Faux Ribbon banner

Hi all, Ive finally caught up on some house cleaning, washing and getting things back to some sort of normality after being away. I promised I'd post some cards so here's what we made at Mondays classes. The oval embossing was done by running your card through the cuttle bug using a plastic stencil, instructions shown here. I mounted this up with foam tape to the card front. The swans were stamps and they were 3D onto the front. I seen this Faux ribbon banner some time ago ....can't remember where but what a great little trick......To make the banner cut a strip of patterned paper to the length you need Mine measured 10cm long by about an inch wide.

Make a valley fold 2 cm in from each end.

Then a mountain fold another 1/2 to1cm along depending how high you want it to sit up.

Cut a V shape from each end.

Ink the edges and put 3-4 layers of foam tape on the back middle section. This will stop it from collapsing in the center and give you that 3d effect. I also curled up the ends.

Here's a close up pic of the finished card. I added a large oval message backed with foam tape.

Cool Hey! we also did some more oil pastels on embossing. A simple card with some pretty results...a tip, if you add some kindy glitz gliter it just gives it that extra boost to the colours. I aslo met Gale for the first time from Circle of crafters. She did our class with us on Monday.Its great to finally put some faces to the names you meet and read on line....

Ive also made a start on Beth's necklace that she's asked me to make for her formal in November so here's a sneak peek at it........

This photo doesn't do it justice ...all the feature beads are crystals and it sparkles so pretty giving off lots of different colours...This is the main feature section. Well i hope you have enjoyed some more ideas...until next post....Valita

and a last thought

Our hope is in the living God
who died for all.
Timothy 4:10

An exciting week away with Bike for Bibles

Wow what a great time Dave and I have had this past week. We've been in Dubbo doing the Bike for Bibles ride that is run by the Bible Society. We spent 5 days riding and did just under 300km and met some lovely people.....This little guy in the front sat in a bike trailer and got pulled along by his mum! and another couple road a tandem shown here in the pic... we raised a good amount for the bible society which this year goes to help Aboriginal communities to train up indigenous bible workers so they can go back to their own community and spread the gospel. So some of you Im sure are asking where on earth is Dubbo...i found this reginal map to show you..... we are in the midnorth coast region on the coast and ive marked Macksville....and look over to the middle and you'll see Dubbo.


We had beautiful sunny days each day but was still cool enought to have arm and leg warmers on for most of the day. Each ride was some kind of loop in and around Dubbo ending for a break at a coffee shop. The last day was great ...our longest ride 85km, we rode to Eumungerie primary school and chatted with the kids there ...had something to eat and rode back. We got together most nights as a group and had a meal plus got to know a little more about each other.

Spring in Dubbo brings out the Magpies for their breeding season though and each day we were attacked by them at some point along the ride!!! pretty scary birds they are!! very sharp beaks and they will keep swooping at your head till you get out of their territory. Here's a pic of them.....oooooowwww :( nasty little characters they are.

The country side was beautiful....alot dryer and less humidity than on the coast where we are but they have had some rain which was so good to see. The wild frowers were out for spring and i just had to stop along the rides and take some pics. This is a wattle bush they were all along the roads and i love them the whole bush is covered with tiny little pom poms....splashes of yellow everywhere.

and a close up with a shinny little stink bug ....hes so cute!

This is a wax flower....

and i was'nt quite sure of the names of these 2....but these 3 all grow an low bushes.


On our way home beautiful patches of yellow fields meet your eye....these are canola plants which when harvested are made into canolia oil. They grow them beside feilds of wheat.


And lastly on our way home when you come through Uralla you'll see this monument of thunderbult and his horse....He was a famous Bush ranger in the 1800's but the interesting thing is he stole this horse from my husbands great great gandfather Charles Reynolds. They were race horse breaders at the time.

Well i hope you have enjoyed a peek into our trip away and if you'd like to see more click on our face book on the side panel and we found this verse Ive put here as a last thought while having our morning devotions when we were away ...ill post again soon with some more cards....Valita

and a last thought

Spend your time and energy in the exercise
of keeping spiritually fit. Bobily exercise is
alright, but spiritual exercise is much more
important and is a tonic for all that you do.
Timothy 4:7,8

Oil Pastels on embossing

Hi all, I wanted to show you how oil pastels go on the embossed card. I did this with the ladies in my Monday classes and it's just another way to colour and use different mediums of art and that great cuttlebug!!!!!

My oil pastels are just cheap ones and they work just as well. Colour over the embossed pattern...you don't have to cover it completely. Next use your finger and a little firm pressure in circular motions to spread the colour out and over the embossed area.

Notice that what you missed when you first applied the colour is now covered.
The heat and natural oils from your finger help to blend the pastels out.Here's a close up pic of it finished.

I love the vibrant colours.....a similar effect to chalks but they can be alot more subtle. Any how have a go it was fun just playing around with it....you'll end up with every finger a different colour :) LOL.....and i had to show you this....as you know the seasons have just changed, for us its now spring YAAAAA! so for all you over seas readers this has bought out the Blue tounges in our back yard from their hibernation. and our dogs let us know about it. Don't worry they don't harm them their too chicken !! the dogs just do alot of barking and the poor bluey's do a whole lot of hissing!

This one was a big fella, he looked really shinny, clean and beautiful markings. As the summer goes on they get ticks around their ears and my son catches them to get the ticks out as this can really slow them down. They eat slugs, snails etc so they are really good to have in your garden. But they will bite. when our dog Pepsie seen this one it was making its self flat to look bigger and hissing and snapping. heres a close up of it's face and you'll see why they are called blue tounges.

He was hissing and snapping at me in this shot.....and he was pretty warmed up by the sun so he was moving fast. Isnt he beautiful! how could their not be a creator God!....and another thing, pop over and see my 2 new posts in Valita's Kitchen they are 2 yummy Dairy free recepies.....enjoy and until next post....Valita

and a last thought

O Lord what a variety you have made!
and in wisdom you have made them all!
The earth is full of your riches.
Psalms 104:24

Out of this world

Hi all, today's card and pattern was inspired by a pic of a rocket ship i seen not long back so i made it into a corner fold pattern. Very easy to do as the ladies in my Monday class found out. Cut the outside of the pattern out first with a craft knife then run it through the cuttlebug and emboss the background. I rubbed a sparkly gold ink pad over mine just to make the sky twinkle. lay it over your pattern and follow the fold numbers....remember its like Iris folding...and if you need a quick freshen up go here to see some steps. add some circles for the port holes and the planet was made by double punching first the small oval and then off setting the large oval over the top and punching again and adding a 1,1/4" circle punch inside.I thought it came up quite cute....heres the pattern...

This could be a kids card or a fun adults card.....i hope you can enjoy it....must go I have alot to do....until next post...Valita

and a last thought
To learn, you must want to be taught.
To refuse refroof is stupid.
Proverbs 12:1

Gold Class Movie Night

Dave and I organized a Gold Class Movie night for the youth in our church last night and it was great. We are raising money for the bible society and will be doing a bike for bibles week of riding up to 500km next week and are so looking forward to it :)
There was a dress code of dress fancy with a Boa and a hat for the men....we had a chocolate fountain with lots of dipping things on tooth pis and was a real hit...i think eveyone went home with a drip of chocolate on there clothes....LOL, cupcakes, fancy fruit cocktails and auderves plus loads of other goodies....these young guys really got some fancy treatment!!!!! we took glamor shots of them which were so funny and they socialized while one of the mums played her flute and one of the dads sang with his guitar as there live entertainment...they watched a movie and we gave out some prizes....we had heaps of help in the kitchen whizzing up drinks and heating up savories etc and serving them on trays. A fantastic night and we so appreciated all the support and help by everyone. It was all good clean fun ....no alcohol, G rated movie. God truly blesses. One of the prize winners recived this card with a $20 gift voucher and all my helpers recived the smaller thankyou cards.

Heres some more pics from the night......lots of pics were taken of others but you all understand why i dont put these on....so the ones that havent got there faces blured are our family....don't you love our giant popcorn box!!


Our daughters...they loved dressing up in my mums old fur coats!

I have to thank our sone Ben ....he was a big help to me on the night and looked after the chocolate fountain..of corse!!!

And these are our Bike for Bibles riding shirts.
I hope youve enjoyed a peek into a great night and fun times to come....we have....until next post... Valita

and a last thought

Urge the young men to behave carefully,
taking life seriously. And here you yourself
must be an example to them of good
deeds of every kind.
Titus 2: 6,7

Lava lamp & Pattern

Our daughter received a Lava lamp for her birthday and this was the inspiration for this next card. Her one is yellow with bright red wax and is pretty cool.....someone also requested this type of card some time ago so i hope you can find this card fun and useful....a great teen card!! we also made this cute froggie card with the Monday card ladies.....

I made the lilly pad with the large stampin up oval, the flower was a daisy punch folded in half off setting the petals, with a smaller green daisy at the base.....I embossed the veins on the lilly pad and edged it in black ink. to finished i dotted some dimensional magic for a water drop effect. heres a close up....

I hope youve found some more inspiration to keep crafting....until next post...Valita

and a last thought

Your words are a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Psalms 119:105

Postman Pat

Hi all, we went to a good friends 40th Birthday on the weekend......and for years now he's been a postie.....so i thought this card would be appropriate and fun at the same time....i didn't add royal mail to the van being in Australia....But i was really pleased how this turned out......Ive included the pattern if you'd like to try also. and some quick instructions on how i made his cute little cat.

I use the 1, 1/4" circle punch for the body. The spiral for his tail, Small heart for his mussel and ears, small flower for his feet, and one of these tiny hearts form the heart corner punch for his nose, and the small hole punch for his eyes.

Cute Hey!!!...here's the van pattern

Enjoy ....were off now to our daughters year 12 music night...should me a good one, she will be singing 2 of her HSC pieces. and until next post...Valita

and a last thought

Do what is right; then if men speak against you,
calling you evil names, they will become
ashamed of themselves for falsely
accusing you when you have only done
what is good. Remember if God wants
you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing
good than for doing wrong!
1 Peter 3:16,17

Punched Oval Rose Bud Tutorial

I love these oval punches from Stampin up they have so many uses. Heres a tutorial of a rose bud ive made from the small oval punch.I showed my Monday card ladies how to make this one..i hope you enjoy....Oh by the way while your here hop over and see my new recipe....Savory Seed Sprinkle.....mmmm they are very yummy.

These are the punches i used for this project....you will need to punch:
3 small ovals
2 leaves
1 small daisy
1 mini spiral
and a strip for the stem.

Cut one of the ovals in half length ways. and cut the small daisy in half. Ink all the edges in black.

Using an embossing tool and pad draw a line down the center of the leaves and make a fold.
I also used deckle scissors to give that rough leaf edge. Use the larger embossing tool to shape one of the ovals working on the back.

Working on the front of the 2 half ovals give these some shape with the large emboss tool.
Attach some foam tape to the back of the shaped oval.

Stick this onto the second oval allowing the top of the base oval to peep over the top. Glue on the mini spiral using a toothpick and a very small amount of glue.

Keeping the straight edge of the half ovals facing outwards glue these onto the full oval.
Glue on the half daisy to the base of your flower.

Glue the leaves to the stalk....you can see the wet glue here....remember to use a toothpick and very small amounts of glue to keep everything tidy. This is the finished rose bud ready to add to you cards. enjoy.....Valita

and a last thought

God has given each of you special abilities;
Be sure to use them to help each other,
Passing on to others God's many
kinds of blessings.
1Peter 4:10