PDCC162 - Happy HAPPY New Year!

It's been so long since I've been able to have fun with everyone at The Play Date Cafe.  Challenge #162 is inspired by the picture below - the challenge was to create something using the following colours:  

Gold

Teal

Mint

 Lavender

As I didn't get to 'play' with this challenge until after Christmas, thoughts of the New Year were my inspiration and starting point.  The cute 'star of the show' is from Stampington and the words are a combination of Making Memories and Hero Arts.  I stitched and beaded some extra stars into the background and wanted to approach this piece in a playful way... playful may be my 'word' for 2013, especially with my creative work.  I can tend towards being too serious and I can find myself losing the sense of fun during the creative process.  So next year I'm going to aim to be more playful in the way I approach not just my art, but life in general.  

This piece is created on a seed packet, so there's a pocket to hide dreams/goals/secrets for the year too. Actually, I already have a big secret that I'm keeping and will be able to share it with you very soon!

Here's to a very Happy, HAPPY New Year to You!  Yes, I'm just a little early - makes a nice change, eh!

Spool Posy - TPDCC81

Spool Posy by Sue Smith

The Play Date Cafe Challenge 81  found it's inspiration in the colours found on the wallpaper shown below.

I really loved the colours found in the wallpaper and the floral imagery.  At first, I was tempted to try and do some stitching, but in the end the wooden spool sitting on my desk caught my eye and I thought I'd spruce it up with a little posy.  I thought this little spool posy could make a great gift topper!

I've used some Hero Arts flower stamps, along with some paper flowers, florist wire and silk ribbon.  The spool was coated in Distress Stain (Weathered Wood) and I then wrapped some TH tissue tape around the spool and topped it off with silver glitter.

Altered Bottles

I'm off on a girls weekend in a couple of weeks and can't wait to catch up with some very special friends. I'm putting together a little treat for each one. Here I've altered water bottles. I think eggplant is the colour for the week, so going with that and a dash of green, I've stamped some card and layered fabric to create water bottle wraps! The rubber stamps are from Paperbag Studios, Stampington and Hero Arts.

Happiness - Tag Tuesday

'Happiness'

I love making tags and am really pleased to have discovered Tag Tuesday challenge blog - it's a great motivation to make a tag each week. The current theme is 'Summer Flowers' and I put this tag together very early this morning... in the coolness of a winter morning... made me dream about summer flowers AND that I seriously need to weed my garden beds, seriously!

'2 for Joy' - Sunday Postcard Art

Bingo is the theme for Sunday Postcard Art's challenge this week. I've used a combination of rubber for this piece... Paper Artsy, Stampington and Hero Arts. And some beach themed images by ARTchix Studio.

I have to admit not really liking fishing all that much... it was pure JOY for me the one and only time I caught a fish (it was huge by the way, he he)... but I don't feel the need to catch another one.

Treasures of the Heart

'Room 3'

Oooo, just getting this posted in time for the first ever challenge at Creative Wednesday, to make a row house. It's also a piece I've made for the Layers of Color challenge - their theme is buttons. The clock is by Hero Arts. AND it fits the Mixed Media Monday theme of numbers!!!

It's a symbolic school room made from the little bits 'n bobs found on my art table last night. All the elements are tied and buttoned up securely with faith and love!

ATC's Red

These are heading to Melinda and Robyn for this month's ATC swap - the theme is 'red'. Stamped images are from Stampington and Hero Arts.

I had a lovely visit from Sean & Graeme today. Sean and I played for a bit, I even managed to get him to have a nap.

I heading back to volleyball tonight, having not played for five weeks, because of the flu. I'm not feeling to confident! Hopefully my team members will be gentle with me.

Joy Is The Flag...

I've been hoping to participate in the Layers Of Color challenges since their onset and have finally managed to complete something! The current theme is 'FLAGS'. I've created my own paper flag, flown high from Hampton Court by Stampington and Hero Arts.

So whilst creating this piece, I've had the song, 'Joy Is The Flag Flown High' going around and around and around my head - been singing it too! (I can finally sing again after 4 weeks of suffering with the flu.)

Footnote: It appears this song may not be as well known as I thought, so I thought I'd write a few more lyrics...

Joy is the flag flown high in the castle of my heart,
for the King is in residence there.
Let it fly in the sky,
Let the whole world know,
That the King is in residence there!

This song helps me to reflect upon the joy (and peace, forgiveness etc) that has come to reside in my heart, because of the grace of God, demonstrated through Christ's love for me.

Laugh Love Bloom

Stamping & Papercraft Vol 13 No 4

I'm busy writing school reports... no time for creating at present... but the holidays are coming!

Hope you get to 'Laugh, Love and Bloom' in some way today!

DON'T FORGET my 'Give Away' is being given away this evening. So leave a comment here for your chance to win!

Yellow

These are being popped in the post today and are heading over to Melinda and Robyn - our ATC swap colour this month, is umm, rather obvious I think! Rubber is by Lucy's Stamps and Hero Arts.

Core'dinations and Kookaburras

Here's Sean Alexander and Grandpa at the beach in January.


The lovely Steph at Southern Stationery gifted me with a packet of the new Core'dinations Vintage Collection cardstock. The Vintage Collection has a presanded look to it's textured surface and is two toned in colour, rather lovely I think, and no need to sand it yourself which is a bonus! This is one of the things I've made with it so far. I've torn some of the edges and inked them with dark brown ink, flipped some card pieces over to show the lighter colour - pretty easy, eh! The vine stamp is by A Muse Artstamps and the alphabet is Hero Arts.

It's pretty hard to see (bad photography), but the image on the Australian postage stamp is of a kookaburra. I often get woken in the early dawn to the wonderful sounds of the kookaburra's laugh! One of the first songs I ever remember learning at school goes like this...

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he.
Laugh kookaburra, Laugh kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.

It's sung in a round, which would have been rather difficult to teach to six year olds, but it's stuck with me and I do so love to sing! I'm in a singing team at my church.

Think Monday Think ATC - Triptych

The theme for Think Monday Think ATC is currently Triptych. (But not for long - I've completed this work just in time!)

I've used photo's from last weekends photo shoot of my sweet nephew, Sean Alexander. I've titled the set of three ATC's, 'Sweet Baby'. I used lots of little scraps and a perfect piece of giraffe print fabric. There's a tinsy bit of stamping with Hero Arts.

Wednesday Stamper - A Pair Of Glasses

'People only see what they are prepared to see.'

I've finally managed to put something together for Wednesday Stamper again! I'm hoping to participate more regularly this year, but it is surprising how fast Wednesday's come 'round.

Stamps are from Paperbag Studios, Stampington, Hero Arts and Inkadinkado and circle word by Collections. I've even 'stamped' with bubble wrap! I found these spectacles at a local second hand store a number of years ago. Aren't they sweet?

First Contribution to Wednesday Stamper

Here's my first ever submission to Wednesday Stamper. This weeks theme is 'Chairs'. The chair image is by Paperbag Studios. I've also used Hero Arts alphabet, Stampington clock and Imprint text.

I was thinking about my friend Vicki as I created this card. Her mum has had an unexpected health issue crop-up recently and all of her family's world has been turned up-side-down. Yet Vicki's faith is shining through and I just wanted to remind her to keep resting, trusting and hoping in Him. Her faith has been a great inspiration to me and she is a treasured friend!

Yesterday I started decorating some envelopes for my school's Presentation Night. The students receive gift vouchers as awards, which are enclosed in lovely decorated envelopes. Jhodi, Elle, Susan and Jackie generously donate their time to contribute one-of-a-kind envelopes which many of the students keep as a memento. I'll post pictures of these once Presentation Night is over... it's all secret squirrel until then!

Susie