Rub it on

I almost always start off the Challenge Heaven challenges by doing the sketch - this month was no different. It was a funky sketch by Heather Waldron and by some quirk of fate I already had the right number and size of photos printed.

While I was looking for the perfect embellishment (I never did find the one was after) I realised I had no less than one million packets of rubons in my stash. So, I decided to blow the dust off them (literally) and put them to work. I used some from three different packets so now I have 999 997 (is that right?!) packets left - if you'd like some rubons please let me know I'll happily send you a handful or three. I love how the Jenny Bowlin ones just slide right on and hate how the Kaiser one resist all attempts to be adhered.

Anyway, here it is, a rubbed on sketch LO:


And now I need your help! As you all know my skinny boy has a plaster that goes from one end of his arm to the other and it adds about a third again to his body weight - it's big lol. BUT the top of it is digging into his ribs and we can't come up with a suitable solution. We're not allowed to attach anything to the cast and short of strapping foam squares to his chest we're at a loss. He spends a lot of time with a cushion tucked under it (as the in the pic below) but that isn't going to cut it when he starts school tomorrow - I fear carrying a cushion around is tantamount to social suicide!

So, can you help? I'm looking for an innovative solution and any suggestions are welcome. I'd love to send you a RAK (maybe some dust-free rubons) to say thanks if you can help us out, my sanity is at stake :)

Thanks for stopping by and thank you for all your comments - you make me smile!

Show us your stuff

Late last year Kerry started up a challenge blog called Show us your stuff. I've had all the best intentions about completing one of her challenges since then and now finally I have! Since Kerry is also on the DT over at wp, it's the monthly challenge there too. So, you can check it out in either place if you want to play along.

Anyway enough rambling, here's what I came up with. The criteria was the LO must be about love and feature a handmade heart. I also made the little green flower at the top of the pic using some twill. I've been using a lot of mist lately and without it this LO looked kind of empty but I forced myself to resist - sometimes too much mist is just that - too much!


I have no dramas to share with you today but I'm about to take Zoe to the dentist so that may all change...

Enjoy!

Of disasters and sketches

What a week it's been! On Saturday evening Angus' friend lost his temper and whacked Angus on the elbow with a tennis racquet. He hit him hard enough to dislodge a fragment of bone and to fracture the humerus.

Angus has made two comments about this:
1. It's not funny to break your funny bone, and
2. Well, that's the end of that friendship.

I couldn't agree more! Poor kid has been in a backslab for a few days but today he got a fibreglass cast - hurrah he can shower again :) Here he is waiting for the cast to dry and then sporting his sling. Both of which are super hot (perfect for the stinking weather we're having) but still more comfortable than the backslab.




But wait! It's non-stop action in this house. Not to be outdone, on Monday the dog developed kennel cough and on Tuesday Zoe was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. This means the dog can't bark and Zoe can and does. Antibiotics for both of them, tea and sympathy for me - Rob is back at work this week and has been lucky to miss most of the drama.

Though to be fair it was Rob who took Angus to the hospital on Saturday night. While I waited at home I created this:

It's my take on the 1st February sketch over at Wicked Princesses. Look not a piece of patterned paper to be seen! And I finally managed to add a piece of knotted fabric without it looking ridiculous (or so I think lol).

Ok, that's enough whinging and moaning from me, onwards and upwards but please think a peaceful thought for me - it might just send a little bit of peace my way ;-)

But before I go I have to tell you about Kate's PinkiePinkie button sale. It's on at her blog this Friday night, 4th Feb. I love her buttons but have used all of my stash (check out my post - not dead just holidaying - if you want to see some in situ). I can't wait to buy up big on Friday night - you might want to be early if you want some too! Enjoy :)

mojo blast

Over at wp some of the girls have misplaced their mojo. In attempt to get it home Krissy offered up a mojo starter challenge. It was a number challenge with a colour combo twist. Here's mine - a bedraggled beach babe lol.


And now a few Australia Day photos. Angus and his friend Bill dressed themselves in the best free gear the newspaper could offer and then got Zoe to draw on Merv Hughes moustaches using green and gold war paint. They of course had to do their bad boy pose for the photo!

Zoe decided to take the low-key option on patriotism this year and added a couple of stars to her arm - oh to be 14 and oh-so-cool lol.

I decided not to take yet more photos of the fireworks but I did snap these two pics while we waited for the big bang.



Enjoy!

New goodies

Janina came over to scrap last night. She brought with her my Stampin' Up order (that I'd forgotten all about) and the latest Scarlet Lime kit - got love new scrapping goodies to get those creative juices flowing :) But since we hadn't caught up since before Christmas, scrapping was a bit thin on the ground. I finished one LO and she did one and a half!

Anyway, here's that LO - it's for Kerry's challenge for the wp cc. You had scrap about your goals for 2011 and include some green, a cloud, distressing and mixed alphas. My journalling is on the tag behind the pic, it says: It's ok to have dreams, plans are good too. But sometimes you have to stop dreaming and planning and just DO. 2011 is going to be my Nike moment (just do it).


I scrapped the third and final challenge for the wp cc today. Krissy challenged us to create a LO, based on her sketch, featuring our word for 2011. I had no idea what one word would sum up the direction my year is going to take but I really wanted to use this photo. Rob took it while we were at the coast so, I came up with the word enjoy. I figure that these kids will have grown up and flown the coop before I next blink so I'd better enjoy them while I can.


I had a lot of fun with this LO. I used my new Glimmer Mist sand and surf kit, some new Pink Paisley paper and some fab misting tips from Peg Hewitt to create the background. There are three different colours of mist on there (and on me and the dog).

I hope all you Aussies are enjoying your Australia Day - we're off to the fireworks later - fingers crossed the forecast thunderstorms don't roll in till after 9.30pm.

Catch you!

P.S. I have no idea why the words on my blog header look they way they do - I tried to fix them but failed...so, now I've decided to ignore them in the hope they revert to how I want them to look - stamping my foot didn't work either!

Not dead, just holidaying!

Hello! It's been a while since my last post. Forgive me...

I've been sunning myself at the coast, actually the weather was mostly grey but, we had a blast. I'll be back to share pics and stories of our adventures another day, in the meantime here are two LOs as a sign of life :)

This one I did before I flitted off but failed to upload due to foul weather and holiday plans. For the DT challenge at WP - a LO using spots and stripes.


And for Kate's WP cc challenge.

Thanks for stopping by, I can confirm I have a pulse.

Not so hot...

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, it doesn't matter what you do, a LO is destined for failure. I think this one of them. It was for the number challenge over at Challenge Heaven. My first mistake was deciding that the 4pps were in fact 4 photos - hmm, oh well I could work with that. Then I decided to use Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas and forgot that the adhesive doesn't stick so the title fell off again - ok so I fixed that with Pritt.

But then on reflection it looked kind of unbalanced so I decided to use the stitching template I bought a million years ago and have never used. Sounds simple right? Well, one of disadvantages of having a militant feminist for a mother (apart from the obvious of not being allowed to own a barbie doll) was that when I showed neither the aptitude or inclination to learn to sew as a child she didn't berate me but concentrated on my brothers acquiring that particular skill instead lol. The point of this story? Those swirly things were really hard to do!! And the LO still looked dodgy!

Hmm, if at first you don't succeed, add something else - how about some glimmer mist? Sure! Uh oh, the spray jammed and misfired to the side, resulting in me and one of the photos wearing the pink mist and then, to add insult to injury, the silly thing dripped all over the page.

So, here it is, my first LO of 2011 - I really hope the next one turns out better!


Happy New Year!