FF@F'o'clock'ish! 15th November 2019!

Welcome everyone,

This is a quick post today.  You see, OnStage is happening this weekend and hubby and I are celebrating early, not only our wedding anniversary, but his birthday as well by spending the whole weekend in the city of Sydney!

I'm sharing  my OnStage swaps.  They were so easy to make because Stampin' Up!® have such fabulous products.  I made about 60+ of these and each one has Lindt chocolate inside!  These little Mini Curvy Keepsake boxes are the bomb! I love them!  There are so many other things you can put inside them. You could even make a garland out of them, they are such a lovely size!



Firstly I cut my designer series papers down to 6"x6" squares, this is the perfect size to cut out the Mini Curvy Keepsake boxes. You could use 6"x 6" paper stacks too, remember the pretty silver foiled ones I did a few months back?  Yes, those were made using the Feels Like Frost papers!



I still have a Bigshot die cutting machine but because that ment cranking the handle for every single one, I used my electric eBoss machine. Using it I could put 2 and some times 3 sheets through at the same time. It sure made getting them cut very quick.  As soon as I have more information from Stampin' Up! about a new Die Cutting Machine you'll be the first to know!!  I even managed to fit onto a Dymo LabelWriter450 sticker all my details and what products I've used!



Using my bone folder I gently curved all the flaps inwards, making sure I had selected what side of the paper I wanted on the outside.  Folded them all together leaving one side open to insert the chocolate.  It is a good idea to do this because when put together they sit much better and you can't see inside them.  Once they were all done, I punched out the 2 different sized scalloped circle punches. I made the smaller ones white and stamped 'Hello' on it. That Hello stamp has been used so much, it's from the Beauty Abounds stamp set!  Using up the off cuts from the die cutting, I punched out butterflies using just the small one from the Butterfly Duet punch. Attached one to each of the layered circles then adhered one to each of the boxes, tadah, done!



Check out the lovely Lindt chocolates I got from the factory outlet not 15 minutes from my place!  The ladies on the check out had never seen anyone pack that many into their smallest gift box before.  It was like doing a Tetris(?) puzzle, I was very patient putting them in. My friend who was with me was gobsmaked.  I counted about 76 in that box. I did give some to a friend as a thank for something, the rest, well, they are ready to hand out on Saturday!



I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  I shall be spending all day at the Sydney International Convention Centre (the ICC most call it) taking in all the new information from Stampin' Up!® AND  receiving advanced copies of both the Occasions 2020 catalogue along with the 2020 Sale-A-Bration flyer!  Boy I shall have lots to share with you next week that's for sure.  And watch for me on Instagram, you'll find me under #wirgie101 on there.

Til next time, remember

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Product List

Mosaic Mood Specialty Designer Series Paper [149478] $25.00	Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper [149592] $20.00	Mini Curvy Keepsakes Box Dies [150644] $59.00
1-1/8" (2.9 Cm) Scallop Circle Punch [146138] $28.00	1-3/8" (3.5 Cm) Scallop Circle Punch [146139] $28.00	Whisper White A4 Card Stock [106549] $17.00
Basic Black A4 Card Stock [121688] $15.25	Butterfly Duet Punch [148523] $31.00	Beauty Abounds Cling Stamp Set [148726] $40.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [101406] $17.50	Bone Folder [102300] $12.00	Paper Trimmer [152392] $44.00

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Monday Musing - 16 September 2019

Hello there,

Yes, musing on Monday again.  Had a fabulous weekend, it was Aiden's 4th birthday party and so much fun! See that photo of him in the Buzz Lightyear tshirt?  That was my Ben's Tshirt which had been saved in a draw for nearly 22yrs!  Aiden did many tshirt changes through out his party but he finally put the Buzz one on and stayed in it!  How that warmed my heart!  We played totem tennis, we laughed, we ate pizza and cheese and crackers and dips and Aiden and I shared a pink musk stick lolly too. Ah he loves his GinGin and Herbie like he loves all those around him who love him so much.

  

  

  



Father and son got to battle out the totem tennis and yes Ben, ya mumma's arm did bruise, but not too bad, a bit like having a vaccination shot, I'll live ROFL.

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HOWEVER...

... the last few weeks have been hard. Really hard.  You see I took my father for a check up with his urologist 2 weeks ago and last week for his 3 monthly oncology check up.  Within the space of those 2 appointments, I saw my father, my Daddy, deteriorate into this feeble old man (his mind is still a 'naughty boy' mind though LOL)  He was completely different from one check up to the following one.  I've not cried, I think I've done so much of that but this time, I don't know. I think Dad and I both knew something wasn't quite right and we talked about it and we agreed with his oncologist's assistant that we expected there to be a return of the cancer in his right lung.

Well no said Roland when he walked in to to have a closer look of all the scans. No no, no no, we can't be certain.  You see your father is in this research trial, the radiation treatment was nearly a full year ago but it is still doing it's 'job', this shadow could still be the scarring forming.  But Dad was really breathless that day.  He said he's usually like it when he has to get up earlier than he usually gets up. Well to me getting up at 9am is not early but for Daddy it is, he's usually up about 11am'ish.  Anyway, Roland said Dad needs to get back to his respiratory specialist because this not being able to breath and the fluid/phlegm he can't seem to cough up from his lungs (it gets stuck in his throat) needs to be checked out.  Dad's on some antibiotics to help with what infection the oncologist feels is there.  A referral has been sent to Wyong hospital and Dad's letting me know when that appointment will be.

Now  to make matters worse, Dad can receive calls on his landline but for some strange reason no one can hear when calls are made out from his landline. Dad's paying for all these phone calls only to be hung up on because they can't hear him.  Talk about funny in a way because it's Dad's that going deaf! I feel the need, the need to call Optus faults and let rip again.  If I have them say to me on you'll have to get your father to call I will freak'in loose it!  I had more than 5 months of that at the beginning of the year.  Don't tell me that B/S all over again.  We know where that landed don't we!  Yes with the Telecommunications Ombudsman!!!!!

Between Dad and my sister, using her mobile is a comedy of errors.  You see my sister is mildly intellectually handicapped so relies on my father, as he does her.  She doesn't drive either, never has. My sister and I agree that we don't like Dad being on his own when she's got to/wants to go out. My sister can be quite independent but she doesn't handle change/technology/bad news very well, doesn't and can't mentally repeat things she's been told that she needs to tell others, she just hands my father her phone but poor dad can't hear properly on a mobile phone, sigh.

Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place!  My blogging, my crafting, my regular FF@F'o'clock'ish and Tutu Tuesday posts have taken a back seat for now.  I drove nearly 800ks in the last two visits and back. Taking Dad to oncology is not like in Sydney. I've got to drive up the day before to Chain Valley Bay North, then drive down to East Gosford, then drive Dad back up to Chain Valley Bay north then drive back home to my place in Sydney.  It's a lot of driving when the sun is getting warmer and bright sunshine hurts my eyes so very badly.  I have my own 'issues' and the sun makes them worse. Think lupus SLE and fibromyalgia for a start.

Any-who, if you read this far, thank you.  Writing some of this down helps me get out some of my frustration and grief without having to repeat myself.  I'm trying to cope as best I can but summer is coming. Our Ben's wedding is 30th November and the ceremony is outside.  I think I need a new hat!  A nice red one to go with my outfit I am wearing. Yes?  Yes, a new red hat may be perfect!

Bye for now, and remember,

happy stamping colouring & creating!

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FF@F'o'clock'ish, 21to23June2019!

So yes, it's not Friday but like I said over on my Facebook Page, that's why the 'ish is on the end of the name of these posts LOL.

This week I'm revisiting hand made gift bags and making a tri-fold screen card.  It's a very special persons 60th and we are celebrating on Sunday. That's why this hasn't gone live until the start of her celebration gathering!

So remember the gift bag tutorial I did on Tutu Tuesday, 11th September 2018? Click here to see it

I've used that tutorial to create this gorgeous gift bag to place my friend Gwen's birthday gifts in. I know she'll love these colours, they are so Gwen!  It's retired paper (Petal Promenade) and one I'd been 'hording' for a special occasion, which this is!  So I've #LovedItFoldedItSnippedIt to make it from 2 pieces of 12"x12" double sided designer series paper.  There are so many new designs that you'll sure to find new ones to make these very handy bags.



Next I've created Gwen's birthday card into a tri-fold screen card, below are the instructions, measurements and what I used is in the product listing at the bottom of this post!  It's lovely because you can keep the card tied closed with that gorgeous new Petal Pink Ribbon or open it and it will stand on it's own with it's little 'feet'!





My front panel is created by fussy cutting out some of the Petal Promenade patterned paper. I've used some glitter card (I think it's Rose Gold but they were scraps and loose in my scrap basket) to punch the butterflies.  I've used Granny Apple Green card stock to layer the label, stamp some leaves in the matching ink and die cut out some folliage using the Frosted Bouquet dies (page 193 in the annual catalogue)  My base card is Petal Pink card stock which has had it's edges sponged with the matching ink too.  The middle panel layers are also from that retired DSP, Petal Promenade, perfect shape for this card. I've stamped my sentiments using Granny Apple Green ink too.

And don't forget to decorated your envelopes to co-ordinate too!

til next time, remember

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Product List

Petal Pink A4 Cardstock [147009] $15.25	Granny Apple Green A4 Cardstock [147014] $15.25	Story Label Punch [150076] $31.00
Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set [148042] $37.00	Petal Pink Classic Stampin' Pad [147108] $13.00	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad [147095] $13.00
Magnolia Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set [152729] $24.00	Frosted Bouquet Framelits Dies [147895] $57.00	Simply Scored [122334] $50.00
Butterfly Duet Punch [148523] $31.00	Simply Scored™ Metric Scoring Plate [127531] $21.00	Petal Pink 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Organdy Striped Ribbon [149441] $14.00
Very Vanilla C6 Envelopes [106589] $13.00	Glue Dots [103683] $8.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] $7.00

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SUGGESTED PAPERS YOU COULD USE FOR THIS....

Product List

Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper [149484] $20.00	Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series Paper [149500] $25.00
Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper [149592] $20.00	Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper [149100] $20.00

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