Last Challenge for the month

This has to be a quick post. I am running late for my Mah Jong day. This layout is for the March Theme Challenge over at Challenge Heaven. I put it together this morning and took a photo of it even though the clouds are still covered in wet paint LOL.

At the bottom, I drew some waves free hand, applied a good amount of glue and sprinkled some seed beads. The clouds I made from some left over cardstock that had been covered in scrunched up tissue to add texture.




Thanks for looking,

Hugs, Irene xx

Challenge Heaven Layout and a Painting

Layout
Here is a layout I have completed for the Colour Challenge over at Challenge Heaven. The colours we were asked to use are blue, green and orange and we had to use ribbon.
I love this photo of my two grandsons Lachlan and Benjamin playing in the early morning sunshine on Broadbeach, Gold Coast.


Oil Painting
At present I am working on a set of three canvas paintings. They will all be of the same type of plant, the Century Plant (Agave attenuata). I took photos of these plants which are growing in my garden and at first I was planning on just one painting but then my art teacher suggested that I do a set.



Thanks for stopping bye,

Hugs, Irene xx

Medical report on my computer

Firstly, I must say that I am thankful that I have been given a second chance with my computer. I have known that the motherboard has being failing for a while now , so when my computer shut down, I just assumed that the mother board had died.

I mentioned my computer woes to my "tech mate" Ted and he was sure that if he replaced the motherboard with a spare one he had at home, that should fix the problem long enough for me to back up my recent work + my email address book + my videos + my music. You get the picture.

Well, the motherboard is still hanging in there - just. The problem was a massive heart attack (the power board had expired), so after a transplant my computer has arrived home with strict instructions to retrieve all the information I can because the end is very near.

I have been backing up my files (namely - photos , work in progress and all my scrapbooking stuff). But it was the little bits and pieces that I thought that I had lost. I was upset about that but could live with the loss and come away with a valuable lesson -
BACK UP.....BACK UP....BACK UP.

So now I am in the process of retrieving as much as I can off my trusty friend and I am looking forward to getting my new computer.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings,

Hugs, Irene xx

March Sketch Challenge

Well I didn't stay away too long did I? My DH left me his laptop for the day. Just love him to bits. So here is my layout for the March Challenge Sketch over at Challenge Heaven. I must say that I had a lot of trouble trying to find papers that went together and after hours of uncertainity, I through them all away (well actually, just on a pile on my desk) and went for a basic white Basil Cardstock.

Mia is such a cutie and has a beautiful soul. She is a loving and happy little girl and loves to give presents any chance she can. Last November when I was there for a visit, she was going through a period where she objected to having her photo taken. I would have deleted the photos but when she saw how cute she looked, she said OK.




I love how it turned out and the tissue flowers were so easy to make that I will be using them again.

Thanks for stopping bye,
Hugs, Irene xx

I will be back

Hi all, it is going to be hard living without my best mate. My computer died (RIP) on Monday night due to a power surge. I do have a power surge protector but alas it didn't do its job. Being realistic it is going to be at least a couple of weeks before I get a replacement so until then, I have to borrow one every now and then to connect to my web friends.

So bye for now and think of me while you are surfing the web.

Hugs, Irene xx

Layout for 2 Challenges

This is the first time that I have done a layout which can be entered into two challenges. The first challenge is for Scrap the Girls. We were given this picture for inspiration.




What inspired me, was the fun the girls were having and the friendship between them. I also loved the colours.


The next challenge was from Challenge Heaven. We are given a list of themes and you can complete one or all from the list. If you complete a minimum of 4, then you go into the random draw for a prize.

I am so excited to be able to use the roses and buds that I made using the tutorial that I found recently (you can find it a couple of posts back).






I have gone for Ebony & Ivory with the added colour Pink. We also had to use buttons and brads. I must say that I enjoyed this challenge because I had the perfect photo to scrap.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hugs, Irene xx

Handmade Roses

A little while ago I posted a link to a tutorial on making roses. I thought I would share my first effort usingNicole's step by step directions. I must say, I am rather amazed at how gorgeous they turned out.



They are really easy to make and depending on the type of petal you use, the results are endless. So have a go, you can find the tutorial here. If you, or rather, when you make some, I would love to see them.

Hugs, Irene xx

Video Tutorial

Here is a tutorial that shows you how to create a fancy circle border using a corner punch.



Hugs, Irene xx

The Boxx - Weekly Challenge

This week over at The Boxx, the challenge was to use Vellum. I can remember back a few years when it was in fashion and how much I enjoyed using this produce. I still have a generous supply of the stuff lol. I am excited about the fact that this is my first layout that doesn't use a photo. Not a visual one anyway, but the memories are forever in my mind.

Recently I discovered that my Wedding Album was being attached by acid and rust, yes rust. When it was put together - way back then- they used staples of all things to position the photo.
These staples were so rusty, that they literately fell apart when I was removing them.

So now I am in the process of re-doing this precious album. And while I was saving the photos, I started reminiscing about all our plans and hopes and dreams as we were starting off on a new journey. That's when I realized that there was so much more that had not been captured on film.

This gave me the idea of documenting those Little Things that went on behind the scenes. The events that put a smile my face, even today. I plan to use this page in the front of our new Wedding Album.

I have left the first image as a large file so that you can read the journaling.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Irene xx

Butterflies

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am in an Easter Swap over on The Boxx. At first I made some journaling cards but the longer I looked at them, the more I felt that they weren't enough.
So yesterday I made some butterflies to add to my swap. Earlier in the week while I was shopping, I spotted some silk orchards and the first thing I thought of was Butterflies. I bought a couple of bunches and when I got home I pulled the flowers apart. By cutting away one petal and removing the centre (the tongue thingy) I rearranged them to form butterflies. Added some Kindy Glitz, a body and feelers and this is the result.




Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Irene xx