Merry Christmas!

To all my wonderful friends in blogland, I would like to wish you & your families a very happy and safe Christmas, whatever your day brings! I hope you've all been good and that Santa comes to visit you, but if you've been naughty like me, I just hope you were good at it!!! ;-)
Merry Christmas everyone! XXX

More Lily Bee!

I warned earlier there was more...

This LO was also created using Lily Bee Design 'Catching Fall' pps. I found this range really versatile as the pps are all quite different. I also used a Kaisercraft crochet doiley and rhinestone flourishes; American Crafts Nutmeg Thickers; and a Green Tara paper flower - all items available from Handmade By Suzanne, of course! From my stash I used some yummy japanese washi tape and one of my own fabric buttons.

This next creation is not actually a LO, it is an inspirational mini wall hanging I have made for my sister-in-law. (I reckon you can never have too much inspiration surrounding you!)

This was made using one of the Lily Bee Design 'Catching Fall' die cut frames as a base, which I inked the edges of, then backed with thick cardboard for stability. The alphas are Sassafras Lass and Carolees Creations; and I have used Green Tara mini flowers, a Scrapware mini chipboard house, MM epoxy sticker and twine to embellish. (Do you think it's bad to be addicted to twine? LOL)

December = Hectic!!!

I am sure my life is no different to anyone else's at the moment - HECTIC!!! December seems to pass by in the blink of an eye with all the Christmas preparations and festivities, family get-togethers, visitors and everything else that happens at this time of the year. Sometimes with all this activity it can be difficult finding time to get creative, but I at last found my mojo and a bit of spare time to get into my DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne. This month I got to play with the gorgeous "Catching Fall" range from Lily Bee Design. Here's some of my creations...

For this LO I grunged up the Lily Bee pps using glimmermist, and included an ecclectic mix of embellishments. One of my fave items is the stunning Maya Road crystal trinket pin. You can also spy some Green Tara paper string & mini flowers; Prima lace; silver crown brad and Jenni Bowlin Studio chalkboard alphas - all available from Handmade By Suzanne. I've also included one of my own stamped calico buttons and a mini crochet flower from Lime Tree Creations, amongst other things. The flourishes were cut from some black American Crafts glittered cardstock using a Tim Holtz die by my sister - thanks Mandy! :-)

I love the simplicity of this LO, which all came together pretty quickly for me. Again, it features some gorgeous Lily Bee Design pps, which have been sprayed / spattered with Coffee Shop and Jazz Blue glimmermists and also inked. I rounded the corners of my photos using my EK Success corner rounder punch and used aqua Patchwork fabric Thickers for the title (one of my all time faves!). Simple embellishing with a Maya Road crystal trinket pin; Green Tara mini flowers (yes, I am slightly obsessed with these! LOL) and also some calico and twine.

Stay tuned, I have some more Lily Bee creations to come! :-)
(And if I haven't been and left you some blog love recently, it's not because I don't love you or your work, I just haven't had time. I will get round to visit you all as soon as I get a chance!)

Buttons!!!

OK, thought I might give you a bit better look at some of my buttons. They are all up for sale at the moment (along with lots of other handmade goodies) via the Scrapbooking Top 50 Crafters Market. Be sure to pop in and see what's available, it runs through until Sunday night! You can get directly to my buttons to see all that are available HERE

There's more, but I'm not showing them all here, you will have to pop over the the market to see!!! ;-)

Hmmmm...how about a sneak peek???

Here's a tiny sneak peek of some of what I will have on offer at tomorrow night's Scrapbooking Top 50 Crafters Market...

Don't forget to stop by in the forum tomorrow night to see what's on offer!!!

Love Handmade Goodies???

If you love handmade goodies or love to make them yourself, you need to check this out...

Cottage Christmas Gift Tags

A quick share of a few gift tags I have created using my Imaginisce 'Cottage Christmas' DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne. I was really pleased with how these came out, they will be perfect for putting the finishing touch on a few special gifts this year. Besides the Imaginisce pps, I also used Green Tara flowers & paper string, Prima lace, satin ribbon and Thickers...all available at Handmade By Suzanne!

HBS MASSIVE Thickers Sale!!!

If you are anything like me and LOVE your Thickers, then you better pop over to Handmade By Suzanne for this week's SUPER SPECIAL. For this week only until Friday 26th November (or while stocks last) ALL Thickers have been reduced to only $5.75!!! (That's a HUGE saving of between 20-30% off!) But you better get in quick before they all sell out!!!

Some more 'Cottage Christmas'...

Here is yet another LO I have created using the 'Cottage Christmas' collection from Imaginisce I received from Handmade By Suzanne. This LO was done for the SBT50 "Life As We Know It" CC. (And yes, challenges are still open until 21st Nov!) This was for Anthea's "Remember..." Challenge, where you had to scrap a photo that invoked fond memories of the past, that was not 6x4, and include the word 'remember'. As Christmas is fast approaching, I have been thinking about how quickly time has flown since Brielle's first Christmas almost 2 years ago. This year promises to be quite exciting for her as she is actually starting to grasp the concepts of what Christmas and Santa are all about.
Here is my LO...

Besides the gorgeous Imaginisce pps, I have also used My Mind's Eye 'I Believe' brads, Green Tara flowers (including my favourite mini ones) and paper string, Prima lace, AC 'Patchwork' Thickers (again, another of my faves), 'Jazz Blue' glimmermist; and 'Sea Mist' satin ribbon. I love using this Christmas colour combo, replacing the traditional green with a soft blue - I think it suits our climate much better! :-)

PS - How do you like my makeover???

HBS November Sketch Challenge!

This month's sketch challenge for Handmade By Suzanne has been designed by the very talented (and our Nov guest DT), Melinda Spinks. Melinda is on the Imaginisce and Pebbles DTs and has had a number of guest spots with other manufacturers, so it is great that she could join us at HBS this month. Be sure to enter the November sketch challenge by the end of the month and you could win yourself a voucher to spend in store! (And with a constant flow of gorgeous new products to choose from, you will have no trouble spending it either!)
Here is my take on Melinda's sketch (yes, it was time to get my paint out again! LOL)...

I used the super cute 'Cottage Christmas' collection from Imaginisce for this LO, along with some stunning My Minds Eye 'I Believe' brads, Green Tara flowers and paper string (awesome stuff, you really MUST get yourself some), and of course everything is available from my favourite store - Handmade by Suzanne. ;-)

Special Sale @ Handmade By Suzanne!

Super sale offer from Suzanne @ Handmade By Suzanne...
"At Handmade By Suzanne, commencing this week we are offering customers amazing weekly specials which last for just a short time and until stock runs out. This week and the very first special, HBS have discounted ALL Cuttlebug products by 30%! That is better than any Christmas sale! This includes all the Companion Folder sets and the Cut & Emboss combos! Special ends midnight Friday 19th November. Be quick while stocks last and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to hear about the next amazing deal!"
All I can say is...DON'T MISS OUT!!! ;-)

PS - Suzanne has also just added some extra products to the 30% off Sale Section, so if you are looking for a bargain on some Pink Paislee, Echo Park or Websters Pages, be sure to check it out!

Stuck?! Sketches November LO!

Once again I have decided to play along at Stuck?! Sketches this month using the 1st November sketch by Sara. I decided I had to use my new DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne for this sketch, which just happened to be a Christmas kit featuring the Imaginisce "Cottage Christmas" collection...so cute! Here is my take on the sketch...

All the Handmade by Suzanne DT girls have gone Christmas this month, so be sure to stop by the HBS gallery to see their gorgeous work. :-)

In a little bit of extra news, unfortunately I have had to remove one of my LOs from here & the HBS gallery as SM have picked it up for publication...YAY!

My CC Challenge!

If you haven't stopped by to check out the Scrapbooking Top 50 November "Life As We Know It" CC yet, I suggest you do! All challenges have now been posted and entries are not due until Sunday 21st November, so HEAPS of time to get your entry in and be in the running for one of the FAB prizes on offer! My challenge is all about "A Day in the Life", and the criteria are to include at least 2 photos, inking and chipboard other than alphas.
Here is my LO...

All my LO materials were supplied by My2Angels. For this LO I used The Girls Paperie pps; Scrapware chipboard mini houses; shipping tags; house charm; Sassafras Lass glitter alphas; stemmed star flowers; mulberry leaves; pink ric rac and organza ribbon.

FAB Giveaway - Echo Park & Imaginisce!

Would you love to win some Echo Park collections, an Imaginisce I-Rock tool AND an Imaginisce I-Top tool??? (Yes, I can hear you drooling from here! LOL) Then you need to head over to the Imaginisce blog and check out all the details of this awesome giveaway HERE. (But if you win, I think you should definitely share it with me! LOL) Good luck!!!

How clever are you...

at making your own embellishments? Or cards? Or anything else? If the answer is very, then you DEFINITELY need to check this out...

My November Monthly Challenge!

1st of the month AGAIN??? They sure are whizzing by fast now! The new monthly challenges have all been posted up at Scrapbooking Top 50 and there are some greats challs this month (if I do say so myself...LOL) My challenge this month is an inspiration challenge based on this delicious looking creation...

The challenge is to create a LO using the image as inspiration and to incorporate layering into your LO. Here's my take...

HBS October Sketch Challenge!

If you haven't entered the Handmade By Suzanne October sketch challenge yet, you still have until midnight Sunday 31st to get your entries in. Up for grabs is a $20 store voucher (with free postage!) which is randomly drawn from all entries, giving everyone equal chance of winning. This month's sketch was designed by Michelle Fowler and you can pop over and see Michelle's sketch and her take on it HERE. For my LO, I have again used Cosmo Cricket 'Togetherness' pps from Handmade By Suzanne, and you might also spot a bird button from Purple Pumpkin...

(Sorry, LO has been accepted by Scrapbooking Memories for an upcoming issue.)

I've Been Quiet...

I know I've been a bit quiet lately. A lovely email from a concerned friend (thank you gorgeous lady, you know who you are) reminded me that I have been pretty quiet of late, but besides being tired and still looking for a new place to live, all is well in my part of the world. I have managed SOME scrapping though. This first LO was done for Ant's "I Made it Myself" Chall for the SBT50 October CC. The criteria were to include at least 3 handmade elements, stitching and gingham. I used the gorgeous Cosmo Cricket 'Togetherness' range available from Handmade By Suzanne.

I also managed to complete the October challenge from Out of the Hat using the same range. The criteria this month were scallops, a book page and handmade embellishment. (I even managed to combine all 3 criteria on the one embellishment by making a flower with a punched circle from a dictionary as a centre.)

If you haven't popped into Handmade By Suzanne since the new site was launched, be sure you do! It looks fabulous and is chock-a-block full of the latest and greatest products at rock bottom prices (and it's only $5 postage). And remember you still have until midnight Sunday to get your entries in for the October sketch challenge there!

At last a CC LO!

I have been feeling really tired this week, so I haven't gotten through all the SBT50 'Homemade' Cyber Crop challenges yet (like I had hoped to). Here is one I did manage to complete the other night for Vicki's 'Let's Get Sketchy' challenge. For this challenge we not only had to create a LO, but also produce a hand-drawn sketch based on our LO. We also had to include ribbon and at least 3 pps. I used Fancy Pants 'About a Girl' pps for this LO which are currently on sale at Handmade By Suzanne at 30% off! Check out the HBS sale section for these and other bargains.

I looooove MLS!!!

I am soooooo loving my the My Little Shoebox 'Sunday Market' papers I received from Handmade By Suzanne this month. The colours are so yummy and I just love all the little birds and flowers. Here is yet another LO I have created using these gorgeous papers (this time the 'Happy Daisy' die cut), which I did for the Challenge Heaven October Song Challenge. The criteria was to create a LO using a song title from a kids movie (I used 'Life is a highway' from 'Cars') and to also use buttons.

If you haven't already been over and checked out the new Handmade By Suzanne website, make sure you do! Not only does the site look great, but it is also much faster and now has the gallery and blog located all in the one place. There is still an awesome range of products available in the sale section at 30% off, plus new goodies being added all the time!

Sam's MASSIVE Giveaway!

Well she's done it again...Sam is having a MASSIVE giveway on her blog - check out this for some sweet, sweet candy...

The prize pack includes 22 double sided patterned papers, 4 packs of rub ons, 2 packs of glass stickers, a stamp, bling, flowers and sticker stackers!!! Sooooo generous and totally gorgeous!
To find out how you can be in the running, you need to pop over to Sam Hauzer's blog HERE for details. :-)

My "Homemade" CC Chall!

My challenge for the "Homemade" Cyber Crop which is currently underway at SBT50 is called "Better Than a Bought One!" The challenge is all about scrapping something which you (or someone else) has made, instead of bought. Additional criteria include hidden journalling, pp background, mixed alpha title and at least 5 brads. For my subject, I could look no further than homemade playdough...I even included the recipe on my hidden journal tag. I can't count the number of times I have made it...probably hundreds! (I worked in childcare for 8.5 years...LOL) I created the LO using a gorgeous kit of goodies supplied by My2Angels...

A lowdown on the My2Angels goodies I've used...patterned papers are 'Boho Blooms' from TPC; Scrapware mini chipboard cogs; yellow stemmed star flowers (which are currently on sale at 40% off!); pink and green mulberry flowers; mini glitter brads (you get a pack of 50 for only $2.20!); white cotton lace; AC 'Daiquiri' Thickers; Carolees Creations tiny black alphas. Don't forget the 40% off sale on all stemmed flowers now on at My2Angels, how could you resist these...

More MLS & Some Sale News!

I know I've been a bit quiet on here lately, the days seem to just be slipping through my fingers! Just thought I would share this card I made with the My Little Shoebox "Sunday Market" pps from Handmade By Suzanne. I am soooo lovin' these pps at the moment! This card was created for the Opening Night Mini Challenge for the SBT50 "Homemade" Cyber Crop that is currently underway. There are lots of great challenges and prizes to be won, so be sure to pop over and check out all the action - everyone is welcome to join in at any stage, and entries aren't due until Sunday 24th October, so plenty of time to get scrappin'!
Here is my card...

If you love these pps as much as I do (or any of the other goodies I've used on my card), why not head over to Handmade By Suzanne and snap yourself up a bargain? As HBS will soon be moving to a new site, Suzanne is currently offering a MASSIVE 25% OFF ALL ORDERS (and yes, that includes stuff already on sale!) With a HUGE range of brands & products to choose from (including heaps of latest release goodies), and already low prices to start with, now is definitely the time to shop - I guarantee you will find yourself LOTS of bargains!

Stuck?! Sketches October LO!

I decided to play along at Stuck?! Sketches again this month, as I have really been enjoying Sara's sketches. I couldn't resist using my yummy new My Little Shoebox "Sunday Market" pps again that I received from Handmade By Suzanne. (I also couldn't resist whipping out my paint - I haven't done that for a few layouts.) Here is my take on the 1st October sketch for Stuck?!...

A couple of other items from HBS I used on this LO were the puffy Honey (Spinach) Thickers; BG mini mono alphas; jumbo green daisy brad; stitched edge lime ribbon and assorted pearls. The chipboard birdhouse is a Rachelle Minett design from Meant To Be - isn't it cute?

Some MLS Goodness!

This month I was lucky enough to receive lots of goodies from the brand new "Sunday Market" collection from My Little Shoebox as my DT kit from Handmade By Suzanne. I was most excited when Suzanne told me what she was sending me, as I had been eying off the 3 new MLS collections (now available in store HERE) and had been unable to decide on my own...LOL Anyway, I couldn't help myself but get right to work with them and put them to good use completing Vicki's Monthly Challenge for SBT50. This month Vick has set a sketch challenge and here is what I came up with (bit of a crummy pic though, it was poor light here this avo)...

Besides the gorgeous My Little Shoebox pps, I have also used the matching "Sunday Market" cardstock stickers, which look especially good when you use a bit of foam mounting tape and layer them for extra dimension. I used a few other goodies from Handmade by Suzanne on this LO - Cosmo Cricket "Tiny Type" alphas (heaps of colours available and only $2.75!), a couple of cute chipboard pieces (sunflower & picket fence), pink stitched ribbon, and assorted pearls & rhinestones. I also lightly misted with "Key Lime" glimmermist (although its a bit hard to see in the pic.) I even whipped out some embroidery thread and did some hand-stitching!

My October Monthly Chall!

1st of the month again already??? Seems they are flying by waaaaay too fast at the business end of the year! Anyway, the 1st means LOTS of new challenges, including our October Monthly Challenges at Scrapbooking Top 50. As always, the challenges are open until midnight on the last day of the month, and we have some FAB prizes up for grabs, so be sure to check them out! As October also signifies "Pink Ribbon" month, in honour of breast cancer awareness, I decided to tie the two together with my own "Pink Ribbon Challenge". For my challenge, you will need to scrap a LO featuring an important female in your life, include polka dots, a handmade button and of course - PINK RIBBON! Here is my take, using some yummy Cosmo Cricket "DeLovely" pps that I got from Handmade By Suzanne, a very cute little pig button from Purple Pumpkin and a crocheted flower from Becci Sundberg...

Another LO Share!

I soooo love how this next LO has come out, but a lot of that has probably got to do with the fact that I love the photo so much. (My DP and DD, aged 5 weeks.) This LO was completed for Ant's Sept Monthly Challenge @ SBT50. The challenge criteria were to scrap a LO featuring a special man in our life; to re-scrap an old LO or to use a new technique; no journalling - only title & date allowed; a "non-traditional" male colour scheme. I seized the opportunity to re-scrap this photo that I previously scrapped EXACTLY one year ago. (When I first scrapped it, I wasn't entirely happy with the result as I had been working from a kit provided for me.) Anyway, here is the new version...

And just for laughs, here is my version from one year ago (*cringe*)...

More CC LO's!

Thought I better catch up on what I've been up to. Here are the remaining LO's I did for the SBT50 "Music & Lyrics" Cyber Crop. The first one was for Ant's "Misheard Lyric" challenge, where we had to create a LO showcasing misheard lyrics, glitter / bling, stitching, felt / fabric. I love how this LO featuring Brielle's version of "Little Miss Muffet" came out...

The next one was for Vicki's "Annoying Lyric" challenge, where we had to use lyrics from an annoying song, bright colours, beads and foam mounting tape. Here is my LO "I'm Too Sexy For My Hat"...

Get Picky Giveaway!

Have you seen Get Picky yet??? Get Picky is a brand new challenge site created by the very talented Tanya Tahir & Nikki Antonello that is all about multi photo layouts. The blog will feature fortnightly challenges with the first one being posted on the 15th October. The DT reveal is currently underway and the girls are also celebrating the blog launch with a giveway. Up for grabs is this fabulous bounty...

Head over to the blog and find out how you could win HERE

Challenge Heaven Word Challenge!

I created this LO for the Challenge Heaven September Word Challenge, and it is also the second LO I have created with my DT kit from Handmade by Suzanne, featuring the Cosmo Cricket "Pixie-Licious" collection...soooo cute! Besides the CC goodness, from the store I also used American Crafts cardstock in lilac (my fave brand of cardstock, especially at only 65c/sheet!); Scrapware chipboard sunflower with turquoise 3mm pearls attached; purple satin ribbon; Green Tara tassel ribbon; Sassafras & Basic Grey alphas; AC Thickers and of course, some glimmermist! ;-)

A couple of extras bits I used included a crochet flower from Becci Sundberg (check out her blog, and you can buy some too!), a gorgeous ladybug button from Sam at Purple Pumpkin and I even handstitched a border with some purple embroidery thread.

I did promise...

more scrapping, that is!
This next LO I completed for the SBT50 'Music & Lyrics CC' for guest DT Treens' challenge. The challenge criteria were to create a LO using a monochromatic colour scheme, music paper and pearls. I decided to use teal as my colour, (I seem to have been using a fair bit of this colour lately), although we were also allowed to use some white / black / cream. Here is my LO...

If you are looking for a challenge to scrap, be sure to pop into Scrapbooking Top 50 and check out the CC challs, it's not too late to join in as entries aren't due until Sunday 26th! ;-)

SBT50 Cyber Crop!

OOPS! Forgot to post this up here the other day...my challenge for the Scrapbooking Top 50 "Music & Lyrics" Cyber Crop! My challenge to everyone is a lyric challenge, using lyrics from the old KISS song "I Wanna Rock n Roll All Night". The additional criteria are to use at least 2 photos, a ticket and altered chipboard. I created my LO using mostly materials supplied by the lovely Tracy @ My2Angels. Here is the LO...

LO materials available from My2Angels include: Coredinations 'Nightfall' cardstock (which I sanded, scratched and distressed); Jenni Bowlin 'Coupon' pp; Teresa Collins 'Mr & Mrs' pp; 3 Bugs 'To the Rescue' pp; red crystal brads; black 'Daiquiri' Thickers (my all time fave!); Scrapware chipboard spider web (which I painted then applied kindyglitz to, but is hard to see in pic); black organza ribbon; black textured metal stars; skull & cross bones charm; 'Black Magic' glimmermist (LOVE this stuff!) and Carolees Creations tiny black alphas.

I also managed to complete the Opening Night Mini Challenge for the CC, which was to create a card or LO (smaller than 12x12) featuring a single music note somewhere (mine is the 'i' in 'sing')...

Have some more to share too, so will be back with those later! :-)

Stuck?! Sketches September LO!

It was the perfect combination...a photo of Brielle I had been waiting to scrap, gorgeous new kit full of goodies from Handmade By Suzanne and the new September sketch from Sara at Stuck?! Sketches. Here's the result...

I used the brand new 'Pixie-Licious' range from Cosmo Cricket for this LO, which is just gorgeous, and perfect for scrapping pics of my own little pixie! I also used lots of other goodies - American Crafts cardstock & 'Patchwork' fabric Thickers; Sassafras glitter alpha stickers; Scrapware chipboard sunflower (these come in packs of 4); turquoise 4mm pearls (100+ for $1.80!); purple satin ribbon and 'Key Lime Pie' & 'Scarlet' glimmermists...all products are available from Handmade By Suzanne.

SBT50 'Music & Lyrics' Cyber Crop!

It's happening tomorrow...

Check out all the details HERE

HBS September Sketch Chall!

Don't forget to check out the September Sketch Challenge at Handmade By Suzanne. This month's sketch was created by DT member Liz Weber and is sure to get your mojo going! Up for grabs is a $20 store voucher, so make sure you put it on your "To Do List"! Entries are open until midnight, 30th September. Here is my take on Liz's sketch (check out my new yummy "Key Lime Pie" glimmermist I've used)...

(I just love this pic of Brielle together with my dad, and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to scrap it. This was the first time she had seen him since she was 7 weeks old and she couldn't get enough of him!)

Quick share!

A quick share of the LO I have done for Vicki's monthly challenge over at Scrapbooking Top 50. The challenge is to create a minimalist style LO, use the same pic more than once, and include stamping and buttons. I am pretty happy with how this came out, I just love this pic of Brielle with the envelope on her head! LOL

I also forgot to post a pic of the card I created for last month's "We Dare You" challenge also at SBT50. The criteria selected by the members were no flowers / leaves (technically I failed on this one coz I used a tulip-shaped brad...LOL); at least 2 metallic items; novelty button and a mirror item. I decided to get a bit tricky and used mirror-shaped rub-ons...cheeky, I know! ;-) I love how this funky birthday card came out and I know someone with a birthday soon who will love it!

Another 1st of the month challenge!

I am sure there are LOTS of you out there (besides me, that is) that hang out for the first day of the month for all the new challenges! Well here are some more to add to your list - the new monthly challenges have been posted up on Scrapbooking Top 50 and this month my challenge is a scraplift! The LO to be lifted this month belongs to the gorgeous Treens and was completed for our recent CC there. You can view Treen's original LO and get all the challenge & prize details HERE In the meantime, here is my "lift" of Treen's LO...

Out of the Hat August Challenge!

Talk about pressure scrapping! I just managed to complete and upload my LO in time for the August challenge at Out of the Hat. This month's criteria were use at least 2 arrows (my criteria), use handmade buttons (I used some gorgeous chippie bookprint ones made by my friend Vicki) and also to use glimmermist. You know how much  I LOVE grunge and paint, so my black glimmermist and red paint were the starting points for this LO of my DP & his best mate - love how it came out...

If you haven't already done so, make sure you visit Out of the Hat and vote for which LO you like best HERE (I would LOVE your vote please!) Voting is open until 31st August.

PS - Getting close to 50 followers now...might be time for a giveaway soon! ;-)