Monkeying around!!

Yes, that is a monkey.....which I made!!  Amazing huh?  ok...I'm amazed and very proud.  After years of yearning, I finally have my sewing machine!  Jorja and I worked at the Stitches and Craft show last month and I decided that this was a great place to shop for a machine.  Mich joined us at the show and she chaperoned Jorja and I as we did a split shift.  The show was so good that Mich and I had to go back on the Saturday to shop more!  We decided to make a magoo and bought fabric for him and more fat quarters just coz they were pretty!  The start of another addiction I fear!!! So, fast forward a few weeks....after an hour or so of deciphering the pattern instructions....Mich and I cut out our patterns and our fabric and started sewing.  It was lots of fun having some moral support and while Mich got her magoo finished that night, it took me a few days to find time to tackle the handsewing.  So, finally he's all finished and I must say...I'm really pleased with my sewing skills and my fabric selection coz he is such a funkeeee monkeee!!!  You'll have to go check out Mich's spotty monkey too....he is just divine!!!!! 
Also made these two little box baskets.  Very bright gorgeous fabric.  Actually used these fabrics for my lined zipper pouch which I made during Nicole Mallalieu's craft lab. And still had lots left over...so these two little box baskets were born and a pin cushion too.  Hehehe...like my scrapbooking pins???  
Ok...back to layouts!!!  Julia Matthews has just launched a brand new scrapbooking magazine.  Australian Scrapbooking and omg...this magazine is fantastic!!!  I got my copy yesterday and spent 2 hours engrossed in it.  The articles are sooo good and the other layouts fantastic.

Here are my contributions:

Travel layout with multiple photos and memorabilia - map of las vegas, lots of photos and numbered like you will find in some touristy maps.  Ultra simple layout, but very effective at capturing a whole heap of photos and journalling on a double layout.  I loved my time at Vegas....I want to go baaaack!!!! 

Another Travel themed layout with memorabilia and multiple photos.  aha...yes..another double layout!!!  This time of San Francisco...and the memorabilia include hotel room key :), airline ticket stubs, clothing tag from my Docker's jacket, postcard and the San Francisco trolley ride ticket.   San Francisco is just beautiful.....it was very cold while we were there...but beautiful....I want to go back there too and eat at the Pier.  Crab legs....yum!!!
And lastly.....a tribute layout....tribute to Ben 10...hehehe.  Jeromel is obsessed with Ben 10 and this obsession has been going on for about a year and a half now.  So he has lots of Ben 10 gear. He had even saved up some of the toy packaging...so that got rescued by me to be put on this layout to be immortalised.  hehehe  Ultra simple layout with lots of photos.  I love it when I manage to achieve 'simple'!!!
So that's it.  Truly....go out and grab Australian Scrapbooking!!!

I have been scrapping lately....the bug has bitten and I can get one or two layouts done a day when I have time.  And it all started with the gorgeous gorgeous Lily Bee Designs French Couture papers.  I swear....these papers are just sooo beautiful and I lusted after them!!  Lusted after them so badly that I ended up ordering them for Kiti Q.  The patterns and the die cut frames and borders are just soo gorgeous.  I did 4 layouts and 3 cards with the range!!!  Will be back to show these layouts soon.  As postage from the states is exxy and the $$ is ridiculous....I only got a small order in...so it won't last long in the shop.  Be quick if you want some!!!

New lot of cards!!!

These cards were in  Issue 17 of  Creative Cardmaking and Papercraft.  Thrilled to have made cover and sidekick.  hehehe....what's sidekick?  A tiny little picture on the front cover highlighting something the mag editor wants to point out......I guess it's like when you go to Maccas and they say 'would you like any dessert with that?'....yah...an upsell.  hehehe.  Well...cover and two sidekicks for this issue.  hahaha!

Anyways....let's kick off the card show...

Vellum/Parchment paper card with a bit of white heat embossing.  And some dew drops in the centre of some flowers too!  Super simple!! 'heart' this card!
Mother's Day card made with my beloved scallop heart nestabilities.   This was an impulse buy but I'm sooo very glad that I got it because it's certainly earnt it's keep!  Love the texture of the linen bazzill teamed with glitter wrmk papers.
This is the card that made it on the cover!  All lovely and super super simple and pink!
This was a sidekick card.  Kick Ass easy and kick ass cute!!  I've made quite a few of these cards already and what  you can't see on this card is that....the Ben 10 can actually swivel and move....so he's not fixed.   He's got some moves...hehehehe
This heart is one that makes my heart stop.  I love it's pale pale loveliness.  And I have a really great memory linked to this card.  I was struggling with my card assignment when the postie dropped off my latest stampin up order!  Scallop square punch and matching stamps set.  Oh as soon as I saw it....the design popped into my head and I love it.  Thanks Lou!!!
Aaaaah...this was a brads challenge card.  Had to come up with an interesting way to use brads....so they turned into apples.  hehehe.  Supercute card!!
So, again....if you're after a cards magazine that shows you how to use your scrapbooking stash, this is it.  Race out and buy it.  The ideas in there are fantastic and of course you get all the measurements and step by step instructions.

hehehe....what's this layout?  Yes...another coffee layout from me.  I think this could be my 4th coffee layout....no joke!!!  Sadly....my espresso machine has gone to the Philippines where it now works at an internet cafe.  I haven't been able to afford a new espresso machine yet...so I'm back to having Moccona but I've managed to find Fat Free French Vanilla Coffee Mate.  I adore this stuff....fell in lust with it in Vegas and in the States, you can get the liquid version.  Here, we can only get the powdered version at a USA food store.  So yes, Moccona and my French Vanilla Coffee Mate are perfect partners.  The last time I stocked up...I got the last 3 jars....and of course it's all gone and USA food store is still waiting for the shipment to come in.  Very very sad.  I might have to resort to buying the expensive single serve portions at supermarkets again. 

Ok....that's it from me.  I have more to share....another day!!!  I'll draw a winner for the rak next week!

Shania is a cover girl!!!

I was so excited when I was invited to be on the cover of the Valentine's issue of Creative Paper. I totally had so much fun working on this project.  I had to do a layout, a mini album, a decorative/gift item and a card....and I really love the end result.  Shania is such a gorgeous cover girl and my fav has got to be the Scrapware birdhouses (available from my shop) or maybe the gorgeous layered hearts card.......my husband would say the chocolate bar wrapper next on the left hand side of the card.  It had yummy Cadbury moments choc in there.

Another exciting month for me as well as it's my first article in Scrapbooking Memories.  Bit of a challenge as not only do I come up with layouts and cards....but I have to write as well.  And..it's been a while since I have had to write an essay.  But ...... at the end of it...I had a great time and such a fantastic learning experience. My article was on masking and reverse masking.  So the layout above is my Lil' Eastwood with masked round shapes and also used magic mesh to do some masking.    Then another layout of Miss Shania...Little Miss Bag Hag.  Photos are care of Bev!!!  Thanks Bev!!

Two cards with the masking technique...the above is a sunset card where the moon is masked.  And the card underneath is using the negative from die cut flowers to do masking.

More published projects.   Another one that I was absolutely thrilled to do.  A school related mini album using the funky Bella Back to school range.  I found these papers to be very Love  Elsie-ish...funky and I love the colourful embellishments and journalling blocks.

Back soon with a cards update.  I do cards monthly for Creative Cardmaking and papercraft magazine.  Yes, who would have thought I'd be doing cards monthly.  But I'm really really loving cardmaking at the moment.  

Does anyone still read my blog??  I have two raks to give away.....u know what to do....leave me a comment!!!  Thank you!

Out with the old...in with the new!!

Happy New Year!!!

Oh I know.......guilty as charged for falling off the blogging wagon!!!

I've had lots of emails and pm's and messages from lots of people wondering if all is well in my life.  And the answer is ....yes!!!  All is well in Ruey's world.  I've just been very very very busy!  We had a great Christmas and New Years!  And before I knew it...my husband left me again!!! And when he came back...he brought 3 relatives from the Philippines back with him who are staying with us in our tiny little house for a month.  Yes...you read right...a whole month!!!  We're in the 2nd week of their visit at the moment and while we are really enjoying it....it has been exhausting!!!!     

I actually got so busy that I nearly missed Chinese New Year!!!  hehehe..I quickly put up the Chinese new year decorations ....hahaha....and didn't even take down the Christmas decorations.  hehehe...how hilariously lazy huh???  Maybe this year will pass in the blink of an eye and I'll be early for 2009 christmas!!!!!

Wanted to share with you some recent work in magazines......hehehe....proof that I still scrap...although by the looks of this post...I might actually be mistaken for a cardmaker than a scrapper!!!

Scrapbook Creations Issue 62

I was thrilled to receive an email from Carol Lea Morgan asking me to participate in her Sketch Feature.  Fabulous sketch and I totally love this bionicles layout on a Sheer Delights background.

Creative Cardmaking & Papercraft 2009 Annual

Love this card - card base is made with Sheer Delights and it has a bouquet of vellum flowers  on it.  Gave this card to Mich for her birthday!
Teen girl card using the gorgeous Rasberry papers.  The mag spelt rasberry wrong...I guess because spell checker automatically wants it to be Raspberry...but the actual brand is Rasberry.  Love the chipboard bag!  I'm such a bag hag!!

Teen boys card again using Rasberry Schoolies products.  The card base is Basic Grey.  But the papers, card and rub ons are Rasberry.  Ultra simple card...but I like it and my only teen boy ...aka DS#2 gave it the thumbs up.  I think he's given it away already as it's not in my card box anymore.

Simple card using a bear cut out from a vintage little golden book.  Sentiment was done on word.  Simple huh????

Two cards for little boys using the gorgeous Sassafras Lass stuff.  Uber uber cute ranges!!

Easter card featuring a chocolate Bee.  

Now this is my fav card in the mag.  It's a gift card holder...and unfortunately the pics in the mag does not do it justice at all.  It didn't show the slit where you insert a gift card.  So it's not just a card...it's a gift as well.  hehehe  now....run out and buy the mag if you want instructions! *wink*

Creative Cardmaking & Papercraft Issue 16

Layered flower using a Paper shaper tool which I affectionately call the doovywacker.

Next up are 3 cards with felt on them.  Felt flowers, birdy, hearts etc.  Had lots of fun stitching these!

The two cards using the yummy Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine papers.

Yep...so those were my contributions to Issue 16.  Grab the mag if you're a scrapbooker who wants to make cards with your scraps.  Lots of great ideas and examples in the mag!!

Other highlight of the year so far was a crop at my place while DH was away.  It was to celebrate Mich's birthday.  It was such a good day for me.  Lots of girly chatter, lots of laughs, lots of fun, lots of creative energy to absorb and lots of food was ingested.  Mich, Jorja, Jane, Vita, Lyndal and Felicity came over to play and we played all day long and into the night!!  We went out to dinner at a restaurant close to me and I took them on a scenic route so that they could see the famous Synchrotron...but those girls...they didn't appreciate scientific marvels at all...they just laughed a lot and said I was lost.  Seriously it was like a 3 minute diversion....but those creative creatures had no appreciation for geeky science stuff!!!  hehehehe