T for Tuesday

There is a coffee shop hubby and I love having breakfast at called Coffee Club. There is one near work and we decided on Sunday to go and have breakfast before my shift started. I chose the Gourmet French toast with peaches, it was divine with maple syrup. Hubby chose ham and cheese croissant which looks abit sick because of the way it was reheated.

I love their plate with the message WHERE WILL I MEET YOU? so cute isn't it? Of course I had to have my English Breakfast tea.

Since the last T hop I made a one layer Christmas card HERE

I shared some exciting news HERE and HERE, I hope you will all be able to come and play with me next year, and you can win some gorgeous craft prizes when you play along.

An un thinkable tragedy happened in Australia on Monday 15th, we had a hostage siege at a Lindt Cafe in Martin Place in the heart of the business district in downtown Sydney. I have family and one of my daughters lives there and works right in the area it happened. Tragically we have two heroes who died trying to save other hostages. This is a sea of flowers left by well wishers, it is almost as huge as the flowers left at Buckingham Palace when Lady Diana died. You can read some of the rolling coverage HERE

Joining Elizabeth and Bluebeard for T for Tuesday

WOYWW # 289

I have no idea why this photo is so dark around the outside of the desk lamp., all the lights were on in the room, probably just the angle of the camera. Trying to use Tim Holtz Chevron die, lesson learnt, leave the cut pieces in when you die-cut. It was like trying to put a puzzle piece together. 

Now this photo is taken in the same light from the other side of the loooong desk. I was doing some laminating as well and you can see stamps from Darkroom Door and Ryn's wonderful water droplet stamps which is still in pristine condition (unstamped LOL).

Since the last desk hop I made a one layer Christmas card HERE. I shared some exciting news HERE and HERE, I hope you will all be able to come and play with me next year, and you can win some gorgeous craft prizes when you play along.

An un thinkable tragedy happened in Australia on Monday 15th, we had a hostage siege at a Lindt Cafe in Martin Place in the heart of the business district in downtown Sydney. I have family and one of my daughters lives there and works right in the area it happened. Tragically we have two heroes who died trying to save other hostages. This is a sea of flowers left by well wishers, it is almost as huge as the flowers left at Buckingham Palace when Lady Diana died. You can read some of the rolling coverage HERE

Joining Julia's Stamping Ground for this weekly desk hop

Design Team Announcement - One Layer Christmas Cards

I have more wonderful news to share today. 

I will be designing for 

One Layer Christmas Cards in 2015

Here are the rest of the Design Team Members

Bridget Larsen

Lee-Anne Cross

Kim Makortoff

Nonni Niskanen

Susan Joyce

Vicki Dutcher

Vickie Yeakley

Why don't you come a long and play, what better way to get your Christmas cards done throughout the year than to play in an all year Christmas card challenge.

Design Team Announcement - Red Carpet Studio

I have some wonderful news to share. I have been accepted into the 

Red Carpet Studio Design Team for 2015.

I look forward to seeing your projects in the challenges

The New Design Divas are:

Bridget

Candice

Devra

Kathryn

Leslie

Robin

Returning Design Divas are:

Angela

Connie

Nadine

Stephanie

Tammy

Tonya

Come along and play with us, put on your best Red Carpet gown and win prizes along the way

Less is More Week 202 - One layer Challenge - Snow

This is my entry to Less is More card challenge this week.

A quick and easy one layer card.

Stamp It: Christmas and New Year and Holly stamps

Versa Magic: Cloud White chalk ink

Bazzill: Black cardstock
Kaisercraft: Rhinestones Red

Miscellaneous: Christmas Washi tape

WOYWW # 288

What's on my desk this week.

Some challenges I was making beside the tissue box. 

Tim Holtz Christmas and Chevron die

Darkroom Door stamps 

Designs by Ryn stamps

Ink pads

Couture Creations dies and embossing folders

Craft Projects I've made last week can be found HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE

Some of you may not know but google have put on your blogs that house number verification code. To take that off just change your comments/email to embed.

Joining Julia's Stamping Ground for some nosy desk hopping

T for Tuesday

 We planted some chilli trees and tomato and blueberries a few weeks ago, these are the results

I then realised I had enough colours and shapes to make a smiley face.

This is our miniature garden, you can see sage, mint, rosemary, curry leaf, blueberry and more.

For some unknown reason Google has decided they would like to make my blog safe so they have introduced unbeknownst to me the reCAPTCHA facility where you have to type in a housenumber. I have not discovered how to remove it yet. Thanks Elizabeth for bringing it to my attention. I have noticed most blogs have it now.

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth's T for Tuesday

Elf-Red Carpet Studio Challenge # 84

My design for Red Carpet Studio as a Design Team Member is a Christmas

layout of this cute little Elf Ava, isn't she just adorable!

Run over to 

Red Carpet Studio Challenge #84

an enter your project to win a prize and also a Guest Designer spot in 2015

This movie is about Buddy who was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. 

THE CHALLENGE: CREATE A PROJECT INSPIRED BY THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Christmas Card

This is my entry for Muse Challenge inspired by Vicki Dutcher

Thank you all for voting for my previous entries.

Linking up with Muse Challenge # 96

by Vicki Dutcher

Also linking up with Kylie's Christmas Card Challenge ends 21st December

prize is a watermark signature by Kylie Purtell 

And Vandicrafts Artistry Challenge # 20-anything goes with a twist

Couture Creations Christmas Lyrics embossing folder

Imaginecrafts/Tsukineko Memento Rhubarb Stalk ink

Kaisercraft Pearls

Miscellaneous ribbon, jewels, kraft and red cardstock

Lumiere Pearl Emerald green paint.

Twiddleybitz chipboard

Swiped the inkpad across the embossed card.

Embossed kraft cardstock, swiped inkpad over cs gently. Use dauber to ink chipboard-let stand to dry. Adhere all the pieces together.

EDITED 10 Dec...thanks for voting everyone my card got Honourable Mention

One Layer Card - Bleach Technique

Bleaching technique

Image is embossed to retain the lines, use a brush you won't need again and brush on undiluted bleach. When the bleach is dry, colour one of the leaves with H20 to bring it out and give it dimension.

The trick is to use an inferior quality card stock, usually found in Australian newsagents, good quality card stock will not bleach well. Or if you look at a piece of card stock side on you will see the middle is a different colour, that is the best card stock to use.

Linking up to One Layer Card

One Layer Card Alcohol inks

Made this card using alcohol inks on gloss card, micro-beads and glitter

linking up with One Layer Cards

WOYWW # 287

 This is what you will find on my desk, hanging holding my glass or cuppa, its a wonderful invention. I too off the rubbish bag as I have lots and only need it for the cup holder for now. If I go to stamp days or retreats I will take the full kit with me.

My newest purchases, love them all, need to get busy and craft now.

For those of you who want to see what I have created this week check them out

HERE-Chipboard and HERE-One Layer Card and HERE-Muse Challenge

Joining Julia's Stamping Ground for more desk dumping

T for Tuesday- Recipe and storm

I found a recipe to make cranberry pickle from the Odd Pantry.   It is awesome. I used dried cranberries as I have never seen fresh ones.

Cranberry Pickle

Makes 1 cup

225g (½  lb.) fresh cranberries (I used dried)

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp red chilli powder or to taste ( I used a achar mix store bought)

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds (Had no fenugreek so I used black mustard seeds)

1 cup or more mustard oil

Dry cranberries completely and cut each in half. Toss with salt and chilli. Lay them on a non-reactive tray in one layer, cover with cheesecloth and sun for a couple of days and toss with a clean spoon. Over the days the salt will draw out the moisture and air-dry the cranberries. After 3 -7 days they will look dehydrated and shrivel. Pound fenugreek sees in a mortar and pestle or in a clean coffee grinder. Mix in with cranberries. Place cranberries into a sterilized glass jar. Heat mustard oil in a pot and pour into jar with cranberries.

Cover and enjoy. No need to refrigerate.

Last thursday 27 November we had a flash storm, I went outside and got a photo of it approaching, luckily I was at home to close all the windows. It hailed the size of 20c pieces in our area but other areas did not fare well and got golf size or tennis ball size hail.  Lots of damage amounting to $200 million dollars in the whole state. 50 suburbs were affected. Power went out for other suburbs for 18 hours. Because we are on the same grid as the hospital our power flashed off and back on again within 1 minute. My family were the unlucky ones.

I have been drinking lots of powerade especially at work when I work outside as I've been getting heat affected with dehydration and no matter how much water I drink I need that electrolyte or else I end up with a whopping headache.

Linking up with Bluebeard and Elizabeth for T for Tuesday.