Juggling

Hello there,

How's your week going so far?

I'm still catching up after the show. Catching up with things so I can have a Better Home and Garden.

I chose this photo for today because the title caught my eye. I took the pic in the first place because it's the issue that has my cushion on the front. I'm still making that cushion, which is annoying. I hate things dragging out, but this project is. And I'm so close to finishing! Might help if it was in the living room where I can see it, but Andrew moved it to another room to get it out of the way. It was on the kitchen bench for weeks, so I get his point.

My crafting status at the moment?

• I have a new class to make up.
• I have a class to punch for.
• I have other things to make for some displays.
• I'm blogging as I can.
• I'm not scrapbooking - other stuff is on the table.
• I'm making a ribbon thing, but I've stalled a bit on that too.
• I'm thinking of doing a December Daily (like Ali) and I've got an idea in mind.

Summary: I'm juggling. And I'm juggling work and play.

You see, craft for me is work and play. I get money for some of the craft I do. I don't get money for some of the craft I do.

When I work, I craft.

When I play, I craft.

I banned myself from crafting (work and play) for a couple weeks a while back and found myself with nothing to do! That included craft related anything...computer surfing, blogging, shopping, actual crafting....everything.

And as it turned out, because crafty work and play are combined for me, the ban didn't last because I had essential work things to do.

Ah, juggling.

And juggling the Home and Garden too to make them function and run smoothly. Smoothly, ha ha. Do you know how many times Andrew's cooked dinner lately? Honestly, he's a legend and he does all these things without raising a sweat, but I'm in a real cooking slump and can't be bothered with the whole eating three times a day thing. And coming up with something new to cook? Please, take me outside and hose me down now.

Tonight we are having plum chops with vegetables - it's going to be nice, but I've got to make myself get in the kitchen at a reasonable time to make it happen. I like cooking, but not all the time. And because we people have to eat all the time, I have to cook all the time. I'm done. I think we'll just eat raw from now on. At least summer's coming and I can do that. And I'm serious - I'll take everything in the fridge, cut it up small, throw it in a bowl and we'll eat that. Cabbage, broc, cauli, lettuce, tomato, cheese, mushrooms, zucchini, nuts, carrot, avo - it's the only way Andrew will eat zucchini, so I praise myself for getting it his mouth. Outwit, outplay and outlast...in the kitchen. If only I could.

In an all-over-the-place mood today as you can tell. Juggling work and play and all that comes with it. Sometimes the juggling is easy, sometimes it's not. Today it's not. It's relentless.

Okay, must go and do some work, but before I do, guess what? LUNCH!

Bye for now!

:o)

PS. I realise you don't get on here to read about how I'm finding things difficult. I know it's about the craft and craft is meant to be good all the time, right? Wrong. It's not. Sometimes craft is messy, expensive and just all over place. Life's like that too. Messy, expensive and all over the place. It doesn't mean it can't be fixed (does it need to be?), it just means it's like that sometimes and that's the truth of it. Craft and creativity are very personal things - sing from your heart, dance from your heart, cook from your heart - the judges harp on that all the time. But what if your heart is a bit messy? What if things are all over the place? Do I really want to sing, dance (or in our case), create from there? That means everyone will know I'm not doing so well and do I really want that? Well, no. And well, yes, because what's the big deal? We're all human, we all have failings, we all get a bit messy sometimes and it's okay to admit it. The admitting it isn't hard, it's the reactions that are the hardest, hey? Who wants to be judged because of the way they feel? Nobody, they just want to be understood or heard. That's it and that's all.

So, I'm just saying it how it is. 'It' being craft and 'it' being life because often they are one and the same. It's a juggle, it's not fun all the time and that's just the way it is. It doesn't bother me, things will change, they always do, but for today, I'm going to eat and then sit at my desk and make something for my new class. And before that I'll pray because I want to talk to God about these things and He listens. Not just for the sake of it, but attentively because I am important to Him. You are too, did you know that?

PPS. Just so you know, all the talk of juggling, finding it hard etc etc sounds like I'm on the floor curled up in a ball blubbering my eyes out. I'm not (well, not today anyway!). I'm just talking here. Putting it out there because it's the truth. I'll bet there's a lot of correlations between your craft and your life. How you approach it and how you feel about it. What do you think? Think on it if you want, if not, that's fine too. I'm a deep thinker, always have been. And I don't do it on purpose, I just do it. Drives Andrew crazy sometimes, but he still loves me. I drive myself crazy sometimes too, but it's okay, Andrew just tells me to settle down and we move on :o)

PPPS. Have a great day, won't you? And if you're finding your juggling hard today, just know that someone else (and I'll bet a lot more too) knows how it feels, okay? Our lives are all different, but we all experience a lot of the same emotions within them. It's the playing field on which we can all relate and have some understanding for each other, yes?

Craft show Sunday

Wow, last day at the show today. My feet are glad I can tell ya.

Was actually busier than normal today. Slow as usual in the morning (everyone sleeps in!) and then it picked up in the arvo. Lots of ladies were out and about looking at all the bits and pieces. 

Oh yes, found out yesterday the parking for $11 was only during the week. Hope that didn't catch any of you out.

Met Liz, thanks for stopping by to say hi, Liz. It was great to meet you! And I think the fact that you made the front cover rocks!

Now, onto our display areas.

Remember Peter's? lol Pretty bad and boring.

He decided to step it up today and put this flower together.

Nice.

Then he really decided to step it up and went to town. It's pretty impressive!

(That's the E-Craft by Craftwell by the way. It's like a Cricut machine, but it doesn't use any mats. It comes in blue, purple and hot pink too). 

So, what'd you think?

Not bad...for a fella.

Of course it didn't stay that way because of all the demonstrating, but still, he tried. And we had a laugh about it (lots actually) which is what it's all about. 

Thanks, Pete, I enjoyed working with you. Laughing is good.

Enjoyed working with everybody. We always have fun.

I changed my bits and pieces today too - also stuck them down because it was the last day.

Lots of punches sold out, so I took them off the table and added the ones we had in stock. Everyone loved the Gifts punch - looks like a cityscape at the top, don't you think?

And contrast, it's all about contrast. That blue background paper was my best friend for five days - it sold a lot of punches, I reckon!

(I taught Pete about contrast and he taught me about static displays. It's all about the sharing)

A coupla shots of me working.

Spot the difference?

Pete put the punch in. Holiday Lights - Deep Edger from Martha.

I punched it in cream first and then punched bits in all colours for the lights. Cut them and glued them to the cream. Fiddly, but nice in the end. You could also punch it in green and add some different flowers over the lights. Or do just one row of party lights. Cut off the top row of them, you know? I was going to do that but didn't get to. Lots of possibilities.

Just one last pic of my station.

See that join there where the two tables meet? My area was supposed to stop there, but I always tend to encroach on the next table (Pete's). I've always got so much stuff around I can't help it! It's a bit of a running joke now. Here comes Debra, watch it, she'll take over your space! And look out, I will too!

Okay, that's all for the craft show stuff. It was a good one. I'll be back next year.

Time to put my feet up and have a cup of tea.

Night!

:o)

Craft show Friday...

Hello again!

Wow, another day at the show.

It was busier today. The keen ones (who can) come on Weds, less people come on Thursday, a lot of ladies come on Friday and Saturday we get hammered. Sunday is usually slower in the morning and is busy for a couple of hours in the middle of the day.

It all ebbs and flows, but the shows tend to ebb and flow in the same way. When I saw the line up today, I knew it'd be busier...it was.

A couple more shop shots.

Lots of product. Teena brought a few more dies in. Sizzix dies rock, but they're heavy to bring to shows.

The people I work with - Peter and Stephen. Karen, Teena and Peter (again).

Peter and I work down the same end of the stand and today we compared display spaces...

His.

Boring! Told him I was going to put it on the blog too. Ha ha. Funny.

Mine.

Pretty. Tried to make it pretty.

It never stays neat though, I'm always fixing it up.

They're all Martha punches and at $20 a pop, they're mooooving out the door!

Wow, fab. This is me after nearly a full day at the show. Ravishing. Not.

It's busy and my feet get sore, but I have fun. Sometimes it can border on hysterical...know those times when you're on the verge? Right on the tip and you're about to go over? Yep, happens at about 4:15 pm...

:o)

Phew, fun stuff.

Two days to go!

Not sure when I'll get to post next, but have a great weekend!

Craft show happenings...

Hi there,

How are you this week?

I've been at the craft show and I was going to post yesterday afternoon when I came home, but was shattered and went to bed with a raging headache. Not good. Sometimes happens on the first day of the show - it's a bit of a shock to the system for someone who works from home :o)

Today I was better - different (more spongy) shoes, more light to work by and well, I was used to it again. Good.

Oh, and guess what? I have a bandage around my left pointer finger - had an altercation with my guillotine on Monday. Not good. It hurt. Gave me a bit of a shock - I cried. I bandaged myself up (no stitches needed or anything), rang Andrew for sympathy and did light duties for a couple of hours. I didn't cut anything off, I just cut into my finger and nail. Yeeeow. And of course it's quite ironic that I'm at the craft show with a crafting injury. The (lovely) ladies are like, "What happened to your finger?" and I'm like, "A guillotine." Cue scrunched noses all around.

Anyway, onto the show happenings. I'll just give you the basics...I'm having trouble typing here...

The specials Photo Continental have on are:

* Big Shot - $119 (can you believe that? So cheap. They're $169 in-store).

* Cuttlebug (pink one) - $119 (no C plate, so Big Shot is the better deal).

* A2 Cuttlebug embossing folders - $7 each.

* 5 x 7 Cuttlebug embossing folders - $9.50.

* Cheap, it's all cheap....

Martha, Martha, Martha. Look at them all. Over 40 new ones - they're mainly Christmas. I bought the Vintage Ornament and the Vintage Doily and....yep, bought a few.

See the price? That's why!

Three or more and they're $20 each. The full price of the Vintage Ornament is $35...major saving....and honestly, Martha punches are just so cool. And stylish.

There are some Craft Concepts embossing folders there - $7.50 each or buy all 12 for 50 bucks and save 40. Amazing.

Tim Holtz embossing folder sets (released in Jan) are $10 each instead of $20. There's two in each set, so that's $5 a folder.

See the pillow type box packages? They're the new packaging for the Sizzix embossing folders. They look cool, but we can't fit as many on the hooks.

What other specials are there? The sets of four Cuttlebug folders - the Cricut Companion ones, but they can be used without the Cricut - are $22 each. $5.50 a folder. I like the Robotz set and the Preserves set. Made a card using the Robotz set today.

There are other deals too, but they're the main ones to me. You know, punches and tools. Like 'em.

If you come and see us, we're in aisle G.

Oh yes, if you come before 9am and leave between 3 and 6pm, your parking is only $11. It's a new rate. So much cheaper than when I was there in June.

And look at the puppy. He was going to see his cousin today, but couldn't. Poor fella, I hate it when he's by himself for hours on end. We threw the ball around the yard when I came home, so he was happy.

Okay, must go!

Bye for now,

:o)

Craft show

Off to the craft show to work on the Photo Continental stand today. Hoping to blog about it all when I get home!

Have a great day!

:o)

Where do you store all your cards?

You make 'em, but where do you put 'em?

If you're anything like me, you don't want to put them away straight away, so you display them.

Mine go on any available flat space in the room.

Shelves, pigeon holes, table, my desk - I just like to look at them for a while, do you?

About a year ago, I strung a ribbon up to hang some more cards. Like that, although it gets in the way of me getting cardstock out of my holder sometimes.

Been wanting some more display space. Maybe some more ribbons are in order.

Will see!



A quick card for you!

And a quick diagnosis!

That is, I like this card, but something's not working.

My diagnosis is...

You need a darker green background (I'm talking to myself here...)

The words in the background are a bit too dark. They're crooked too, but you knew that, and you chose not to re-do it.

Some Dimensional Magic (Crystal Effects, Glossy Accents) on the cherries wouldn't go astray.

In fact, if you just took the method off and left the recipe on, you might have a winner.

You couldn't have just a cream background though, too boring.

My final diagnosis is...

It's a good concept, but it didn't work fully.

Ever happen to you?

You make something and you know it's not working totally, but you know the concept's there?

It's okay.

It's life.

It's craft.

Gotta encourage each other in these things, don't we?

New McGill punches

Hey there,

Since it's turning out to be "new punch week" on the blog, thought I'd share these too.

They're from McGill - what do you think? This one's Peony.

They're levers, so that's good. Hi, Lily.

They're versatile, so that's good. Hello, Hydrangea.

Ooooh, look at all those little flowers. Lots of potential even if you're not into the 3D flowers.

Hello, Rose.

Hey, you look like a pear!

Again, versatile.

Click here to go to the McGill site to check out these punches further. Extra pics too.

Bye for now - have a great weekend!

New Marvy punches

Before I launch into the new punches, I have to share this funny story.

Andrew and I were trying to decide what to have for dinner the other night. He was standing (as you do) with the fridge door open looking into the depths to see what was actually there...and there wasn't much. He said, "Let's have carrot sandwiches."

I'm like, "What?" and burst out laughing. He was joking and we were both laughing, but the man likes pineapple sandwiches, so he'd probably try carrot ones. Never had a pineapple sandwich in my life until I met him. Then I had one and decided I didn't need them in my life. Just to clarify (he told me to) - these are fresh pineapple sandwiches I'm talking about here. Buttered white bread with fresh pinepple cut into slices - and he leaves the core in! Beautiful, he reckons!

Is he weird for liking them, or am I, for not? :o)

Anyway, moving on!

These are new from Marvy and thought you might like to see!

3-in-1 corners, some borders and some new multi-punch ones.

I like the beach one, but I always like beach ones.

Which ones do you like?

Okay, well have a great day and try a fresh pineapple sandwich if you've never had one! Then tell me whose side you're on!

:o)

New Martha

Hey there,

Found these new Martha punches I thought you'd like to see. Their release dates are a while away yet, but still, it's nice to know what's coming.

Martha's doing "punch anywhere on the page" punches - check them out here. What do you think? I'd be using them as "punch anywhere on the card" punches. I've wanted to make window cards before, but never have because of the hassle. I can see the hassle being taken out with these. Fiskars is doing some too - nice.

Okay, Martha's also doing some more Deep Paper Ribbon punches, as well as some new Deep Edgers and this time they have corner punches to match. That's a first. They're springy designs, for spring. I'm guessing they'll come out about March next year. That butterfly one is gorgeous.

She's also doing some Punch Around the Page sets in the regular size borders - first three.

I like seeing what the designers out there are doing for a couple of reasons. Firstly I like buying their stuff! Come on, love punches, that's obvious. I like having some cool ones to look forward to buying too. Are you like that? Sometimes it's the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of the buy, ha ha.

Secondly, I like to see what people are designing. And what the companies are deciding to produce product/collection/tool wise etc etc. I like marketing and stuff like that. It's interesting. Sometimes I agree with their perspective and sometimes I don't, but as a designer myself, I know how hard it is to stay "on" all the time. Anyway, it's interesting, so I keep looking. And actually above, I stumbled upon the new punches - I was suprised to see them so early actually.

This is the Happy Birthday Deep Edger punch from Martha. I reallllly like this one because even though it's technically a border punch, you can chop it up.  

I was really hoping they'd do exactly the same thing with "Merry Christmas" for this season. Hello, gift tags, cards and a bunch of other stuff. And a punch that you could break out for YEARS and totally hammer into the ground.

Sounds harsh, but hey, longevity is the key with crafting, isn't it? Gotta get your use out of stuff. And a Merry Christmas punch? USE!

Anyway, it was obviously not to be. Maybe next year :o)

Punches and bits...

Hey there,

Check out this video to see the new Martha punches in the flesh.

I'm sure they'll hit our shores soon!

(I'm hoping they'll make it in time for the craft show next week - Brisbane Convention Centre - 9 to 5 daily). You coming?

(Sorry - these look a little bright!)

Have a great day,

:o)

PPS. Just realised the girl has smooth hair/flower, but everyone else has textured bits and pieces. Not sure why. If I was making this in the future, everyone would have smooth everything! I've taken to doing that lately because the punch art bits are quite small. The card and blue circles would stay textured. Makes for a better overall look, I think.

I couldn't do a wish list without including October Afternoon.

I just couldn't.

I mean, really, they're my favourite, and I'm here to tell you why.

Gotta discuss these things, they're important!

The Schoolhouse line.

Why do I like this one?

I was a school teacher, so hello, teachery stuff. Still speaks to me. 

This is what I love. 

Doilies in a school line.

It's just. so. cool.

Three other papers I like in the line.

I'm not into yellow and grey, but I like this. Good for man cards and fella stuff. I'd combine it with other colours, of course. I really don't do monochromatic (or semi-monochromatic), and if I do, it feels wrong!

That scallop paper is lovely. And with letters and with ruler paper? Well, pick me up off the floor with a stick.

I'm not a big fan of a lot of black either, but again, I like this one with the letters and the vintage pictures. I'd cut this paper up and use it in bits.

And this, this sticker sheet, well, I just love it. I love the rulers, I love the label bits, I love the label bits with the ledger paper and the kids, I love that doily label and the bunting. Hello, bunting. And I love the colours.

And I will be using this sticker sheet with photos that have nothing to do with school. 

Another reason I like it, versatility.

Modern Homemaker for me is all about the bits - the stickers, chipboard shapes. Do love these papers though. 

Once again can see myself cutting up the image papers and using them in bits.

I like them so much that I don't want to cover them up with stuff. I want to see how to make Frozen Creams!

And I also want to see how to clean (or is it cleanse?) the food freezer.

It's an important thing a home owner needs to know.

These are just fab. So fab.

Look, I can see my granny's glasses :o) She'd love seeing them. I love that lady in her red dress too. I wonder if she wears those glasses?

My favourite on here is the lady showing the newly washed shirt.

I have to scrub my husband's work collars every time they get washed and sometimes I feel like saying, Wow! like her.

These Wild Cards are fun. What do you think? So looking forward to putting them into my albums. 

I am doing slip-ins and loving it. You know, page protectors with split sections? I use the ones from Becky Higgins' Project Life kit. They've got four 4 x 6 sections and 4 little sections across the middle. The Wild Cards fit perfectly in those little sections.

You can see the page protectors here on Becky's website.

(She's selling page protectors separate to the kit next year? Not sure)

And you can see Ali's Project Life sample here. Shows the little sections I'm talking about.

I use other We-R-Memory Keepers page protectors too. I just mix 'em all up according to what my photos are. It's so great - I'll write about it sometime.

In the meantime, onto Campfire.

Campfire for me is all about the papers.

We don't have bears, deer and pine trees over here, so I wondered about the use of the line for me initially. In looking closer though, I've really fallen in love with the line. It's the papers, I love the colours and the browny, greeny, bluey-ness of it all. And the red, love the punch of red.

I'll use the caravan and camping bits, for sure. It's all about making what's on offer work for you.

And as I've said before, October A's lines can be mixed and matched very successfully, so I'm all over that.

And also, someone mentioned the other day that OA's paper is all on a cream base, rather than white.

No wonder I love it so much! Oooh.



Yep, lovin' it.

Always do.

They've never produced a line I didn't like.

No other company has done that, so win win in my books.

Win win in my albums! ha ha

:o)