Christmas Dogs

The dogs getting into the Christmas spirit - lol.
This photo is of Heinzie (mum's dog who lives with us now as mum and dad couldn't take him to their cottage) and Coco who we are looking after while his "mum & dad" are travelling around Australia.
This is my girl Shadow.

My Beaded Spiders

I've been trying some beading. They were a bit fiddly but I found that as long as I only sat and made them a little bit at a time I was able to manage without causing any major problems in my arms. I have some more butterflies and dragonflies which I want to make as well.

I tried a ladybird although it turned out looking more like a tick than a beetle - hehe.

Mum's Unusual Flowers

These flowers are from mum's new shrub. It's a form of hibiscus and has only been planted a few months. The flowers are almost as large as the shrub itself. You can see how large it is in comparison to mum's hand.
An unopened bud.
A close up of the flower.

Mangoes

After years of not having many mangoes set on our trees we had a bumper crop this last season. It was a combination of having the drought break plus getting the rain at the right time. Mangoes can be touchy with the fruit setting. The year before last there was plenty of blossom but no fruit.

We have two R2E2 trees which give the best fruit.
I am not sure which type of mango these are as this tree was established when we moved into the house however I think it may be a Bowen.
Some of the fruit.
These are the old CDs which I hang in the trees to keep the cockatoos away from the fruit trees....and yes.....they do work.

Instructions for a basic card.

Here are instructions for making a simple card. Mine is for Christmas but just use different papers and sentiments to make one for any occasion.

You need a card in whatever size you want to use. I cut an A4 sheet of card in half, and then took one piece which I then folded in half. Also a piece of patterned paper slightly smaller than the front of the card, a piece of plain card cut smaller than the patterned paper, 2 strips of ribbon and a sentiment stamped on a small piece of card.
First place double sided tape (DST) on the small plain card, the back of the patterned paper and the back of the sentiment.
Stick the patterned paper to the card base and the ribbons to the smaller piece of cardstock.
Turn the smaller piece of card over and secure the ribbon ends. Then use DST to fix this card to the centre of the patterned paper.
Lastly add the sentiment to the middle of the small piece of card.

My Birthday

Well October last year was a milestone birthday for me - lol. Initially I wasn't going to have a party or anything as I'm not someone who likes a fuss being made however mum ended up taking me and a group of friends to lunch at a lovely cafe in Woodford and then Graham had a lunch at home for family and a few friends on the Saturday after.

At Storey Brook Cottage - Myself, sister Jenni, niece Kate, Mum and sister-in-law Karen.
The 'Girls' at Woodford.
My friend Kerri-Ann who came to stay for a few days and share in the celebrations and give Graham a lot of help on the day at home.
With our son Phil and Graham.
With mum and dad.

Mum and Dad's Butcherbirds

Mum and Dad have these beautiful Butcherbirds come to visit each day. They have been coming for months now and since becoming regular visitors have hatched chicks which have now left the nest and are also coming for their morning snack too.

The young birds bring things to show mum - sometimes a worm or a grasshopper or an equally delicious morsel.

The male will take food from dad's fingers but the female is more reserved. They sit and sing and sing each morning (and sometimes in the afternoons as well).

I think Butcherbirds have one of the most beautiful songs .... they are equal with the magpies for their songs.

Must be time for some more flower photos - lol

This plant is a Bangkok Rose. I just love the soft pinky colours of the sepals. They also come in white and peachy colours. The flowers are at the centre of each cluster.
This photo shows the yellow flower.

More Cards

These are some more of the card which I have made.
I'm not sure why this one shows sideways as the orignial photo is the right way up - lol - just one of those things. This was from a card-making morning which was held at the Caboolture library. We used embossing powder on the stamp.
Another one which doesn't want to show the correct way. The next two were also made at a card-making morning at the Caboolture library.
Every second Tuesday a group of friends meet at home for a card-making / craft day. These are some of the cards which I have made.

Cards

I've been having and going to card-making days lately. I'm finding that it's the only way I can motivate myself to do some crafting. The first two are ones which we made at a Stampin-Up demonstration I held at home. I particularly loved the cone-flower card.
Mum and I went to a demonstration of the new embossing machine which is being released by Stampin-Up and this was the wonderful card we were able to make.