. David and Diana now live up here and Georgie has a holiday house at Coolum Beach. David and Diana showed us round there home among the trees and took us for a walk in the park that their house backs onto. Where we saw lots of birdlife, Bush Turkey nests and plants that looked like "Cousin It". Tea was had at the Coolum Surf Life Saving Club in Coolum. Nice view with the sun setting over the water.

Day 4

2011-09-07T13:21:00.002+10:00

Our great hopes of meeting Emily in Fremantle were dashed when she phoned from onboard her ship at 9pm to say it would be another 1/2 hour before she was on land and we had to head to the airport in Perth by then..phooey.
We flew out of Perth at about midnight made good speed cross country and landing in Melbourne at around 5am. 5 hours to kill before we took off again for Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast! I read a book, Mike wandered around looking for somewhere to print our boarding passes, unsuccessful in his mission he returned and we had some breakfast before checking our baggage in. We had tried when we first arrived but were told to come back at 8am!
Our plane trip to Noosa was uneventful though there was a sprinkle of rain on landing. We collected our hire car and headed up the road to Yandina where we have developed the habit of stopping at the Nut Factory Cafe for lunch before continuing on to Noosa. NOT this year the cafe has closed. So we stopped at the local bakery for some bread and a cream bun! We had stopped at Dunethin Rock for a birds eye view of the hinterland arriving in Noosa about 3pm. Another stop at local supermarket for a few supplies. Weyba Gardens Resort was to be our home for the next 6 days as has been the case the last 4 times we have been here. We were both pretty tired by this stage but still managed to drive over to the local shopping mall to get Mike some shorts. Back to our apartment and feet up time. After looking at the local food delivery menu...a tad expensive so we opted for peanut butter sandwiches and a cup of tea/coffee. An early night after a game of Yahtzee on Mike's tablet.

Day 3 Cape Leeuwin

2011-09-07T13:03:00.002+10:00

After a pleasant meal and a comfortable night at the Margaret River Hotel we headed to the south western most point of Australia where we climbed Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. This is the spot where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.

Day 2 part 2

2011-09-07T12:54:00.004+10:00

We stopped for a quick break at Dunsborough... a favourite diving location of Emily's before continuing on to Margaret River for the night.

Day 2

2011-09-07T12:34:00.009+10:00

Hmm actually Bunbury was first then Bussleton. We stopped in Bussleton where the jetty is nearly 2 kms long!! There is even a little train to take you out to the end.

We drove south from Rockingham and stopped in Bunbury for lunch. Here we received a phone call from Emily to say there was a chance we could actually see her monday night in Fremantle before we flew out at 1150pm. She being put ashore early to attend some appointments before rejoining her ship on wednesday...Yippee

Day 1 part 2

2011-09-07T12:31:00.003+10:00

This is us enjoying ourselves with good food, good wine and good friends at Jane Brook Winery.

Our little holiday to Wa and Qld

2011-09-07T05:56:00.006+10:00

Around Father's day each year we head north to sunny Queensland for the Noosa Jazz Festival. This year we decided on a quick 3 day visit to Western Australia to visit our daughter first. She is in the Navy stationed in Rockingham. Our plans went astray when we heard they were going to be at sea that weekend but too late to change so off we went. We still stayed at her house...Big "mum hugs" to Irish Dave.
On our arrival in Perth we were unexpectedly met by our friend Alice who had made a mad dash to the airport after being woken only about 10 mins earlier with the news that we were arriving!! Woohoo how special does that make one feel. She took us home for a wonderful home cooked breakfast then. While Rod did some chores Alice took us to the Les Murdie Falls for a walk. Great views of the city of Perth from here. We returned to collect Rod and were driven out to the Swan Valley and Jane Brook winery for a leisurely lunch among the vines. About 5pm we decided we really needed to head for Emily's house in Rockingham (about an hours drive south). Where we stayed the night .

Farm Visit

2011-07-18T10:40:00.007+10:00

On saturday we visited our friends Jackie and Glenn on their new farm down in Gippsland. It was a beautiful sunny winter day sandwiched between days of rain so the ground was extremely muddy. No problem when you own gumboots which we don't but we managed to walk around without slipping over in the mud! Jackie and Glenn raise Alpachas, a wonderful friendly animal.

The view from their perch on top of a hill is spectacular. I am told sunrise and sunset are quite something to behold. Glenn and Jackie have adopted the country life with relish and are always to be found building and improving their new home. They inherited a couple of pigs...Mr Crackles and his wife...Mike loves pigs and thought bringing one home as a pet would be fun!He could envisage himself walking it around the neighbourhood on a lead! Needless to say Mr and Mrs Crackles are still residing in Gippsland.

Photos from our trip to Taronga Zoo part 2

2011-06-28T10:34:00.002+10:00

This young giraffe not only had giraffe companions but zebras as well. So it's raining...big deal this ostrich seemed to be saying!

Wait for me mum...I'm coming too.

Photos from trip to Taronga Zoo

2011-06-28T10:29:00.002+10:00

This tiger was eyeing off the world from undercover. What a magnificant beast and he was SO close! Mind you he was much more interested in seeing whether any food would come through the hatch than being observed by us mere humans!

Ahh the pleasures of life a good mud bath followed by a good feed!

Photos from trip to Sydney

2011-06-28T10:17:00.002+10:00

View from observation deck of hotel down to Darling Harbour. View from Taronga Zoo across Sydney Harbour.

940 saxophonists!

Mike enjoying Saxophony.

Jazz Festival in Sydney

2011-06-28T09:55:00.003+10:00

We made it to Sydney this year to see the 21 Darling Harbour Jazz Festival.
As part of the celebration there was an attempt on the world record for the most saxaphone players in the one place. The even was called Saxophony and the record broken by having 940 sax players all together and playing their instruments! They ranged in age from the very young to the elderly. The sun came out for the event which was great as most of the weekend was underscored by rain , lots of it. There was a fireworks display put on by Darling Harbour Trust on saturday night and we were fortunate enough to have ring side seats in one of the restaurants with a great view. The occasion was enhanced by a number of little girls watching (3-4yo's) their awe was infectious.
Inbetween rain showers we listened to some fabulous music. When it got too wet we retreated to the I-Max cinema to watch Pirates of the Caribbean in 3D. We also took a trip across the harbour to Taronga Zoo. Where we splashed around and observed the animals just getting on with life. Baby Pygmy hippos, baby elephants, a baby chimp and giraffes were highlights. A free flying bird show with Sydney harbour as the backdrop was quite spectacular.Oh and seeing a lion close up through a thick glass wall was amazing.
We were alerted to a volcanic ash cloud (coming from Chile) closing down airports round the country but in particular Melbourne by our friend Marion. Yippee we thought a few extra days in Sydney at some one elses expense! So we checked out of our hotel after inquiring whether if we needed it a bed would be available that night(no trouble) and went off to listen to the last day of music. Virgin started flights again that monday morning and we were told to proceed to the airport and expect to catch a plane home no worries..phooey...LOL We headed out to the airport 2 hours ahead of schedule just in case there were any issues and as luck would have it were put on the next available flight so left Sydney 2 hours ahead of time!
Fingers were then crossed for Marion and her husband as they were due to fly out of Melbourne on the thursday for London!! They also got off the ground but within days planes were grounded yet again as more ash floated over the country.

Trip to Dinner Plain

2011-04-15T22:55:00.013+10:00

First stop on friday after spending the night in Bairnsdale were the Buchan Caves. We did a guided tour through Fairy Cave, which we thoroughly enjoyed and were amazed at.

We arrived at Rundell's Lodge Dinner Plain around 4pm and went for a walk around the village.

Then we drove up to Mt Hotham, we drove over and part way down the other side before the thick fog rolled in. We turned round and enjoyed dinner and the view from the General Hotel at Mt Hotham.

Saturday morning we had a personal guided tour by our hostess Fiona from Dinner Plain along the roadside to a magnificant view out toward Mt Feathertop and Mt Hotham.

I was fascinated by the textured and coloured trunks of the snowgums.

After lunch at the Dinner Plain Hotel we walked to Carmichael Waterfall lookout. Proving how incredibly unfit we are:(

We thought we had found the waterfall and were somewhat disappointed at it's lack of drop ...but continued on to the actual lookout to realise what we had found was but the head of the waterfall.

Driving home over Mt Hotham on the sunday we were treated to beautiful sunshine and magnificant views over the top of Australia.

We were lucky enough to be given a weekend package trip to Dinner Plain as a birthday/christmas present from my Auntie Jean..thank you very much AJ. We decided to take advantage of it to celebrate our 35th wedding Anniversary (3rd April). We had a fabulous time and were thoroughly spoilt with great sights, accommodation, food and weather for the 3 and 1/2 days we escaped for. I took LOTS of photos but won't bore you with them all just some highlights...LOL

My other ATC Background Swap ATC's

2011-04-15T22:08:00.003+10:00

My ATC on Niki Glover's background. My ATC on Margaret Luck's background.

My ATC on Louise Howe's background.

My ATC on Jenny Hubbard's background.

My ATC on Lai Sie Murphy's background.

My ATC on Janis Johnston's background.

My ATC on Dorothy Leach's background.

My ATC on Cheryl Keane's background.

ATC Background Swap

2011-04-15T22:01:00.002+10:00

ATC by Pam Phillips ATC by Niki Glover

ATC by Margaret Luck

ATC by Louise Howe

ATC by Jenny Hubbard

ATC by Janis Johnston

ATC by Heather Askitis

ATC by Gwenyth Zwaan

ATC by Barb Porritt

First for the year

2011-04-15T18:29:00.005+10:00

Wow I can't believe it here it is half way through April and this is my first post for the year. A lot has been happening in my world ...lots of family related things along with a little art and a wee bit of travel. Something that will only be done in small bites this year.

So lets start with a little bit of art.I joined a swap for the first time in years and was inspired and thoroughly enjoyed the process, getting quite different inspiration from each piece...some came to me instantly others I had to look at for sometime. We all made 9 ATC backgrounds exactly the same, sent them to the hostess who distributed them and we received 9 back (including one of our own). We then decorated them and returned them to the hostess who sent us back our original 9 ATC's . It was thrilling to see how others interpreted my background.

I will start with my original background and then how it was interpreted by each person.

Christmas countdown link to Lisa Vollrath's site

2010-12-02T06:44:00.002+11:00

Here it is nearly Christmas again and Lisa Vollrath is doing her free image give-away.
Check it out at
http://countdown.tentwostudios.com

From my ANON friend

2010-10-24T16:23:00.002+11:00

I got a comment on my blog recently posted by "Anon" hmmm says me..I have no idea who sent me that nice message. Then this week I got a card in the mail from a friend in the U.S.A. -fessing up to the fact that she is Anon! Well I would like to share the lovely card she made for me. Thanks Judi...oops Anon that should read....LOL

French Festival at Como House

2010-10-03T08:25:00.004+11:00

Well last sunday we spent enjoying the spring weather up at Monsalvat listening to Jazz this weekend we went to an historic Mansion called Como House and participated in the French Festival. Ooh la la...everything french but mostly food and what taste sensations and delights for the eyes. The weather again was just perfection and it brought the people out in their 1000's! We took a bus and arrived round opening time and it was already busy. By the time we left a few hours later there were queues to get in! We wandered round all the stalls even picking up brochures on buying a property in southern France....like that is going to happen....LOL We sampled a duck pie, a Toulouse style sausage in batard with onion and cheese etc...apricot filled pastries and bought a bag of caremilised nuts. We listened to a french choir, modern french songs and a pianist. Then we wandered around the house itself and acquainted ourselves with the life of the Armitage family who lived there until 1955 when it was given to The National Trust. Plenty of time was given to walking in the gardens taking photos of the plants. We both like to take close up shots but apart from my one of the bee I was not happy with many of them...think I will leave this up to Mike as his camera does a much better job.

Musicians at Monsalvat

2010-09-27T08:53:00.001+10:00

The first group we listened to was the Paul Williamson Hammond Combo. Then The Andrea Keller Quartet followed by Wilson/Magnussen/Hale Trio.

Sorry to say it was getting too late to stay for the Allan Browne Qunitet which was a shame but we will plan better if they have this event next year.

Monsalvat 2

2010-09-27T08:40:00.004+10:00

More photos from our day at Monsalvat including a Kookaburra who was sitting in the sun on the ground when we stumbled on him but he quickly flew up into a near by tree.

The peacock was also sunning himself and later in the evening tried singing along with the Jazz players!

Jazz at Monsalvat

2010-09-27T08:34:00.004+10:00

Well it was a glorious spring day in Melbourne yesterday and we headed out to Eltham to a Jazz event at the Monsalvat Artist's Colony.

Just had to share some photos of the property and a couple of the actual musicians. These are a bit fuzzy but my little camera is not designed for distance in the dark shots...lol

More T-slider cards

2010-09-20T23:45:00.002+10:00

In these cards I have placed the tab on either the other side or the top for variety:)

T Slider cards

2010-09-20T23:25:00.005+10:00

I had a lovely down in Geelong last wednesday with my crafty friends and Jackie showed us how to make T-slider cards. Was not sure before going that they would be my "thing" but let me tell you I am hooked and have made 8 more already...yes I can be obsessive...just a wee bit...hehe

Here are a few to whet your appetite.

I'm interrupting this Blog to say Thank you.

2010-06-09T21:42:00.003+10:00

I just had to stop my travelogue to say thank you to a few friends who kindly sent me cards to wish me well.
While on our wonderful holiday (stories and photos of which I will get back to) I had a fall and a week later pinched the nerves in my back. Anyway flat on my back has been my position of most comfort for about 6 weeks. No fun:(
Marion, Kerri, Louise and Bambi all sent me cards(and flowers) and have been my cheer up club.
Others have brought me food parcels and checked to make sure all is well, thanks Lynette and Gay.

Tassy Travel 8

2010-05-24T18:20:00.004+10:00

These intrepid folk were getting ready to paddle up the Gordon River for a 4 hour trip.

This is a stand of young Huon Pine.

Would you believe this fallen tree is about 2000 years old!

Tassy Travel 7

2010-05-24T18:11:00.004+10:00

These fallen and still standing trees were covered in mosses...just beautiful to look at.

Interesting Fungi grabbed our attention from day one of this trip and both Mike and I spent quite a bit of time trying to get the perfect shot. sometimes succeeding other failing dismally...but we had fun trying.

Grey moody clouds over Macquarie Harbour, Strahan.

Tassy Travel 6

2010-05-24T17:46:00.012+10:00

This is one of the Trout Farms...got my photos a bit out of order...sorry. This is the young Huon Pine.

We had quite a few rain showers during the day and were lucky to see some wonderful rainbows too.

Day 1 in Strahan sees us head up the Gordon River on The Lady Jane Franklin II. A luxurious way to see such pristine wilderness. We headed first to the mouth of the harbour to view Hells Gates, the narrow entrance where many a ship was lost.

Saw the amazing feat of 19th century engineering a rock wall running for an incredible distance that ensured the channel stayed at the right depth for shipping.

We passed Trout and Salmon Farms before cruising up the actual Gordon River.

On our way back we stopped at Sarah Island the site of a convict prison. Also we stopped at the Heritage Landing where we went on a boardwalk through the rainforest and were able to view massive Huon Pine trees as well as some baby ones...mind you the babys were 80-150 years old but when you consider it takes a Huon Pine 500 years to mature and they know of specimens 3000 years old...150 is very young!

Tassy Travel 5

2010-05-18T22:11:00.006+10:00

We drove into Cradle Mountain Reserve but were unable to see anything that resembled the mountain or Dove lake as there was low level cloud and cold drizzling rain...ahh well something to do on our next visit.

We continued on, swapping drivers every so often on the very windy roads. Queenstown is our lunch stop , still raining we find a bakery that makes nice pies. We have a quick wander around town and take a few photos.

We reach Strahan mid afternoon and head straight for Kitty's Place where we will spend the next 3 nights.

A cuppa is in order and time to sit and relax in the warmth.

Tassy Travel 4

2010-05-18T21:59:00.004+10:00

Our first morning was spent driving toward Strahan on the west coast where we were to stay for the next 3 nights. We passed Mt Rowland, stopped at the Round Mountain Lookout and crossed the Forth River.

Tassy Travel 3

2010-05-18T19:39:00.003+10:00

There was a lovely sunrise as we headed out to the car park to collect our "Budget Nissan Tiida", which was to transport us for the next 3 weeks.
We arrived in Devonport after a rather rough night, one of us coped better than the other...say no more, we shall put it down to the Cascade Stout drunk with dinner!

Tassy travel 2

2010-05-12T07:18:00.005+10:00

We had a small hurdle to our plans for driving our own car around Tasmania when 4 weeks before we were due to leave we had an altercation with a tram! Trams ALWAYS win these sort of arguments and this was no exception. I booked a hire car just in case which turned out to be necessary.

So we took a taxi to the ferry on sunday evening the 11th April and we got to watch everyone driving line up with their cars, go through security then queue to get on board.

It was a bitterly cold and windy evening which did not bode well for smooth sailing!

Some very dear and thoughtful friends (Marion and Brian) organised a surprise bottle of champagne to get our holiday off on the right foot. When we found the bottle sitting in its ice bucket (no card) we got the steward to take it back thinking someone had delivered it to the wrong cabin! The steward quickly returned saying it was indeed for us and they were sorry they had not attached a card.

Cheers!

We booked a table in Seasons Restaurant then went back to our cabin for a glass of champagne before we explored the ship prior to departing.

Travel Tales from Tasmania

2010-05-12T06:26:00.003+10:00

When I first set this blog up it was so I had somewhere to display my art and share my travel adventures, can't say we have done a great deal of travel in the last couple of years but finally we have had a wonderful 3 week trip to Tasmania. Tassy (as it is affectionately known) is an island state off the southern coast of mainland Australia about an hours flight or overnight on the "Spirit of Tasmania" car ferry.
It is not very large one can drive a car from the north to the south in about 2 hours as long as you don't stop any where along the way.
Having 3 weeks we opted for a more leisurely trip and to try and see as much as possible without rushing as this was to be a de-stressing holiday!
As a child I lived for 4 years in Launceston (city in the north of Tassy) so was keen to revisit places that I remember.
I did quite a bit of research on places to visit and of course asked Tasmanian friends what we should not miss. This list was extensive so I got out a map and started plotting which direction to circumnavigate and the best places to stop. We have friends and family who live there and we wished to visit so they had to be included in our itinerary.
Having friends on the north-west coast who were going to be interstate themselves at the beginning of our trip made the decision where to go first a little easier. We would land in Devonport and head for the west coast town of Strahan.
Both Mike and I have a digital camera and are mad shutterbugs! There are 1000's of photos to sort through, so it may take some time to get a selection up on my blog.

Devastation to Willow tree

2010-03-09T11:03:00.003+11:00

On sunday when we had driven into the city hoping to go to the Art Gallery we had passed a restaruant in St Kilda Road called The Willows. We had patronised this restaurant many years ago and it had two enormous willow trees in the front garden. Well not so now the storm on saturday had snapped one off near the base..possibly hit by lightening. We stopped for a closer look on our way home on monday...a lot of the branches had been cleared away but you can see where it struck the front fence and the stump that was left shattered. So lucky to have fallen forward and not back onto the marquee!

Spur of moment travel part2

2010-03-09T10:34:00.005+11:00

We went to Pfeiffer's Winery to buy some of their fabulous "Pfeiffer's Pfizz".. a wonderful sparking red wine. Tried a thing called "Seriously Pink", a rose liquer that is great chilled over ice or as a long drink. We went down onto the bridge at the winery to observe the turtles and take in the view. It all looks very lush with the recent rain and the turtles are breeding madly!

We also visited Warrabilla Winery known for their big reds..which I left Mike to enjoy. Though if i was ever to drink a red it would be probably one of theirs.

We stopped in Rutherglan to sample Parker's Pies for lunch, we had seen them advertised on local TV as award winning and "The Best"...tell you what they were pretty good and we would highly recommend them.

Next stop a local cafe/bakery for a coffee and cake...the young lass serving was so earnest and and eager to please...10/10 for effort, and to Mike's delight they made a long black coffee correctly...and did not top it up with water!

Last stop Anderson's Winery where we had a nice chat to Howard to owner winemaker. Bought some of his award winning Sparkling Shiraz and "Melanie" which is a red dessert wine...mmmmmmmm heaven in a glass.

Getting on in time and as we have a 4 hour trip ahead of us we figure it is time to hit the road.

Time was made to pass quickly by sharing the driving and doing crossword puzzles while listening to some good jazz and kd Lang. We only hit a few more rain squalls.

We came into Melbourne thorugh the back roads north of the city to find a whole new area of suburbia opening up. Took a quick picture of the city skyline out the car window and along Bulla Road as we got closer.

Spur of the moment travel!

2010-03-09T07:36:00.010+11:00

This past weekend was a long one here in Victoria to celebrate Labour Day we had monday off. We had not planned anything where in past years we have gone with friends to a Wine and food festival in Rutherglan, NE Victoria. There were devastating storms across Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, damage to some major infracstructure saw venues evacuated and venues closed. No damage here in suburban Gardenvale thank goodness. Sunday saw us head into the National Art Gallery to have a look at the "Ron Mueck" exhibition only to get to there to find the gallery closed due to water damage!

Well on the way home Mike asked what I wanted to do and I said it would have been nice to go to Rutherglen. Well we went home packed the toilet bag and our night clothes ...by 2.30pm we were on our way! Now it is a 4 hour drive and being a long weekend with the food and wine festival on we were taking a big chance on getting any accomodation. Listening to the radio we also heard that major storms were predicted for just the area we were headed for! Mike had his laptop and mobile net connection up and running and started to look for accomodation in the vicinity of Rutherglen. No luck at any B & B's and we were wished "good luck" by numerous people! By the time we reached Wangaratta it was about 5.30pm and the rain was starting. We drove through town and went passed a couple of motels with "vacancy" signs. We stopped at one that looked reasonable and were able to get a room at a fair price. A quick drive round to a local pub for tea found us getting inside just as the heaven's opened! Popular spot with a large contingent of year 12 students occupied the tables next to us and I suggested we get in the queue to order ASAP...wise move as they joined the queue just after us and after we had placed our order and were again seated we watched for a LONG time as they were processed. Our meal arrived quickly and was very nice.

We stopped to have a quick look at a newspaper before going to the car and ended up sitting for 20 mins waiting for the rain to ease! It did not let up much so we made a run for the car and back to our motel. Lightening and thunder flashing around us.

The next morning after a very nice breakfast we headed off to Rutherglen, the rain had stopped though more was promised for later. Our motel had faired alright but the one across the road had had to evacuate 5 upstairs rooms during the night as water was coming in! Our motel host said it was the most rain he had ever seen!

The drive to Rutherglan had us driving past low lying paddocks covered in water, lots of small lakes amongst the trees.

All this water is not good for the winemakers as the grapes will be prone to mould and it can be quite devastating to the crop. There was a strong wind blowing monday afternoon and this made one winemaker we spoke to happy as it was the best thing to dry out the grape bunches, better than the sun as it just added to the humidity and hence more chance of mould!

Flowers a la Tim Holtz

2010-02-28T16:31:00.003+11:00

I spent a lovely day last week with friends down in Geelong and we made 3D paper roses a la Tim Holtz (12 tags of Christmas, the last one). These are my efforts. A bit tricky to post people keep telling me but nice to give.

Inspired by Jennifer McGuire

2010-02-16T21:57:00.004+11:00

I was blog surfing today and after a trip to Tim Holtz I followed his link to Jennifer McGuire's blog and was inspired to have a go at using pearlized water. Trouble is I don't own Perfect Pearls and I used Pearl-x to mix with water and ended up clogging my mini mister so badly I can't get it to work any more:( Think I used too much Pearl-x. I wondered what I had that would give me the pearlized look and remembered my bottle of Liquitex Pearlescent medium. Good-oh, now to put some Distress ink in a palette and mix in the Pearlescent medium. That worked so I spread it on my craft sheet and pushed the stamp into, then onto the paper. Voila pearlized background. Trouble is it does not show up in the scan..phooey. You will just have to imagine the green image is pearly.

Sponging and Masking Technique

2010-02-13T23:06:00.002+11:00

I spent some time looking at the Art Journey Design Teams pages today and found cards from a workshop Liesbeth posted back on 31st January.
artjourneydesign-team.blogspot.com
I was inspired and this is the result. It is getting rather late so I will play with the technique some more tomorrow but just had to share my first efforts.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone.

Calender card...not

2010-02-12T16:30:00.006+11:00

When I was at my monthly ATC group meeting on wednesday the lovely Lesley Bieniak showed me a calendar card she had designed. It seemed like an idea I could adapt easily. Here are my efforts. Where Lesley had attached a mini calendar with a small bulldog clip I put words or a stamped image. On the bottom of the card where I have a word Lesley had stamped 2010. This element is on double sided foam tape so it sits up slightly allowing the back to sit behind it. The card folds flat for posting.

Another one.

2010-02-05T18:31:00.001+11:00

Here you are another card hot off the presses! Just love this colour combination:)

Bird House

2010-02-05T17:29:00.003+11:00

Late last year my german stamping friend Ingeborg and I agreed on an ATC swap on the theme of birds. When I had made my ATC's I thought it would be fun to put them in a birdhouse to send them to her. So I designed and made a birdhouse and decorated it. The roof lifts off and the ATC's are tucked inside. Then I packed it very carefully and posted it off to Germany! I have just heard from Ingeborg that it arrived safely...woohoo.

Altered postcard

2010-02-05T17:23:00.003+11:00

My friend Marion gave me some old postcards her mother had collected, she thought I may be able to use in my card making.
Well 0500 one morning recently I could not sleep so got up and needing to make a card for my aunt's 80th birthday I took a good look at the postcards I had been given.
After adding a bit of silk ribbon, some artifical leaves and flowers and mounting the image on suitable matching paper and cardstock this is the result.

Old technique

2010-02-05T16:50:00.003+11:00

While looking through some folders I have that hold info on all the different techniques I have tried or plan to try at some stage I came across the instructions for a background technique that a friend Sue Thiel had used on a birthday card for me. The date of her answer to my query on how it was done was November 2000!

Well I read and re read the instructions and thought I understood but felt if I could just see the card again it would gel better in my mind. I am a very visual type person:) Now I am also a hoarder, yep I have every card ever sent to me by stampers from when I first started stamping! I am also a bit "obsessive" so everything is in boxes or folders pertaining to the year they were received! So after climbing up onto the table which has a large bookcase on it as well as my computer...to get at all these boxes of cards...yippee I found my birthday cards from 2000. Sure enough there was the card Sue had sent me. The instructions had been quite detailed but it was still nice to see the real thing.

Next was to have a go and this is the result.

The pink one is my version of Sue's card.

A DTP (direct to paper) and sponging technique. Make a mask for the whole card then tear a large corner off it. Sponge the torn border with white ink- move the mask over the white a smidgen and then start with the coloured inks. The small white border gives the whole layered effect. Then use the other piece of the mask to go back the other way with coloured ink. Now stamp some background images using your mask to avoid getting any colour on the white line. I used a script stamp and a spray splatter stamp. Your main image can then be stamped using the mask again so it does not show on the white line.

The rest of my creations.

2010-01-14T19:17:00.003+11:00

Here are the other ATC's, all very 3D and as my husband pointed out very difficult to post...why does he have to be so practical...it takes out all the fun....LOL

I have had a very creative day.

2010-01-14T19:09:00.003+11:00

Well what a day .... I have done nothing but make ATC's!!

Last night at the monthly ATC group I attend one of the girls was smitten with Melissa Phillip's "shabby chic" style and was making an ATC accordingly. I got home and figured I could do that and promptly made an ATC before going to bed, as you do:) Then today I got up and started again only leaving off to go out and purchase some flowers and ribbon needed to complete my projects.

This is last nights effort, I even made my own roses, thanks for the impromptu lesson Bev.

Update on Alphabet Swap

2009-12-31T11:37:00.003+11:00

There are 4 ATC's in the alphabet swap that you needed to see the inside of to get the full message. Here they are.
Bev Robinson's letter I for Image. This is Bev's also letter F.

This one is by Joan McAlpine and is letter D.

This is one of mine also for letter D.

Alphabet Swap 5

2009-12-31T09:49:00.003+11:00

We had a change of participants when 2 of the original members decided to pull out, K was where they swapped over.

Alphabet Swap 4

2009-12-31T09:46:00.001+11:00

H, I and J have been completed by everyone.

Alphabet Swap 3

2009-12-31T09:34:00.003+11:00

Here are E, F and G. Some of the ATC's have more information when opened. Hmm should have taken 2 photos to show, OK this will be my next part of this project to show the full message of those particular ATC's. This should keep me out of mischief today:)

Alphabet Swap 2

2009-12-31T08:51:00.002+11:00

Good morning, time to add a few images of the ATC's in the Alphabet Swap. B, C and D for starters.

bedtime

2009-12-30T23:45:00.001+11:00

I am too tired to do any more tonight but promise to put some more up tomorrow.

Alphabet Swap

2009-12-30T22:46:00.003+11:00

About 2 years ago I joined in an ATC Alphabet Swap with a group I meet with once a month.
I have finished all my ATC's while some of the group are still working on theirs. Just thought I would share some of what has been created so far. Letter A.

Spinner Cards

2009-10-10T18:31:00.003+11:00

These type of cards have been occupying me totally over the last few weeks.

I am having such fun making them.

Thanks to Louise Howe for showing me how to make them and credit to Carol Staples from whose article she learnt how!

It has been ages

2009-09-22T22:39:00.002+10:00

Well it has been ages since I wrote in this blog life has been rather busy.

It has been both sad and happy.

In August my MIL died, peacefully after having a stroke, her 2 children and their spouses were at her side. It is the way she would have wished.

Now for the happy news my daughter Emily enlisted in the Navy yesterday! A big step and life changing decision! She is very excited and most likely sound asleep at this time of night(2245) as the days are jammed packed with lots of physical as well as mental challenges. Here is a picture of her receiving her Certificate of Enlistment. And another of her with her proud parents:)

2 years on

2009-05-20T13:29:00.005+10:00

Hi there I have been reflecting on what I was doing 2 years ago today and I was having a ball!!Lucky me was in Leerdam meeting up with a fantastic group of stampers who had travelled from all over The Netherlands and even from Germany so I could meet them.Well girls, a photo of you is the wallpaper on my computer screen so I see you every day.

Can you see me waving :)

Link to SERS Blog

2009-05-12T23:00:00.002+10:00

As Pauline rightly pointed out to make this really cool you need to be able to link to the SERS Blog so here you go.
http://southeasternrubberstampers.blogspot.com/

SERS 2003

2009-05-12T22:36:00.004+10:00

Everyone is paying strict attention to something...wonder who is holding the floor...might it be our intrepid leader Pauline?

SERS June 2002

2009-05-12T22:24:00.004+10:00

Well here we are all totally enthralled by someone giving us a demo. I do believe it was Pauline showing us how to use your computer for stamping stuff!

Then Yumeko(Judy) demoed something...not sure what, anyone remember?

SERS Photos

2009-05-12T22:09:00.003+10:00

Sharon G, Jessica L and Helen (Daisy) J. Joan McA, Denise S, Pauline L, Sharon B, Tracey F, Judith S and Susan U. Heather M, Joan McA, Jan T, Helen Y and Sue O. Denise S, Pauline L and Sharon B.

Well I have been inspired by Pauline's new blog for SERS (South Eastern Rubber Stamper's) to trawl through my photo collection and relive some great memories of SERS. A group that is still going strong much thanks to Pauline Laing. These pictures are of the Christmas party for SERS 1999.

Spring ATC's

2009-05-09T18:50:00.003+10:00

My friend Marjolijn showed me the photos she took when she went for her annual visit to Keukenhof and I was inspired to make these Spring themed ATC's and a folder to put them in.
The bunny templates were made from a couple of cookie cutters I bought for another girlfriend. Rubber Rabbit is big into bunnies and when I saw them I could not resist:)

A bit of Whmisy ATC

2009-05-09T18:45:00.002+10:00

I made this ATC for my ATCgroup 's monty theme.
The background was made using Kaleidacolour "Creole Spice" inkpad on a brayer that had been misted with water. The background image is by "Ink and the dog", not sure who the butterfly is by.

Hi Judi in Florida

2009-04-25T10:37:00.001+10:00

Hi Judi, I got your message but you did not leave an email address for me to respond to so I hope you come back and check my blog soon.

Painting on card

2009-04-17T22:47:00.003+10:00

This is another technique that I learnt at the workshop with Sherrill Kahn back in 2002!
The top sample I made today the other I found in her book and I must have made at the workshop or soon after! Pieces of masking tape have been randomly applied to the card stock before sponging and stamping textures onto the card. Then I took off the masking tape and painted in the spaces. Finally I used some Pearlescant ink to highlight the masking tape strips and add some dots. Not sure what to do with it now...just look at it I guess....LOL

FabricPainting...3

2009-04-17T18:48:00.003+10:00

Here I have made a card out of a piece of fabric which I had painted and stamped before sponging on some more paint and stamping the womans image by Rubber Poet. The second piece is the fabric before. I had stuck some masking tape on the fabric before painting then sponged over it. The fabric is a very lightweight cotton. I love the open weave effect.

Fabric painting ..2

2009-04-17T18:38:00.003+10:00

This is a sample of painting on black material with white Neo Opaque paint and different coloured Textile paints..all by Jacquard. You draw lines with the white add dots with the colours and scrape it with a credit card! Well I liked the back of the material better than the front ...it reminded me of ancient columned buildings so I stamped in gold a columned building image by Acey Deucy. Have not used this stamp in a long time!

Fabric Painting

2009-04-17T18:25:00.003+10:00

This is a photo of me with Sherrill Kahn and her husband Joel at a weekend workshop held at the home of Laurie Mein in Nov 2002.
The reason I am posting this is yesterday I found a bag goodies I have had stashed since then! Well I had a play with a couple of the techniques we learnt at that workshop which I will post next.

Been a while

2009-03-22T00:24:00.003+11:00

It seems it has been a month since I last posted...tut tut....LOL
Well here are some Peek-a-Boo cards I have made in the last few days. I learnt how to do these at my monthly stamping day at Geelong last wednesday.
Check out Dawn's Blog for a great little video on how to make these cards.
http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stamping_thoughts/2008/02/peek-a-boo-card.html

Stair Step Card

2009-02-19T10:05:00.003+11:00

Yesterday a group of us met at Carol's house for our monthly craft day. Our project was a "Stair Step Card".

Easy to make and lots of potential for different applications of the basic design.

This is my effort for the day folded up and opened out.

Another card

2009-02-17T18:23:00.002+11:00

This card is using another of the backgrounds and added to this is some opals impregnanted gauze (as described by Annette Husband in her Guest Artist article on Stamper's Quest Magazine http://stampersquest.com/2009/02/16/february-guest-artist-annette-husband/ )

Cards from backgrounds

2009-02-17T16:43:00.003+11:00

In my previous post I showed some backgrounds and how I made them now it is time to show a couple of cards I have made using these backgrounds.

backgrounds

2009-02-08T17:54:00.002+11:00

This background was made first by stamping then clear embossing. Then I spritzed the cardstock with water, dripped on some Dyna Flow ink and added some salt crystals. Being impatient I heat set all this and wiped off the salt crystals.

This background was made by spritzing the cardstock with water, adding Dyna Flow ink and salt crystals. After heat setting this and wiping off the crystals this is the look I achieved.

This is the first stage of preparation, I painted Gel medium onto cardstock, added some scrunched Gladbake, some text based paper and a few more bits of Gladbake. When this was dry I put it through my Cuttlebug using an embossing plate.

Next I roughed up the cardstock with some sandpaper and with a direct to paper technique added a couple of different layers of ink, drying and sanding between layers. http://melstampz.blogspot.com/2009/01/sweet-new-lps-set-and-wax-paper-fresco.html

This is where I got the info to make the wax paper background...I just used things I had to hand to try and get a similar effect.

Tag passed along.

2009-01-29T17:56:00.003+11:00

Seems I am now suppose to tag 6 more people and get them to repeat the process of the 6th folder, 6th file etc.
1. Hermine
2. Pauline
3. Annette
4. Sija
5. Frances
6. Willy
Was a hard choice but I hope you have a bit of fun with this girls.

I've been tagged!

2009-01-29T17:04:00.003+11:00

Well seems my stamping buddy Barbara Hagerty has tagged me!What it means is I had to go to the 6th folder in my Picture Files and choose the 6th picture. It turns out it is a large wooden letter A I decorated for my friend Alice's birthday last year.

Anniversary Card

2009-01-20T09:48:00.004+11:00

I made this card for the happy couples "Paper" anniversary.

1st Anniversary House

2009-01-20T09:41:00.003+11:00

This house was made to celebrate the 1st "paper" anniversary of Katherine and Andrew. Hard to believe it was 12 months ago that we were celebrating their wedding, time has flown. They now own a little house of their own so I thought a paper house was a fitting anniversary gift.

Spattered embossing fluid background

2009-01-09T21:39:00.003+11:00

Here is my background made up into a card.

I made a background using an old technique of spattering embossing fluid with a toothbrush on some cardstock them embossing it. It gives this starry night effect when done with gold tinsel embossing powder.

Birthday Calender for Lynette

2009-01-02T15:18:00.002+11:00

I made this this morning for my friend Lynette who has a birthday on monday the 5th Jan. I put a ribbon through the hole at the top she she can hang it up if she wants.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T15:01:00.001+11:00

I am a little slow but the wishes are just as hearfelt.
May 2009 be everything good and special for you all.

Card from my true love

2009-01-02T14:50:00.003+11:00

Just thought I would share the card Mike made me for Christmas this year.

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T12:06:00.004+11:00

The colours have not scanned well the shells are actually fluro colours, very bright!

The postie has been again and lucky me received a couple of Christmas cards to finish off the year. The top 2 are from Judi Howard, an ATC and a card then the pretty green and pink card is from Deb Brooner. Thank you everyone and all the very best for 2009 may it be wonderfully creative and prosperous.

Even more cards

2008-12-31T00:31:00.003+11:00

This precious little card is from Margreet Witters.

Wonderful weaving from Marianne Kokkerud.

Love this background from Jeanette Huisbrink.

A special wish from Nellie van Leeuwen.

And from Fran Ferguson this frosty number.

Christmas cards

2008-12-31T00:23:00.003+11:00

From Bridget Larsen a lovely white and gold combination.

Bev Mantle sent me a christmas tree decoration too...a paper wreath.

Such elegance from Barbara Phelps.

What a cute idea from Bambi Lee.

Gorgeous cuttlebugging from Annette Husband.

I have continued to receive wonderful cards all week.

More Photos

2008-12-31T00:18:00.002+11:00

Nana playing the piano.

Sing along round the piano.

Little Nana and grandson Steven.

Fiona and Alistair found the going too much and flaked on the couch.

Auntie Jean, Hil and Uncle Jack enjoying the day

Photos of Christmas

2008-12-31T00:12:00.003+11:00

Fiona loved her new apron.

Mike and Emily had back row seats for the present opening.

Hil, Ian and Fiona enjoying the present giving.

Barb and Mike.

Mum and Jean helping themselves to the lunchtime feast.

Nearly A New Year!

2008-12-30T23:40:00.002+11:00

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Christmas as I did.
All the planning paid off and it went like clockwork. 12 family members for a cold lunch. We did not get around to the hot plum pudding until 4pm! My SIL brought food with her, my husband and mum helped prepare the food and my daughter was a whiz at serving and cleaning up. We had bon bons that each had a whiste in it. Each whistle had a number. I stood up front and tried to conduct, calling out the numbers coressponding with the tune we were trying to play...well this was absolute chaos and so tuneless that we could not discern what the tune was suppose to be. But who cares we had fun. By about 8pm there were only 8 of us left and my younger brother decided we should have a sing along round the piano. Mum had not played in about 30 years but did a great job. Shame about the quality of the singers. It was hilarious and even more so when we watched a short video Mike took. All in all we ate too much (par for the course) and had lots of fun.

More cards for Christmas

2008-12-18T19:13:00.002+11:00

I have been spoilt by friends sending me these wonderful handmade cards.
Made by Sandy.

Made by Nan.

Made by Stephanie and Danielle.

Made by Dani.

Made by Louise, a lovely tree hanger.

Cards from yesterday

2008-12-18T15:26:00.004+11:00

Made by Loretta.

Made by Jo.

Made by Joan.

Made by Jackie.

Made by Carol. These wonderful cards were given to me yesterday by the ladies I stamp with monthly. We have a great time and make a project every month.

Geelong Stamping Christmas fun.

2008-12-18T15:09:00.005+11:00

Carol holding Suki and Ruby, Jackie, Loretta, Joan, Barb and Louise with Annabell.

We had a fun day at Carol's yesterday. It was our end of year stamping day and we did actually make some little 3D houses amidst the hilarity of getting everyone organised for a group photo!

All the animals had to be in on the Christmas fun. There is Jackie, Carol, Jo, Joan, Loretta and Louise.