A crafty time with Love on my mind

With flood waters surrounding me in my neighboring towns here in Queensland, Australia there is sadly not much I can do but be thankful that I and my family are safe, high and dry.  Fuel and food restrictions are now in place and things like fresh fruit and vegetables and perishables are starting to run out as the highway is closed.  With conserving our fuel I have been at home crafting and watching the devastating news unfold on the TV. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have lost their lives, homes and business and or been effected in this horrible natural disaster.  I believe and I hope that after the rain and waters have subsided that the true nature of the “Aussie” will show through and we will all battle on, lending each mate a hand.   We will rebuild and we will survive this.

This is how I have been amusing my time in front of the TV.  I am not sure if I should save this for another Wedding Card, use it for a Valentines card or keep it in my stash for a Birthday Card! lol Love a multi use!

Challenges I am entering:

 Craft Your Passion - #40 Lets tie one on (Use ribbon, lace or anything you can tie on) (Mondays)

Cupcake Craft Challenges - #Cupcake 124 - Something new - I am using my new corrugated papers (the black and the white) that I got for Christmas (Mondays)

Incy Wincy Designs - #76 Go Dotty - I have used a white 'dot' embossed paper and on one side I have sponged black ink over to highlight and I have used silver dotted paper for the balloons. (Mondays)

Lexi's Creations - #31 Say it with Love - (Mondays)

Ooh La La Creations - OLLCB #71 Bling it on! - I have used two blings on the birds and glitter papper butterflies and I have silver spotted balloon paper. (Mondays)

 Paper Playtime - CH#33 Black, Silver & White Only - I have used black, silver and white only ( Mondays)

Pollycraft Monday - #75 New Things - I am using my new corrugated papers (the black and the white) that I got for Christmas (Mondays)
 Top Tip Tuesday -  #17 Anything Goes (Tuesdays)

Scrapbook Sisters - #17 Anything Goes - (Wednesdays)

Simon Says Stamp - New Beginnings - It is a Love Card (Wednesdays)

The Creative Cottage Challenge Blog - #30 Something New - It is a Love Card (Fortnightly Wednesdays)
The Pixie Cottage -  #51 Sketch and or Use Punches - The swirl border and butterflies are punches. (Wednesdays)

365 Cards  - Day 316 Pure Elegance - Elegance to me is black and white with clean and simple and crispness.
Charisma Cardz Challenge - #1 Happy Birthday - Can be used for a Birthday card. (Thursdays)
Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - New Goodies / Techniques - I am using my new corrugated papers (the black and the white) that I got for Christmas (Thursdays)
Cute Card Thursday - #146 Out With the Old - I have used all old stash besides the new corrugated papers. (Thursdays)
Dutch Dare Challenges - DDCC#94 New Beginnings - It is a Love Card (Thursdays)
Paper Play Challenges - 11 Week One - Clean and Simple - The card is clean and simple (Thursdays)
Crafty Calendar Challenge - #16 New Beginnings - It is a Love Card (Saturdays)
Prairie Fairy Fridays -  #43New Beginnings - It is a Love Card (Fridays)
 Fun at fairy Knolls -  #32 All That Glitters - The butterflies are punched from glitter paper, the balloons are on silver spotted glitter paper and the birds both have a bling jewel on them (Fridays)
Paper Cutz Challenge - #73 Use metal - I used beading wire to make the strings on the balloons. (Fridays)
The Secret Crafter - #116 Tons of Texture - I have texture (Saturdays)
 One Stitch At A Time - #44 Love & Valentine - It is a love card ( Sundays)
 The Crafty Pad - #103 Happy Birthday - Could be used as a Birthday Card (Sundays)
Stamping Vacation -   Pick 3 - I used a white background, punch and glitter.
Craft Your Days Away - CYDA #11 Anything Goes (Fridays)
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Blog Hop & Anything Goes (Thursdays)
 Simple Create - #34 I'm the Boss - Embossing - I have the embossed spot paper. (Fridays)
Speedy The Cats Friends Challenges - #37 Embossing - I have the embossed spot paper.   (Saturdays)
Rainbow Lady's - #134 It's all new to me - I am using my new corrugated papers (the black and the white) that I got for Christmas (Thursdays)
Tellen's Place - Punches - The swirl border and the glitter butterflies are punches. (Fridays)***EDIT* MADE TOP 3

Fair winds and following seas,
The Navy Wife

Celebrate with us at Gingerloft Challenges #9

This fortnight Gingerloft Challenges are 'Celebrating!' There is many a things to celebrate with the New Year ahead of us and this is the perfect time for all of us to make a start preparing for the year ahead.  CELEBRATE and join us in this occasion! You can celebrate anything ~ Birthday, Valentines, Wedding, even Christmas again if you want to get a head start :P the list is endless.  The Gingerloft Challenge runs for a fortnight and you do not have to use a Gingerloft image to play along with us so I / we would love to see you there!
Here is my creation for this fortnight using Gingerloft Seeing Stars image.  I love how well it turned out and am palnning to add it to my 'stash on hand cards' for a wedding card.  Ironically as I love making cards, when weddings come around I always seem to find myself buying them and not making them, this way I will have one on hand.  The holographic stars are a perfect match and I love how they sparkle when the light hits them. 


The image is one of the many new ones recently out and with hubby home at the moment I have not been crafting much but have been dieing to play with this new one.  I have also used old paper scraps from my stash as again with hubby home getting near a craft shop is just ... well .... not in the near sights so I am working with what I have on hand and really it could use a clean out lol :P

Challenges I am Entering :-
Craft Your Passion - #39 Anything goes (Mondays)
Cupcake Craft Challenges - Cupcake #123 White is white - White is the primary color (Mondays)
Die Cut Dreams Challenge - #80 Quote - card includes a quote (We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - We find it with another) (Mondays)
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge - #48 Anything Goes (Mondays)
Paper Playtime - #32 Use faces on your project - The image is faces. (Mondays)
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Your newest stamp  - This is one of my newest stamps that I have not used.(Mondays)
The Crazy Challenge - CCH #48 All Things New  - It is a wedding card (Mondays)
Creative Card Crew - New Begginnings - It is a wedding card (Tuesdays)
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes ( Tuesdays)
Try It On Tuesday - #Week 1 New Begginnings - It is a wedding card (Tuesdays)
Scrapbook Sisters - #17 Anything Goes (Wednesdays)
Simon Says Stamp - New Begginnings - It is a wedding card (Wednesdays)
 The Creative Cottage Challenge - #30 Something New - It is a wedding card and the stamp is new(Wednesdays)
365 Cards - #Day 314 Romance - It is a wedding card (Daily)
Charisma Cardz Challenge - #1 Birthdays & Cellebrations - It is a wedding card (Thursdays)
Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - New year, new challenges & new designs - It is a wedding card and the stamp is new along with the desgin (Thursdays)
Cute Card Thursday - #146 - Out With The Old - I have used all my old stash papers (Thursdays)
 Dutch Dare Card Challenges - DDCC#94 - New Begginnings - It is a wedding card (Thursdays)
Paper Play Challenges - #1 Clean & Simple - It is clean and simple (Thursdays)
Sassy Studio Desgins - DTBST #54 Something New - It is a wedding card  and I have used my new stamp (Thursdays)
 Southern Girls Challenge - #9 Anything Goes (Fortnight Thursdays)
Blog-a-Doodle - New Year's Resolutions - To make ALL my own cards this year and not buy any!(Thursdays)
 Crafty Calendar Challenge - #16 New Begginings - It is a wedding card (Saturday)
Prairie Fairy Fridays - #43 New Begginning - It is a wedding card (Fridays)
Fun At Fairy Knoll - FK32 All The Glitters - The stars are hologiphic paper and shine and sparkle lol and I know I have not spelt that right lol (Fridays)
Stamp Something - January Digi Day - Use a digi - The image is a digi stamp (Fridays)
Our Creative Corner - Inspiration Challenge -  I used the colors of the picture  - Red, black, white and silver/grey (Saturdays)

Fair winds and follwoing seas

The Navy Wife

Six sleep countdown!

It is only six more sleeps till the Navy sailor will be home! (Yes I have started to countdown) and I’m so excited! Excited that he is coming home, excited for Christmas, the New Year and especially excited as Christmas Eve is our Wedding Anniversary. 

And then there is the most favourite thing I love, and that is having our anniversary on Christmas Eve is like having two days of Christmas.  The family gets together and we all celebrate!  After all ... There is nothing better than when hearts come home and are all together.  And really... Isn’t the true meaning of Christmas hearts, family, hope, Christ and thanks.

Sentiment was computer generated.

The image I found here at clker.com and I have not used it in breach of any copyrights. 

 Red glitter highlights added to the hair bow on the girl and the bow tie on the boy. 

Along with jewels added as the buttons on both their shirts.

Close up of the flowers with the jewel centres and the gold embossed then glossed leaves cut with a diecut and embossed by freestyle hand.

Close up of the DP Leather embossed paper and the metalic red and silver papers.

The card insert.

I am really happy with how this card finished.  I only wish my camera picked up the beautiful shimmer and shine on the red and silver metalic papers like in RL.

Challenges I am entering-

* Craft Your Passion - #35 Anything goes (Mondays)

* There She Goes - TSG84 Bring on the bling - I have jewls as buttons on the shirts and I have added red glitter to the bow in the girl hair tie and the boys bow tie.  There is also jewels in the centre of the flowers and I have also used plain metalic red and silver papers to add a little more shine on the leather embossed DP white. (Mondays)

* Creative Card Crew - Anything goes (Tuesday)

* Top Tip Tuesday - #13 Use Ribbon - I have the ribbon bow and the ribbon stripes across the top and down the side. (Tuesday)

* Creative Inspiration - #90 White designer paper only - I have used a white leather embossed DP and the red and silver are plain metalic papers. (Wednesdays)

* Freshly Brewed Designs - #26 Sparkle and Shine - I have jewls as buttons on the shirts and I have added red glitter to the bow in the girl hair tie and the boys bow tie.  There is also jewels in the centre of the flowers and I have also used plain metalic red and silver papers to add a little more shine on the leather embossed DP white. (Wednesdays)

* Little Red Wagon - #58 Use a Die-cut - The leaves are diecuts that have been embossed in gold and then coated in a clear varnish to shine. (Wednesdays)

* The Pixie Cottage - #48 Spakle and Shine -  I have jewls as buttons on the shirts and I have added red glitter to the bow in the girl hair tie and the boys bow tie.  There is also jewels in the centre of the flowers and I have also used plain metalic red and silver papers to add a little more shine on the leather embossed DP white. (Wednesdays)

* Delightful Sketches - Embossing Challenge- The 3 gold leaves are embossed and the white DP is an embossed leather. (Thursdays)

* Shelly's Images - TTT 12/9/10 Let's Celebrate - Wedding aniversary is a celebration. (Thursdays)

* Character Cafe - Glitter glitter glitter - I have added red glitter to the bow in the girl hair tie and the boys bow tie. There is also jewels in the centre of the flowers and sometimes, less is more, especially with this image. ((Fridays)

* One Stitch At A Time - #42 Old stash and new stash - The black flowers I have had since forever and never really found a card for them to suit and the red ribbon is new from my Christmas supplies this year.

* Corrosive Challenges - #93 Red and white - It has red and white. (Sundays)

* The Crafty Pad - #100 Anything goes (Sundays)

* Stamping vacation - Family Holiday Month - This is the one month that the family try to come together and my husband and I do all we can to make it possible for him to be home for our wedding aniversary and Christmas.

Fair winds and following seas.

The Navy Wife

All packaged with love and care

It has been a busy, long and hard week.  While the inspiration and creative juices have been there, time, sadly has not :(

Over the past couple of nights between feeding the kids and doing the chores I have been working on something special.  Monday will mark 4 weeks since my dearest husband (aka petal) will have left us last and it will still be a minimum of another 55 days till we see him again.

When he is away the kids and I have a tradition of sending him a care package every 4 weeks; so this week we have all been working on this every evening.  It usually has a few recent photos of the kids, some home-baked biscuits I have managed to save before the kids eat them all, a chocolate bar or two, ok or more :).  A card from me with the attachment of a huge long letter, Dylan writes a letter as well telling him all about  school, the weekends and all things exciting we have been up to (I also have to supply a legible copy in print, he’s in Prep! Each letter his writing improves).  Chloe usually colours in (scribbles) a few pictures of Winnie the Pooh & Friends, and this month Emilie sent daddy a few footprints as she can now stand up on her own.

I was thinking masculine along the lines of the rich colours of fall like the plums mixed with the creams and browns and I wanted to mount this card onto a stunning olive green (that I found at Dreamswork on Monday and fell in love with) and I knew it would work well with the blend.  I also fell in-love with the sketch over on Stamp with Fun (I did not stamp anything so I do not know if I qualify for entry though) but I loved the sketch and had to do it anyway lol!

My Petal really was the inspiration for this card as I fell in love with him more making this.  He is the only man I know (besides his father) that picks a card out for someone based on the verse(s) or message.  It has to be sweet, and it has to say what they can never say out loud or never say often enough.  Hence why I could not resist and had to get my Kelly Panacci cardstock stickers out (RMKSCBCSI), her work is so beautiful and I also used some fresh cuts (FC030 Love Notes) by Rebecca Sower (that I have had since forever as they are to gorgeous to use lol).

What do I love:

I love the eyelets, all different colours, shapes and especially the leaves at the top and bottom of the ribbon.

The tags, the tiny little ones are just so cute.

The verses and wording, it just sings love, and life.         

The colours, they just really pulled together particularly the slightest touch of blue on the bottom patterned layer (Kasier Craft – Gypsy Sisters Collection – P487 Rosa)

*Oh and if you ever ask “who makes that paper” I usually could not tell you unless it is one I fell in love with and hence have brought 100’s of the sheet lol”.

Challenges I am entering this card into:

 Incy Wincy Designs - #63 Faux It Up (false stitching on the sentiment at the bottom along with on the tags) – (Mondays)

Simon Says Stamp And Show  - Some Metal (eyelets and wire image on tag on envelope) (Mondays)

Stamp With Fun - #80 Sketch (Mondays)

Papertake Weekly – 3 of a kind (3 tags on the top left and bottom right) also 3 things in the set. (Tuesdays)

Little Red Wagon - #50 Something old/something new (old fresh cuts and new olive green card) (Wednesdays)

Southern Girls - #3 Four layers of patterned paper (I have the 3 patterned layers and the main card gift tag is on a pattern paper) (Thursday fornightly)

*EDIT* Made top 5 - Badge is coming soon ! Hippie!

Delightful Sketches – Metal Mania (eyelets and wire image on tag on envelope) (Thursdays)

* Design Dollies - THEMED project -That means a minimum or two or three matching pieces (Card, envelope and gift tag) (Thursdays)

 Dutch Dare – Tagalicious – I got LOTS of em :) (Thursdays)

Meljen's Desgins – Tags – I got lots! (Thursdays) - I made the top 5 !

Stampin 'B's Design – Fall Colours – Olive green, brown, creams, plum and earthy tones used.

Being Friday night, home alone, kids in bed and no one else but me to talk to, we/me is off to play with some Friday flowers :) 

Fair winds and following seas.

~♥~The Navy Wife ~♥~