Surprise Surprise

Hello Blog World,

Just a quick post today to show you another card I have made. I seem to be back in the cardmaking business…I had so much fund making my thanks card for my friend on the weekend and with a few birthday’s coming up I thought “Hey why not, let’s make some more”.

So I took inspiration from the Clean and Simple FTL180 Sketch again but changed it up this time and paired it up with The paper players – Spring has Sprung Challenge (even though it’s autumn here)



And I came up with this. I guess it doesn’t really look like the sketch too much anymore…



Very spring has sprung if I do say so myself, also used a lot of scraps up and a flower punch for the flowers.  So this is for my stash as one of my goals this year was to give handmade cards for all events, so I need to build my stash up.

I am going to try my hand this week at a doggy bandana for my puppy so stay tuned.

Until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here


And Entering this card into the following challenges
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge 122 – Punches and Dies
The Paper Players Challenge #85 – Spring has Sprung
Clean and Simple FTL180 Sketch
Papertake Weekly Challenge – Anything Goes
The Pink Elephant – Layers Challenge

Thanks

Hello Blog World,

I guess it’s fitting today that I am here to show you a thankyou card I made on the weekend for a dear friend that leant me her high pressure cleaner, because when I opened my email tonight before coming to write this I had an email from the lovely Alisha at Crafty Brooklyn Army Wife leaving me a lovely comment on my Raspberry and White Choc Croissant Pudding and Raspberry and White Choc Muffins and awarding my The Liebster Award - So thank you so much Alisha I am very honoured!




The  Liebster Award’s aim  is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.  If you are selected, you are meant to do the following.

1. Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to (they must have less than 200 followers).
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. List the bloggers you are giving this award to with links to their sites.
5. Best of all, have fun and share the love!

So, in keeping with the Rules, here are my five blog choices, in no order.

1. Liz @ Here’s to Handy Andy
2. Linda @ Partycraft Secrets
3. Melissa @ Bee Divine Designs
4. Jan @ Huh, so this is a blog
5. Michelle @ Michelle Lea Designs

Check them all out they are great and definitely up and coming!

Now onto my card, not much to say about it really. Just a quick card I made for a friend using this weeks Clean and Simple FTL180 Sketch





Nothing too special, just quick and easy but straight to the point. Exactly what this girl likes.



I love the pearls!!! Had to do a close up of it!

I didn’t get all the sanding and painting done I wanted over the weekend so there will be more of that this weekend and hopefully do some more on my quilt.

Now go check out those blogs and until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

Entering my card into the following challenges

Clean and simple FTL180

The Shabby Tea Room Week #103 Shabby Shutters

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – Punches and Dies ( tag is from a punch)

Raspberry and White Chocolate Croissant Pudding {Recipe}

Hello Blog World

I have had another busy week with work and exercising (7kg lost since Christmas) but good news is I have started my hutch – sanded my butt off yesterday and boy I am feeling it today, going to prime and hopefully get the first coat of paint on.  I am so excited.

But I am here today to share a beautiful recipe with you.  Remember for new years eve I made these beautiful Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins



Well on the same theme of that today I am sharing Raspberry and White Chocolate Croissant Pudding! I did promise you after all.

This is a delicious dessert nice in the cooler months and very simple to make. (full recipe after the shameless photo shoot)



First all your ingredients.



Then some fancy layering



More layering and cook!

Full Recipe for Raspberry and White Chocolate Croissant Pudding (adapted from Australian Women’s Weekly)

Ingredients

• 5 Croissants sliced thinly ( i just cut mine in half)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam (jelly for my American friends)
• 100g white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Custard

• 1 1/2 cups cream
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

Firstly prepare over to 160c/140c fan forced. Grease a shallow (about 2 litre or 8 cup) oven proof dish.

Make the custard by bringing cream, milk, sugar and extract to the boil in medium saucepan.  Whisk eggs in large bowl and whisking constantly gradually add hot cream mixture into egg mixture.

Layer croissant slices, overlapping slightly in your dish.  Dollop spoonful's of jam over slices. Sprinkle with chocolate and berries.  Pour custard over the top.

Place your greased dish in a larger baking dish and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of your greased dish.

Bake pudding for about 1 hour or until set.  Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.



I did forget to take a nice photo of it served in a bowl with cream or ice cream because it goes that fast!!  I like it with ice cream but as I said you can serve with cream, ice cream or even more cold custard!  It’s so easy to make but looks and tastes superb. 

Next time we are thinking of using blueberries instead of raspberries, I wonder how that will turn out.
Off I go now for more sanding and priming, Oh I also need to make a thankyou card for a dear friend so I will be back later with that.

Until then Happy Crafting

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I Party Here

Pantry Loving

Hello Blog World

First I have to send out a big thankyou to Liz at Here’s to Handy Andy for featuring my husband’s birthday card I made last week, this just made my day today when I got up and saw it in my inbox. Thanks so much Liz.

Here’s a pic if you’ve forgotten what it looks like, now go check out Liz’s space.

But today is all about organisation!
As you know one of my goals for 2012 was to organise and declutter. It’s a year long process I have come to realise and while I am making a good start on it, I need to get my butt into gear!

My pantry is close to completion though I am proud to say – more on that later, but because my Craft Room Dreaming post was so popular I thought I would share with you some of my favourite pantry reorganisations out there in blog land out the moment.

Keep in mind I am in a rental property so I cannot add new cupboards or screw things into walls etc…so these are more on the practical side to motivate me!

Source: cathhasablog.blogspot.com.au via Michelle on Pinterest

Cath’s pantry is very similar to mine. It’s just a straight up and down cupboard nothing special, but I love how she has organised it, it’s very practical and still appealing to the eye.

Source: classyclutter.blogspot.com.au via Michelle on Pinterest

I love the pretty glass jars and labels that Mallory and Savannah have used over at Classy Clutter.

^{via country living}

Love the natural baskets here and all those spices set out nice and neatly. Isn’t that yellow just the cutest?



Ok I think we have all seen this pantry from House of Smiths, but how can you go past this? The stencilling on the wall, the beautiful glass jars and crates? Oh how I wish my pantry was a corner one like this.



Another small pantry like mine, perfectly organised by Shaunna at Perfectly Imperfect.  Again we have the beautiful glass jars, crates and cane baskets.  It looks great!

So I have to say my pantry is pretty much organised the way I want and we have kept it like that for about 3 weeks now but I still have some finishing touches before I give you the full reveal.  But here is a sneak peek of before!



Well it was actually during the middle of clean up! I forgot to take a full before photo!
So hopefully in the next week I will have it fully finished and be able to reveal it all to the world.

Until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

Instagram!!

Hello Blog World,

As some of you might know I am pretty slow when it comes to some things, like blogging, pinterest and now my new obsession INSTAGRAM!

I love taking photos and so much want to get better at it but I do tend to take a lot with my Iphone so when I heard of this app I knew I was going to just love it!

So because I have been slack with crafting lately I thought I would share with you some of my instagram photos today! I have been crazily uploading my best shots to show the world and here are a few for you guys.

Sunset at Byron Bay – I am happy to say that this has had no editing!

Red Flower from a tree in my backyard, I used the Kelvin filter on this one

Some seafoam bubbles take down on the gold coast last year, I love the iridescence.

Another beach sunset – this time at Coolangatta

A lonely sunflower we saw on our way home from a country drive one Sunday

This was actually taken this morning at the local oval watching my daughter play athletics

My daughter ready to embrace the ocean on a cold winter’s day!

A lonely bug sitting on a cotton flower, found her while having a picnic last year.

The entrance to the beach at Coolangatta – Don’t you just wish you were there right now?

I just love this one, how the middle of the flower is alive and well and the leaves are just decaying away.

So I am obviously an amateur but I am really enjoy taking photos, especially of things in nature, and it’s been great today uploading these going back over all these wonderful memories.

Well that’s my instagram review. I LOVE it!! I love playing around with the filters, this has become my new obsession. If anyone uses it and you wanna look me up you can go either here or lookup @madmim on your app. If you do let me know I would love to see what photo’s you guys are taking.

Until then happy crafting

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I Party Here

My First Power Tool

Hello Blog World,

I was that excited I just had to share firstly the colour palette I will be using in redecorating and reorganizing my craft room.



Ain’t they pretty?

My hutch is going to be powder fresh, the small cabinet from thrift shop finds  will be the Fresh Breeze.

The pink Persuasion is just some minor touches throughout the room – maybe my clock or even birdcage who knows the sky’s the limit here!

These are the knobs I am thinking of buying off Ebay for my hutch – what do you guys think? I can’t decide between the antique metal ones or crystal look ones – which one do you prefer?

Source: gretchennblack.blogspot.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

My other excitement for the day is I have officially got my first power tool! Yay me!
Introducing my new sander I think I will call her Sandy (haha pun intended)



So now I can’t wait to get into all of these projects I have on my horizon.  Need to do the hutch first as it’s the biggest and the room will be cantered around that sort of.  I will keep you guys updated as I go, until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

A Masculine Birthday

Hello Blog World,

Today is my beautiful husbands 43rd Birthday. Happy Birthday Bubba!!!

He got spoiled with lots of pressies in bed this morning, a new PC game, a book, socks and boxers, smelly stuff and some hair clippers. We also took him out to a buffet breakfast!

And in keeping with my goals for 2012 I made him a card.

I gathered all my bits and pieces on my messy work desk



Lots of blues for the only boy in our life.

Found this gorgeous sketch from Clean and Simple – Sketch FTL178, I just knew it was perfect when I saw it.




And put it all together. I thought I would give monochrome another try as I wasn’t overly happy with my first try last year.

And because I love bling and 3d I had to put some of that in there.



Needless to say he was very happy with his card, his presents and his breakfast.  We have family coming over this afternoon for cake! So I will be back later with some updates on that.
 
Until then Happy Crafting.

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I Party Here

Entering this card into the following challenges -
Clean and Simple Stamping FTL178
Crafty Cardmakers – Monochromatic Challenge
Creative Card Crew – Masculine Challenge
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge – Favourite Things