Sha wop bop a loo bop

the weekend’s here! I love weekends. Whilst no longer the pinnacle of sleeping-late-lazy-breakfast-reading-newspaper bliss it once was, there is nothing quite like waking to a small child beside the bed, flicking on the tv for some cartoons and all snuggling in for another half hour or so. I did attempt to hid under the covers once and pretend to be dead, or failing that, asleep, but that merely incited a rather boisterous game of peek-a-boo. So I’ve resigned myself to a fate of Mickey Mouse, Pooh Bear, preschooler cuddles and sloppy toddler kisses. Yeah. I know. Sucks to be me, huh? But hey, someone’s gotta do it!

 

So as I attempt to whip the house into some kind of order, in preparation for the onslaught to come (why is it that husbands seem to make as much, if not more, mess as the children?), I just wanted to pop in quickly and share a little birthday card I whipped up a couple of Saturday’s ago, after realising I’d procrastinated to the point of walking out the door *oops* and thus had around five minutes tops to come up with a card.

 

Another birthday this weekend means I’ll be raiding the offcuts box again, and I’ll be sure to show the results on Monday. One weekend, two birthday parties and the promise of a thunderstorm or three. It’s going to be interesting!

Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Ok, well, maybe just paper & scissors. And glue. Pens, pencils, a button or three. A couple of child-free hours.  And then, triumphant, I emerge from the studio, bearing a pair of cards – one, MIL’s belated mother’s day card, the other, FIL’s birthday card.

 

MIL’s card – a bit more 3D chippy action. It’s a bit simpler than planned – I wanted to add some ribbons to it, but just plain ran out of time!

 

And FIL’s b’day card

 

On the cards for this afternoon (ha da ha ha, I crack myself up!) is a bit of designing. Winging some measurements to make a gift. Sketching & measuring out another gift. Squeezing in a bit of housework while waiting for the boys to wake. Maybe a trip to the park to feed the ducks. If I can swing it, a visit to the fabric shop. Baking. I have a chocolate slice in my sights. I need to sort out a couple of gifts for TOMORROW. Eeek! Plotting, planning, wishing, dreaming. Loving it all. Except maybe folding the washing. But the maid has failed to turn up for the 1,279th day in a row, so it would seem that it’s up to me. And I’m itching to paint. My brain is whizzing & none of it will do itself, so let’s do this!

Yes, sir, I do have a note from my mother…

Well, not really, but, dearest blog, will you forgive me for being absent for far too long?

Creatively, life has been pretty flat lately, not from lack of project, nor of mojo,  but with various goings-on conspiring to keep me out of my disgustingly-untidy studio. However, on Saturday, with the realisation that the next day was mothers day, and that my sole responsibility was to produce a card for the maternal parental unit (3 thumbs up for chipping in on sister dearest’s present!), I threw caution to the wind, chucked the bulldozer into ‘drive’, and managed to plow a path from door to desk. Surprisingly, I managed to to find not only inspiration but supplies in the various piles which surrounded me.

 

The backing paper inspired the green hearts, which were three-dimensional – mounted on chipboard & machine-stitched around the edge – something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. I’m pretty chuffed with the end result.

 

Mothers Day for me was delightful, with my three boys spoiling me rotten. A ridiculously indulgent but long-wished-for gift, wrapped in paper decorated by my favourite 3 foot artist. Breakfast of my choosing, cooked to perfection. The sweetest card made by husband and children, complimented by freshly picked roses. Snuggles, kisses, games. No housework. No sleep-in, more’s the pity, but it also means more time to spend with those I cherish most.

 

With both boys asleep, I’ve got big plans for this afternoon. Sewing, and the satisfaction of seeing my very own design come to life. Photography & the stretching of my creative muscles as I learn new techniques. Plotting & planning for future projects. Some baking, a bit of housework, and wishing my children awake to run in sunshine, loving, laughing, remembering how truly blessed we are.

 

Joy in every moment, even the teary ones. Joy in each other, in God, in life, in creating and doing and being. Let’s rock this Monday!

Time flies…

…when you’re having fun! Friday has snuck up and caught me completely unawares this week. It only seems a day or two ago that I was pondering the potential of a new week, and here we are, week over, and with it, a chance to reflect on my plans, and a desire to do better next week. (Or maybe the one after… I am a terrible procrastinator!). My surprise at how quick this week has gone is nothing, though, compared to my shock when I looked at the calendar this morning, and realised it was the end of February! Two months down already – how did that happen?

 

To wrap up the week, I thought I might post a couple of cards I made yesterday. One is to go with the change mat I posted yesterday, and the other is for my SIL for her birthday (another post on that later).

 

I didn’t get a chance to cut that fabric, by the time I did some stuff that had to get done, ignored the housework for a bit and made these cards, the boys were awake, and wanting to play. Maybe today. They’ve both just gone down, so I plan to sample some new TimTam mint crush bikkies that somehow fell into my trolley at the supermarket this morning (I swear, a bogeyman follows me in the shops, and dumps all manner of yummy treats crap in my trolley. Like I would pick up a packet of decadent TimTams on my own accord. Really.) and then I might get stuck in. My desk is somewhat clean (I won’t go so far as to say I’ve cleaned the studio, more than I’ve pushed layers of leftover projects to one side to clear enough space to make The Cards), so I might do up a couple of recipes I need for a kitchen tea on the weekend, and then get cutting!

 

Which won’t get done while I’m sitting here, so let’s do this! Happy Friday everyone!

One of life’s mysteries…

I decided on Saturday morning that my studio needed cleaning (which it did, it was a mess), and while I was going, I might just reorganise my art & craft supplies,you know, make the space more efficient. So why does the room now look worse than when I started? Hopefully the two munchkins will nap at the same time this afternoon, and I can finish it up, and list some stuff on eBay that I know I won’t use.

 

So not much creative stuff happened over the weekend. I did, however, make a little card for our godson, who recently turned one. I’m still not quite sure how that happened!

What is it about having children that makes life feel like it’s permanently on fast-forward?

A little card…

I whipped up this card for my parents last night. The paper was some cheapy stuff I bought a few years back when I first started scrapping, and is now so far from fitting my scrapping style it’s not funny. I was close to chucking it in the boy’s craft box, but now I’m glad I kept it, as I really like it on this card.