Time for a Clean Up

Since moving I have had to change my internet provider, therefore I have had to change my email address etc. I felt it was time to clean things up around here. Do you ever find that you start all these things (like numerous blogs etc) and it ends up very very messy and you can never remember how to 'sign in' etc.

So I have had a little clean up. I will no longer be posting here but will continue this blog over here at www.alexhughescraft.blogspot.com

Come on over and have a look around. If you have me saved to your favourites (maybe that is just my Mum and my friend :) then please delete this web address and save my new one. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come see me at the my new blog.

Bye

Alex

A need to scrapbook....

I feel the need, the need to record more memories.

My scrapbooking has taken a backseat to just about everything lately and I miss it so much. So now that we are getting settled and life is not so chaotic I want to concentrate on getting more photos onto pages. Here is my attempt last night:

I used some Teresa Collins paper, Tim Holtz tags and lots of bits-n-pieces that I have lying around. Amazing how much craft stuff you can accumulate :) While downsizing my craft area I have had to have a major clean out. I am yet to decide how to get rid of the excess?????

Thanks for stopping by,

Alex

Hello Ian

....he's my DT submission for The Stamp Spot blog this week.

I have to be honest and stay that I found him a challenge as it is not my normal 'style', if I really have a style. But it was fun to watercolour him in and I really enjoyed working on this card. He comes from The Greeting Farm stamps (will show you some more over the coming weeks). He can be purchased from The Stamp Spot along with Anya.

I found it amusing this week to see that the other girls from the DT picked Anya to feature on their cards and I picked Ian. (You can see the others at The Stamp Spot Blog.) Does that say something about me with my three boys, I just gravitated towards the boy image? Weird, considering I love all things girly I looked at the girl images I was sent and didn't know where to start with them. There in lies my next challenge, watercolouring girl images. Will get on to that this week and see what I can come up with. Keep watching..................

Bye,

Alex

PS. Message from The Stamp Spot "All orders made in August go into the draw for the chance to win 20% off your next order. Each order made during the month gets one entry into the draw. Enter as many times as you like, with a valid purchase. Good luck!"

Design Team Submission

I thought I would share with you the card I submitted for the Design Team at The Stamp Spot.

I love, love, love this Teresa Collins stamp. And that little mirror and the pom poms make me smile.

Thanks for stopping by,

Alex

Design Team Member

....for The Stamp Spot. Woohoo!

I am really excited to be joining Marcia and her team of designers for The Stamp Spot. I always love a reason to create and this should give me the perfect opportunity to do so.

So keep an eye out here and on The Stamp Spot blog for my creations using goodies from Marcia's store.

We have finally finished up at our old house and are happily living amoung what feels like a million boxes. I got to create a little last night and that was nice. But I can't wait to be all organised and back at my craft table every day. Unfortunately I don't have internet at the new house yet, I have had to come to McDonalds to update here and check my emails. So I wasn't prepared with any photos of creations, so sorry for no picture today. But will hopefully be connected up late next week and I will be back to share some crafty goodness then.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bye

Alex

Bitter Sweet

With all the excitement of moving to our new property I completely overlooked how I would feel about leaving this place. Tonight will be Jackson's last night of sleeping at this home. Tomorrow he is off on a holiday to Tasmania with Nanny (scary for me in it's own right) and I realised as he got ready for bed that when he returns he will not be coming back here. Sob!

This is what my little boy looked liked when we moved in back in 2003.

He was three and a half years old and already a big brother to one. And this is when I put him to bed tonight for the last time here, in this house.

Nearly six years between the two photos. Man, that has gone soooo fast. Sigh! Such an emotional time. I am sure I will go through it all again in a few days when the rest of us spend our last night here.

Alex

New Home & a New Baby

The new home is ours.................not the baby :)

Today we received the keys to our new home and permission to move in early. Yay!!!! I am sooooo excited.

We pottered around up there a little bit and the kids ran around having a great time. Tomorrow I will start cleaning and this weekend coming we will begin the heavy work. I can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives here.

Now, the new baby is my cousins. She had a baby boy this week and my Mum is off to see her and ordered a special baby card.

Hope she likes it.

Loving these Jillibean Soup Journalling Sprouts (spots). They are so cute. And the Tim Holtz adage tickest. Mmmmm.

Off to pack some more boxes.

Bye

Alex

Cardmaking in the Chaos

The chaos of moving house that is!

I have packed up most of my crafting supplies (gasp!!) and only have a select few things out that I couldn't bear to pack yet. After all I still have just under 2 weeks to go - I couldn't go without any supplies.

Here are some cards made with some new goodies I have picked up lately:

Simple, quick cards and I hope they bring you some 'Delight'.

Thanks for stopping by.

Alex

Some cards

Published!

I always get so excited when I open a magazine and see my work in there.  Here is my contribution  to the newest Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft magazine.

I bought these stamps last year when we went on a trip to Bowral.  I just love them.

And the chipboard shapes on the cards were a present from a special friend for Christmas.  She knows me well obviously!  Thanks Debbie.

Alex

Some Paper Therapy

Yep, 

raining all day

soccer called off

photo shoot postponed

boys on playstation (big one included)

equals scrapbooking time for me!!!  Yay!!!

And I finally, finally finished Nathan's birthday book from when he turned three (yep, over twelve months ago).

The bug has bitten and I can't wait to be able to do some more.

Photo Shoot

My friend Liz has been doing a photography course online over the last few weeks and asked me to 'model' for her to practice.  While I don't usually like having my photo taken, I jumped at the chance because in all honesty I have very few photos of myself.  

I love how they turned out.  Here are a few of my favs:

And tomorrow she will practice on the family.  Can't wait.

Yippee....scrappin'!

Two posts in one day and the reason is because I scrapped.

I had given up on digi scrapping for quite a while now and tonight I decided that I needed to go back to it.  My scrapping studio is outside in a cold metal shed where I don't desire to spend cold near-winter evenings so therefore, I don't go out there.  And therefore, I don't get any scrapping done.  Hopefully, this will all change one day but in the meantime I think I need to get some digital scrapbooking done.

I was looking through my photos and came across this one.  I took it a couple of days ago and felt the need to record the moment straight away before I forgot the feelings this picture evoked.  It's a cold night and I am sitting in a warm lounge room in front of my favourite show and the computer is the best way to scrap it.  So here it is, my first digi page in quite a while.

Love these boys.

Alex

Just a little therapy.....

.....is all anyone needs.  

Card making and papercrafting is my therapy.  Scrapbooking is taking a backseat at the moment, so I need to do something about that.  I miss it and there are stories & memories that need recording.

Anyway, here are some more cards I have been creating:

Alex

Busy, busy, busy

Life has been super busy lately with exciting things going on at the Hughes household.  Squeezing in a little cardmaking when I can as I am getting ready for a Craft Expo this weekend.  Find details here.

Love this little Stampin' Up set called Crazy for Cupcakes.  Used it with some paper scraps to whip up this cutie.

Hope to see you at the Central Coast Craft and Quilt Expo.

Bye,

Alex

Catch Up

Life has been very busy and I'm lovin' it.  Was going through (and sorting out) some photos tonight and found these projects:

I created this for Mum to give someone for their 21st Birthday a while ago.  I love these colours together.  

I had to create a special sized envelope for the card.

And of course I had to co-ordinate the gift.

Off to see what else I can find.

Alex

Some Card Goodness

School holidays is such a busy time around here.  Kids going here and there to visit Grandparents and keeping them occupied in between visits.  Heaps of fun.  

During all this I have found some time to create some cards.  It truely makes me happy to create and I love that sometimes cards can come together so quickly.

This one is for my Mum to give to Nan for Mothers Day.

And this one is 'just because' (I LOVE this card)

And a bit of cupcake yummy.

Thanks for stopping by

Alex

Fascintating

Found this on Ruby Claire's blog (very talented young girl) and thought it was so clever.

House of 3

I stumbled across this place tonight and just love it.  It inspired the new blog look, however I did purchase a blog background that is gorgeous with a chandelier and everything but I can't work out how to use it (thus the clean white look I quite like ATM).  Am not too sure about the header, let me know what you think.

But I did purchase some png quotes and I can't wait to use them.  

I love the inspiration and fun goodies you can find online.

Alex

Love This Quote

"Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people do that,but the really great make you feel that you too,can become great" Mark Twain.

Cards for Inspiration

Some insirational cards to share.

Have a fabulous Easter.

Alex

You're the Best

Ooops, haven't shared anything for a little while.  I have been busy with the new Stampin' Up catalogue over the last couple of weeks, you can check it all out here.  But realised that I have neglected to share here.  

So here is a little card eye candy:

So cute and fresh.  Thanks for stopping by, you ARE the best.

Bye

Alex

More to share

This last couple of weeks have been so full of birthdays.  Here is the card and gift box I created for my Mum's birthday last week.

I used crepe paper to create the ruffled pendant on the card and box.

The bottom was made in the new In Color from Stampin' Up called Pink Pirouette.  It's gorgeous and as a pure pink girl I am lovin' it.  

The top was created from acetate and I added brown ric-rac around the sides.

Here I used my favourite SU set for the heart.  I embossed it in white embossing powder on the Pink Pirouette cardstock.  The background paper is from DCWV paper pad called "The Sweet Stack".  Gorgeous papers with cupcakes etc.

Thanks for stopping by.

Alex

Baby Cards

I bought the cheapest little set of acrylic stamps from Target recently, convinced that they would be no good (I mean $3.99 - how cheap!!).  But they are great.   Here is the result:

I love that little vintage pram.  So cute.

Alex

Mr Bot

Samuel had a birthday party to go to today and I had to whip up a card in a hurry.  After sending him to the wrapping paper drawer to pick some paper for the present, I was inspired to create this:

I don't normally like doing paper piecing, but this came together really fast and seemed to be appropriate.  See the wrapping paper and the little red guy up in the top corner and on the right hand side.  He's my inspiration.

I shall name him "Mr Bot"  :)