USA holiday 2011

Am currently on holiday in the USA if you would like to follow me, here is the blog:

ramsayusa2011.blogspot.com

Home Improvements

Ok, so this blog has been seriously neglected.  Apologies.  After our wonderful USA holiday, there have been a few things happening in my life.  We did some building and landscaping to our front garden.  Before we went overseas I had spoken to our landscaper and he sent us through his plans and ideas whilst we were in the USA.  Once we got back he got started.  Here are some before pictures:

Some "during" pictures:

And the end result:

And the view looking from under the Gazebo:

It really has made such a difference to the front garden and we have had a couple of get togethers under the gazebo (even in the rain).

To lie on the seating under the gazebo on a hot day and read a book is very pleasant and both Dereck and I have done it - he he.

We went today and bought an outside light which will go at the end of the paving after the pool to light up the stepping stones and we got a flourescent light to under the awning to the right of the pool.

I will do another blog post and let you know about our week-end away at Shelley Beach.

Home improver signing off ....

USA Holiday 2010

Dereck and I are finally packed and ready to leave shortly for a holiday in the USA.  We have set up a holiday blog, so while we are away, this blog won't be updated but our holiday one will.

Please pop over to:

http://www.ramsayusa2010.blogspot.com/

and see what we have been up to and leave us some love.

Jetsetter signing off .........

Some cards I made

After attending a recent card class with Bee, I decided to make these two cards - the first one ia a shirt card, which has a lot of folding and I quite enjoyed the challenge...

The next one is just a tri-fold, but I used my EKSucess edge punch on the outside and the inside and I must say I quite like the effect ....

Off to carry on with a scrapping layout I started this afternoon.

Thanks for looking.

Crafter signing off ....

A very formal dinner

It was the annual Commodore's Dinner at the Point Yacht Club last night and Dereck and I were invited as my boss is the current Commodore.  I was also asked to please make the menu cards to put on the tables, which I must say, I had a lot of fun making.  The theme was "twilight sailing" with the colours being black and orange.  Dereck hired a tux and I had a black outfit which I wore.  Sorry no pictures of us, but here is a picture of the menu cards which I made ... the front ...

and the inside .... 

 My friend Wayne has a laser cutting machine and he made the cut outs of the yacht and palm tree and then I stuck them all down.  I had to make 30 of these cards, so had a bit of a production line going on in my craft room.

It was a great evening and we only left there at midnight.

Midnight dinner guest signing off ....

Card Crafting

Last Saturday I went to the Hobby Hut in Queensburgh for a card crafting lesson with Bee.  Always a lot of fun and very inspirational.  These are the cards we made:

This was the shirt card.  To open , you pull from under the collar.

You would put your sentiment on the white card on the inside ....  To get the sleeves, took a bit of origami type folding - bit tricky but what an effect ....

This was just a simple card, where you double folded the sides inwards ...

This was a pull out card, you pull one side and pullouts come from both sides - a bit of a technique to get this one, but what a lovely effective card ....

Then yesterday, I went to a card class with Bee but at a friend's house.  Loads of fun and again very inspirational and this was the first, simple tri-fold card.  Also nice to use as an envelope or made into a little handbag ...

Another simple card, but with a lovely corner decoration.  We didn't use double sided paper, but merely attached a square of different paper on to the right hand corner which folded over to give the effect.....

An easle card which has its own section holding it up and then balancing against the brown bit in the front - another nice and easy but very effective card.

I have another class with Bee on 26 August in Durban North which makes it 3 this month.  Someone at one of the classes called me a "card stalker" - ha ha ha.

So I suppose ... card stalker signing off .....

Canvass Art - 3 July 2010

Bee held a canvass art lesson at The Hobby Hut at Queensburgh Nursery on Saturday, 3 July 2010 which I attended.  Wow, this was an amazing class and I so enjoyed creating my canvass.  We used all sorts of bits of tinfoil, embossed paper, leaves, chipboard, flowers, lace and what ever else there was around.  We painted the canvass black and then stuck down all the other bits to get a nice textured base.  Then we painted over the textured bits black again and then dry brushed the colour we wanted.  I decided to do my theme of Dereck and I in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary last year.  I really like how this turned out.  The colour in the picture is deep purple and I already have it hanging in my craft room .....

I used stickles over the number 25 to give it a bit of a sparkle.  With the photo, I cut out a 1cm border all round, sanded the edges and then inked them.  I did the same with the cut out bit and then I mounted the cut out bit with double sided tape to give it a bit of a 3d look.

Canvass crafter signing off ....

Cards Made from Card Class in June 2010

Bee's card class at Durban North on 17 June 2010 was again a funfilled, inspiring class.  Here are the cards we made....

 This we called the "swing" card as the scolloped circle in the middle hangs from the top and bottom of the circle.  A simple, yet effective card.

This card we called the "money slider" card as in order to stick the scolloped quote, we needed to use 5cent pieces so that it moved nicely when the inner tag was pulled out.

This card was called the "spinner" card.  Before you close the card you twist the inner circle and then close the card.  When the person opens it, it spins around.  Very nice card and if you wanted, you could extend the white card inside to go all the way to the edge which would give you more space to write your sentiments.

Always a great evening as Bee is just to inspiring and positive.

Inspired cardmaker signing off ....

Peter Rabbit Tatoo

When my son Grant had his first tatoo, I jokingly said that he was mad.  When he got his second one I jokingly said I should get one.  When he got his third one I said that I would get one when I had lost 10kg's.  I have now lost 16kg's and was still thinking about it.  My niece, Samatha offered on Wednesday this week to come round on Saturday (today) and do it for me.  I looked for my picture of Peter Rabbit (I have loved this bunny since I was a little girl and collect the figurines) and I fetched her after my craft class this afternoon.  I was rather nervous, but we set up in my craft room and off she went.  It really felt wierd and at some times I had to grit my teeth, but it was not a pain that lingered at all.    Here are a few pictures of the outline being drawn and then the finished tatoo.  Samatha is really very artistic and it was an honour for me to have her do my tatoo.

I am thinking of having a Jemimah Puddleduck done on my left shoulder ...... Grant says I am now one of the tatoo gang!!

Tatoo mom signing off ....