Hello World!

Hi there, its been oh so long since I last posted anything on this blog, but I decided it was time to dust off the cobwebs and let you all kow that yes I am still alive :) What have I been doing? lots of crazy things lol! Crafting? A little but more gardening lately, it has become a passion...I particularly love the idea of mini gardening and I have been trying my hand at the art of Bonsai. I have really liked little mini cactus and other small succulents for a while but wasn't sure where I would plant them. After finding lots of inspiriation on the internet I decided that I should have a go. I brought a small selection of succulents at bunnings and a 25 cm terracotta pot. I decided on the design that I wanted, then I thought I would just jump in and have a go! This is what I ended up with.... I covered the terrapotta pot with a teatowel and tapped lightly where I thought I would want the break to be and luckily for me it just worked out pretty much how I wanted it to... as you can see I used the left over pieces to create levels in the pot. After adding the plants I decided it needed something extra, a horse or a tiny farm house or something. My daughter quickly offered me a leggo horse and he fit in fantastically. Thanks Brieana! After looking at it for a short while i decided it still needed something...hmmm why not add a bottom layer by filling the larger drainage tray, I think I made the right choice as it seems to finish it all off nicely... I remembered that I had a little add on leggo pack stashed away, with this little guy with his little barrow and pick and shovel...maybe he is out prospecting for gold or something, or just collecting rocks for his garden, either way, I think he fit in nicely. I really enjoyed putting this together and can see myself making a few more really soon. Watch out kids, you better hide your leggo :o) Thanks for stopping by Peta xoxo

Legend of the Christmas Star

Wow can you believe it is only 51 days until Christmas...

I better get cracking on all my christmas goodies!

 

I have been playing around with Stampin up's

Holiday Ornament stamps and dies

 I just love the holiday ornaments that were

featured their latest mini catalogue, so ofcourse

I had a go at doing some myself.

 

I am going to attach "The Legend of the Christmas Star"

to these and give them to my kids teachers.

 

 

 

 

here is the poem...

 

A diamond shines no brighter

then a lonely christmas star.

It shines in all its brilliance:

it's seen from near or far.

A symbol of the Christ child

as he lay upon the hay.

It tells to all the waiting world

a King was born that day!

 

O Bethlehem star keep shining-

give us faith and hope and love.

Keep our thoughts forever turning

to the Saviour up above.

Give us strength and hope and courage

to do our best by far

and never falter in our faith

as we watch that Christmas star.

 

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

 

Peta xoxo

 

 

 

Cars Lolly box

Now that Halloween is done and dusted, it's time

to start planning my children's birthday parties...

They are both december babies, with birthday 2 days apart.

 

I have entertained the idea of shared parties, but I have my

daughter turning 8 (although I think she likes to think

she's a teenager lol) and my boy will be 4.

So that would never work (sigh).

 

So we have agreed on 2 seperate parties. My daughter wants

the movies and My boy wants "Disney Cars"

So at the moment we are working on the Cars one :o)

 

I was lucky to find that a relatively local play centre

has a great deal and a cars themed room...Yay!

So I am thinking of getting all the Cars themed plates etc

(even though I don't really have to provide those, its just

that I thought it would make it that bit more special)

 

So then I started thinking about Lolly/fabour boxes.

I looked at commercial boxes and bags, but couldnt find

quite what I wanted.

So I thought hang on, I can make something I am sure!

After lots of trial and error in the planning

I came up with something I was happy with.

 

So without further Ado, I present to you all

Mack...

...his cap comes off and can be fill with lollies and favours.

I think next time his wheel rims will be silver.
But I think not bad for my first attempt anyway haha

Thanks for stopping by
Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo
 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween (well a little late)

My kids just love Halloween. We don't go out trick

or treating ourselves, but my kids love to dress up and

hand out candy to all the trick or treaters that know on

the door. Unfortunately, this year, the weather put them

all off and we didn't even have one knock on the door.

My daughter was devestated!

Mind you she doesn't mind picking at the huge witches cauldron

that is still full of halloween goodies hehehe.

 

All was not lost though, she asked me if I could make a little

treat that she could hand out to all the kids in her class.

So she handed them out at school on Halloween.

 

I made the girls a little Bat purse filled with lollies.

The handbag is a Stampin up die "Petite Purse"

and I used some punches to make the eyes and wings

ans some scraps to make the teeth and ears

 

they were a huge hit, the boys even wanted them!

I wasn't quite so creative with the boys ones, as I was

quickly running out of time. But they were just as happy anyway.

I used Stampin up's "Mini Milk Carton" die and the

new "Goulish Gouls"stamps and designer kit.

 

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

 

Peta xoxo

 

 

Fat Quarter swap

I celebrated my umteenth birthday this month

uuurrrggghhh dont you hate birthdays when they are your own

...I know I do... lol!

 

I joined Cheryll's Fat Quarter swap earlier this year

and we each send a Fat Quarter to each lady in the

swap when her birthday comes around. We all end up with

12 fat quarters on our birthday :oD

 

So first of all I would like to send a big thanks to everyone

for their birthday greetings and goodies

and now I have a piccy to share too

 

Thanks again to everyone and Thanks Cheryll for hosting

another fab swap!

 

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo

 

Halloween swap update

Hi everyone

I know that I promised to come back and show what I sent to

Lisa in that Halloween swap that we did together, but I have

been busy over that last few weeks, so I have come back today to

quickly share what I sent to her

 

I made the halloween wreath and crackers using my own set

of the stampin up Goulish Gouls and designer kit.

I sent Lisa a set of these stamps and kit, as I knew she'd

enjoy using them with her kids.

Here is a close up of the wreath.

 

I also made a book that Lisa can use to record her

favourite halloween recipes and ideas.

She LOVES Alice in Wonderland, so I used that as

my theme using some of the Graphic 45

Halloween in Wonderland papers that I also sent Lisa

 

Thanks again Lisa, I had a great time with this swap.

 

Thanks for stopping by

Happy crafting!

 

Peta xoxo

 

 

 

Happy Boo from me to you!

well Hello everyone...

I know, I know its been AGES since I have been seen or heard
anywhere around here!

It's just that I have been so busy with lots of things going on :o)

 

So what have I been up to??? EVERYTHING!

but today I have to share for you........ a swap :oD

 

My niece Lisa Lee and myself thought it would be a great idea

to swap all things Halloween...well Ok it was Lisa's

idea, but I loved it anyway and jumped at the opportunity

...and I am so glad that I did!

 

We had to send 4 things associated with Halloween

and these are the gorgeous gifts that I recieved...

Drool if you will hehehe, because they are all mine :oD

 

firstly a handmade Halloween Prim doll

 

isn't she divine! I love that face..so full of halloween

cheekiness..still thinking of the right name for her!

Lisa tells me the fabric charges up under light and glows in the

dark, so I better try this very soon ;o)

 

and did you know that Lisa is absolutely amazing

at making canvases...blows me away every time!!!!

well, I was lucky enough to get these 3 stunning creations...

 

I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw these

aren't they just so stinking cute!

I LOVE THEM ALL!!!!

I think my fave is the Bat boy at the end there, but I really

love them all, and they are absolutely amazing in real

life, so full of texture and colour and just so WOW!!!!

 

Lisa also sent some cute spider web fabric and some authentic

American Pumpkin seeds too , I will have to get the kids to help

plant them soon :oD

 

here is another pic of the entire package, I still keep looking :o)

 

Thanks so much Lisa I love each and every piece.

Hope you like what I send you...eeek lol!

 

I will be back in a few days to show what I sent to Lisa

but I just need to wait for her to recieve hers first ;o)

 

Thanks for stopping by

 

Happy crafting!

Peta xoxox

 

 

 

Santa swap...August

Hi peeps

as you know I am in a fantastic Santa sack swap with Lauren

in Cheryll's santa sack swap 2012

Well...August came at  us at an alarming rate and before we knew it,

it was time to send our second installments for the swap...

Here is the awesome package that Lauren sent to me

I was delighted to see fantales overflowing the package

(one of my all time faves  lol), and a yummy twirl too, the kids

were fighting over that one hehehe.

and a closer pic to show the 2 gifts...

and the gorgeous handmade card....I love how she has made

the card to match the wrapping...and I am kicking'myself that I

never brought that Dasher stamp lol!

The gifts have been added to my santa sack, that Lauren made

just for me and stowed away to avoid temptation til christmas :o)

and here is what I sent to Lauren...

I have sent these gifts for August and September to avoid

late postage (hope thats ok Lauren) and added a cute santa ornament

filled with mints that I was able to get at my local shop.

The card looks a little pale in the pic but I used stampin up

products to create it.

Thanks for stopping by

til next time...

Happy crafting!

Peta xoxo

Christmas boxes/bags

I recently joined Stampin Up and have been playing

around with papercrafts again.

With all of the Christmas in July projects happening,

it got me in the mood to start planning treat boxes/bags.

I have taken lots of inspiration from this wonderful website

Chicnscratch this lady has some of those most awesome

papercraft tutorials you will ever see...

Here is what I have come up with

I have added beads and sequins to the treat cup to make it

a snow globe (and yes there is a tutorial HERE)

Then ofcourse I had to try it in another colour and see

if the treat cup would hold water. So as you can see,

they are in fact great for making real snow globes!

next time. I will add that little bit more water, as

I thought it was more full than it was lol.

I laso made this one

and this one

the tutorial for this one is HERE

if you are looking for any of the dies or other products

that I have used in making any of these, you can get them

from you local Stampin Up demonstrator or you can contact me.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy crafting!

Peta xoxo

Santa sack swap

Hi everyone

Yesterday I recieved my Santa sack and first 2 gifts from

Lauren in Cheryll's Santa sack swap

I was so happy when I opened my parcel, to see the sack that

I was eyeing on the santa sack blog...yay me :oD

Lauren saw that I am a big fan of Tone Finnanger

and this is the gorgeous santa sack that she made just for me.

Thankyou so much Lauren, I absolutely Love it!!!!

and here are the gorgeous card and gifts that were inside

I have been very good and have packed them away

without squeezing them at all ;o)

Out of sight out of mind hehe, you'll (I'll) have to wait

til Christmas to see whats inside!

Here is what I sent to Lauren

the stitchery patterns are from Natalie Bird's

"Tis the Season".

Hope you like them Lauren :oD

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo

Santa sack swap 2012

Hi swappers

you do not want to miss this!

Cheryll is again hosting her annual Santa Sack/Stocking Swap

It is a 6 month commitment where you make and send your

assigned partner a sack or stocking and fill it with 2 gifts every

month from June til December...

Sound awesome? Then quickly head on over HERE

Cheryll is taking a limited number of people this year, and places are

filling fast...Good Luck!

I made a bangle :oD

A friend convinced me to join her at a jewellery making workshop.

I have never attempted to make any jewellery before, so I thought

it would be lots of fun to try something new.

We had the choice of a few different kits and the lady showed some

different techniques and types of jewellery kits that she also makes.

I think this could get quite addictive!

Today's class was very simply, we made a stretchy bracelet using

metal beads and "Stretch Magic"which is just a super stretchy cord

and a little dab of jewellery glue to keep the knot secure.

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo

PS... Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Just some quick cards

My daughter's school were putting together some mother's day hampers to raffle off, they asked for donations to add to them. Everyone seemed to be adding cosmetics and cremes, so I thought I'd make a pack of 10 quick and simple cards that someone could use, mainly birthday cards, as I figured everyone needs to buy birthday cards, especially mums, with all the parties their children get invited to...

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo

Anzac Day

Thankyou to all the Men, Women and Horses who have

served our country!

They shall not grow old

as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them

nor years condemn them

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM!

There is a new Colour swap over at Lydias Treasures

RULES FOR THIS SWAP:

You have to send you partner SIX gifts (as colour has six letters) of their favourite colour. At least ONE of the gifts have to be handmade. You can give six handmade gifts if you would like to.

It is only optional to send gifts in the letters of COLOUR. It is NOT a must for this swap.

for more info and to sign up, pop on over HERE 

and HERE

Peta xoxo



Happy Easter!

I made this bunny and bag based on Tilda designs.

They were going to be included in my OASS Autumn, but when I read

the rules properly, I realised that we couldn't use Easter related

items to fill the requirements of the swap.

Not to worry, I did come up with some other alternatives

and my little girl will happily accept them as part of her easter

goodies, so everything turned out just fine!

Thanks for stopping by

Hope you all have a fantastic and safe Easter!

Happy Crafting

Peta xoxo



OASS swap received

Yay I just recieved my OASS Autumn themed swap parcel!

I just found a nice parcel on my doorstep that came all the way

from New Zealand :oD

My secret swap partner was Michell and you can check out her

 awesome blog HERE

I absolutely love this bag (I did borrow the pics from Michell's

blog, I hope she doesnt mind, my batteries went flat in my camera)

and I also recieved some gorgeous souveniers from New Zealand

too, a book mark, Tiki keyring, pen and postcard

and also a cute little Moda fabric sampler in autumn colours.

 

Thankyou Michell, I really love my gifts and thanks again

to Cheryll for hosting another awesome swap :oD

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo

Once a season swap...Autumn

I joined in Cheryll's  "Once a season swap"  and the theme

this season is AUTUMN

I must admit, I did find this one rather challenging,

as the colours of Autumn are usually the colours

that I avoid crafting with. It's not that I don't like

these colours, its just that I've never thought to try them.

My first thoughts were of Easter, as Easter falls in Autumn

here in Australia, but a closer look at Cheryll's

rules made me realise that I couldn't hide behind

the Easter bunny and had to come up with something

more related to Autumn itself.

I was lost for ideas, but finally came up with

some bits and pieces, and I do hope that

they reflect Autumn for my secret swap partner Fiona

I have just heard that the gifts have been recieved so I can now
share them with you :o)

I took the pattern for this bag from Janelle Wind's

Pieces of Me...

and here is the rest of the package I have sent...

...4 tea towels in autumn tones

2 scented candles (also autumn tones)

some Orange truffles

a fat quater of fabric

and a butterfly

Fiona is also in Cheryll's birthday fat quater club

and I know that she has recently celebrated her

birthday, so why not pop on over HERE and

wish her a fantastic day and also check out all

of her amazing creations too  :oD

Hope you like your gifts Fiona

and thanks again to Cheryll for hosting another

amazing swap!

Thanks for stopping by

Happy crafting!

Peta xoxo

heart swap

Hi everyone

do you remember this sneak peek?

well it was for Cheryll's Initial heart swap. I had to send to

Barb from Barbs Creations

I started tp worry that Barb hadn't recieved it in time but found

that she has posted about it on her blog, so now I can share the

rest of the image with you :oD

I also sent a heart notebook

a 3 pack of Ferrero Rocher

a 3 pack of Raffaello

and a fat quarter of love heart fabric.

Hope you like your gifts Barb :o)

Thanks so much to Cheryll too for hosting another

awesome swap!

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxox

Check this out!

Hi everyone

I know you're all well and truly over Christmas,

but I really had to share this, I was so excited lol!

where did I get this cool idea?

Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 13

I love it, it's just one of those plastic wine glasses,

turned upsidedown filled with momentos and the bottom

glued on to finish it off. The book used an oversized

bottletop, but I just used the base of the glass, it fits perfectly!

The reindeer is a wine bottle stopper, I cut the cork down

to fit better inside and added a poinsettier flower and

some text, a bits of gold cord and glitter and a ornament

topper from an old bauble.

I can see myself making loads of these, you can add

anything your imagination desires, even photos :o)

Thanks for stopping by

Happy Crafting!

Peta xoxo