Here's just a peek at what the groups collaborative book contains. There are so many talented people in the group and this is a showcase of the talent. I will post more once everyone has their books!

Well here are the covers

I have joined a challenge on a yahoo group called paper_traders. It is a 26 week challenge, where we are given a letter to use and a technique or element to use on our page. This week was obviously H and we had to incorporate Dictionary text.

The 26 pages will complete a skinny book!

OK time to make the covers...

My collab book page - at last ! The first design went down the gurgler last week so here is my brand new one! I have 23 pages to make before next Saturday! Thanks to Gail Smith for her input today.



The metal on it is part of a bike chain - I wish I could say it was my great idea, but I saw some amazing work on flickr by Elaine Kerr . Here is her blog: http://abstractionsart.blogspot.com/



It was a bit of a trial tracking down an old chain, but my local bikeshop gave me one. I did try the bike shop near work, but the guy there was just an arrogant ........... The local shop owner such a stark contrast!

Oh how I do love photoshop! In a few minutes I was able to

change this very pink little girl into an aqua one ;-)

My first attempt at gel transfers! To the right is the

original photo of my uncles and to the left is the gel transfer. There is still a bit of paper to rub off yet I think...

The technique I found via Gisele's blog. It really is very easy, except for the rubbing back of the paper......

I love this little girl! So I decided to use her for my Aqua swap - just one problem - she was wearing a green dress! But that problem was easily solved with photoshop......

She really was having a really bad hair day so I added a crown... and she is a little insipid so some vibrant wings added a spark!

Don't seem to have much time to blog lately..

last weekend, I managed to finish one of my front gardens. It had got so over grown, with my bad back, I had just let it go. So I cleared it a few weeks ago and last weekend, I planted some new lavenders , and gave it a border of lobelia, so hopefully in a month or two I can put a pretty garden on my blog!

When Pete and I built the garden, we left a (small) tree stump in it as Jassie used it to sharpen her claws (when it was a tree in the lawn) But once it was in a garden and with the rest of the tree gone, she lost interest. It took me 2 weekends to get it out, but it was a good feeling to thrown that stump in the garden recycle bin!

I recieved this wonderful atc from Hermine Koster from the Netherlands - as a thank you for taking part in her background challenge.

Thank you Hermine - it is a gorgeous atc and will have pride of place in my collection....

I added the stamping and embossing and an image to this canvas - which was the 2nd one I completed on the 2 day backgrounds workshop on the weekend. I JUST love these backgrounds. Thank you to the lovely Gisele for pointing me in the right direction for images.

I think this canvas can still do with some work, so stay tuned ;-)

Well spring has arrived (for this week) The last 2 days have been beautiful sunny warm days - and this morning nice and mild to get up to YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Even though I was brought up near the icebergs, I have always hated the cold.

Today I spent the day at a Joy Bathie class. (google her name to find some of her amazing work). This is the result. Fabulous background..... Looking forward to tomorrow ;-) Today was supposed to be blues... hmnnnn oh well almost ;-)

I designed a couple of birthday cards over the weekend. I struggle a bit with the size of a birthday card now I am such an atc addict ;-) So I am making multiples of these to tide me over for a while.

So if your birthday is coming up (and you deserve a card), you better put your order in!

I found a challenge on Hermines website.

You know me, always up for a challenge.......

And it's such an amazing background.....

http://herminesplace.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/uitdagingchallenge-2/

Birds seem to be the the "in" theme at the moment. This is the atc I made for a swap hosted by the lovely Ness Henry. I have one left

if anyone wants to swap ;-)

A friend in NZ and his partner have just moved into a new home, so I used one of Julie's little houses on this card for them.

Again, I have spent a lot of time putting these little Houses together for a swap on arty_oz.

The Little Houses are a Collections product.

They were a lot of fun to make!

My great nephew Anthony on his 4th Birthday

I took some photos in daylight today. Time to pass it on to Amy.....

I have just finished Donna's 'Tim Holtz' themed pages.

Time for bed!

I have spent an inordinate amount of time this weekend on these atc's for a swap on the pipedreamink list. The background has been inspired by the wonderful Deb Lewis, http://vintagemoonstudio.typepad.com/ but I'm afraid I have a long way to go until I produce any backgrounds as beautiful as hers. Deb, when are you coming downunder to teach some classes?

I bought a new heater for ther craft room today, as I was working on the dinning room table again beacuse of the warmth in the lounge/dinning!

This is a collaborative project from arty_oz. Participants - Donna Taylor, Vanessa Henry, Sue Thiel, Amy Black,Teresa Abajo, Jane Norrish, Julian Buttenshaw and me.

I am thinking of framing it and adding it to my "PARIS" lounge dinning area :-)

Tiles are from Collections: http://members.westnet.com.au/collections/

Top: Greta, Donna,Teresa, Julian

2nd: Vanessa, Teresa,Jane,Amy

3rd: Sue, Greta,Sue,Vanessa

Bottom: Julian, Jane,Amy,Donna

I guess it shows that I love Paris......

AT LAST I have the dinning room table back.

I do have a craft room, but sometimes old habits die hard and the dinning table is so much bigger than my desk ;-)

This is my page in Lenna's latest swap project http://creativelenna.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to get 20 pages of varying colour in return!

A friend of mine (Otti) has an apartment in Albert Park. This is the

view from her lounge room.

Stunning isn't it!

Although it hasn't snowed in Melbourne,(it never snows here) it has been snowing close by as these pho

tos show! yesterday was the coldest day in 10 years!

Well what a great way to spend a Sunday. I had two lovely ladies come over today - Gail Smith and Kathy Thompson and

we played with canvases and wax. We all fell in love with the smell, the fun and the beauty of collage and wax. I think I was a bit close with the camera :-( but anyway you get the idea f our creations. We all managed to make a few atc's too, but those really didn't photograph well.

Thanks for coming over gals I had such a good time, and now I will finally get some use from my wax and clover iron!

Kathy T's canvas above and Gail Smiths on the left.

They look even better in the flesh or is that canvas?

I sat up till 2am doing this page last night. I used papers that I didn't like - each time I flicked through my papers and came to these I would wonder what possessed me to buy them. But with the photo in my hand these papers seemed to jump out and say USE ME. I really enjoyed working with them and they seem to suit those cute little girls.....

Well finally we have had some decent rain - as you can see from these photos - a lot of rain! These were taken yesterday at one of our factories. Our reservoirs are still only 30% full, it's a shame we couldn't harness some of this water! Still at least the Reservoirs have gone up instead of down for a change.

I haven't felt much like making cards lately, but I have made 2 this week! One of my work colleagues got engaged last week and one of the girls I work with from one of our factories is leaving. She is great fun and good at her job, so I am sad to see her go.

Thanks to my friend Teresa for the inspiration for this card!

Well I have spent all morning creating the back and front covers for my new AB. Rather bright isn't it???

Had a lovely surprise yesterday with Jenny Crossley coming to town! She had to go to Paper2 so Amy and I went along for the ride LOL.

Looking at these cards... anyone would think I had a shoe fettish. Just because I rarely buy 1 pair at a time and I had a section of my wardrobe devoted to shoes

does not mean...........

This week I received a package from the lovely Vanessa Henry with a framed collage and a small canvas collage. Either one would have been enough on it's own! Thank you Vanessa!

And from the lovely Pam, a beautiful handbag card. Thanks Pam!

I have just taken part in an altered book round robin on arty_oz. My book theme was Paris.

Here are the pages. I haven't put a cover on it as yet.....

Top to Bottom

My sign in Page

Teresa

Julian

Vanessa

Donna