Leisure time

Weekends are usually the time we try to leave for leisure activities. While we still have our sporting commitments we also try to do something for ourselves.


Saturday was spent starting on this table runner, I also used my sizzix eclips to cut out the tulips from SVG files from SVG cuts.  I thought since there was a fabric selection on my eclips I must try it.  How wonderful I found it in cutting fabric and I only wished I had tried it before I cut out all the butterflies by hand for Brooke's quilt.

This is Brooke's quilt complete, it just has an orange polka dot back and dark green binding.

This is it placed on her bed, I loved the fact that I also used up many scraps of fabric to complete it.

Sunday - Mothers Day saw the girls and I go quad biking with John and Vic.

Shakira's go, - she did fall off a couple of times however as she going at a slow place there were no injuries.

Ok now it was my turn, yes I kept it nice and slow as there is no way I wanted to fall off.

Brooke's turn now she was a little braver than Shakira and myself so happy though that there were no injuries to report from our day.

John, Vic and Josh also had many goes.

Hope you have had some leisure time this weekend.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.

Pink and Orange

Last year sometime I started using up my scraps of fabric.  Below are a set of pillowcase's using some of my owl scraps, I had started these almost a year ago and as someone that doesn't go too well with unfinished projects or wasted fabric I made sure I finished them before I continued on with other projects.  Brooke was happy to snatch them up for her room.

Then onto finishing up this quilt I have been on this project for a while and I don't think I had looked at it since my last post about it.  I had 2 butterflies on and the strips done but that was it.  Over the last week as I had my machine out I cut and appliqued another 8 butterflies, then I went onto basting and quilting in the ditch.

This is the fabric we have chosen as the back.  It is for Brooke and I am now loving the orange colour scheme, but it has taken me some time to get used of it.  Its now ready for binding and I really want to quilt around the butterflies and a pattern on each strip but am wanting to finish it as well.  I have a plan if it works to quilt the butterflies and strips by hand once all is complete.  The reason for this is I feel its finished and can be used over winter but I can also work on it anytime I want.  I wasn't sure if this really is a technique of quilting but for me sometimes its anything goes as I can be very practical.

The reason I had my machine out is because of this banner below.  Brooke was to have a school function that used black, silver and gold in their colour scheme.  The function didn't go ahead so the banner is at use in our home.  The triangles where cut on my sizzix eclips using paper and cardboard.  I painted each piece and then using ribbon sewed them altogether.

While I just wanted to keep sewing most of my spare time this week, Shakira wanted to cook as she always does so here are our delicious white chocolate and raspberry cupcakes.

The receipe we used was adapted from a cupcake card Shakira had.

2 cups of plain flour.                                                    
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup of Castor sugar
1 large egg beaten
1 cup of milk
50gm melted butter
1 cup of frozen raspberries.
1 cup of white cadbury choc chips.

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake cases.
Heat oven to 190 degrees. (metric)
Sift and combine the baking powder, Castor sugar and flour in a bowl.
In a separate bowl place egg milk and butter and then add to the flour gently.
Stir gently with a metal spoon.
Thaw out the raspberries (we did this in the microwave) then add them and the chocolate.
Mix till all is combined gently.
Cook.


Decorate, in this case we made some butter icing using just icing sugar, butter and some pink food colouring.
Shakira then piped the icing onto the cake and sprinkled with icing sugar and sugar butterfly decorations.

Then eat.  Yummo is all I can say, glad Shakira stopped me from sewing to help her.

Our week was full of pretty pink and orange this week, oh I can now see a new quilt coming to me.
Hope there has been some time for you all to do the things that matter to you.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.

Vietnam - random

Below is one of the scrap pages that I have worked on for my Vietnam Album.  These photos were taken at Monkey Island - but - as the journalling states our family had not wanted to visit Monkey Island after reading reviews.   Through miss communication we ended up on Monkey Island but lucky for us it was minus the tourist and we arrived  with Vietnamese locals only, after sharing a boat ride with them.  Why we felt Monkey Island should have been avoided is that there  is a little miss treatment of the animals in the shows. We did not watch the shows.  Also the glossy pamphlets tell you about the wonderful activities on this island.  The island is however not really like those glossy advertisements at all and the tour operators charge quite a lot for you to visit.  We paid minimal as we were with local people only and travelled to the island on a local Vietnamese boat.  While for us walking through the monkeys was a great experience it really should be avoided going to on the tourist boats because if we continue to pay, the miss treatment of the animals will continue.
If considering a visit to the island  while in Vietnam you should only go with locals.

Also a few weeks ago one of the local shires hosted their tree art.  One afternoon Shakira and I decided to walk the streets and view them all.  Here is a patchwork tree below for my patchwork friends.

Another tree this time decorated with handmade birds.  There were many different styles and decorations and themes and a nice afternoon was had by us both.

Make it a great weekend.
Until next time.

Across the country.

Unfortunately Allan's dad passed away suddenly about 2 weeks ago and this meant we had to make a trip to our family at the farm.  While it was a sad occasion it also meant we were able to catch up with family we haven't seen for quite some time. Just myself Allan and Brooke made the quick trip as Tim had Uni exams and Shakira  wasn't too sure she wanted to go.
Allan's mum seemed to be going well when we left Albury last Friday.  While it will take a bit of adjusting for her she is one strong determined lady and she will get on with life.

Here we are leaving Sydney airport.  Getting to the farm quickly meant a trip to Sydney by plane and then another flight to Albury.  We usually fly into Melbourne so we can visit relations as well but this trip was just a short stay.

John, Vic and family and Shannon Cody and Casey also made the quick trip, while we were all on different flights and stayed at different places, we all caught up.  Here are Mikayla and Cody at the farm investigating like little people do.

Then it was back home for a couple of hours before our family was off again for a week away over the Easter break.  Can I just say that today when we arrived home I was really happy to get here.  While being away is always great I really do love my home.

And lastly because we uploaded new photos a random shot of sculptures by the sea which was held in March.  The girls and I went one Friday night to investigate and were really happy we did so.

Hopefully I can get back to creating again soon.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.

Weekend Roundup

Quad Bike racing featuring Josh, Mikayla, Shakira, Brooke, John, Vic, Mum and myself.

Baking.

A chocolate cake by me.

Pink cupcakes with yellow icing by Shakira.

And some little time spent with my eclips patterned paper and some files by SVG cuts making this cute 3 dimensional gift box.

I did mention to Tim when he arrived home Saturday afternoon that I had found him a new home to live in.

Hope your weekend was nice and full.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.

Cute

Isn't this the cutest. Again using my eclips I created this little bag. Shakira had a little girls party to go to and I could not resist buying a present just so it could go in this gift bag.

Also attached to the front of the bag was this wonderful 3 dimensional flower. It was cut out in many separate colours and then pieced together.  The green-yellow petals are from white paper I just misted with spray inks so my next project for sure will include flowers and spray inks somewhere.

These are the flowers pieces, just with different sizes, papers  and some brads you create so many unique flower styles.

Also this is pretty cute too.  Max just likes coming inside since we have been home from Vietnam and the girls just spoil him so much.

Max wants Brooke to play not do homework.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.

I may have done this - housework not

This last week again has seen me experiment more with my sizzix eclips. Oops the house is sure showing were my spare time has been spent.


This below is a box made of ledger papers and houses cards I make.

A little gift bag and tag, the paper is double sided so the tag compliments the bag well.

A banner made for Shakira, she had set up her own with just scraps of paper and old decorations and while it looked a mess, I couldn't take it down until I convinced her I would make one.  This actually says Shakira's room and has the letters in her name and some random shapes added to the banner.  The banner was made using a cheap pad of papers from Spotlight and they go so well together.

Then onto a new line of paper, Dear Lizzy's Neapolitan series.  I never usually have the latest up to date paper and I don't really keep much patterned paper, just making my own with sprays and inks but my machine has got me very interested in patterned paper.  Also one of our wonderful stores Scrapivate is closing down  and while this is sad for us that love shopping in bricks and mortar stores, they have had really big discounts, so I may have purchased a little more patterned paper than needed.
These 2 cards below were made with Dear Lizzy's papers.
This shoe card is just so right for teenage girls and I am so happy I used my new paper straight away.

 A butterfly lever card made using the same line of papers.

As the paper is doubled sided this is the inside of the card and you can see how it folds out.

This is the front of the card and the butterfly is able to be moved about.  I also used prefect pearls for the flower centres and butterfly centre.

Hope I haven't bored you but this machine really gives me confidence in making paper crafts other than scrapbook pages.  I also like the fact that while I use my new papers I am also using all those little scraps I have collected.

Make it a great day.
Until next time.