Lizzy Hill

DISCOVER...

2012-02-29T13:39:00.001+11:00

what's going on over at Bird is the Word.... oh, yeah, it's..... DISCOVER!!! That's the word & you can find the post for it HERE.
I was checking out Keren Tamir's FAB blog & really connected with her DT eg for BITW... she was writing how she'd love to visit Italy... & I remembered the AMAZING times DH & I had exploring Italy, France & England [at different times, of course!!] .....& I wanted to show that. After all, travel is one of the ways many, many people discover the world around them as well more about themselves:):)
So, after checking the BITW site, I DISCOVERED you can do OTP projects as well as LO's. GREAT, since I'd just picked up this wooden [pine] frame in the Op Shop on Monday for $2!!!
I am soooo excited that I managed to do this, that there's going to be a few photos on the way through. Hope you can put up with the dribble... otherwise skip down the post to post to DISCOVER my entry:):):) I'm liking this word.......
Orf we goooooo:

After gesso-ing the wood frame & adding alphas.

I added the glittery, hot pink & black eiffel tower.... not QUITE the colour scheme I had in mind...

So....after the inital layer of paint, gessoed it up:)


And after the 2nd layer of paint [blue this time:)], & some stamping, here 'tis. All pretty:):)

Just in case you were getting bored, here's the finished product. I took these photos in France, down the South West. That door is just a door in the street! The Roman statue is part of a museum in what was an old church!

Do you like what I've done to Big Ben???!!!! Those American Crafts glittery [in a good way] brads have been 'the' best buy:):)

I guess I'd better stop now. Thanks to Bird is the Word for this 'DISCOVER' word.... it made me pull out those old photos...

Cheers, Lizzy H

Scraphappy Kat's Friday Night Challenge

2012-02-28T20:31:00.002+11:00

Good evening one & all.... couldn't resist getting out the stamps & ink & having a go at Scraphappy Kat's FNC.. which was to use them & to doodle. I'm the world's worst doodler, so I've had a 'go' at that - but only in a very minimal way! I got this little Kaiser stamp set from the bundle of goodies in Jessica Theodore's Giveaway a while back, so I thought I'd give them a good work out here:)

There's some perfect pearls here & I've glossy accented my bird & added some some glitter before it set.....
Take care now,
Cheers, Lizzy H

Nothing Scrappy, but...

2012-02-26T19:28:00.002+11:00

...had to pop this up...raced out in PJ's at 6:30am 'cos this pink light blushed into our bedroom.... aahhhhhh! Brill sunrise.....new camera.........& this is what I captured. Am only good with the automatic setting as yet, but it still came out pretty well. I think my mad dash amused the couple of walkers with their big Husky as they strolled past....

This hasn't been edited AT ALL. Not even trimmed around the edges. And yes, I WILL be scrapping it in March, at some stage. How could I not???!!!!!
There was actually a DOUBLE rainbow, but my lense wasn't big enough to get that as well...
Hope something this beautiful happened to you this weekend [&I'm not talking about the Mad Woman in her PJ's, here, either:):):)]
Cheers, Lizzy H

Challenge Me Happy...

2012-02-24T15:07:00.000+11:00

....yes! Just had time for this one. I'd actually been searching for this photo & finally found it this morning:):) You'll see why I wanted to scrap this photo when you read the journalling.... and Rachael, if you're looking, guess what I've used:):):):)
I've done hidden journalling because of the size of the paper. This is for my 'All About Me' mini album, so it's a 1/2 A4 size LO, which is really, really hard to do, believe me!
Anyway, here it is..... oh, the challenge over at Challenge Me Happy was to do a LO/project about yourself on the subject "...10 years ago..."

Thought I'd start with the journalling, as that's what this challenge is really all about. I had so much I had to do a double page on my tag!!!!

This is a little Kaiser rub on, that I've then fussy cut & added some Glossy Accents...isn't he 'tweet':):):)

The tag. The 'nice' side has been heat embossed with clear embossing powder, then I've rubbed in ink to make it a pretty colour:):)

The tag 'in situ', it tucks behind the photo.


....and finally, the whole LO - it's not the best of photos, but it DOES remind me of 'us' ten, long, but gone in a flash, years ago..... can you remember where your life was at then??????

Well, that's my final LO for February. Challenge Me Happy closes on the 29th, if you feel you'd like to pop together your life way back 'then'....
Take care, have a good weekend,
Cheers, Lizzy H

White with One February Challenge

2012-02-24T14:11:00.003+11:00

Hello there....so, Friday has rolled around already...I'm sure some of you will be v glad to see it here:):)
This is my almost-last LO for the month, which is quickly coming to a close. The White With One challenge this month was to use lemon & 3 photos..... well, Launceston again... but this time it's all me-me-me!!!!
I had some old lemon paper that also had green & orange on it, so I had to cut up little squares to salvage as much lemon as I could...then I got to thinking what I could do with it....so, sewed, 'collaged' sort of, & cut shapes out of it.... the flags, the flower pot & the heart. This one came together really easily. Funny how sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. The photos:

I've also ran my ink pen around the inside of the alpha's to make them stand out a little more...

Love the different textures of the different papers in the flowers I made...

I was really pleased with how my flower pot turned out:)

...and my 'heart' corner!

Also ran a pen around the inside of the hearts...carrying on the 'stitching' theme.


Et voila! Finally, the whole LO. Oh, I've painted the background very subtly, then used glimmer mist as well:):))

Off to photograph my next LO... I'll be back soon,
Cheers, Lizzy H

Chantelle's Giveaway...

2012-02-21T17:25:00.003+11:00

Hello again.....I can never resist sharing Giveaway's & this one, over at Chantelle's is extra special 'cos she made a lot of the RAK! That's one clever cookie in my books:):):)
Here's a piccy:

So, the usual, become her follower HERE . And to enter her give away, go HERE.
You need to leave her a comment, & if you want to post about her giveaway on your blog, then you get a 2nd chance to win her great prize:):)
So, head on over to Chantelle's & join the fun:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

BTW, she's having a sale of her hand made embellies on FRIDAY 24th FEB at 6pm....the giveaway will be drawn on the 29th:):)

Scraphappykat - this week's FNC

2012-02-21T17:17:00.001+11:00

Good afternoon...it is here now the rain's gone & the sun's shining again. It makes everything seem so fresh & new. Sometimes the world, as well as us, needs a good ol' wash:)
I didn't think I'd get this week's FNC over at Scraphappykat's done ---- but sometimes you surprise yourself. I LOOOOOVE the piccy & took the colours as my inspiration. Take a look:

Our little dog Wally actually doesn't like the beach at all.... but this was a really, really good photo of him, so I had to scrap it. I think his little eyes are saying 'Please take me home now. This place doesn't make me feel happy.'
Here's some piccies:

I've used smooch to dot around the fish. These papers are from Little Yellow Bicycle, the 'Baby Safari' collection...which was a kit from Scraphappykat's!!!!! I WAS going to save it for my soon to be born grandie...but...sorry Neri:):)

Rather proud of this one --- had all these scraps of paper left from the scallop edging punch & thought 'hmmm...can I make a bow from them?' So I did!!!!!

So there y'go..... the FNC closes tomorrow, but if you're not doing much tonight..... have a go:)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Once Upon A...Sketch Challenge Feb 15th...

2012-02-19T15:11:00.001+11:00

Hi there,
Holidays are the focus over at Once Upon A...Sketch this time. Well, unfortunately, long holidays OS are a bit difficult since DH has been not so well. BUT we did get the chance to hive off to Tassy for a 'short break' earlier this month. With my new camera. Now, that was dangerous! However, DH has taken this shot with my old camera [nothing wrong with it, it just hasn't all the whizz-bang features!!!] & out of 10 pics I presented to him, he chose this shot for me to scrap to represent our hol. It's of Cataract Gorge, Launceston ~ a marvelous area to explore, with LOTS of historic homes, which we both love.

Above is the sketch we had to follow & as, these days, we've got to take that 'Window of Opportunity' for hol's when it presents itself, that's what I've titled my LO.... & following THAT theme, I thought I'd do a window on my LO. I actually had a full blown gathered curtain going at one stage, but that was slightly OTT!!!!!
Anyway, here's my LO. All the flowers have been handmade by me. And I stitched the edge of the curtain 'pelmet' after making a pattern with my hole punch jabber thingy [it's actually a little screwdriver that DH has sharpened the point so it's really jabby:):)].
Lots of other stitching, stamping, misting, distressing....the usual:):):)

The Layout...

Flower cluster with chippy etc at bottom of LO

I've hidden my journalling under the pelmet, which lifts up like a hinge...hope you can manage to read this:)

Stitching on the top edge of the pelmet....

Flowers I made for the top of the photo...

...and I have some major-ly exciting news to share.... I just WON one of the 3 giveaways from Rachael Funnell.... man, I feel so, so special to have my number come up.... here's a piccy of what she's sending me. I can't wait! I guess if you're a DT/CT member, this happens each month....I can imagine how exciting & thrilling that must be:):)

...it does seem like a dream [see piccy]... but it's real:)
Take care, now, hope your weather is as blue sky perfect as ours is:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

A NEW CHALLENGE.. .well, sort of...

2012-02-19T08:11:00.002+11:00

Good morning!
This is the best idea I've come across for a while & I think it's going to take off like the proverbial 'hot cake', 'cos it's a way of sharing & a way of seeing excellent LO's all at the same time... & of course, there's a chance of winning, but that, in the context of this blog, seems to me to be an added extra. The main idea is sharing your fave's... & we've all got those!!!!
Anyway, judge for yourself..go to THIS ONE'S A WINNER & browse, leave some comments & generally get blown away by the amazing talent of scrappers:):):)
Cheers, Lizzy H
And just because I can & I have a new camera, in case you didn't already know....

Can't get a more 'Aussie' shot than this. I zoomed:):):)

Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge... again!!!

2012-02-18T16:44:00.000+11:00

...not that I'm repeating myself, or anything. It's just I'm playing catch up. And it's worth it this month, 'cos [if you didn't already know] there's a BLOG HOP going on over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge ...plus, if you enter BOTH February's challenges, you've more chance of winning. And, on top of that, I had the 'right' photo for this sketch challenge. I've reversed the sketch to fit my photo, & once more, it's for my 'All About Me' mini album, so it's a 1/2 A4 size LO. Here's the sketch:

I didn't have room for my journalling on front, so did some hidden behind the photo. Also, organised little 11 year old that I was, I'd written all the girls' names on the back of the photo, so I photocopied that info & glued it to the back of my journalling block!

The other thing I'm proud about here is my flower.... there's a die cut shape behind, that Jessica Theodore had given me, then I'd inked up some paper doillies for something else & had some pieces left over, & they were just perfect for behind the punched out scallop shape, THEN I've done the twist & stick flower with Stampin Up ribbon on top. I had VERY sticky fingers, but it was fun:):) There's quite a bit of Echo Park 'Happy Day' papers here, too... I like that range... so 'hop to' the blog hop & get scrapping as well:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H
Woops...guess you'd like to see a piccy or two??!!!

Scrapbookers Anonymous Alphabet Challenge

2012-02-18T08:42:00.002+11:00

Hello there ! Today I did my card for my 1st grandchild's baby shower. My 1st grandSON's I should say, as we know it's a boy [due May - v excited about that, naturally:):)].
If Nerissa is reading this.... don't read on:):) I've seen something like this card done before, but unfortunately I can't give credit where credit is due, 'cos I can't remember where it was:):)
Scrapbookers Anonymous alphabet challenge is up to 'G'... so here we have a cute Kaiser Giraffe, some Green colours, lots of Glitter embossing powder as the Grass & that's about it, I think!!! I love how Scrapbookers Anonymous encourages me to use up my stash...all the papers/card is stuff I've had sitting around.... please join in the fun over at SA - it can be a card or LO or whatever you fancy making:):) And you've got 'til the end of the month to link up... here's my card:

With the 'baby' blocks I've inked up in blue, then 'rock'n'rolled the stamp the in green to give it that multi-coloured effect, then sponged the edges as well.

Trying to capture the glitter embossing powder:)

That's it for now ~ take care,

Lizzy H

Stuck?! Sketch Challenge Feb 15th

2012-02-17T15:26:00.002+11:00

Good afternoon - I hope you are all looking forward to the weekend... I've started to 'get into' my Tassy holiday snaps, & decided Stuck?! had a really great sketch for me to work with.... I wanted to use more than one on the page, of course:):)
Here's the sketch:

We loved visiting the Woolmer Estate, a very old farm, which still has the original colonial style homestead on it from circa 1814. Pretty amazing for Australia - plus it has myriad outbuildings, but most of all it has character, & that's what I've tried to capture here. The ancient, gnarled apple tree, laden with fruit was amazing, as was this old tap on a water tank. The woolshed was built in about 1819, they think the oldest existing in Australia, & it is still used!
I've had fun using my new camera. Anyway, here is the layout:

As you can see, I've popped in an extra piccy - scrapping is all about memories, & exploring the shearing shed was a big part of our day:)

The newsprint is from a pack from Stampin' Up & it's great to use!

I love how this Graphic 45 paper can be sanded lightly so you can see the embossing through it. Pretty neat:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Get Picky Sketch #17

2012-02-16T15:35:00.001+11:00

Hi! This fortnight the Get Picky sketch is a goodie. I turned it around to suit my photos & have used 2 rather than 3, as I LOVED these photos & wanted them big!
Here's the sketch:

I've used another of the vintage tags I 'found' in Tassy [since this is where the photos were taken!!] & 'dressed it up'. I have to give credit to Melinda Spinks, over at the Greatest View blog, for the idea of the flower petals using their twine...she used them for leaves, I just took it a step further:) I used photos from the cheese farm as embellies, too. I LOVED the rusty milk can sitting by the door.

Which means I can only leave you with this 'sneak peek'... but I'm V HAPPY to be published:):):) [that's a BIG smile!]

My 'flower', attached to the front side of the tag, which tucks in neatly behind the photo. That's a Greatest View button, too.

That's all for now,
Cheers, Lizzy H

Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge... finally!

2012-02-16T11:47:00.000+11:00

Hiya there ~ I've had this one in my head space for a while. Over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge this month, you had to scrap your 1st 'true love'..... following the lovely Anne's lead, I sort of had to do Elvis. Yeah, embarrassing, because he was actually rather out of condition [to put it kindly] by the time I was a teenager, but I was really, truly 'stuck' on him ~ ask my mother!!!! Soooooo, here's

ELVIS!!!!

BTW, this is a 1/2 size A4 sheet, for my 'Mini Me' album, which I'm still doing selective pages for. Lucky Elvis:):):)

LOTS of bg stamping here, used embossing powder with the 'imagine'... the black diamentes are scattered on the dotty ribbon as well as he butterfly... & had to have some ~~studs~~...woops! I mean, brads with little hearts in there too:):)

As well, AFSC's newest challenge is up - you have the full month of Feb to do both of them, which is great. It's to do with being a memory of a GROUP you belonged to as a child - like guides, brownies, dancing troupe etc. Interesting!

AND on top of that, they're having a BLOG HOP, so hop on over to their site so you can find out all the info.

Whew! Short post turned long. Sorry!

Cheers, Lizzy H

A Giveaway Win!

2012-02-15T09:17:00.001+11:00

Well, blow me down & knock me over with a feather! The lovely Keren Tamir, over at Expressing from my Heart and Soul had a competition on to win an E copy of Kristine Davidson's new book 'Creating with Sketches', which features 100 different sketches from 100 different scrappers! What a brilliant idea:)
Here's a piccy of the book:

...and if you click HERE, you'll find out some more info from Kristine herself:)
I feel so blessed to have won a copy, so a BIG thanks to both ladies for their generosity & I'm sure you'll now find an even bigger improvement with my scrapping, with such fab inspiration from a range of scrappers including not only Keren, but peeps like Amanda Reddicliffe, Ana Castro, Christin Gronnslett, Cindy Stevens, Janna Werner, Juliana Michaels, Mija Comstad, Nicole Nowosad to name a few!
BTW, the beauty of this book is you get the sketches, the examples of FINISHED LO's, what PRODUCTS were used PLUS links to each of the ladies' scrapping blogs....AWESOME:):):)
Guess where I'm going right now? To look at my new book:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Purple Pumpkin Challenge February

2012-02-15T07:50:00.000+11:00

Hello there!
I was looking through some old photos & came across this one of my Dad & his brothers & thought it would be a good one to scrap for this challenge. I haven't done a real vintage-y LO for a while, so had great fun distressing & inking. The tag is one of the Vintage ones I picked up over in Tassy.... I can see myself using them a LOT:):) Anyway, here's the sketch & here's my LO this month's Purple Pumpkin challenge:

This has never happened to me before, & I must say, I'm a tad excited... not quite sure where that leaves me with this challenge.... I guess I withdraw as well... can't have it all in life, can we!!!

Can I just say, thanks to one & all of you lovely ladies out there who take the time to comment so positively...it really gives me a great confidence boost with my scrapping & I love the connections I have with y'all,
take care, now,
Lizzy H

Show us your stuff February Challenge

2012-02-14T15:56:00.001+11:00

Good day... well, once more we've had heavy showers of rain followed by brilliant sunshine... so interesting day, at the very least. I made myself do my housework BEFORE I disappeared into my scrappy space today. Very proud of that:)
So, Show us your stuff is a fairly newish challenge blog, I think. If I'm wrong, it's new to me - so that's sort of the same thing???!!! Anyway, this month the sketch was this:

And Penny is encouraging us scrappers to use paperdolls! Well, I've sort of taken that idea & made fabric fish. Seriously. Wanna see? Here y'go:):)

Isn't he cute? I popped a row at the bottom of the ~~sea~~ woops! I mean my LO!!!! I used a stamp, with paint, onto an old denim skirt, cut them out, stuck on a brad eye which has been smooched... et voila! I'm in love with them [good thing, since it's Valentine's Day:)]

Here's the rest of the piccies:

Mostly EP, American Crafts, SEI, plus a PP fish button & a Greatest View zigzag one. I ruched the ribbon & then twirled it into a 'rosette' at one end....

Think the journaling says it all:):) Ooh, bit hard to read. Here's another piccy:

Happy Valentine's .... for those who love the love:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H
BTW I like to think of the white splats as sea foam, NOT seagull droppings:):)

Let's Get Shabby Feb Challenge

2012-02-11T16:00:00.002+11:00

Hi there, well we've had hot, hot sun, & now a thunderstorm with a heavy, heavy shower of rain....who said it was Melbourne who had 4 seasons in one day? Think we're a contender here in NSW today:)
Meanwhile... Let's Get Shabby has a song challenge. You can connect to the post HERE.
Late last year we went to NZ to visit the rellies, & in particular to meet Brooke for the 1st time. She's DH's 1st Great-Grandchild, & we used to joke that she didn't really exist, because every time we headed to NZ, she was off on hol's somewhere else!
Her Mum & Dad have had a tough time with the earthquakes, & even though they're living in their house, it's had a fair bashing about. Brooke is almost 2, & just to add to making life a bit more of a struggle, she was diagnosed with leukemia in the middle of 2011 as well. She's their only child, much loved, much wanted.... sometimes life just keeps throwing curve balls at some of us & it's not easy. Having said that, she's doing well with the treatment & like they said, they're lucky in some ways to be in Christchurch, as its close by for hospital - & she's there a fair bit. The prognosis is good, which is v encouraging.
I thought the line in the song was really appropriate for scrapping these piccies of Brooke...

I was reading an old Scrap mag, & Georgia Keays suggested to always take an embellie & alter it in some way to make it your own. I've really tried to do this here, especially as a LOT of the embellies are from the LOVELY Jessica Theodore, from a giveaway I won over at her blog & arrived in the mail this week... I was blown away by what she had included & am really, really overwhelmed at her generosity. So thanks again, Jess:)
Just an example, the pink edging strip here was 'plain'. I've embossed it with the music stamp, sewn on the numbers, which I've also altered.

The bird cage has also been distressed, embossed, & I've sewn lace onto it for good measure! Probably rambled on enough. Here's the rest of the piccies!!!

I've 'starred' the '2', as that's Brooke's age now, & sewn & edged the card with Distress ink. The heart in the bg [smaller one] WAS white!!!!!


This is one of a set of tags I bought at the Esk Market in Launceston when we were there for our 'short break' last week... they're original & I was so, so pleased to pick up the pack of around 25 for $5!!!! I left the tag 'au naturale' on this side, only altering the opposite.... below:)

Hope you enjoy taking a peek.... the challenge is open 'til the 20th of Feb, so there's still time to enter:):)
Happy Scrapping,
Lizzy H

Kraft It Up! February Challenge

2012-02-10T21:43:00.000+11:00

Hiya folks, Friday again.... the weekend is here. Yay! I've just finished scrapping the 2nd photo I took of my VBF... I did warn you another was in the pipeline a while ago.
The Kraft It Up Challenge this month called for any sort of love, as long as pink was on the LO somewhere. I reckon the love between friends is pretty awesome & often lasts longer than marriages these days. This is certainly the case with my VBF & myself... I've made my own heart mask for the Kraft cardstock, & used a mix of shimmer paint with pink ink & sprayed it on the bg. Made some of my own flowers - the purple-y one was in a pack I won from a Blog Hop with Leanne Allinson, I think. There's lots of Kaiser here; the alphas are American Crafts, plus a 'freebie' set from Scrapbookers Mag that I've sanded, inked, backed & sewn around. I've used some chipboard I got given from Nadia Canizzo, over at Once Upon A Sketch [inked, glittered, glossy accented!] & I've done other stuff as you can see:):)

I've been having fun making those tiny spiral rosebuds:)

I've inked the alphas in white pen to add some dimension. See the tiny pink flower? There's 5 or 6 scattered around my LO!

I've done some perfect pearlising on the heart & here & there. Jessica Theodore is the Queen of this ATM:) And actually doodled a little!!

You can sort of see the glimmer/shimmer here...

I've sewn, sanded, inked...you get the picture!

I feel sooo blessed & privileged to have such a good friend in my life, who has seen me through so many good & bad times.... I hope you have at least one of these in your life:):)

Take care,

Cheers, Lizzy H

PS: Thanks to Leanne for her hints on how to journal a bit more & make it part of your title - it's what I've had a go at here:):)

A Liebster Award...read on!

2012-02-09T20:41:00.000+11:00

Hello everyone ~ well, I've been gobsmacked well & truly... you see, the lovely Mary over at Dolly Bee's Snippets of Life has awarded me a Liebster Award. It's an award for Blogs with less than 200 followers [tick!] & that are lovely [??!!]

"Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite. The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create new connections and bring attention to these wonderful blogs!”

Obviously, Mary has gotten awarded one 'cos she does amazing scrap work, loves all things French & is a truly lovely person:):)

Now it's my turn to pass on the loooooovvvveee [Yippee! Such fun:):)]
So [TA-DAAAAA], I'd like to pass this award on to:
1 Sarah
2 Keri
3 Lea
4 Erin & Kelly [scrapalicious sisters:)]
5 Lydia
...when you pop on over to these Lovely Ladies' Blogs [just click on their name], you will notice 2 are from NZ [tho' not necessarily Kiwi's]; & 3 are from the USA, with one from Australia. And that's what I TRULY love about this amazing craft/hobby/passion - that it connects women all over the world. Isn't that just fantastic?

Please follow these simple rules.

1. Share your appreciation with the blogger who awarded you the Liebster by linking back to their blog.
2. Post the award.
3. Share the 5 blogs you are awarding the Liebster with and let them know that they have received it, by leaving a comment on their blogs.
4. Enjoy the new attention this award brings to your blog.
5. And last, but not least - have fun.

Have fun - this is sort of a blog hop, but without the pressure. I'm sure you'll really enjoy taking a peek at these inspirational scrappers, & I'm sure they'd love you to stop by & say hi:):)

Cheers, Lizzy H

A Give Away by Rachael Funnell

2012-02-09T19:44:00.001+11:00

Yep! And this one's a beauty....Rachael has been VERY, VERY generous.... you've still got a couple of days to go HERE for your chance to be a winner. All you need do is become a follower of hers - something you will NOT regret. At all. She's a fab scrapper:):)
She's giving away 3 awesome prizes, one example is this:

Aaah, dang it! Here's another piccy - couldn't resist showing you:

So, head on over to Rachael's 'A Window to my Scrapping World' & join in the fun:):)

Bye for now,
Lizzy H

Sketches With A Twist February Challenge

2012-02-09T09:00:00.000+11:00

I was really pleased to see my friends over at Sketches With A Twist get such a big turn out for their very first challenge... now #2 is up. February sketch is this:

...and the TWIST is to use something GREEN on your LO.
For this one, I've featured our neighbour & his little dog; Chloe is very precious to him & his best mate. I had fun making the flowers & the bottom music banner to match in with the one I already had. I've gessoed & misted the paper, & had to create matts for the photos which were all too small to fit with the sketch... gotta be creative & inventive with this scrapping, don't we:):)
Here's some photos. You've plenty of time to join the fun over at SWAT, as it's a month long challenge...so get scrappy:):)


A work in progress...took a bit of work twisting the twine into such a small shape!

And here's my finished LO:

The back card stock had palm trees on it - not really appropriate here - hence the gesso:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Scrapbookers Anonymous February Challenge

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000+11:00

Good day...well, I hope, pray it is....I'm doing the 'schedule' thing with this post, so I hope it appears when & where it ought. Here's crossing the fingers....
Yep, my very fave Scrapbookers Anonymous has a HEARTS [at least 3] & STITCHING [somewhere on your project] challenge. Hmmmmm..... hearts? Love? Must be Valentine's Day this month.... as if you could miss it!!!! To be honest, I don't like it, don't believe in it, don't subscribe to it & don't do it. But, there y'go, there's lots & lots of others who do, & good on them:):)
Having said that, I thought a few cards for our stall wouldn't be such a bad idea, & I sort of got the inspiration for this card from my ATC post. In fact, I was so infatuated with my ATC's [IF I 'did' the Valentine's thing, I'd send THEM a card saying I loved them!!!!!!] that I wanted to use the idea somewhere else. Thank goodness for SA:):):) Here's what I made:
BTW, you can tell it's getting late. I'm ranting/raving, sounding slightly crazy:):)
Here y'go:

Please join the fun at SA ~ or have a peek at what other scrappers are doing, there's some fabulous blogs just waiting for you to discover them, including the awesome design team over there:):)
Bye for now,
Lizzy H

Scraphappykat's FNC #5 for this week is...

2012-02-04T09:49:00.000+11:00

...a card/LO using buttons, birds/animals & clouds in the whimsical style. This is not my usual style.. .well, I don't THINK it is... but then, I don't really know what style I am..so maybe it is! Anyway, load up your creations by Wednesday at the link HERE to be in the run for a prize!
I enjoyed this one ~ used a lot of Echo Park, some Kaiser [the birds - transfers onto pp then fussy cut], twine from PP & the little flower buttons are SU. I made a template & did the clouds in Distress ink. The cheapest & a great variety of Holtz distress ink is available from Scraphappykat's store, along with their latest mini kits ...which are $5 & excellent value for money... HERE. And so, to the pic:

Cheers...& enjoy your weekend:):)
LIzzy H

PS: I'm NOT a DT or in any way affiliated with Scraphappykat; I just love their ethos, the way they run their blog & their store:):)
...& speaking of stuff I like, I tried to keep this simple, 'cos Mandy over at A Teacup Full of Scrapisms seems to me to be a 'doyenne' of that style. Take a peek at her work, & see what you think....

ATC's at Scraphappykat's...

2012-02-03T21:39:00.000+11:00

Hi there ~ I can't believe it's already Friday night. It comes around toooooo quickly.
Well, ATC's. Never tried 'em....but over at Scraphappykat, they're running a SWAP!
To read the post about them, click HERE. As you know, I love the LilyPad CCC [card swap] & this seems a similar idea. I think sharing creativity is what scrapping is all about....so, I've taken the plunge & made my 9 ATC's to send off to Pauly. Why not join in? I'm sure she'd LOVE to be inundated by lots & lots [heehee:):)].
The great thing is, there's no pressure - you can join in each month or not. Great flexibility. So here's what I came up with. My paint has been put in a fine mister & sprayed on. My 'p' is for pink...those were the 2 requirements - paint & something with 'p':

Cheers for now, have a fab weekend,
Lizzy H

Wow Challenge #3

2012-02-02T14:12:00.000+11:00

Hi folks,
still raining here ~ almost winter-like, if you discount the warmth [?!?!]. Jessica Theodore put me onto the Create Blog, which has an 'Inspired by Snow' challenge, found HERE. Being the opposite time of year down here in the south of the world, & because I thought it was quite a difficult challenge [yeah, sometimes I wonder what goes on in my head, too!], I thought I'd give it a go.
Had to raid Mum's stash of stamps to even find a winter-related one, & found one & one only with tiny snowflakes...so I got busy creating a background [Isocol alcohol onto a makeup cleaner pad, then a few drops of different coloured blue refill inks, rubbed over glossy photo paper; then embossed snow flakes in clear & white]. I wanted it to be window to the world thing, where the person is looking out, dreaming. Hence the little sentiment. It's really plain for me.... the flower is ribbon wrapped around your finger, then held in the middle with a pin while you fan it out, then stitched & that's a gorgeous glitzy Stampin' Up brad in the middle. Here 'tis:

That's it from me for a little while. Mum & I are going to have a go at selling our cards & other bits'n'pieces at the local Art & Craft Market here in a couple of weeks time, so we're busily working our little fingers [& creative minds] to the bone in order to have stuff to sell:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Excitement!

2012-01-31T19:44:00.002+11:00

...about un-scrappy stuff. Well, sort of. Guess what I got?

Yup! A new camera. WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!:):):)

Now I've just gotta try & figure it out. What better way than having a cuppa on the verandah in the cool-ish evening. It was over 25 Celsius here over night - the hottest in FIFTEEN years. Bet you Northern Hemisphere-ers wouldn't mind a little of that! The book is a 'how to get the best from your SLR'. Got it from the Op Shop - it talks about cameras that actually have FILM in them, but I figure the underlying theory of photography is the same!

Practise this morning. I love our morning & evening light. Isn't this row boat marvellous? I love how the background blurs up a little...

And here's my scrap room. I feel so blessed that I have such a large space all to myself! Even got a table for my sewing machine & a long ribbon roll that DH made up. Lucky me:):)

And our yummy strawberries that I have a little munch on each day. It's me or the birds, so it might as well be me! Actually, I am a bird, aren't I, in the Australian vernacular? Whatever...Anyway, they're super scrumpy. Fabulicious. I made that up today. Good word.
Hope your week is one of brightness & light - even if physically it's not:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Charm's Creations SALE TIME:)

2012-01-30T17:07:00.001+11:00

Hi there ~ for all you lovers of hand made embellies, Charmaine's having a SALE... in 4 sleeps' time!!! If you pass on the good news [see the link HERE], then you can go into a giveaway for some of her gorgeous goodies, which you can get a sneak peek at HERE.

Take a look, you'll be impressed by the huge variety of products & they come in wonderful variety of colours, shapes & sizes. One VERY clever chicky:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Scraphappykat ~ FNC

2012-01-28T17:03:00.000+11:00

Hi there, well, I've had fun at Mum's creating a series of shabby~chic Easter cards. My daughter in law, Katrina in New Zealand, had been to a card making day with HER sister when she was visiting Auckland 12 months ago, & she'd been given a sheet of Easter images...she said she wouldn't use them, so gave them to me [no idea who the maker is!]. They are really gorgeous ~ I used one a while ago for a SA challenge.... & the one below is for the Friday Night Challenge [weekly] over at Scraphappykat. You can do anything you want, as long as it's shabby chic. I looooooved doing this one. Loved the colours, loved the bling, loved making the little roses, stamping the bg, sanding & shading, sewing & edging...you get the picture! Here 'tis:

A couple of close ups just for the heck of it:):)

That's it for me for today,
Take care, Lizzy H

Lily Pad Cards' CCC

2012-01-28T09:43:00.001+11:00

Good morning! I'm off to Mum's for some scrapping in a few minutes, but last night I finished my card for the CCC over at Lily Pad Cards. That's the card exchange where you make a card, & then send it to another card maker, somewhere in this big, wide world of ours - in return, you get sent a card! I think it's a fantastic idea & would urge y'all to give it a go. There's only winners in this challenge, & it's such a BUZZ to do! This month the theme is Valentine's day, or Chinese New Year or Birds [my choice] or the sketch is this:

or the colours are these:

You only have to chose one, but I've kept with the colours & the sketch always helps with card making, too, I find. Without further ado, here's my card!

It's a 'Stamin' Up' owl, which I've embossed in one colour, then stamped in a second & fussy cut out his little 'apron' in front then attached. I was really happy with him. He's a darling:)

Where do ideas come from? This evolved along with the card. I've plaited some pink string for the stamped, then glossy accented wee owls to sit on.... I have a 'thing' about owls at the moment. I'm sure it'll pass:):)

That's it for today, folks, have a good weekend. I'm feeling smug. Actually WASHED the kitchen floor this morning instead of sitting in bed reading....... doesn't happen often, I can tell you:))
Cheers, Lizzy H

Scraphappykat ...last minute... almost!!

2012-01-24T15:34:00.002+11:00

Oooh, I'm having such fun over this 'down' period ~ basically hanging around the house scrapping all those Christmas/holiday photos. Over at Scraphappykat, there's a Dec/Jan challenge & all you have to do is 'Scrap something Christmassy on your LO'. Really very easy, but for some reason, I've juuuuust got to it! Saving the best for last, maybe?:):). The link to the actual post is HERE. The down-side? It's due at the end of the month!
Anyway, here's my LO. My favourite, especially seeing as it's of both my boys [& now that Tim's far, far away in Oman!] & my Mum - this usually only happens at Christmas time!
I've mostly used Happy Days from Echo Park, but made the flowers with some random paper & had fun stamping the Chrissy trees, & adding some cut out ones too... hope you like it:):)

The tickets are made with a stamp I bought in NZ, from Montarga, & Darkroom Door wording.

My 'fun' tree corner:)

This was a really bright, bright yellow - it hasn't come up as well as my usual photos.....I think my camera is going out in sympathy with me & supporting my campaign to buy an SLR camera!!!!!
Take care, Lizzy H

Scrapbookers Anonymous 'F' time.

2012-01-23T16:38:00.001+11:00

Hi there - sounds a bit strange, 'F' time, doesn't it? But it IS time to Find stuFF in your stash that represent the letter 'F' For the last part of SA's January challenges.
I've done a card [I like cards:)], using some Fabric [denim that I've Folded into pleats & stitched], made a Frame, added some Flowers [the concertina one is Folded, too, of course!], put on some more Flowers & I think that's all the 'F' stuFF I can think of! It's all From the stash...so it's been great, as always, to Follow the Fabulous ethos of Scrapbookers Anonymous, which is to use that stash up. Thanks guys:):)
Here 'tis:

It's a little bit Fancy For me....but I'm just Following the F's!!!!
Cheers, Lizzy H

Get Picky Challenge #16

2012-01-23T16:23:00.001+11:00

Hi folks - this is almost the last of my Christmas photos - got just a few left now! I've followed the sketch for Get Picky's Challenge #16 --- but used 4 photos, as I wanted to pop these all together, rather than 3. Here's the sketch:

It closes in 5 days ---where does the time go???!!!!

Anyway, here's my entry:


Thought I'd do some twine 'circles' to match the circle theme of the sketch:):)

I really enjoyed this one - especially working with the brighter colours,
Take care, Lizzy H.

Daring You to Scrap NEW challenge blog!

2012-01-22T20:03:00.000+11:00

Daring You to Scrap is holding its very first challenge, which is to create a background using up your scraps of paper....great, great idea!
This is a fairly basic page, because of all the photos I've used, so it's full without adding too much else...but I really like to scrap 'the year',so using my scraps as a background gave it a bit of 'oomph' without overpowering the page. So, thank you, DYTS, for getting me motivated to get this done:):)
Oh, I've added journalling [month by month] & photo descriptions on the back of the LO!

As you can see, it was a busy year!!!!!
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Bird is the Word 'Remember' Challenge

2012-01-22T19:37:00.000+11:00

Sigh! The weekend is almost over...but I DID get a chance to finish this page for the 'Remember' word challenge over at Bird is the Word. It's taken me a few years, but I FINALLY got a nice photo of one of my very best & oldest [in both senses of the word - although she would point out I'm older, age-wise, than she is!] friend. I'm sending this to her...hopefully she doesn't read this before she gets it... but if she does...well, I really will have to send it:):) We have been through such a lot over the years, I really wanted to celebrate those shared memories...so that we would always [you guessed it] REMEMBER!!!!!
This is my 1st go at those 'concertina' flowers...& I had such a fun time making the little satchel from scratch to hold my 'hidden journalling'. There is a sketch, which isn't mandatory, but I liked it & followed it fairly closely.

My 1st concertina flower. Fun:) Made the little denim ones, too.

I background stamped the paper, then cut our the blue piece to add from a template I made up -- added some stitching & an eyelet & found this brilliant little stick-on with the 'Remember this' wording. Finished it off with a couple of brads! The 'Best Friend' is a rub on from Kaiser. The paper is mostly Kaiser, too.

Here's the inside. Lots of writing, but it's a little personal, so didn't want to show it all. It folds away neatly under the 'satchel' cover.

I am very happy with this - I'm hoping to do one with the same photo for myself, if I find another page LO that I like...so stay tuned for 'take two' at some stage:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Rachel Funnell's Give Away

2012-01-21T19:38:00.002+11:00

Good evening - well, I hope it is:) Actually, it will be when I pass on this good news. Rachel over at 'A Window to my Scrapping World' is having a give away. Easy to participate - join her blog & leave a comment! She's a really top scrapper, so you'll love seeing her work. Connect to the give away post HERE. And Good Luck:):)
BTW here's an e.g. of her fantastic work.... this is on her post HERE:

Anyway, go take a peek at her blog for yourself:)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Berry 71 Bleu January Challenge ~ Altered Music Stand

2012-01-20T19:04:00.001+11:00

Good evening [well, in the Southern Hemisphere] ~ through Chantal Vandenberg's Blog, I discovered Berry 71 Bleu... & they're having a Vintage [shabby] or French Cottage Style ALTERED PROJECT challenge here. You can alter absolutely anything you like.
My son [the one now recently arrived in Oman] had a music reading stand that DH had made for him... I needed something substantial to display my LO's on ~ et voila!
Here's a few piccies. This challenge is open 'til the end of January...if I can give it a go, so can you...so off you go:))

Yes, it's a typical boy sticker-ed up stand:)

Papered first...

...then gessoed

...then some stamping, embossing & a few layers of different coloured inks.

A close up of my stamping/embossing.

This is where it sits inside ~ works really well:)

There's some lovely altered projects at Berry 71 Bleu to have a peek at, so I'd encourage you to have a look,
Take care,
Lizzy H

Scraphappykat giveaway...

2012-01-20T10:31:00.003+11:00

Hi there ~ I'm back from a few days away...glory be! It takes a bit of catching up on what all you scrappy bloggers have been up to ~ fun doing so, of course!
I'm happy to pass on the Word about an easy-peasy give away to enter over at Scraphappykat's blog. All you have to do is go HERE to this post, & you have the chance to win a product pack as well as 3 gorgeous Prima flower packs simply by leaving a comment. So trot along:)
Meanwhile, I've had to say a BIG farewell to my younger son, who's gone to Oman in the Middle East to work in the support crew for their Ocean Yacht Racing Sail Team.... he's got a 1 month trial period, to make sure there is mutual happiness & if he stays on, he gets to travel on the yacht racing circuit to exotic locations such as France, Italy, Spain, England, China & America... for example. Sigh!!!!!
Guess what I forgot to do [read "devastation", here] GET A PHOTO AT THE AIRPORT.
All I can say is:
a/ I was on holiday mode
b/ A little emotional at his leaving
c/ Definitely NOT thinking straight
Oh well.......
Bye for now, there's a whole batch of new challenges I have to tackle, after the washing, kitchen cleaning up etc etc....
Lizzy H.

Scraphappykat FNC

2012-01-15T17:35:00.004+11:00

Hello everyone ~ hope your weekend is going nice & slowly!! We've had a hot summer's morning [church, followed by fish'n'chips at the beach] & now it's pouring with rain????!!!!
Good scrapping weather, though. I thought I'd do the Friday Night Challenge for Scraphappykat - it's a recipe challenge, using either black OR white cardstock; 1 photo [any size]; flowers [bought or handmade]; ink or paint; 2 or more patterned papers & at least one other embellishment of your own choice. Lots of freedom within the recipe, which I liked!
You only have 'til Wednesday to send it in.... so get your skates on:) I had taken off this photo of when we were in Paris a week or so ago, thinking I'd love to scrap it, & thought the black would go well with it. Here's my piccies:

I've used the old 'bubble wrap with paint' on the card stock trick. The card stock was already embossed.

I downloaded this card from the Graphics Fairy, then used Holtz distress ink & transfers to 'fussy it up'.

A Kaiser tag; flowers from all over the show!

That's it for me ~ take care,
Lizzy H

Purple Pumpkin January Sketch Challenge

2012-01-13T09:19:00.001+11:00

Hi folks... another blog I loooove to check out alllll the time, 'cos they have a pile of very talented & diverse scrappers creating LO's every other day is Purple Pumpkin. There's so much inspiration over at their blog it's almost depressing!!! However, onwards we march, so without further ado [& to make up for my last VERY long-winded post:))] here's their sketch, & my take on it, using mostly Echo Park 'Happy Days' for their January Challenge.... I must point out the title, though, 'cos it was originally grey... it's been gessoed, inked yellow, then embossed to give this shiny, leather look which matches with the little PP vinyl circle spokes that I've used behind the flowers.... & I said this wouldn't be long-winded. Sorry. I'm stopping. Here's the piccies!!!!

The Purple Pumpkin Sketch ~ a goodie:)

My Layout ~ the banner is 'upcycled' from the front packaging of the EP pack..thought the stamped teapot looked cute:) NB: The title is all one bright colour - I think there's a shadow causing the 2 tone effect on the photo here....

Close up of PP embellishments. YUM! Pun intended, seeing the LO is all about sweet peeps having a sweet day!

Ran out of PP buttons...but found a brad that fitted the PP 'cog' wheel:)

Journaling close up. And yes! I stitched. I'm officially addicted!!

My embossing. Hard to believe these alphas were grey!!!!

And that's it! Not saying another word. Except I really enjoyed working with this range of papers...
Bye for now,
Lizzy H.

Scrap Jacked January Challenge

2012-01-13T07:38:00.000+11:00

BLOGGERS ALERT: LONG POST; LOTS OF WRITING!!!!!
Hello everyone ~ as you're probably aware if you read my blog even a little, Scrap Jacked is one of my favourite challenges. Probably because of the calibre of their design team & because it's great fun using some-one else's work as a 'starting point' for something you want to do yourself. I keep being drawn to Julie's LO's... the colours & the femininity of this one really attracted me. Here's her page:

Last year I developed my own project of making a calendar page each month for Scrap Jacked. This year I was in the local Op Shop & came across the album below [for $3!!]. It had never been filled in, so I thought, since I'm going to be a 'Ma' for the 1st time ever this year, I would start this as a way of scrapping 'the family' & some social history for the 1st grand-boy that's on his way. This is an 8 x 8 project, which I haven't attempted before. Wish me luck!

Here's the front cover. I haven't attempted to change it. Yet. Each page had elements on it. I wanted to retain a little of the original book, & whoever had put so much effort into preparing it ~ even if it had never been used. The 1st page had 'love' paper & roses [see below], so Julie's LO attracted me, 'cos I could use the roses in my jack... & I've kept a sliver of the 'love' paper & incorporated it. The bg for my page was white, but I've stamped, inked, embossed & gessoed 'til it came up how I wanted. I've also done a whole page of 'story' for the LO, to go behind it. So, here's some pics:

The original page.

This is the 1st time I've made my very own 'spiral' roses. I got the link from Jessica T over at Bits'n'Pieces. It took me to Rae Bartel's tutorial HERE. I was a happy chappy that they worked out OK!

Unlike Julie, I didn't have a chippy birdcage or bath...but I loved how she'd used them, so out came the SU stamp set... & the 'hanging wire' is actually the bird cage stand upside-down. If you look closely at my bird bath [picture above birdcage], you'll see it's the base of the lamp from this stamp set below....Nothing like using lateral thinking skills:) You can see my bg here, too:)

The 'fence' is a flourish on its side ~ also SU, from their French set.

The scrap of 'love' paper I kept with glossy accented & glittered hearts. I also glittered just the base of the bird bath.

And 'voila'! Not me in a wooden rocking chair on the porch with my grey hair tied back in a bun, about to tell a 'ma' story...but it IS me on a leather recliner on our front verandah with a few grey hairs hanging around....so we're getting there!!!


And finally, just a snatch of my journaling - guess I should call it my 'story-ing' - for behind this LO. I've stamped the bg lightly, so it 'matches' in.

Sorry for such a long post, but I had such a wonderful time doing this LO & starting off this little album, that I just wanted to share:)
Take care, now,
Lizzy H

And while I'm at it...

2012-01-12T08:36:00.001+11:00

Take a peek at the Greatest View blog. If you become a follower you go into a prize draw for $25... & there's THREE vouchers that Gail is giving away!! You've until Jan 31st for this ~ regardless if you join the Greatest View or not, pop them into your Favourites folder, because their goodies are scrumptious. Especially their dictionary buttons. Here's a piccy to give you an idea:

Have a nice day...even if you are in Victoria & it has been snowing in the middle of summer...for our Northern Hemisphere friends...NO! This is NOT normal:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Good Value!

2012-01-11T16:46:00.002+11:00

Hi there ~ if there's one thing I like sharing it's good value... and you can find it at Scraphappykat. Late last year they had a sale going & I got 3 ink pads, 3 embossing powders [I think Kathie threw those in for good measure!!] & 3 kits [one valued at $5; one at $15 & one at $20]... including the postage it all came for under $50! The kits were on clearance at 1/2 price. I was lucky enough to have won a $10 voucher, so I ended up getting all this for under $40! Scraphappykat is really, really worth keeping an eye on for their specials ~ you've got to be be quick, though! Here's a piccy of my 'goodies':

I'd urge you to join their blog so you know when their next sale is...the link is HERE. To take a peek at their shop, click HERE. Their normal prices are really good too. BTW, I am not getting paid for this ~ I just like to share & spread good news:):)

Happy shopping!
Lizzy H.

Scrap the Girls January Challenge

2012-01-09T16:42:00.000+11:00

Well, here's one I've been doing for a few days, between other stuff... took a while to come together, but once it did ~ blink of an eye & DONE!! I've got hidden journalling in this MONOCHROMATIC layout for Scrap the Girls ~ that's the challenge for this month. That was the most fun part, I think...well, apart from the sewing [the butterfly trails] & the fussy cutting [all those Kaiser Craft flowers] & the painting & stamping etc etc.....Let's face it, the whole thing was FUN:):) Pop on over to Scrap the Girls & see what you too can do with monochromatic colours:)

The journaling...

Tucking it away... cute owls, huh?!!

Can you see the snail on the far right? He's nicely ensconced in his 'garden' now:)

..and another owl plays 'peek-a-boo' these have been stamped & fussy cut.

It's a pretty [in both senses of the word!] bright pink ~ but with these 2 cheerful souls, I had to use a bright, happy colour. Reflects their personalities,
Bye for now,
Lizzy H.

Scrapbookers Anonymous January Challenge

2012-01-09T16:21:00.005+11:00

Hi guys,
Just finished an entry for one of my fave scrappy challenges ~ that would be Scrapbookers Anonymous. This one had to be using MASKING with either/and inks, mists or paints. I'm doing a few 'series' of cards, & thought I'd try some mens ones. So thanks for the inspiration, SA, 'cos I don't think I'd have done this without you!!!
These stamps are all MME 'Portobello Road' Boys set... or something like that, that I love, but haven't used much. Naughty! Then I used a diamond shaped mask thingy that I bought in QLD 6 months ago & also have hardly used! I made up a mask for the centre 'window' so the diamonds didn't go over the cycle image in the centre. These photos aren't very good [dunno why...], but I hope you get some inspiration from these, or pop on over to SA & click on some of the other entrants work & you're bound to want to get 'inky' yourself:)

I really like the 'vintage-y' feel of these,
Cheers for now, Lizzy H.

1,2,3 January Challenge

2012-01-07T20:21:00.001+11:00

Hello again. I spent this morning doing the housework, getting the groceries ~ you know, the 'usual drill'. However, this arvo I sat down & finished this LO for the challenge over at 1,2,3. Their challenges always stretch my creativity, which is a good thing, I guess!
This month you needed to use the word JOY; use the colour SILVER & the technique of SPLATS [with any of paint, mist or ink].

Sewing, stamping, glittering & I 'dotted' with silver around the vinyl star.

Splats under the glittered chipboard star & over the doilies..also masked the bottom one. Used silver paint as well to spritz over the red.

Here's what I came up with. Thanks to my wonderful step grand-daughters, I have a wealth of Christmas photos to scrap...they LIKE the camera, unlike their brother who enjoyed making 'evil' faces...no doubt I'll find a challenge sooner or later that will suit him!!!
Take care, now,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Giveaway ~ Jessica Theodore

2012-01-07T19:32:00.000+11:00

Hello there ~ I hope your weekend has been a good one. The weather is beautiful here today ~ 27 C with a lovely cool breeze. Perfect! I'd just like to share a Giveaway over at Bits and Pieces, Jessica's blog... link HERE to read all about it! It's open 'til Jan 22nd, so you've a little while to take a peek. Here's a picture of what she's giving away. Looks very yummy:):)

While I'm doing a general post, thought I'd share this photo of a house around the corner from us. I actually really like the colour combo of purple & green...

Further along the waterfront is this wonderful cottage. I just adore it, as it's so NOT fancy like most of the waterfront is becoming. It has character in bucketloads!

You can see what I do when walking the dog!
Cheers, Lizzy H

Stuck?! Challenge for January 2012

2012-01-06T22:14:00.003+11:00

Hi there ~ I'm on a real roll ATM... just finished my challenge for over at Stuck?!. I've turned the sketch upside down to make the pictures fit better. The title reflects the serious faces ~ we DID have a good time, but everyone seems to be concentrating. Mind you, these were taken without them knowing, so that makes a difference. I like photos that are not 'set up'... but you get what you get, in that case!
Here's the sketch:

And here's my Lay Out:

Tried to photograph the sparkle on the papers ~ this is the best I could do:)

I've stamped then fussy cut this Christmas stamp, then used it for some hidden journaling, including all the names of those at our Christmas table. I was pleased to dig up the little gold star brad:)

Hope you've enjoyed looking at this - & feel enthused to have a go yourself,
Cheers, Lizzy H

Sketches With A Twist ~ The NEW Challenge blog:)

2012-01-05T18:16:00.002+11:00

Hi there, this is my 2nd post for today, & I'm very excited to share this LO with you for the new Challenge blog, Sketches With A Twist. Their TWIST for this month is to have a TWO font title. Here's the sketch:

And without further ado, here's my entry ~ since you were probably bored to death, or close to it, with all the detail in the White with One post:):)

Well, that's all from me for today..... this was a real fun sketch, & it was great to be able to use multiple photos. The girls had a ball going out with GrandDad on the boat... so did Geordie, but we'll save his photos for another day:)
Cheers, Lizzy H

White with One January 2012 Challenge

2012-01-05T18:00:00.004+11:00

I've got a couple of LO's to share - this post is for the latest White with One Challenge, which I haven't gone into for a long while. However, I knew exactly what photos I wanted to scrap, 'cos they already had LIME [the colour you had to use] & I also had the cutest little Purple Pumpkin spotty lime/white button that was crying out to be included... & that's the criteria for this month's challenge covered!
This is all about my son's penchant for wrapping pressies with newspaper, as you can see on the side bar. Very scrap-worthy:) So, I started with the idea of newspaper & found some that almost had the word 'altered' at the start & stamped it with a Stampin' Up stamp from my 'French Foliage' set with their lime green ink. Then I folded & stitched it up. I was very pleased with the effect! I found some MME 'Lost & Found Two' from my 6x6 'Rosy' pad, which was in lime with newspaper behind it. Perfect! I tried to keep the rest fairly simple; had to make my own letters as I didn't have enough of the 'Bella!' alpha's... I've also used embellies from: Echo Park 'Summer Days'; Pebbles Inc; Scenic Route; Kaisercraft; Libby Wiefenbach & Purple Pumpkin... to name a few! The cardstock is SU & American Crafts & the scallop is also SU. Here's some photos:

Journalling. See my little fake stitched heart? I fussy cut around the photos.

Having fun with newspaper embellishment:)

The 'Unique' is a Kaisercraft rubon...stitched....I'm becoming quite the Scrappy Sewer!


...and finally! I liked the look of the sewing threads left ~ sort of a hand made effect which matches Tim's wrapping style:):)

Once Upon A...Sketch

2012-01-04T15:42:00.001+11:00

Hello there!
Today I've finally finished a card for the Once Upon A...Sketch Challenge [January 1st] telling about your feelings towards New Year's Eve, or about the evening itself. I made the card for a young couple who got married last year & have recently moved into their 1st home together...so 2012 will be their 1st full year as a married, home-owning couple. How cute is that?!!
So, the sentiment on the inside reflects that idea... I've gone OTT with Echo Park Springtime collection here...plus stamping, stitching, glossy accents, liquid pearls & LOTS of fussy cutting [including the flags!].... but the sweetness reflects them - & of course the chipboard castle [papered & distressed] is, of course, their home:)


The pink doily peeking out is an Op shop find. 50c!!!!! I stamped around the castle doorway,too.

I've used the 'dotty' journalling piece by cutting out the centre piece & popping it around the castle ~ I liked the butterfly in the corner!

The inside...

Butterflies fussy cut & stickled, glossy accented &/or pearlised!!!! My 'splatters' are random from my spray bottle that is now a mix of white & blue artists ink + distress ink Blue Jeans refill ink + Tsunikeko [or however you spell it!] shimmer ink in silver!!! But it worked really, really well. No chance of replicating it, though!

That's it for now,
Cheers, Lizzy H

KISS

2012-01-02T08:42:00.000+11:00

Hi there .... after I finished the card for Scraphappykat's FNC, I sort of got a little carried away. Mainly, 'cos I just adore the stamp that I got from Montarga... & the saying I use quite a bit of KISS [Keep It Simple, Sweetie] came to mind. So, for no other reason than I was really pleased with how these turned out, here's the other cards I've done using Kaisercraft, Stampin' Up &/or little pads I got from Big W a couple of years ago that I've been trying to use up, alongside the embossing.

Hi ho, hi, ho, it's off to the scrap room I go to have some inky fun with January's challenges that are starting to roll in. Not one to play favourites, but I'm a fan of Lizzy Crust's work, & she's on the DT for a NEW blog called Sketches With A Twist [SWAT] & they have the very 1st challenge up.....looks interesting. Have a peek HERE.
On that note, I'll leave you....
Cheers, Lizzy H

Scraphappykat FNC

2012-01-01T13:43:00.001+11:00

Hi there, I thought I'd 'play along' with Kat's Friday Night Challenge - which has to be in by Wednesday, if you're thinking of giving it a go. It's a REAL challenge; at least, I found it so.... you had to use this piccy as inspiration, & try to scrap those hard-to-use darker colours.

And here's what I ended with. I took the gold from the light for the embossing, & created the bg using artist inks on some shiny scrap of card stock. It was really, really difficult to photograph because of the shine!

This is a card, & I haven't added a sentiment, as I thought the bg made it 'busy enough',
Take care,
Lizzy H

BTW, this stamp comes from Christchurch in New Zealand - a tiny wee shop near the city centre...with the shakes continuing, I hope they've not had any further damage. Wish I could remember the name.....THANKS, Dawn, [who is a great card maker - click on her name to go to her blog:)] it IS Montarga Stamps - click HERE to link to them:)

2012-01-01T13:28:00.000+11:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

I hope 2012 brings good health & happiness to each & every one of you:) I've updated some of my side photos & also thought I'd do what I've seen on other blogs & choose 5 Faves that I've scrapped throughout the year. So, here goes, & as others have said before me, it isn't easy being that selective!

This year's the year I've really, really got hooked on scrapping ~ but I still find myself 'swinging' between styles. Can you see any developing? Maybe it's simply a 'Lizzy' style!!!!
Hope your start to the New Year is fabulous & looking forward to seeing what all you amazing scrappy peeps get up to during 2012.... a few more months & I'll have a baby to scrap. Now won't that be exciting??!!:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Bird is the Word Challenge ~ 'Wonder'

2011-12-28T15:36:00.001+11:00

Hi there ~ back with these wonderful, wonderful piccies I've taken of the step grandies making their 1st ever gingerbread shapes.... it was my 1st ever time, too. We had a ball & it was a lot easier than I'd imagined, so we'll be making them again:)
Over at Bird is the Word, you'll find this challenge, where you have to use the word 'wonder'. It closes in 18 days, so if you haven't joined in for a while ~ now's the time. And Christmas is such a season of 'wonder', one way or another, I think it's pretty easy to use the word! Here y'go:

My little button banner, heart mask with glimmer mist & gesso - I had a ball ripping into the yellow card:)

Journaling - see the glass gingerbread man? Excuse the reflection! Some G.C.D paper & Kaisercraft bird shapes.

I used the picture of their plate of gingerbread for the scallop title shapes. Bit different & I thought it gave a 3D effect!

Well, that's it for this post - take care, Lizzy H

Big Thankyou to Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge!

2011-12-28T15:30:00.001+11:00

Guess what just arrived?!!!!

Ican’t thank Anne Pennington over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge enough!

Today I received my pack of goodies in the mail that I’d bought fromScrapbook.com. As the random winner of her November challenges, she verygenerously sent me a $25 US voucher to use & BOY! Did I enjoy looking,deciding, & finally ordering more than my money’s worth [of course!!].Here’s what I got. I decided I liked Echo Park very much, after winning somefrom Scrapbookers’ Anonymous, that I actually ordered some more embellies from the ‘SummerDays’ range, ’cos I’ve used it so much….is that a bit odd? Oh well… & the Happy Days kit looks equally usable & versatile.

If youhaven’t been over to Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge, please pop along &have a ‘play’. The challenges are a bit different, which is nice for a change& a challenge:)

So,thanks very much, Anne –I really appreciate this,& am going to have such fun...

Cheers, Lizzy H.

Challenge Me Happy #13

2011-12-28T11:59:00.000+11:00

Hi there!
I hope everyone had a really lovely Christmas, & you are now having a well-earned rest....here on the Central Coast, 'the family' has gone back up to QLD, so it's back to us being 'we two' - although #2 son has moved back in... my friends say this is a common phenomena. I guess he'll move out again soon... he has applied for a position with a racing yacht crew on their support team - he's a qualified shipwright - & this would mean going overseas.... we're hoping, as it'd be a great opportunity for him. ATM he's off camping...
Meanwhile, I've just loaded my 274 photos [did delete some as I went - that's always the hard bit!], & saw that the Challenge Me Happy #13 sketch competition didn't close 'til December 31st, & I have 'the' perfect photos for the sketch, which is below. We took these pics at the train station. None is perfect, but between all 3, we seemed to get everyone looking OK:):) The sketch:-

I loved doing the bg, & used Holtz's stain for the clouds [made my own template, based on the sketch clouds], then blended some Tsunikeko [can't be bothered getting off the computer stool to check the spelling - you know what I mean!] shimmer paint with some white ink in a little spray bottle & sprayed. You can't see on the piccies, but there's a lovely silvery shimmer amongst the white. I was V Pleased with the result! The panda is Purple Pumpkin; there's some Echo Park & Kaisercraft as well. I hope you like the LO too.....

I love how the ink & stain combined... unintentional, but effective:)

...and I hope whatever you & yours are doing for the New Year is what you like doing! I'm not a 'seeing the new year in' person in any shape or form, so it's both lost & a waste of space on me!
I'm off to my scrap room again.... have missed it sooooo much over the Christmas busy-ness, & am itching to 'get crafty' with all my latest snaps,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Stuck?! Sketches ~ December 15th sketch challenge

2011-12-18T16:56:00.000+11:00

....and I wanted to do a LO to pop up on my 'spot' in the kitchen. After checking out the beautiful images over at The Graphics Fairy, I downloaded one for just that purpose, and played along with the sketch over at Stuck?! This one is due December 31st. Here's the sketch & my take on it. This really is the last challenge 'til after Christmas, as our family is arriving from QLD tomorrow. With three kids under 12, I'll be well and truly kept busy elsewhere:):)

Lots of stars, music & allusions to singing [hence the birds - hope that's not too obtuse!]
I have a blue and white kitchen, so I'm hoping this goes nicely:):)

Christmas Blessings, thanks for your lovely, much appreciated comments & support over the year, I hope this season is full of joy, love & that you & yours have a very special Christmas:)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Lessology Challenge

2011-12-18T13:38:00.001+11:00

Hi there ~ I've been a busy bee making another Christmas decoration. This time I went along with the LESSology Challenge ~ & it's the 1st time I've 'had a go'. Mainly because I'm not all that confident with 'off the page' stuff ~ but I really wanted to use this box that some candles came in & I really wanted to make a picture frame to stand on my Grandmother's china cabinet. Here's the box:

And here's the final result. This was really, really fun. The best part was due to Lizzy Crust, who put me onto a fab blog that has free vintage images to download [thanks for your generosity, Lizzy:)] which is The Graphics Fairy. She had NO IDEA that I was looking for a suitable Christmas image to put in the frame... but anyway, here 'tis:

And of course, I loooooove to show you how I got from A/ to B/.... so here's some li'l piccies if you wanna have a look. What did I use here? Old bits of cardboard; scraps of paper; acrylic gold paint; Tsukineko [or whatever it is] gold shimmer paint; Versamark clear ink plus red/green embossing powder; gel medium & gesso; holly stamp from the 'Dark Room Door' people... ummmmm.... oh! That lovely ribbon/sequin stuff from errr.... an online shop ~ maybe, no I'm sure, it was Scraptherapy....

Hope you're inspired to try something like this yourself, now. If I can do it, anyone can:) This LESSology challenge doesn't finish 'til January 8th, 2012 [in the new year ~ yikes!], so there's plenty of time:)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Scrapbookers Anonymous December 'E' challenge

2011-12-17T09:09:00.002+11:00

Hi folks, time to squeeze in a quick challenge over at Scrapbookers Anonymous. Take a peek at their 'E' challenge & check out lots of different & clever ways of using the 'Echo Park' paper range! Actually, they're one of my fave brands & I was going to go the same way - however, when I was in NZ recently, my very kind step daughter in law [now that's a mouthful!] gave me some lovely Easter vintage pictures. So... 2+2 seemed to equal 'E', in this case! I know, we're supposed to be celebrating Christ's birth, not death [or resurrection!] but..... here is my E for Easter card:

Lots of stamping [all except one paper was plain before I started:)] and sanding & I've tried to keep the tones a little softer ~ but I do like bright colours, I've decided!

Scrapbookers Anonymous challenges both end a tad earlier this month ~ on the 29th, so if you're going into them, get them skates on:)

Cheers, Lizzy H

Giveaway over at 'Expressing my Heart & Soul' blog.

2011-12-15T08:56:00.001+11:00

Hi folks ~ passing on the love, as Keren Tamir has a blog that is a GREAT, inspirational place to 'hop' on over to.... & not only that, she's having her very first giveaway - so go to the link HERE for the details.
Here's a piccy to whet your appetite!

Even if you don't enter, have a look at Keren's work. It's pretty special,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Purple Pumpkin December Sketch Challenge

2011-12-13T18:10:00.000+11:00

Hi there ~ FINALLY we're having a little splice of sunshine here, after Sydney & the East coast have been thoroughly saturated with rain. Strange start to summer, I must say.
Since I finally bought my 1st lot of Purple Pumpkin 'goodies', I thought I'd have a go at their challenge. I was sorting through some very old photos & found this lovely shot of my step grand-daughter, Chloe, when she was little. I remember thinking then it was too nice to hide in the photo box, so, it's out into the spotlight where it belongs:)
Here's the sketch:

...and here's my take on it...

I've used the PP crochet round as the middle of a flower here. I think the dressmaker flower comes from the girls over at Scrapbooker's Anonymous; at any rate, I think mixing and matching products really gives LO's an individual look & that's what I loooove about this craft:)

The little stamped shoes are from my step-daughter-in-law, an early Christmas pressy. I think she said her Dad used to have a printer's business & they were one of his stamps from years ago. I'm glad she thought of me!

...and here I've used the PP middle & crochet along with a silk flower from the RAK Leanne Allinson sent me ~ I think they work beautifully together!

Well, that's it for today. I've finally started on the Christmas presents & we've worked out what we're doing for Christmas lunch, so that's good. We're having family come down from QLD for a couple of weeks over Christmas, so I will have lots of photos after that...but no time to scrap them whilst they're here!!!!
Hope your day's been a nice one,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Let's Get Shabby Challenge #30 for December

2011-12-10T16:47:00.001+11:00

Hi all,

Onefinal post for today. I have soooo missed scrapping whilst we were away, &of course, this month is rather busy, so I’m glad that I’ve been able to getback into my craft room at least for a while:)

Thisis my Let’s Get Shabby entry for December. It was a recipe challenge. I reallywanted to do some sort of Christmas decoration & ended up with a wallhanging. The cardboard is from a box that arrived with scrappy stuff in it atsome stage ~ so glad I didn’t throw it away. I’ve made most of the LO fromscratch ~ the Chrissy tree was gessoed, inked with Holtz stamps [hard to tellwith the finished product!], has liquid pearls & then I’ve used MS Word forthe sentiment/title, which pretty well sums up what Christmas means to me.

Thewreaths are stamped, fussy cut, embossed, distressed…. I love that gold ‘hanging’ribbon ~ & all the presents & dove under the tree are made from scratch.Very fussy, fiddly work, but I was really pleased with them. Most of thesentiments are from the same Holtz Christmas stamp set.

Hope you like this ~ I wasvery pleased to see I got an ‘Honorable Mention’ over at Let’s Get Shabby's last challenge. That was a real big thrill.

Anyway,here’s this month’s attempt, having fulfilled the challenge criteria by using a star, dove, tree & wreaths.

If you're a Purple Pumpkin fan, you'll see the cellophane packaging they used in their last mail out has been 'altered' & re-invented here as the Chrissy tree's tub:):)

Where I've got it hanging inside.

And yes, I did cut those tiny pieces of paper to make the 'ribbon' for the peace box... tweezers were involved:))

Do you see the little stars I've cut out to feed the twine through??!!

OK, that really is all for today... hope your Christmas organisation is moving forward faster than mine... I'm really slow this year:)

Cheers, Lizzy H

Once Upon A...Sketch December Challenge

2011-12-10T16:24:00.001+11:00

Another Challenge, & I’mreally pleased I got to finish this one over a ‘Once Upon A...Sketch’ ~ youhad to journal at least 2 sentences about what you look forward to in the monthof December. The card stock I have used here was given to me by Robyn, one of the girls inthe photo on the day this picture was taken. It was part of my Christmas present - so thoughtful of her. I was really pleased to be able to use it - there's some 'rightness' in that, I think - & the colours were just perfect:)

I’ve once again used some of my newPurple Pumpkin goodies ~ the green heart has been ‘altered’, as I added the rubon sentiment. I’ve done some fussy cutting, there’s SEI in here, as well as thered heart [a Stampin’ Up stamp], fussy cut... & do you see the glass ring thingy? I got them from the Reject Shop for last Christmas, to keep track of your glass, but I thought it worked quite well here instead! The doily is an Op Shop find [longlive Op Shops:):)].

Hope you’re looking forward to whatever Decemberbrings, too. BTW, this challenge ends on the 14^th, so if you’rethinking about it, get moving!

That glass ring thingy... I'm sure they have a name ~ it hooked thru the doilly really nicely:)

Bye now,

Lizzy H

Bird is the Word Challenge

2011-12-10T15:57:00.001+11:00

Hithere, this is the first time I’ve entered a ‘Bird is the Word’ challenge, andI wanted to do the word ‘time’, as I really noticed how grown up the grand-girlswere over in NZ this visit. The youngest are now 18 [yikes!] so I’ve scrappedhow I feel about them. I hope they don’t mind:)

Thisis using Sassafrass Lass, which I’ve layered up, stitched, used Holtz stain& some glimmer mist as well as staples, brads, American Craft alphas ~ oh,all sorts! My favourite bit is at thetop, where I used some of my new Purple Pumpkin buys … the little bit of coffeelace is PP, then I found a lace daisy I had & put them together with abrad. I think it looks really good. I like adding my own touch. Those little ‘dressmakingpattern’ flowers came from Leanne Allinson, I THINK [??? Let me know if I’vegot that wrong!] & I’ve used some ink on a couple, plus added a PP flowerin the middle… the other I found a brad that matched. Anyway, here’s thepiccies….

Do you see my fave 'made up' button? Oh, & the doilly is also from Leanne A's RAK:)

My Mum has organised me with a decent sewing machine needle, so now I can actually use electricity, instead of turning the wheel by hand. I'll become a proper sewer at this rate...eeeek!!!!

Cheers, Lizzy H

A BIG thank you to Scrap Jacked & Purple Pumpkin...

2011-12-05T20:38:00.001+11:00

Hiya there... I'm ba-aack, from our quick trip over to NZ to see the rellies, including rocking up to Uncle Arthur's surprise 90th birthday! I've taken over 200 photos in 9 days, so I'm sure you'll see some of them scrapped very shortly!
Meanwhile, here's a couple of rounds of applause to, firstly Scrap Jacked, who run a great challenge blog ~ it's really fun looking at what their CT comes up with for inspiration each month & even more fun trying to take their ideas & make them your own. I was very lucky to win a voucher from Lime Tree Creations this month over there, so for that, a huge 'thankyou' to Bec & all the team.
Secondly, I ordered my 1st ever Purple Pumpkin buttons, which arrived whilst I was away. I'm always popping over to their blog, too, 'cos the CT is absolutely amazing & I just adore the PP products. They seemed a little expensive, which is why it's taken me a while to order some, but their quality is fantastic, & I was actually more than pleasantly surprised by how many buttons & other embellies I ended up with, so it was really, really good value for money in the end. Not only that, but Sam & Sandra were VERY generous in the last sale they had, & included a little Chrissy gift with even MORE bits'n'pieces. The price of their twine is really good, too..... so, if you want adorable buttons in a multitude of sizes, plus other embellies, head over to their blog. I see they're actually increasing their range & having it more readily available, so that will be excellent. I would just like to say a very big 'thankyou' for a wonderful product and customer service ~ go girls!
And because I can't resist taking photos, here's a piccy of what I got from them:

Had to photograph through cellophane, so it's not the best quality.... but aren't they divine?
I've just started working on the Let's Get Shabby Challenge ---- trying to use the cellophane christmas tree packaging that came from Purple Pumpkin, that is up on the top left of the photo.... I'm giving it a go, anyway. Their's is one of those recipe challenges this month ~ pop on over & take a peek HERE.
We were up & off to the airport at 3am this morning ~ that's 1am Aussie time, so I think I'm ready to turn in ... take care ... not long 'til Christmas now:)
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Scraphappy Kat ~ November sketch challenge

2011-11-25T14:22:00.001+11:00

...just couldn't resist one last challenge before we leave for NZ. Mainly because this photo has been sitting in the lounge, & it needed to be either put away or scrapped! When I saw Nikki's eg for the November Challenge over at Scraphappy Kat, I decided to give it a go. Bit of a different spin. You had to interpret her sketch for yourself. Challenging! Here's her piccy:

...and this is what I did with it:

I've stamped with a 'bingo' stamp on the bg....

Here's a couple of close ups ~ the little stamped & embossed owls ~ aren't they cuuuutte:)

...and the lovely, shimmery bow ~ more ribbon from the church fete!
This is really, truly, my last post, 'cos we leave tomorrow for NZ ~ & this is my 100th post, & I was going to do the RAK thing ~ that will have to wait 'til we're home from hol's, now.
Take care, Lizzy H.

Scrapbookers Anonymous 'D' Challenge for November.

2011-11-22T15:16:00.001+11:00

Hi there... well, work's over & on the weekend we head to Christchurch for a couple of weeks ~ so I'm pretty sure, nigh on positive I won't be blogging for a while then!
However, as an avid follower of Scrapbookers Anonymous [the most fantastic challenge site that ENCOURAGES you to use up those bits'n'pieces that have been hanging around for so long you can't remember when], I'm putting my 'D' card in here. Actually, I've got 2 entries in one. Weird? Yep! What happened, is I wanted my 'Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge', which was about books [scroll down to find it - or 'home'] for my 'me' album that I've been compiling for a while.
Well, silly Lizzy that I am, I finished it THEN realised it was supposed to be half A4 size... certainly not the 12"x12" that I'd done. Never one to be fazed, I thought I'd just do another book challenge for SA's 'D' challenge. I busily sketched on the way to work on the train & had wonderful ideas of Diamond shaped kites, Diamentes, Denim & I was gonna DOODLE big time. Yeah. Right. Guess what I've discovered? I CANNOT doodle! Chantal Vandenberg can.. but me? Nup! So... in the interests of all of us that have had failures, but get right on back up, have a look at this. If you can bear it. It aint pretty!

Sad. AND I wasted some lovely alpha's! As you can see, I ripped off my kite; threw one away [it had journalling on it] & kept the one I actually did like! Then for attempt 2:

Well, this was okayish, but I really don't like it. The only thing I WAS happy about was the Denim kite tails ~ I'll use this idea again, somewhere! Here's a close up of the ONE good thing:

Soooo, back to the drawing board. I got this fab stamp from the Craft Show recently, & DH has just mounted it for me, & since it has a Dressmaker's Dummy on it.... yes! I could use it for the 'D' SA challenge. This one I really, really like. I've used actual cardboard behind the stamp [from an old writing pad], & that lace looking paper is from another elderly scrapbooker who used to go to our church - goodness knows how long she'd had it. The denim flowers I made myself, using lace from the op shop, & I've fussy cut & Dimensioned [a word??!!] the dummy for a better effect. The ink is Holtz distress, called.... Denim Blue! Another D ..... plus there are some Diamentes there, too. Sorry to wax on, but it was nice to get something positive out of a woeful start:):)
Here 'tis:

And guess what? I think this is a fave card! And I stitched. Again!
Better go before you yawn from too much talk,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Thanks to Leanne Allinson:)

2011-11-20T15:47:00.001+11:00

One of the things I looove about this scrappy world is the fact anyone & everyone can be a winner. I really enjoy looking at all your blogs out there, & also love going into comp's, especailly blog hops. If you haven't noticed, I love commenting on your LO's, too ~ there's so much amazing work out there.

Anyways, Get Picky recently had a B-I-G blog hop for their birthday, & I was very, very fortunate to be the random winner over at Leanne Allinson's blog. She's a very talented lady who sent me a gorgeous little pack of goodies. The flowers are absolutely beautiful ~ too nice to use!!!! There were lots of cute little embellies that I really adore & feel very appreciative to have been sent. Here's a piccy....

Bizarre as it may be, I've never, ever had a proper shipping tag before ~ let alone one that's been so amazingly decorated. Aren't I lucky??!!!

So thank you all those lovely ladies/blogs/shops out there who share so freely.... I'm thinking maybe when I hit the 100th post or something I should do something similar. 'Fraid it'll be slim pickings, but I guess that's not the point, is it?!!! I'll keep you informed:)
Cheers, LIzzy H.

Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge... 2nd bite!

2011-11-20T15:29:00.001+11:00

Hi there, I absolutely desperately wanted to do this challenge ~ it's a sketch plus it had to be about your fave book [s].
From a very young age I was always the one with 'her nose stuck in a book' ~ graduating from Enid Blyton, to Trixie Beldon & Nancy Drew, to romance, then mysteries.... whatever I could lay my hands on. Today it's not that much different.... BUT I adore Alexander McCall-Smith's books. I think you either love 'em or hate 'em. To me, they have a genteel-ness and a morality that I find sadly lacking in our busy world. I remember my Grandmother complaining of the exact same thing. Perhaps we all end up thinking like this as we age.... anyways, here's my LO. You've still got time to scrap about your OWN BOOK LOVES over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge. So hop to it! It's FUN!!!!!


I've stuck really close to the sketch 'cos buttons & ric rac are 2 of my most fave embellies ~ added some fussy cut flowers, hearts & other flowers too. Bit of doodling as well. Note the pun with the title... & this paper is from My Little Shoebox; EP alpha's/birdy. Buttons from Aldi's!!!!!

Cheers, Lizzy H.

GIVE AWAY TIME at ONCE UPON A...SKETCH

2011-11-20T11:06:00.001+11:00

Hi there ~ foolishly, I agreed to another day's work on Monday. That means, from last Saturday, including then, I will have been away from home [this includes travel time into Sydney, which is a bit of a nightmare] a total of 98 hours ~ that's a 12 hour day plus a little more!!!! I'm sooo glad I don't have kids, & DH is retired. I basically have been getting up, going to work, coming home, going to bed..... I'm sooo glad I usually only do a bit of casual work here & there. It's certainly made me a/ appreciate MY life & b/feel a great deal of empathy for those thousands of workers who commute between Newcastle & Sydney every day.
Now, for some bright, fun, exciting & potentially thrilling news! You too can be part of Nadia C's give away over at Once Upon A...Sketch. All you have to do is what I've done.
Join her blog & leave your details over there... plus put a post up with the piccy below of the amazing Melissa Frances 5th Avenue collection that is a prize!
So, here it is:

Pretty gorgeous, don't you think? To link directly to the GIVEAWAY POST, click HERE.
To take a peek at more of Melissa's 5th Avenue collection, click HERE.

The creative designers & the LO's over at Once Upon A...Sketch are all amazing, so at the very least, go check out the site & prepare to be inspired:):)
Take care, Lizzy H.

Scrap Jacked November Challenge

2011-11-13T18:00:00.001+11:00

Guess what? I almost forgot the November Challenge at Scrap Jacked! Can't believe I would do such a thing:) I really liked Julie's LO over there, but time is constrained, so instead of a LO I made a card ~ lovin' that shabby look that Julie is so good at & that is such fun to 'jack'! To check out more of her work, click here. Meanwhile, here's her inspirational LO & my interpretation.

Just looooved how Julie used the ribbon & twine together ~ I really wanted to have a go at doing the same!

...and a dimensional shot. Lots of fussy cutting here plus stamping, stitching, colouring with inks...

Finally, the whole card:)

Julie's bg is a very subtle, shaded green, & mine's a blue ~ neither have shown up very well in the photos ~ never mind!
Take care, now,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Lily Pad CCC

2011-11-11T20:49:00.001+11:00

...and here's my final one. The November/December CCC over at LilyPad. For all the info about how to enter etc etc, link here. It's a little different with Christmas coming up. I've used the colours ~ blues & browns ~ that we were given & also a 'friend' theme.
Here it is:

A lot of Stampin' Up here ~ stamps, inks, punch & paper. Some pearls & the flower lace are from my stash, as is the ribbon. I urge you to check out the CCC & to join. Honestly, it's sooo much fun receiving a card from someone, somewhere else in the world who loves creating cards too. It's great:):)

Have a great week ~ cheers, Lizzy H.

Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge ~ November

2011-11-11T20:30:00.001+11:00

Hi there, yes, it's ANOTHER freaking scrappy challenge!!!! Over at ~ yep! Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge blog:):)
This challenge required you to scrap about a belief or philosophy you have ~ either serious or silly. I went for silly. Sort of, anyway. It's for my 'me' book..... silly or serious? You decide!

Lots of stitching, denim, stamping of the teapots, & a little birdy who says it all!!! Oh, & I inked the orange 'I believe' with Holtz distress ink dauber, China Blue. I like this effect.
Cheers, Lizzy H.

PS: Hope no-one takes offence. I guess being a Christian, I have a fairly positive attitude towards death ~ means I'll be with God, so I'm happy for that to happen. So, if you DO believe that way, then death shouldn't be too onerous a thought ~ & if you don't, then I guess every day should be lived to enjoy the here & now.... doesn't leave much room for offence, actually, does it?

Stuck?! Sketches ~ November sketch challenge

2011-11-11T16:41:00.001+11:00

Hi there, here's my Stuck?! LO ~ I really enjoyed using pretty colours & embellies for this one. Gotta post in a hurry ~ my 7 days straight work are almost upon me!


I made the "inpsire" flower & fussy cut the stamped duck/goose....

You can j-u-s-t see the stitching behind the flowers....

The title is chipboard that I've covered with paper & cut around, & I thought the flower circle was a bit different ~ it's also stitched & inked behind:)

The photos weren't very good, but I really wanted to scrap 'us', as it IS a rare occasion that we're together, so just did the best with what I had.
Cheers, Lizzy.

Scrapbookers Anonymous ~ November Challenge

2011-11-08T19:11:00.003+11:00

Wowsy! It's soooo hot here ~ up in the 30 degree celsius for the past couple of days. Even the vege garden is wilting! However, I'm making hay while the sun shines [in other words, before I start my 7 days straight of working!] & here's my card for the challenge over at Scrapbookers Anonymous. This month you have to use 7 ribbons on your project! That's a lot, but of course I've got many, many more than that in my collection!
DH had a very good surgeon for his operation earlier this year, & wanted to send him a 'thankyou' card, so, this is it. A male doctor's 'taa' card??!!! I used some MME 'Lost & Found' behind the ribbons, which are all hanging around ['scuse the pun], plus, can you see the crimping I've done on the black card behind the sentiment? Anyway, here it is:

Just so you can see that crimper in action ~ I've kept it out after last months challenge at SA!! Notice I have also SEWED again. Don't know what's wrong with me!!!!

That's it for now, folks... Cheerio! Lizzy H

Scraphappykat ~ Friday night challenge

2011-11-07T20:34:00.002+11:00

The girls over at Scraphappykat hold FNC's [took me ages to work out they are Friday Night Challenges!] & November 4th's was to use White Space. If you look at my blog a little, you'll know I find this VERY challenging! Sooo, I had a 'go' today ~ they're due tomorrow, so I've just snuck this in in time. I used a very old Stampin Up jumbo wheel stamp 'houses' in the background, some Kaiser rub-ons, some Sassafrass Lass card stock & a gorgeous, live kookaburra who likes to visit us:):) Keep an eye out for Scraphappykat's FNC's & other bits'n'pieces~ there's always something going on over there:):)

I'm really on a roll ATM ~ won't last, I'm sure:):)
Cheers, Lizzy H

Challenge Me Happy #10

2011-11-07T16:28:00.002+11:00

Hello fellow scrappers!
Today I'm sharing my entry in the latest Challenge Me Happy Competition ~ which is going in the comp with not that much time to spare, as entries close on the 15th.
I made this for my DH's brother & wife, as a Christmas pressy ~ we're going over to New Zealand at the end of November, so I'll take it with us [bit of irony there, as Challenge Me Happy is a Kiwi blog!]. They've been married for a VERY LONG TIME [!!], & have a strong faith in God, so I thought this would suit perfectly.
Here it is:

With this challenge, you could link up ANYTHING, long as it was your best & most favourite work...& I was really happy with this ~ it's got lots of flowers, which I know they'll love,
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Purple Pumpkin Giveaway

2011-11-06T19:28:00.003+11:00

Hi there, well I hardly blinked & the weekend has gone. Hope yours lasted longer:)
Yesterday I went with my Mum & her friend to Penrith to the Sydney Paper Crafts Festival. It was Fun [with a capital 'F'] & I've been busy today creating, making up for not having scrapped for a whole week.
Meanwhile, over at Purple Pumpkin, they've got a FANTASTIC giveaway going on ~ link HERE for the post you need to be in it yourself. As you know, I like to 'spread the love' & I'm more than happy to do this for Purple Pumpkin.Their products are absolutely gorgeous & very versatile for scrappy folk ~ as you'll see if you go over & check them out. They have an amazing CT as well, & cause I really, really like some of their work, click on the following names if you want to go see how they can inspire you:)
Here's some of my faves:
Chantal Vandenburg
Sarah Ward
Sara Noendeng
Kylie Symons
And here's some of their yummm goodies. Next sale is 18th November, 7pm:)

Cheers for now, Lizzy.

Card and a Half ~ Challenge #6

2011-11-06T19:13:00.002+11:00

Hi there, Helen over at Card and a Half is holding a sketch challenge this month with lots of lovely circles ~ here's the sketch:

....and here's the card I made, which is for a dear friend who is VERY MUCH looking forward to her retirement!
I wanted bright, happy colours to reflect on this being a very happy time in her life:)
Cheers, Lizzy H.

Once Upon a...Sketch ~ November 1st Challenge

2011-11-06T19:01:00.001+11:00

Hi there, as I mentioned, I've been scrapping today & finished this LO for Once Upon A...Sketch. This time there was a sketch to follow, as well as having to journal about when & why you started to scrap. I really went to town with this one, but am equally pleased with how it turned out. Hope you like it too:)

I've used white ink to create a bg to write on ~ I liked how you can still see the paper etc behind.

We've got Sassafrass Lass, stitching, Kaiser transfers, Crate, EP, SEI, oh, all sorts ~ even some paper I've clear embossed & inked, SU stamp, & some 'real' lace & staples amongst the 'pretend'....


Thought I'd leave the bg of the photo in... our back yard in its natural state:)

Bye for now, Lizzy H.