Black Crows

I have a variety of birds visit my bird bath, lots of little birds splashing about and making wonderful noises. Today I was surprised to see two big black crows sitting on the edge of the bird bath, they had brought some bread with them and dropped it into the water. They let it soften a bit then ate it, I tried to get a photo of them at the bird bath but even though I was quiet as could be, before I could get close they flew away. After a couple of minutes they returned, I managed to get a few photos of them through the lounge room window, on the ground eating the bread. You can see there is still some bread left in the bird bath, I will have to empty it and clean it out so when the other birds come it will be clean for them to bathe in. Isn't nature wonderful, if you just look around there are lots of special things to be seen. I imagine the crows thought the bread was too dry and hard to eat and they were smart enough to know where to find water to soften it. Clever birds!

Happy Birthday

My niece's daughter had her 7th birthday last week, the years just pass by way to quick.  I know I am biased but she is absolutely gorgeous. She like handbags, I saw this cute little fox handbag when I was doing my Christmas shopping and I thought I would get it and save it for her birthday. I decide I would make a fox themed birthday card as well.

                                                     Here is the birthday girl

 I hope everyone has a fun and productive week whatever your plans may be.

February Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Shaunna Richards, Passionate About Pages you're in the right place. If you landed here by accident no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

February's Stamp of the Month  "A Happy Hello" S1502 is a terrific stamp set, the flowers, stem and leaves are gorgeous. You can get this stamp set for just $5.00 if you place an order for $75.00 with me or your CTMH consultant. Who wouldn't want to receive a cheery card with a happy hello greeting on the front.

While internet surfing I came across a card that made me think of this lovely stamp set and here is my interpretation of that card. I used the honey card stock for the card  base and the white daisy for the front. I cut a circle out of the white card and a frame for the circle. I stamped the stem in black and fussy cut it. I lightly adhered the white card front in just a few spots first to allow me to position the stem so there were small bits peeking out of the circle frame. Once I was sure everything was in the in the right position I then adhered the front permanently. I stamped the greeting on white daisy card stock using silver pigment ink and embossed it with Ranger clear embossing powder Z2088. I then double matted this with honey card stock. I really like that this is a simple and easy card to make but it is also quite stunning.

I love making handmade boxes to put little gifts in and I thought this box was perfect to use this month's  SOTM. This box is very easy to make and only uses one strip of adhesive tape. You can find the video of how to make this box here  The box measures 6"x2"x2". You can make multiples of the box and store them flat for future use. I used the papers from the Heartstrings paper pack 7193BX and Hollyhock Z2128, Lagoon Z2195 and Topiary Z2155 inks. I fussy cut the flower pieces and used the 3D foam tape Z1151 to give the flower dimension. 

I hope you are enjoying the blog hop and getting lots of great ideas, please continue on to Lauren Moore- CTMH Craftings  and see what terrific project she has created

Glimpses of my garden

I have been spending time in my garden tidying it up and planting some flower seedlings. My sister gave me some rose bushes for my birthday and I planted them in the front yard with two others that I planted about 12 months ago. I love roses and can't wait until I have enough flowers to cut and bring inside.  I love that the birds visit my garden and my bird bath. My fishpond finally has fish, I have 3 goldfish and one white and gold fish.

I recently hung a birdseed brick in one of the trees, I have never seen any birds eating the seeds but I noticed this morning that it was all gone. So I bought a new one today and hung in the same tree hopefully I will see who is eating the seed. I found this little birds nest under one of the trees in my front yard, it looks like it belonged to one of the many native honeyeaters that visit everyday. It is so well constructed the twigs are all entwined and the bottom of the nest is lined with bits of lint and fluff so it would be nice and soft for the new little birds.

Early mornings and late afternoons there are a flock of parrots that visit a fig tree next door. They make a lot of noise but I still enjoy their visit, I took a photo but as I don't have a zoom lens it's just a colourful speck in the tree. There is still lots of work to be done in the garden but I am slowly getting  it finished. I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of my garden.

Operation Smile Blog Hop

Welcome to our Australasian Operation Smile Blog Hop. 
 
Today we will be sharing some inspiration using the "You're the Bomb" C sized stamp set which is featured on the back page of our Seasonal Expressions Idea Book. For each “You’re the Bomb” stamp set sold, CTMH will donate $3USD directly to Operation Smile.
 

Here is my project, I used  the You're The Bomb Stamp set C161I and the mini stamp Blooming Heart Flair M 1049. The sentiments from the You're The Bomb set is so versatile and can used with just about any project or theme. I used the Shin Han markers to colour in the flowers and added some ribbon from my stash and some of the Bitty Sparkles .

The blog hop is a loop with about 11 participants so follow along and you will end up right back here. If you get lost there is a list of participants on Mandy's Blog here.
 
To learn more about Operation Smile and the involvement Close to my Heart has with this important work keep reading below, otherwise, pop over and see what Denise has created.  

Operation Smile is a private not for profit organisation providing reconstructive surgery to children and young adults born in developing countries with facial deformities. Every three minutes a child is born somewhere in the world with a cleft lip or palate with one in ten of these dying before their first birthday. Since Operation Smile was founded in 1982 over 220,00 operations to correct facial deformities in children have been performed. Thanks for joining me on this journey, the “You’re the Bomb” stamp set is available from your CTMH consultant and $3USD from every purchase will go directly to Operation Smile. 
 
To continue your journey, hop over to see what Denise  has created.

"Back To Work"

I had 3 weeks off during the Christmas, New Year period I didn't go anywhere just enjoyed the festive season with family and caught up with friends after Christmas. It was my mum's 83rd birthday on January 8th and we also celebrated with her on the day. Here is a photo of mum and 13 of her 16 great grandchildren. Unfortunately 3 of her great grandchildren live overseas, so they are missing. The family keeps growing and there will be 2 more babies added this year. I am so happy that my mother remains well and active, she goes on various outings with different groups at least once or twice a week. She also loves sewing and keeps herself occupied with that when she is at home.

 I returned to work this week, but last weekend I spent some time with a few friends crafting and here are a few of the cards I made. I struggle to make masculine cards but the Treasured Friendships stamp set C 1594 and the Seaside Greetings D1609  have made it a lot easier.

"Monday, Funday"

I was all organised to attend an all day Close To My Heart workshop last Monday but unfortunately my air conditioner decided to stop working the day before. Thankfully my brother was able to come over on Monday morning and fix it, but it took way longer than anticipated so consequently I was unable to attend the workshop. Most consultants make and bring a project to show and swap with others. I made 10 tags to take to the workshop with a view to swapping and bringing home lots of ideas from other consultants. To make the tag I cut card stock 2 1/4" x 6" and dry embossed it. I then inked the tag to make the embossed design more prominent , I cut the flower, butterfly and leaf using the Art Philosophy cricut cartridge. I then stamped the butterfly with a background stamp and added 2 little pearls. I distressed the edges of all the items with complimentary inks.To finish off the tag I added a sentiment and a bow.

At least now I am prepared for next month's workshop with my swap item already made.

National Paper Crafting Month

In celebration of National Papercrafting Month, Close To My Heart invites you to reflect on the things that make you who you are and on what you want to accomplish in the coming months. Then, with the help of the Year >> Noted paper kit, record your experiences and goals! During the month of January, with a order of $75, you are eligible to purchase the exclusive Year >> Noted paper kit (which has a retail value of over $37 AUD  for only $10—that’s over 80% off retail! Or, for an additional $5, you can order the Year >> Noted paper kit with an accompanying My Creations™ kraft mini book. The paper kit for both options includes a C-size stamp set, stickers, cardstocks, and B&T Duos™ papers, all specially designed to coordinate with the My Creations™ kraft mini book so you can have a yearlong scrapbooking experience. This means you will receive over $52 AUD worth of product for only $15 if you purchase the kit with the accompanying mini book! But the fun doesn’t end there—included on the sticker sheet, you will find a large golden seal. Once the year is done and all the pages are filled, seal up your book and create a mini time capsule that you can open years from now. Remember, this deal is only available for January, so make sure to get your own Year >> Noted paper kit today for the perfect start to a crafty year! Offer valid 1 January 2015–31 January 2015. Check out my website for further details  http://doristaylor.ctmh.com.au/Default.aspx

During the month of January, all Gatherings that reach $500 AUD / $550 NZD or higher, will be eligible to receive up to 50% more Hostess Rewards! This means an additional $45 AUD / $57.50 NZD, giving you the opportunity to earn up to $215 AUD / $322.50 NZD or more in select free products. This offer is only available during January and is the ideal pairing for your National Papercrafting Month Gatherings, so join in the celebration and watching your earnings grow!
Contact me for more details.Why not start off the new year with a new craft project

January Stamp Of The Month Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Close to My Heart Stamp of the Month Australasian Blog Hop. If you have arrived here from Loretta McKellar's Blog, Loretta's Creating Memories http://lorettamckellar.blogspot.com/2015/01/ctmh-stamp-of-month-january-this-moment.html
you are in the right place. If you landed here by accident, no problem, please join in by following the link at the end of this post.

January's stamp of the month is  "This Moment" a D stamp set with 12 images, just perfect for Valentines Day or any special occasion. It costs $27.00 normally but for this month you can have it for $5.00 with an order of $75.00. Notice the images with the red outline, this means there is a corresponding shape that can be cut with one of the Cricut cartridges.

 I try to find other ideas to use the stamps rather than just what they were designed for. I came across an idea on Pinterest using a maze stamp and thought I could adapt the circle stamp to replicate the idea. To make this card, I inked the stamp with black ink, then used the Shin Han colourless Blender Marker Z2469 to remove the ink in a few places. I then stamped the image on white daisy cardstock and added the  black lines with the Black Sin Han Marker Z2446 to make it look like a maze. I used one of the arrow stamps curving it on the acrylic block to mark the start of the maze, then added a Bitty Sparkle Z1263. To finish off the card I added the 2 Red Enamel Hearts Z2009, the Be Amazing stamp and some ribbon from my stash.

I also made some 31/2" x 31/2"cards and a box to hold them. The box holds 6 cards and envelopes easily. I used the Chalk It Up paper pack to make the box and some of the cards.  Random stamp sets were used, each with a "love" sentiment. There are many to choose from. The box is quite easy to make, I used card stock for the box and paper for the lid. Flowers and flourish decorations were cut using the cricut. I added the stamped "Love Notes" label to the lid.

Box Instructions
BASE – 7 7/8 x 7 7/8″ (19.7 x 19.7cm) card stock
Score on ALL 4 sides at 2″ (5cm)
LID 7 x 7″ (18 x 18cm) paper
Score on ALL 4 sides at  1/2 AND 1 1/2″ ( 1.5 AND 4cm)
This is a great video with easy instructions   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq0GAtlW9k0

To continue the blog hop check out  Patricia Manhire's blog - Patricia Manhire's Creative Corner
http://wp.me/p2MuRN-Cn   
I am sure she will have a great project for you. We all love to receive comments so if you see anything on the hop you like, please leave a comment. It encourages us to be more creative each month.