ATC #3 Big Day Out

As you would have heard ATC#3 was a fantastic day, Julie & Co. organised a great day except they couldn't have know that the road system changed since last Feb and everyone got lost! you used to turn left but now have to go right on a huge new roundabout and turn right into what was a left??? it was weird to picture it in your head - Elaine and I drove up/down/up but eventually got there - phew! Of course we stayed for the whole session, right until the community centre caretaker came by to chuck us out! no way could I have packed up and gone before the end - it would have to be for nothing less than brain surgery! Was having such a good time yakking/looking/shopping I only made a total of 9 ATC's LOL and tried out Julie's industria tech - some very cool pieces made.

Lorcan has been invited to 3 parties over two weekends - one of them a double header and 2 of the parties on the same day - 2 hours apart and in two McDonald's in two suburbs! I suddenly have to make some cards and I'm not one for cute/kid style stamps - help! made two cards, which seemed to take ages and they have turned out like mini scrapbook pages - do you think? I had the pics from playgroup session - only two more to make!

TGIF - and the first Friday of the month, so Stamping at Jan's tonight - I do enjoy this catch up with bods - now I only have to decide do I play or do the washing???? mmmm might try a combination. Oh I just remembered I need to make another card, adult one this time.
Well, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Cheers,
Carmel xx

Good Mail Day

Just wanted to share the great mail day! got the most beautiful art doll today from my Mystery Muse - could hazzard a guess at it's creator but will wait until she is revealed at the end of the month. I just love her - Census is her name in honour of my recent memoirs! I am so pleased to have a dolly - it's been a long time since I had a dolly of my own - only have boys so dolls are not seen in this house once the toddler years are over. Though Lorcan spent a lot of time last week playing with the baby dolls at playgroup.
It was also a great weekend as I went to ATC #3 Continumn - what a blast! fabo bunch of girls and lots of ohhing and ahhing over other people's work - great demos from Julie and Kelsey. I even made 9 ATC's and one 'industria' piece, which I have yet to scan - will do so shortly. I also managed to spend some money on yummy Collections bits and got some German Scrap and Twinkling H2O's via Jen. Julie was as generous as usual, we all got a great kit of Collections items and a piece of rubber in a lovely tin and they was a few freebie bits as well. In all a huge day/night and I was well and truly knackered the next day, even had to have a nana nap in the afternoon! Roll on Friday as it will will Stamping at Jan's and we can have a debrief - ain't live grand!

It's Finally Over

Well you'll be please to know that the census is finally over for me anyway - handed in my books/paperwork and id card woohoo! only some more money to come and that I don't mind. I will also now stop talking about it aswell!!! now back to some playtime in my room. I am finding collage really hard at the moment, maybe I'm thinking too much about it or looking at too many books/mags as I then don't want to do what they have done. I love backgounds but then find it hard to cover them. I spent Sunday playing with some big puzzle pieces and only managed to complete one for a Mystery Muse and the other is on the desk, background created and an image ready but can't cover the rest and yet one image doesn't seem enough. Where will it end?? can see lots of things in my head before I go to sleep but at the desk I get lost. Oh well, hope some of you guys are going to ATC3 on Sat??? great to catch up and have a whole day/night to play - now to pack.....

Weird - I uploaded the pics with the last post but they did not appear - trying again!

Memoirs of a Census Officer

Well, have not been on for a bit due to the fact I signed up to be a Census Officer! there I was thinking -' nice little bit of play money' I can tell you that money does not pay you to visit 350 houses and say the same thing over and over again. Or try to convince people to do it online, I can't believe how many people are afraid of their own computer!! haven't heard of one biting yet - On the subject of biting (a few people know this already) in the course of my duty as CO I was attacked and bitten on the ankle by a fairly large dog, which also goes a long way as to why I am 'over it'. I could not do this as a permanent thing. I have met loads of lovely people and have been told lots of stories but it's also been sad to see so many lonely people (especially the elderly). But I have met a few mongerels as well. My other dramas include, being locked into a property by a faulty electronic gate and had to be rescued by a neighbour (no one home), got out of the car and whilst scanning for dogs nearly bumped into a huge ram; had a loose horse gallop by the car and block the exit gate; one very racist old man ramble on and on and have been smelt by at least 400 dogs - sometimes 3 at a time - so if you ever think that you might do this - DON'T - I am also completly exhausted as physically it was/is pretty hard - when you do it for 6/8 hours at a time. Oh well only the collection phase to look forward to! I have 'sold' the online census so much I think I could sell icebergs in Antartica and have reduced my callbacks quite a bit and hopefully more will roll in. It's been so full on I have not had any time to 'play' though I worked by rear end off and took Saturday off to go to the craft fair in Claremont. Had a great time as I met quite a few bods from Stampgropers etc and the stalls weren't too bad either. The Thread Studio was the best for me and was very happy to pick up some stamps and attend one of their workshops - embossed velvet tag book. I also learnt a new technique from Jeanette at the Stamp Trap and tried it out Sat night - see microscope slideholder - which I have done for my Mystery Muse shhh this is late! but I know she will be cool with that. I like this effect as it looks like it is lit up. How to??? well Jeanette used 'window plastic' (aceate) but I used glass microscope slide - stamp (stazon) images on glass and on the other side drag ink pad (ancient page) to colour (could use alcohol inks?) then drizzel diamond glaze and smear, sprinkle white glitter and let it dry (heat gun but very carefully) then highlight areas with gold crylon pen, then drizzel more diamond glaze and get some tinfoil, crush it up and flatten (not smooth) and stick on the back and trim. Jeanette layered onto gloss card for mounting on a card if you used aceate but as you can see I glued it into the slideholder. What do you think - made a couple of others in different colour backgrounds but the foil lights it up - kind of fake alcohol inks/foiling??? So pass on the message - do your Census online and save your CO the callback - not getting paid enough to be smelt/bitten/or spoken to as if you are an ASIO agent. Cheers, Carmel xoxoxo