#2019 #awesome

Let's look at what happened here at AGT (and in my world), this year!

Crafting
We began the year with a Scrap/ Pattern Paper Challenge and created some great cards in the process. I tried out some ink dragging with embossing folders and stamping on cork.  Making this magnetic frame was really helpful (thanks Simon Hurley) for holding my most used dies.  In April and May, I took some craft supplies on vacation and had lots of fun making cards with my nieces.  This year, I invested in some card classes, background stamps, an electric die cutting machine, texture pastes and perfect pearls.  As far as craft is concerned, 2019 was one of trying lots of new things.  Check out some of my favourite cards of 2019.

This is only a few of the cards I made this year! Wow, I've been busy. 

Travel
You got some postcards from me this year.  My first road trip in a long time, took me to Biloela (a small mining town west of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia).  My sister moved her tribe to "Bilo" in January 2019, so in April, my Mum and I headed there for a visit. We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday and my niece's 5th birthday.  It was hot. If you want to read about how I handled the long drive with my chronic illness, click here.

In August, my Mum and I took a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital, Canberra.  Now I can tick Canberra off my list of Australian state capitals that I want to visit.  It was busy and exhausting and oh, so much FUN!  Check out my postcards here.

Other Stuff
This year, I also shared some Apps, websites and Youtube channels, that I have found useful as well as some other favourite things including some flashbacks to posts from previous years. Professionally, 2019 was amazing.  I enjoyed teaching new subjects and spent more time working with different students.  I got a new job at a new school, which meant packing up 10 years worth of teaching resources and bringing them home.  I still have piles of books, posters and stationery littering my craft studio/ home office.  I enjoyed helping out at Sunday School at church too.

I lived out the word "Pause" and I truly feel this has helped me reach goals and make changes to my life style for the better and forever.  I am looking and feeling better.  I can't wait to see what 2020 brings. :D  I will be spending New Year's Eve with my family and having an early night.  

This year was good, this year was fun!  
Tomorrow is another one!  (apologies to Dr Seuss)

How was your 2019? What are your plans for New Year's Eve? 

May you all have a happy and safe New Year! 

One word Reflection Time

The end of 2019 is very near and it's time to reflect on the rollercoaster of an awesome year. First, let's talk about my One Word 365 journey.  I started the year with a 'Resolution' of Just One Word - Pause.  I had some thoughts about how this would impact my life and certain actions that would work towards Pausing in real life.
For me, the word Pause was about stopping to think before I said or did things as well as giving myself permission to stop or even move away from things if I needed to.  It was about self-control and rest.  It's important to remember that "Pause" doesn't mean quit.  "Pause" implies a brief moment of stopping with the intention to start again.

This year has been amazing!  I'm not saying there weren't times that were hard, there were certainly difficult moments and painful times.  I managed that pain and difficulty better than before. I took the time to rest when I needed to and I made decisions based on consideration and prayer.  For the most part, my relationships have been such a blessing and I feel like interactions with others have been so much more positive this year.  Maybe this was the result of a choice to stop and think before I spoke, or maybe it was the choice I made to not worry about others opinions of me.  Maybe it was a result of the fact that I was well rested (in general) so I was kinder and calmer.  What I do know is that I am happy and healthy and this year was the best in my career and my spiritual life.

Thank you for sharing my One Word Journey with me this year.  If you want to learn more about the One Word 365 movement, check this out.

More to come, before the year is out.

Peace at Christmas

I promised to share some Peace with you this week. While this year, we have already celebrated Christmas, I feel like this part of the Advent series is too important to be skipped.  Peace has certainly been an important word for me this year, so let's do this. 

The final candle in the Advent Wreath is Peace.  Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Angels announced the arrival of Jesus and they spoke of Peace on Earth.  While Peace is a word that can mean so much, the Biblical meaning of Peace is different.  Peace is not about a quiet afternoon reading or the absence of war.  It has nothing to do with a lack of people or crisis.  Peace is about a reconciliation between God and His children; an end to the discord between the sin of people and God.  Peace is a result of God's Perfect Love for us.  This video from The Bible Project explains it so well.

Shalom, My Friends!

Joy and Love at Christmas

I'm running very behind.  The last few weeks have been crazy! Today we will cover two of the Advent "candles" or themes.

Love

The theme of Love lights the "Bethlehem" candle. This candle is also known as the "Faith" candle, and refers to the prophecy of Micah, who foretold the arrival of a baby, born in Bethlehem.  The baby, Jesus, was placed in a manger. The stark differences between the Son of God and a trough for animal feed, highlights just how far He was willing to 'fall' in order to rescue His children (that's us).  

Christmas is a new beginning, brought by love.  The love that God has for His creation.  The love that came from Heaven to Earth.  The love that brought a deity to become human.  Jesus fulfilled a prophecy, recorded hundreds of years before, because He loved us.  God still loves us; despite the rejection of Jesus and the commercialisation of Christmas and Easter.  The world seems to be in quite a mess these days (a mess we made ourselves) and yet, He Loves Us.  Therefore, show love to others at Christmas and everyday of the year. 

Joy

The Joy of Christmas is something we all seem to be a little confused about.  This theme encapsulates all the excitement and rejoicing of the Shepherds.  These boys would have known about the prophecy of Isiah and Micah, they knew that a Saviour was coming to rescue them. Their parents, their priests, their grandparents, uncles, aunties and cousins were all waiting for the coming of a King.  Now, watching their flocks, an angel appears to them and brings them the most glorious news.  A baby has been born in Bethlehem.  Oh, the Joy!  The overwhelming, heart bursting, face glowing Joy that only comes from an encounter with God.  The shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby.  They worshipped Him and they went to tell everyone they met.  They had true Joy.  

Christmas is a time when many seem to think they have to be happy and they will try anything and everything to find it.  They go to parties with people they don't like, buy things they don't need, decorate their houses, they sing songs and they dress up.  They play at being happy then feel more exhausted and empty than they did in November.  The true Joy of Christmas comes from a real relationship with Jesus. It certainly doesn't come from a shop and it can't be found at a party.  

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to 'enjoy' the Christmas season. Instead, find the real joy of the Season in the true story of Jesus.  

Next week: Peace and JESUS! 

While there is LIFE there is HOPE

Welcome to the first in my Advent series for this year.  It might seem a bit late, but it's never too late. I will start with a brief explanation of Advent, but the main purpose of this series is to share my reflections on each of the Advent themes as I participate in Advent traditions.

What is Advent Anyway? 

Many people only think Advent is a December Calendar with a chocolate or gift for every day leading to Christmas. While it's true that there is a commercial version of Advent, the real root of this indulgence comes from a tradition which dates back to the 4th Century church.  It was four weeks of  daily Bible reading and reflection during the weeks before Christmas.  Ironically, Advent was first considered to be a time of fasting prior to Christmas day, which allowed Christians to be more focused on spiritual matters during the season.  Advent comes from the Latin word, adventus which means "arrival".  So, the Advent season begins four Sunday's before Christmas. This year, that was the 1st of December.  This is the time when we get ready, we prepare for the arrival of Jesus.  We prepare for celebrating Christmas. Click here to learn more abou the origin of the Advent calendar and click here to learn more about Christian origin of Advent. 

The Advent Wreath

During the Advent season, there is a lovely wreath displayed in the church, with 5 candles.  Four of the candles each represent a particular theme which is the focus for each week: Hope, Love, Joy and Peach.  The fifth candle represents Jesus, The light of the world, who came to Earth at Christmas.  If you want to learn more about the Advent Wreath and symbolism of each candle check out this Learn Religion page and this Crosswalk.com page. 

Week One: HOPE

We began this week by reading about the prophecy of the coming of Jesus. Isaiah wrote about the birth of Jesus literally hundreds of years before it happened.  He wrote about a virgin giving both to a son and the impact this little baby would have on the world.  At first, this prophecy was considered to be a bit of a joke, but by the time of Mary and Joseph (Jesus' parents) were engaged, the Jewish people were waiting for a King to come and rescue them. They believed that God was going to send a saviour and they lived in hope for the day when the Messiah would arrive.  

As a 21st Century Christian I know the rest of the story.  I know how it all turned out and what Jesus did.  It certainly wasn't what the Jews were expecting.  I know that Jesus is coming again and I can live in hope for that day.  I also know that my God works in ways that are mysterious to the human mind and my expectations are nothing compared to His mighty power. I live in Hope that Jesus will come in my life time and put an end to the darkness in this world.  I have Hope beyond rational understanding that God created me and the stars in the sky, loves me, has a plan for my best life and a future for His people.  Hope in Jesus really does anchor my soul because my circumstances don't matter, the power of God does.  He is in control and I can trust Him.  

I'm getting ready for Jesus to come.  I'm making room in my heart.  I can't wait.  Do you understand why Christmas really is the best?! If you want to learn more about the Hope I am talking about, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments.  I will do my best to reply promptly. You might also like to check out the links on the left.  

Jesus Loves You and So Do I
See you next week,

So Guess Who's Behind Schedule!

Last week, I was supposed to share my Christmas cards with you.  I didn't do that, because I haven't finished them yet.  Last week, I hadn't even started them!!!
Did you gasp?  Me too! Now I have at least started making my Christmas cards, but they still aren't done! Was that another gasp I hear?! I know.  Mum and I received our first Christmas card of the season yesterday, and I haven't even finished making mine either! The exclamation points are not at all too much... they exactly enough much.  Hehe.

I have a few prototypes, practice cards I made before deciding which style was just right for mass production.  If you want to see the cards I massed produced last year, click here.  Now let's check out these simple cards.

I tell you what, a bit of heat embossing can really make a card something else completely.  Can you guess which card I decided to make in bulk?  Let me know in the comments! Maybe, when I finish them I will show you.

I also found some gorgeous Christmas patterned paper in a stash of papers someone gave me.  It was so beautiful.  So, I cut it up and made a few cards.  Get out your patterned paper girls!  It's not too pretty to cut up.  It's made to be used!

Next week, we will start the Advent series that we were supposed to start today.  EEK!

Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it! Happy almost December if you don't.
Love

Top 10 Gifts for your Crafty Friend - a Guide for the Non-Crafter

Do you have a friend or family member who loves to make cards or do craft?
Do you have trouble buying gifts for them?
Does the craft store overwhelm you?
Look no further.... this list of great gifts can all be purchased at your local hardware store, discount variety shop, or department store.

My sister recently took my nieces and nephews shopping at Kmart and the Reject Shop (like Dollar Tree).  Their goal was for each of them to buy me a gift.  They wanted to be helpful and I received several things that they thought I could use in my craft room.  Some items were huge winners!  A few were not so useful.  This got me thinking.  It must be so hard for non-crafters to buy the right gifts for their crafty loved ones.  Us crafters have high standards when it comes to our supplies, right?  We know what things you can buy for cheap and what needs to be quality.  So, this list is crafter approved.  You can buy most of these items for less than $20 and you are almost guaranteed to put a grin on your crafty friend's face!

1. Adhesive: 

While many crafters have a favourite glue and a bunch of different glues depending on the different purpose.  Cheap adhesive can be very frustrating for a good crafter.  So, don't buy cheap adhesive or try to guess at what works.  Go to your local hardware store,  I go to Bunnings, and get the largest roll of double sided foam tape you can find.  These can range in price from $10 to $100. I have used the $10 tape and the $100 tape. The $10 tape works well enough.  If you are paying much less than that, don't bother, it will only frustrate the crafter.   You can also find liquid adhesive at the local hardware store, Elmer's glue all and Boyle's craft glue are both good quality. Mod Podge is another quality brand that any crafter would be happy to receive! Glue Dots are also a great addition to any craft room (especially the repositionable kind).

2. Clean Erasers

I am always looking for my eraser and I need a clean one! Some good quality, white erasers would be a great gift for the crafter in your life. 

3. Post-it tape

Full back sicky notes, post-it tape, and even low-tack painters tape are all great supplies for the craft room.  Painter's tape can be purchased at your local discount store or hardware store.  Sticky notes and post-it tape can be purchased at most department stores, or office/ stationery stores. These are consumable and no crafter can have too much of it.  They will always be able to use it! These repositionable sheets of paper can be used for masking off areas on a project, holding things in place temporarily and making templates.  

4. Fine tip pens in various colours

I have a set of these, however I wouldn't say no to another one.  In fact, one really great fine tip pen would be so appreciated! Unless you think your crafty mate has too many pens... although I don't think that is possible! 

5. Postage Stamps

It might sound crazy.  Okay, it sounds crazy.  I make loads of cards.  There are literally heaps of cards in my craft room. Why don't I send them out more, you ask?  There are several reasons for this, however the main one is that I can never find enough postage stamps.  It costs more money to post cards and I would rather spend my money on stamps, inks and tools.  A book of postage stamps can be purchased for as little as $5 or if you want to go really crazy, buy $20 or $30 worth of stamps and make it possible for me to send my artwork instead of piling it up in my craft space. That's how I see it anyway. 

6. Sequins, Gems and Stickers

You can find the cutest embellishments at the discount store (dollar tree/ reject shop/ bargain centre) if you know what to look for.  You would be surprised at how many of these things us crafters go through.  You might think a bag of sequins is not a useful gift, but we will go crazy over them.  You will be the new favourite.  I promise! 

7. A self-healing cutting mat/ Oven liner/ Silicone Mat

Again, these can be purchased for around $10 and while I have lots of these, I could use another one!  I wouldn't be able to justify the purchase using my own money.  Remember, I want to spend my money on stamps, inks and card stock.  Oven liners are a non-stick mat that can be used as a craft mat for ink blending or other crafts that work best on a slick surface.  They can protect a work surface from messy crafts such as paint, ink or even glue.  Silicone Mats are usually used for welding, but they can be used for mirror stamping, as a water colouring surface, and a protective surface for heat embossing, gluing and using alcohol inks.  

8. Magnetic Sheets

I have found magnetic sheets for about $2 each.  These are perfect for holding dies in place in the die cutting machine or storage of your metal tools.  You could even use some magnetic sheets to make this awesome Craft room accessory! 

That's that then.  Plenty of options for the non-crafter to purchase for a crafting friend.  Now get shopping! ;)

This Week.. Just a Quickie

This week, I went to a job interview to be a Differentiation Coach at a local Catholic school.  Yesterday, I received a call from the principal of the school telling me that they would like to offer me the role of Numeracy Coach instead. I will also have the opportunity to team teach a senior Maths class.  I'm so excited! This is the dream for me.

It's a brand new opportunity.

This week has been busy and exhausting and a huge rollercoaster ride.  Therefore, I'm taking the week off the blog.

See you next week. ;)

Colouring on Cards

I bought myself a small set of alcohol markers earlier this year and I'm really enjoying them.  They are a less expensive brand (not Copics) and they were good for me to have a play with them and decide if I want to invest in a proper set of colours.  Let's check out some cards I have made using images I have stamped and coloured with my alcohol markers. FYI: my set is a random selection of colours as a sample pack.  It cost about $30 plus shipping, which was less than $10.

Make a Wish Birthday Cake

I love this cake, and it looks good on a card simply stamped as an outline. When coloured like this, it really pops and becomes a gorgeous feature of the card.  I created the background with Crayola water colour markers scribbled onto an acrylic block, then smooshed onto the paper with lots of water.  I stamped a few small 'burst' stamps to give it more texture.

One Hot Chick 

This stamp set from Avery Elle is so cute!  Unfortunately, the set has been retired by Avery Elle, however, it is available on sale here.  Colouring the 'chick' was easy.  I only used two shades of yellow, where as most people would use three different yellows to colour an image like this.  I didn't have enough yellow alcohol markers that were close enough together to blend well.  As I'm still learning, I usually stick to a two colour blend.  I might occasionally try a three colour blend, but those images don't usually end up on a card.  The background on this card was a light blend of "It's a Boy" ink from Catherine Pooler Designs, through a hexagon stencil by Kazazz.  I love this card.  One of my friends who has a great sense of humour and frequents the gym, should get a kick out of this.
By the way, I attached my 'chick' using an action wobbler, so little flick makes this chick bounce and shake around.  It's so much fun.

Koala Birthday 

Finally, I have a card which took me ages to create.  I stamped out and coloured the koala and I was so happy with it.  Then, I couldn't decide how to make it into a card! I couldn't decide on colours, a background or even a sentiment.  I had to walk away several times and make other cards before I could finally come back to this.  Eventually, I got it together and made this gorgeous card.  I'm so happy with how this turned out.  The koala was from Lawn Fawn's Critters Down Under stamp set.  The sentiment was from Young at Heart.  The balloons, party hat and streamers on the background were from an awesome set called Ring in the Celebration, by Winnie and Walter.  This set is so versatile. 

Check out this beautiful card! 

BONUS Cards... Layered Stamping

I bought a card magazine recently because it had freebie from Altenew!  A layering stamp set and stencil.  Altenew is known for their layering stamp sets which are easy to use and make stunning cards. I find layering sets a bit challenging at times, mostly because it seems to take so many steps to stamp something out.  However, these stamps are easy to line up and the finished images have so much dimension!  My mum was so excited when she saw this card.  

Can you guess which inks I used?! Lol

The outline stamp of this poppy flower can be used without the coloured layers too! 

There are some great ideas in the magazine to inspire you as well.  These cards don't even use the stencil so I will definitely be making more cards with this set.  You gotta love freebies!  Have you started your Christmas cards yet? Let me know in the comments. I really need to get onto that.  

Have a great day! 

Great Reasons to Exercise Regularly at Home

We all know that physical activity is important to being healthy. We all know that a balanced diet, exercise and certain lifestyle choices contribute to good health.  The truth is, I have always struggled to include exercise in my daily routine because I don't love it.  I like it even less since my medical condition set in and I have chronic pain.  I wake up with pain, I go about my day in pain and I go to bed in pain.  I have pain all the time. Sometimes, I find it hard to get out of bed, shower, get dressed or even eat.  You can imagine that when these things are so difficult, physical activity of any kind is practically impossible.  

The thing is, too much inactivity can cause me more pain because my muscles get stiff.  The same goes for too much exercise.  If I exercise beyond my limits, I get too sore to move and then I get stiff again. Exercise, for people like me, is a balancing act.  I have to remind myself that it's worth it and it's important.  So, let's get to it. 

1.  It's good for your health!  Even if it doesn't feel like it.
2.  Fun! You can make it fun. Use TV show workouts, like this one from Pinterest, or dance workouts like this one from Cocolime Fitness (specially designed for beginners and people with chronic illness). You can walk, run, play a team sport or swim.  Find something fun that you will enjoy and make it part of the weekly routine as well as your home work outs. 
3. It doesn't have to be hell to have an impact!  In fact, you will see better and more lasting results if you complete a low impact 10 minute workout everyday, instead of a one hour workout three times a week.  
4. It's a great stress reliever.  Exercise releases endorphins (they are happy hormones) and forces you to take some time out from work, adulting and all the stuff. 
5. Stretching is dessert for your body.  We often spend time sitting at desks or on couches for long periods and we need to stretch our muscles.  Every exercise routine should include at least some stretching. If you are doing it right, it should feel good. 
6. It can be free.  You don't have to spend anything to get some movement into your daily routine.  There are several YouTube channels that step you through simple workouts.  You can improvise an exercise mat with a few towels or use a chair to help you balance. Small canned foods can be used as weights.  Alternatively, a walk around the block is totally free.  You don't need a treadmill or big bulky equipment.  Small dumbells, yoga mats, foam rollers, resistance bands and exercise balls are reasonably priced if you know where to shop, so you can build up your equipment as you go. 
7.  You can do it anytime.  As I mentioned earlier, YouTube means that you can attend various exercise classes at home anytime it suits you. In fact, Cocolime Fitness is the main reason I have been able to maintain an exercise regime over the past year. When I get home from work, I can turn on a video and get my exercise with little fuss.  If I feel like exercising in the morning, I don't waste time travelling to the gym or the pool.  
8.  You can wear whatever you want! You don't have to look cute! I started exercising in my oldest pair of track pants or shorts and t-shirt.  Now I have some clothes that are a little more practical and look a bit cuter.  I love that it doesn't matter how I look when I exercise in my studio at home.  It's just me and my cat.  
9. Nobody is watching!  Woohoo. It doesn't matter if I mess up.  I can stick my bum in the air, modify the moves, even 'fart' if I need to, all without worrying what anybody thinks. This makes it so much easier to focus on the business of holding in my abs or breathing.  

There you go people.  Exercise is important and I'm so glad I can do it at home.  Okay, time to get off the couch and do something good for myself.  

Until we meet again! 

World Teachers' Day Australia!

Today is the day that Australia celebrates World Teachers' Day!  

I slept in to celebrate.  I hope you celebrated by loving all the teachers in your life!  Be sure to tell them they are awesome! 

As I'm officially having a quiet day, I decided to simply show you other people's brilliance.  

Hey, we're honest. 

Armed and Dangerous

Only the Best Teachers

Emotional Labour isn't counted in the EB agreement.

It's hard to believe when they are licking the desk, but I'm sure it's true. 

Progress is the best goal. 

For the Teachers... I don't know what job you have. 

Good advice for anyone.

Love Your Teachers.... Tell us about your favourite teacher in the comments. 

Nap time! 

Look What I Made!

An online craft store was having a big sale on selected items.  I got a little bit excited and spent about $50 on about $75 dollars worth of products.  I got some clear stamps, co-ordinating dies, a background stamp and some gorgeous red rubber stamps.  Only, I thought I was buying three red rubber background stamps.  You see, the size of the stamps were not listed on the site.  It didn't say they were background stamps on the website, I just assumed they were because they were red rubber.  Silly me!

I decided that I was stuck with these stamps so I might as well use them and I made two cards that have turned out to be absolutely beautiful! Look....

I tried some multi-coloured stamping on this peacock feather stamp using Something Borrowed, Aquatini and Lime Rickey inks by Catherine Pooler.  I stamped it repeatedly to make this background and added some small stars using Something Borrowed.  The sentiment comes from a stamp set by Unity Stamps.  I love this sentiment!

This card was made using the other red rubber stamp I purchased by accident. It was this lovely bouquet in a vase.  I added a sentiment from a birthday set by Casual Fridays.  Some mirror cardstock and a strip of patterned paper set off this simple stamping to make this elegant all occasion card.

I'm really happy with the cards I made with these stamps that stamp perfectly every time.  I have so many ideas running around my head for some different ways to use these stamps.  Stay tuned for more cards using these stamps.

Until Next Time

Favourite Things ?!

I did this list a few years ago and I have updated it.  Some of the items on the list have changed while some of them have stayed just the same.  Interesting.  No real surprises.  :) 

1. Time of Day: bed time
2. Food: ice cream, 
3. Drink: tea
4. Band/singer: no favourites, lots that I like. 
5. Actor: again, no favourite,
6. Location: My Studio... mostly the craft part. 
7. Team/Sport: hahahahaha that's funny!
8. Animal: kitty....
9. Activity: Crafting and Hanging with the BFF! 
10. Things to collect: Memories! 

#oneword365 update

This will be a quick one!

I'm here to update you on my one word resolution for 2019. My word is "Pause". If you want to read more about my One Word 365 journey, click here.  Today, I want to talk briefly about the fourth point of my 'action plan' to live my word, Pause this year, it's Breathe First.

I used to think that intentional or controlled breathing was a load of proverbial rubbish.  The idea that by simply stopping to breathe and focusing on your breathing could positively affect your state of mind, help manage pain or change your overall health seemed a bit ridiculous to me.  In fact, whenever I tried controlled breathing, I often struggled to then ignore my breathing and relax.  Of course that was a result of my overwhelming anxiety rather than anything else.

This year, I have learned how to breathe better and I am noticing a difference in my physical health.  Of course the "breathing" is usually in conjunction with stretching or other exercises. I have to admit that this breathing thing actually works.  It doesn't cure the plague.  It can help you feel better in the moment.  It helps me feel better.

Check out resources for more information on controlled and intentional breathing, meditation with breathing and the health benefits of focusing on your breath from time to time.

I'm on school holidays and having a wonderful time.  I'm doing well.

See you Next Week.

10 things I'm Grateful for...

In no particular order...Here goes...

1. My bed is comfy!
2.  Air Conditioning.
3. Friends who value me and the things I can do.
4. Food.  Even though we are fighting right now. 
5. Cocolime Fitness exercise videos for people with chronic pain and fibromyalgia.  
6. Family - I learn so much from them. 
7. My doctor, my dentist, my physio and all the nurses! 
8. Art and the crafting industry.
9. My Bible and religious freedom.
10. Shelly.  She is so funny with her own little personality.  I love her so much! 

That's that then!

What do you do with all those cards?

If you're a card maker, this question is inevitable.  The most obvious answer is, send them to friends and family.  Of course, most of us make cards for specific people. Any sort of special event is a reason to make a card.  Any time someone needs a bit of encouragement, I like to send them a card.  Most of the time, my cards are made specifically for an event or situation, like these cards. 

Make Cards for (and Give it to) Someone Special

Special Birthday Shaker Card

I made this card for my Aunty who loves the colour Purple! 

I used a stitched rectangle die set to make the frames on this card and I stamped and die cut my own shaker elements. Stamps (with matching dies) are available at Catherine Pooler Designs. 

Swiped Sympathy Card

This card was made for a work colleague. 

She sadly, lost her mother a few months ago. 

This card uses a stamp set from Catherine Pooler and a swipe stamping technique that I learned from Jennifer McGuire.  It came together quite quickly and I was very happy with how it came out, despite the sad reason I had for making it.  I don't often make sympathy cards this way.  I prefer to keep a set of sympathy cards made up, which makes it a little easier to make them, but I didn't have any and I wanted to make this just for her. I love this design.  The swipe stamping is a great way to get a different look from those solid stamps.  

Fathers' Day Card

My Mum asked me to make a card for my grandfather for Fathers' Day this year.  As he is visually impaired, I tried to keep my card simple with a stacked sentiment and different textures. The Blue Stone drops from Nuvo were perfect for this card, although I need lots more practice at squeezing them out. 

Patterned Paper is from a packet of leftover scraps given to me by a friend. 

Made to Order Selling

Sometimes, a friend will ask me to make a card for them for a special occasion such as a birthday or wedding.  They often insist on paying me something, which is nice.  I usually use the money I am given to purchase more craft supplies!  Check out these cards. 

Wedding

A wedding card that a friend commissioned as they are going to family wedding.  

Birthday 

A pretty birthday card I made by order using some perfect pearls and products from a range of companies.  

Selling in a Stall

While lots of people sell their handmade projects online using platforms such as Etsy, many choose to sell their papercrafts in market stalls.  When my church held a Car Boot Sale as an outreach fundraising event, I thought I might try my hand at selling.  I knew I couldn't make enough cards to fill a stall, not in the time frame I had, so I asked my friends to join me.  One of my friends makes the cutest hair bows and has successfully sold many of these at various markets.  The BFF paints with watercolours and ink.  She creates beautiful pictures and does hand lettering. I love everything she creates and I have run out of room on my walls because I love to display her work.  The three of us put together a "handmade haven" at the car boot sale and we all managed to sell enough product to cover the cost of our stall space and have some money to spend on new supplies.  Happy Face! 

The small display of my cards at the Car Boot sale. 

 It was so much fun doing this together and we are exploring the idea of working together at markets in the future.  Excited Much! When I prepared for selling these cards,  I decided to make sets of cards as well as having a few one of a kind cards available.  Check out these sets of cards. 

Keeping them on Hand

I also make cards just because it's fun and I keep them on hand.  My mum, some of my friends, my Nan and my sister all ask me for cards.  They love to 'go shopping' for cards in my Card Stash and usually they find something they like.  If they like something about a card, but it's not quite right, I can usually make another one with changes to make it just right.  Sometimes, I gather a selection of my handmade cards and give them as a gift set.  Each set would include a few birthday, thank you, sympathy, encouragement and congratulations cards.  I don't give these to everyone but there are some friends who like to send out cards and they love having their own stash of handmade cards to choose from.  

That's that then. 

What do you do with all the cards you make?

Postcards from Canberra (Zoo)

Welcome to Part 2 of my Canberra Escape!! If you are interested, you can click on Part 1 to see it. So, let's get back to it. We pick up the adventures on Monday Morning.  

It was my Mum's birthday!! I gave her a birthday card when we both got up and we had breakfast at the Crown Plaza (where we were staying) and took it easy for the morning in preparation for our Zoo experience.  We were so excited we arrived at the Zoo almost two hours early!  The Arboretum is close to the Zoo so we decided to stop there for lunch and spent some time in the Bonzai Gallery. Check out these photos.  

Now for the main event... our visit to the National Zoo and Aquarium was the whole reason we travelled to Canberra and is a once in a lifetime experience.  We stayed one night at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge.
Arriving at 1pm, we drove into our reserved parking space (a real luxury after all the trouble we'd had parking) we were welcomed to the Zoo and our luggage was taken and delivered to our treehouse.  No lugging bags for us!  Afternoon tea was delicious and included a selection of savoury and sweet finger food as well as fruit.  Tea, coffee, water and other cold drinks were on offer too.  

After some obligatory paper work and a lovely snack, we enjoyed our first wildlife encounter.  A cheetah cub, called Solo (he's nearly two years old), came to visit with his surrogate litter mate, Zama (she's a dog).  If you want to read more about their story, check this out. We headed out to our first tour which included feeding an emu, watching the meerkats, communicating with the monkeys and learning about the Zoo in general.  This tour finished at our Giraffe Treehouse (which has deer and an alpaca in the front yard.  After about 10 minutes to settle in, we had another encounter, feeding the Giraffe who lives in the "back yard" of the Treehouses.  Hummer, the giraffe, walked right up to the balcony so you can hand feed him a couple of carrots! He also has a feed box attached to each treehouse balcony so when you run out of carrots, he still comes to visit you and eat grass/ hay from his box.  It's amazing!

Hummer really enjoyed eating food from our balcony.  

We really enjoyed spending some quiet time watching him. 

I'm not going to tell you everything we did at the zoo, I'm just going to show you some more photos!

As you can see, we enjoyed several animal encounters, gourmet meals, 5 star luxury, and guided tours (yes, more than one) of the Zoo.  We also had two opportunities to explore the Zoo outside of trading hours, which meant no crowds!!! Everything was included in the price.  An added perk was the 15 % discount at the Zoo gift shop.

The service was excellent and the staff were all so friendly, helpful and professional.  I have to say, I probably won't enjoy visiting any other Zoo as this experience was top notch! It was well worth the luxury price tag.

After leaving the Zoo we went to Parliament House for lunch on "The Queen's Terrace" and a guided tour.  We also got an obligatory selfie on the roof with the big flag in the background! Then, we headed home, tired and happy.

The view from The Queen's Terrace Café at Parliament House.  

You can see Old Parliament House (the white buildings) 

Anzac Drive and The War Memorial in the centre back.

Soup of the Day at the Café, the food was delicious.

The Australian Flag that flies on the roof of Parliament House

could cover the side of a double decker bus! 

It doesn't look that big, but it is very high! 

If you are Australian, you MUST visit Canberra at least once in your life and enjoy all it has to offer.  Visitors to Australia, if you are coming this far you should definitely plan to spend at least a little of your time in Canberra.  Visit the Library, the Art Gallery, Parliament House, the National Zoo, the markets and the glassworks, check out the Arboretum, reflect at the War Memorial, walk along the banks of Lake Burleigh Griffin and enjoy the fine foods at restaurants in Kingston.  I haven't even mentioned Questacon, the other museums and galleries or the special events and festivals on offer.

I wonder where I will go next?