Wonderful Friend

I created this card last night as my sick little "Bonnie" lay fast asleep at my feet. She is my border collie of 13 years, but I still would like her to live a few more years, God willing?

In the past week she has been given a death sentence of "take her home to die" to.... or maybe not, to... maybe it could be something else, to....or it could still be liver and pancreatic cancer, to....she also has an auto immune disease that is still very serious, to.... hospitilisation, to.....now ..."lets see how this treatment goes". What a rollercoaster ride it has been.

She is not out of the woods and is still seriously ill, but all I knew was, I wasn't going to let her go the way she was without doing something! It has cost me like you can imagine in money, but in tears and heartache like only God can understand.

I love her so much :(

I wish I had a prettier photo of her before she had her coat taken off for summer, but that is on a cd somewhere, and my cd player on the computer is not working, so this is one I took the other day after a very very gentle bath. She is not too well, but you can see her soft loving eyes.

Oh... the card? Sorry.... well it says it all! Wonderful Friend xx

Oh So Lovely..... Another Free Set!

Don't you just love this Hostess Reward Set! It's FREE when you host a workshop that reaches the $300. Plus you get $30 to spend on any products in the catalogue. Plus at the moment, with Sale-A-Bration running, you qualify for another Free set for every $100 you spend. And if your workshop order reaches $600 you get another Free set!

How cool is that..... I LURRRV SALE-A-BRATION!

I've watercoloured this set with my all time favourite colour "Purely Pomegranate" and I've also done another one of those fake Hodgepodge, only this time in silver. To get the ribbon behind the hodgepodge like this, I used the double rectangle hole punch and slipped it through one slot under the hodgepodge, and out the other again as shown.

Off to wet my rabbit down again, I think it's 40 degrees here..... it's Hot!!

Believe, Love, Laugh, & Create!

Morning Gorgeous Girls,

This card is not really me, but anyways I was in the mood for another Challenge, and Our Stampin' Up! Team had two separate challenges this month, I just thought I would roll them into one.

1. To use any of the New Sale-A-Bration Reward sets,
2. To use four colours.... Saffron Yellow, Bashful Blue, Old Olive and Ruby Red.

But the real challenge, and main reason for my card, was to encourage two of our Team members who thought they had lost their Creative Mojo..... Whatever that is? I just wanted to encourage them and say....

Believe in Yourself, Love, Laugh & Create!






I hope it has encouraged them, they are such Great Girls, with such wonderful Talent! I think they may just be like the rest of us after Christmas Hols..... You Need a Holiday!!! Lol.

Materials (All Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Polka Dot Punches, Yummy (Both Sale-A-Bration Sets) Tres Chic
Cardstock: Whisper White, Saffron Yellow, Bashful Blue.
Ink: Bashful Blue, Saffron Yellow, Old Olive & Ruby Red. Versamark
Other: Embossing Powder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Mat Pack & Paper piercer

Embrace Life

My new Favourite Set!

So here are a few more cards I've created using this Beeeeauuutiful Set.

The first has a fake piece of pink hodge podge I created using the two oval punches and then I applied crystal effects to create the risen shiney bit (see the close up shot below). I am quite happy with the result and hope you can use this idea yourself. The photo corners were made using the technique described on Splitcoast Stampers. (see link below) This is a very simple technique and great if you don't have the punch.

On the second card I have used our lovely new scallop edge border punch to create a medalion that the white card runs through behind, you could also use a wide white ribbon and rubbons through the medalion. Again this technique is found on Splitcoast Stampers.

Now do I keep this card for Valentine's day...... or give it to my wonderful hubby now, today, for no reason at all? I think the second option is much nicer. Don't you?

Chat soon,

Blessings,

Tracy xxx

Makeesha's Challenge! My First Ever!

This is the First Challenge I have ever taken part in, and to be honest I did feel it quite a challenge to keep to a certain shape or size when I just wanted to make that little white square a wee bit bigger to do what I wanted to do....lol.

But I suppose that is the idea.... A Challenge!

Makeesha (also known as Keesh) if you don't know, is a very talented demo who's work I am in total admiration of.

Below is the sketch we had to follow!












And this is what I came up with...... "Embrace Kindness"
















I called it Embrace Kindess, because it used the stamps "Embrace Life" and Wheel called "Kindness." This is my favourite wheel because it has a lovely quote on it from Mother Teresa... "Kind words are short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless."

I also absolutely Luuurrv this new Set from the Spring Catalogue called "Embrace Life" as it can be used to make so many different cards using this one set! I will be posting a few that I have made over the next few days. And those flowers are just gorgeous to watercolour or sponge. (my new favourite technique... it is sooooooooo relaxing!)

First I embossed them on glossy cardstock, sponged the large flowers using daubers, then used markers on the darker edges of the flowers. On the blossums I used my blender pen and Purely Pomegrante stamp pad to give them a gentle shading in colours from light Pink to the rich darker colour of Purely Pomegranate. Lastly I dotted the "thingy-mi-bobs," in the middle of the flowers, with the Stampin' Up white Gel Pen.

If you want to know how i did anything else I haven't described, just email me.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Embrace Life, Wheel.. Kindess, Short & Sweet,
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Grey, StazOn Ink Pad, VersaMark,
Cardstock: Glossy White, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red,
Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Sponge daubers, Rose red marker, Blender pen, White Gel Pen, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, brads, dazzling diamonds, 2-Way glue pen.

I Hope you like it?

Look......Free Stamps Sets! Sale-A-Bration!

This is absolutely the best Promotion Stampin' Up runs all year! It's my favourite, You just get so much FOR FREE!!! Please Read on......

It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up! and free product is what it's all about!
Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new recruits the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamp sets they'll enjoy for years to come.
Click on the brochure to see the sets.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:
CustomersWhen you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward. There's no limit--for every $100 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration reward!

HostessesWhen you host a workshop of at least $600 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward--in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

RecruitsDuring Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $79.95--from our current Idea Book and Catalogue!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on 1 January and runs through 28 February, so don't miss your chance to earn free Stamps! Call me or email me today to book your workshop or learn more about this promotion. I also have a full-colour Sale-A-Bration brochures full of beautiful project ideas you can make using these limited-edition Sale-A-Bration sets, if you would like one just let me know.

Enjoy!
Hugs,
Tracy xx

Where have I been?

Wow? That is going to take weeks to explain, so I'll just abbreviate it to LIFE (and fun) Happens!!

Christmas was wonderful, as was New Years, then we have been on hols, and I don't think I have hardly been near my computer throughout that whole Season.

Here are a few shots of my Mad Kids (sorry adults now?) Christmas morning. Jonathan is the my oldest son, who put a plastic bag on his head not wrapping paper, his girfriend, Adeliade, to the left of him, then Jasmine, and Christopher.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Season too, and I am looking forward to a Blessed and Happy Year ahead for all of us.

Too make up for my lack of posting, I may just have to put through quite a few this week, so I hope you can keep up with it all, because I've got lots to tell you and show you.

Stay tuned.......

Hugs, Tracy xx