PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Custom accents from the Oven

Bit of baking anyone?  Remember the shrinky dinks that we got as kids in cereal boxes or chip packets?  Well, you can buy that stuff and make your own.  This challenge was about using this shrink plastic to make little embellishments for our cards.  I was limited in the fact I didn't have any alcohol inks to colour the plastic with (water based inks will not do), so I ended up using the matt plastic and keeping it that colour for the word 'BABY'.

I also gave the hot new trend of 'ombre' a go (where the colour graduates from light to dark).  I quite liked it!

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Sweet Sugar Coated Embellishments

Betsy Veldman showed a technique about how to coat the entire card face with glitter.  She used a spray adhesive, but I didn't have any of this.  So I used some of Stampin' Up!s multipurpose adhesive sheets and it worked a treat!  I didn't even have to seal the glitter later on as none of it was really moving off the adhesive.

This is such an eye-catching card...but it doesn't photograph well.  So you will have to take my word for it!

And that was my 10 cards for the Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire 2013!  I hope you have enjoyed looking at them!

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Limited Ingredients Challenge

Loved this.  Maybe the most.  This suits my style down to the ground.  I am one of those people that simply CANNOT make up my mind in a restaurant when faced with more than 10 choices.  I am hopeless.  So to be given a list of items that I could use - didn't have to use them all, but could not add to the list in any way - was challenging AND liberating at the same time!  Try it for yourself.  It is surprisingly easy when you get into it.

We were restricted to certain colours, cardstock and some Prisma glitter.  I really loved this.

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013....Whipping up Scent-sational cards

This technique was all about creating your own scratch and sniff cards.  Very cool.  But I think I need some practice and some dabbling in different mediums to get stronger smells.  I used coffee grounds for this card, but the scent wasn't overly strong.  But I'll keep working on it.  Some of the American girls reported huge success with Kool-Aid, but I have no idea what this is, or what would be a good substitute here in Australia.  But I'll report back when I find some good recipes.

One of the stamp sets we received was tailored to this specific technique and had the little stamps that told you to scratch and sniff.  So very cute!

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Gallon/Quart/Pint colour challenge

If you are serious about getting your cards to look 'right' then you should stick to this rule and you will not go wrong.  This is all about colour balance....the majority of your card should be one colour, the next colour should be about a 1/3rd and then just a small splash of another to provide an accent.

If you ever get stuck...just think of this measurement (or for us metric people....maybe 1litre, 1 cup, 1 tablespoon).

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013....Sprinkle of Salt

Yay...what a cool technique!  One I have wanted to do for a while.  This was just the prompt to do it.  Loved it.  So easy.  Contact me and we can set up a date for me to demo it to you.

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Mixing Mists to Match

This is a technique that I have a lot of experience in (in my other stamping life!) and I was very comfortable with it.  However, the ink refill I was given was Scarlett Jewel which is not a mist colour I would normally use.  It did require a bit of a think and I had a couple of false starts at this card.  But I was quite happy with the end result.

Simply mix up some isocol rubbing alcohol and your chosen ink refill colour in a squirty bottle and go for your life!

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013....Rolled Dough Design

This was a great little card, but you do have to be organised because the clay needs to air dry BEFORE you can stick it through your Big Shot (or cutting machine).  Once dry, it has the consistency of foam.  Weird!

 I jazzied my card up by adding the button and also some Prisma glitter to the top of the cupcake.  some old satin ribbon I had lying about in my stash was the perfect trim for this very girly card.

PTI Stamp-a-Faire 2013...Tea Staining

This turned out to be my FAVOURITE card of the lot.  I think I actually did this card second last because I had to wait for my canvas to dye after I tea stained it.  I simply brewed up some strong tea and popped the canvas into the brew.  I only left it for about 30 minutes and then dried it in front of the fire.
This card would be perfect as a baby announcement notice, but I acknowledge that there is a bit of work in it!

PTI Stamp-A-Faire 2013....Breakfast Bake and Take

Here is my creation.  Whilst this was the first challenge, it was actually my last card created.  The event for Papertrey Ink started 8am Saturday Cincinati time, which was 10pm Saturday night for us.  We never have aything on as a rule, but of course, this particular Sat night, we had a 40th birthday to go to (but it was fun!).

So I started creating backwards as all the challenges were up by the time I saw the computer on Sunday.

All the challenges have a cooking theme to it, and the kit we received had an apron, measuring spoons, spatula, rolling pin as well as clay, ink, stamps etc.....it was all very exciting!

This is the Breakfast Bake and Take challenge.  We had to pick a sketch and a colour scheme that was provided.  I went for colour recipe #6 and sketch #4.  I wasn't too sure at first because I was starting to run out of mojo, but I think it turned out ok in the end.

Ok....long time.

Ugh.....things just get away here and my last post was on baby Henry's birthday back on May 1st.  Well, get ready for a slew of posts in the next half hour.  Only trouble is....they are non farm or family related!  I participated in an international crop day over the weekend and I have to load them on our blog so I can submit them.

So I will have to backtrack and catch you all up on Bella and Tom's birthdays that were celebrated in June and July.  But that will have to be another day....gotta get this pics up so I can potentially win some stuff!

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Hi everyone.  Henry here.  Well, here it is...my FIRST birthday.  Wow.  Where did that year go?  It seemed like only yesterday that I couldn't wait to make my appearance and I decided to make my way into the world in the front of mummy's Prado.  Daddy was VERY thankful that it wasn't the front of his Mustang.

It's been an interesting year and trying to train my siblings to do what I want hasn't always gone smoothly.  But I am making headway now that I am crawling (started that 2 weeks ago) and I am getting my own back by pinching all their toys.  Mummy is now threatening them all with throwing out the small things in case I get them.

I am also now starting to pull hair and scratch them on the face if they come too close, so those are big wins for me.  But I love them all the same and love to be involved in whatever they are doing.

So what did I get up to today?  Here's a bit of a snapshot.....

After having a bit of a play over at Gran's this morning (because mummy had to run a card class), I came home and had some lunch.  I am starting to get stuck into eating sandwiches.  This one is vegemite and I am not too sure about it.  Might try and get mummy to put something different on the next one....

I have to go for monthly visits to the Maternal Health sister because I am a bit on the light side.  This is a pic of my MCHN Deb Parks measuring my head.  Today was a good day.  I put on 660gms in a month which is the biggest EVER weight gain I have had!  Although I am still off the bottom of the scale, I am trending upwards and I now weigh 7.1kg.

She is a funny lady.....

I was buggered when we got back, so I caught a few zzzz's

 

When I woke up, the new puppy was in the backyard with Rex, so we had a nice play on either side of the newly cleaned sliding door (thanks for cleaning that guys....I can see now, and put new finger prints all over it!)

Biddy was bored, so I taught her how to roll the ball to me.  She is a quick learner that one!

Notice I STILL haven't had any presents yet??????

Oh, FINALLY.....some presents.  We had to wait for Daddy to come in from the dairy before I could open any.  Such is the life of a dairy kid.  I had to fight the other kids - Bella mostly - to let me open my open presents.  That girl seemed to think that it was HER birthday.  Sheesh.....she'll get her turn in 4 weeks time.  I might try and open one of hers........

I asked Mummy and Daddy if they would like to have a picture taken with me.  After all, I owe a lot to them for me being here.  The least I could do really.

What the hell is THAT?  What is cake?  What is that fire thing on the top of it?  Can I touch it?  Ouch.....ummm, no.  

See Mummy's hand just to the left?  She had to steer my hand away from the candle a few times.

That cake proved to be more than a one wipe job...it turned out that cream and mushed up cake can travel a fair way and it just seems to get EVERYWHERE.  Even the face washer didn't cut it.  Nothing for it really, but a quick bath before bed.

Well....I am off to bed now.  Thanks to everyone that has forwarded birthday wishes.  I am having a bit of a bash on the weekend so I get to do it all over again.  Hope your day was as good as mine!

Love baby Henry
xx

Introducing.....Bonnie

Almost a year to the day when we welcomed baby Henry into our midst (that'll be tomorrow folks!), we welcome another baby into our family.  This time of the furry variety.

Welcome to our new puppy, Bonnie.  Isn't she just so cute?!  She is a kelpie so I'm sure she will be so much better behaved than Rex (saying that as a long term kelpie owner!)

 

She is the most placid puppy I have ever come across and already has won the heart and mind over of even the most stringent of judges (Bella).  I'm sure she is going to fit perfectly into our family.

Naracoorte & our FINAL day (day 30)

Well, here it is.  Our last day of our super holiday.  This final day is always a bit sad, because we don't get to do a trip like this very often, and unlike most of you reading this, we don't get weekends, public holidays or school holidays off as a family either.  From now, the best we can manage is a day here or there, but usually not a run of days.

Fleur with the kids and me

But today, we packed up from Fleur and Scott's (thankyou very much guys!) and took the kids to the Naracoorte caves before heading home.

Naracoorte caves is richly endowed with fossils of megafauna from a minimum of 50,000 years ago.  Giant kangaroos, koalas, snakes, diprotodons (like giant wombats) all lived and died here.  Because of the limestone caves, a lot of fossils have been conserved and recovered.

A model of a lifesized Diprotodon

A giant flat faced kangaroo that lived around here 50,000 years ago 

Go, go, go baby!

In the interactive area - the fossil centre

On the tour of Alexandra caves

Checking out a stalagmite

Structures called 'straws' (hollow stalagtites) 

The "Wedding Cake"

All too soon, we crossed the border and of course, dragged some of the kids out of the car for a final border photo!

And home!

Admittedly, I took these photos the next morning because we actually pulled into home in the dark.  But what greeted us at the front gate, was our yukka plant in full flower.  I didn't even know that these plants flowered!  I bought this particular yukka with me to the farm 13 years ago (almost to the day) and it was just a single stem with a spike at the top.  Look what it has become.

Mark's mum and dad are leaving to go to Mudgee for a National Rally, so they are packed up and ready to go.  We are sort of tag teaming!!

So, the highlights of the trip (in no particular order):

• Swimming with the Tuna (Port Lincoln)
• Driving on beaches at Lucky Bay and Cape Le Grande (Esperance)
• Adventure World (Perth)
• Wave Rock (Hyden)
• Boat trips (Bunbury and Port Lincoln)
• Spending time as a family
• Visiting places that we never have gone to if we didn't run into issues with accom over Easter (Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun)
• Catching up with family and friends that we haven't seen in years (Perth and Australind)
• Rottnest Island

Kms travelled today: 386

Final kms travelled for our whole holiday: 8,873