OWOH - The Prizes

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!!

Thanks to everyone who left a comment.

Winners will be posted and emailed tommorrow.

Well, this crept up on me that is for sure. I had to quickly scramble to find a couple of suitable prizes. Thankfully I had a few completed projects to choose from.

I am really looking forward to this years event, I think it will definitely live up to the theme of a Magic Carpet Ride. So when you have finished here take a look at Lisa's blog for a full list of those involved (including Lisa herself). I know it will be worth the trip.

There are three prizes to go to three different people, it doesn't matter where in the world you are all you have to do is leave a message on this post (and only this one) and you will be in the draw on the 15th of February 2010 to win one. Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you so leave an email addy if needed. I will be using my magic Genie lamp (aka - my four children) to help me with choosing the winners and I will let you know if you are a winner by personal email and on a post here.

Prize One - Collaged glass tile pendant with ball chain necklace. The prize won't be the same as this as this is a one off for a Christmas gift but it will be just as nice.

Prize Two - A choice of one of the following sets of earrings. The pearls are freshwater and the crystals are from a repurposed chandelier.

Prize Three - Inspiration Notebook. This tiny little notebook has 25 blank white pages for a quick sketch on the run. Just the right size to slip into you handbag or craft tote.

(approx 10cm x 8cm)

So, TIA for all the lovely things you are going to say (teehee!) and please leave a link to your blog if you have joined in the One World One Heart event as well.

To all the Aussies out there have a great Australia Day tomorrow,

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!!!

Ky

Romans 12:1 KJV

Project Finished

I seem to be doing well with the goal I set yesterday to not leave my blog so lonely don't I? Two in as many days, gotta be a record for me! After the dog's breakfast I made of that last post I think I owe it anyway. Sorry about that, I just couldn't get the photos and text to do what I wanted. Maybe I should add learning 'Blogger' to my list of things to accomplish?!

Well, as the title to this post suggests I finished a project just a few minutes ago and before it leaves my hands tonight I wanted to take some photos and show it off. I was given a couple of kits from Twiddleybitz for my design Team challenge from the girls at Scrap It Flaunt It. After some inspiration searching I decided to go with this ...

Ok, don't worry I am not going all scrapbooky on you, I just thought it might look better with a photo in the back, better than leaving it plain. Here are a few detail shots. First the obligatory bird in the tree.

I knew those little flowers from all that Cuttlebugging would come in handy one day! Made a botch of the front of the house. I was going for a fine crackle and ended up with huge cracks instead. There is no way I could recreate the effect as it was one patch job after another before I considered it even close to acceptable. Even as it is now I am not that happy but that is probably because I still have the effect I want to achieve in my mind.

The verse reads, 'A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul' by Phillip Moffitt, no idea who he is but I really liked the verse.

Alrighty, we will see how this post looks and then we are off to afternoon tea with some new friends.

Have a great weekend,

Ky

Ephesians 4:32 KJV

One World One Heart 2010

I can't believe it has been a whole year since this event was held, where did the time go? It was great to be involved last time so I am putting my hand up again. I have no idea what I am going to choose as a prize or prizes but I will have something organised by the start date of January 25th. It will be running till February 15th so plenty of time to check out all the blogs that are sure to involved. I have no doubt that Lisa will get well over 1000 participants this time round. There were 911 last year.

Just click on the OWOH logo on the right to take you to Lisa Swifkas' website so you can check out all the details for yourself. I encourage everyone to get involved. It is great to be part of something that gives just a little bit back to not only the art community but the blogging world as well. It is also nice to get such lovely comments to read.

So the deal is once the event starts leave a comment on my blog on the post for the start of the event (Jan 25th) if you would like to be in the runnung for the prize/s. It is an international event so anyone is welcome to leave (nice!) comments. You will need to make sure that I can contact you so I am guessing that anonymous comments won't cut. If you are involved with OWOH as well please feel welcome to leave your link in the comment too.


Now for some pix. Today is my babys' 15th birthday, well one of my babies anyway, the oldest one. I know that 13 or 16 is usually considered more momentous but for some reason 15 freaks me out! She really isn't my little girl anymore (I know she has known this for a while but I am bit slower to catch on). You wouldn't know it from the photos though. Taken by a friend at Champion Lakes, a local swimming hole which doubles as a world class rowing venue. Far too hot a day for me to be venturing out but I am glad Chris (DH) took the 4 kids down to get thoroughly soaked.

I would put up some photos of Jess as a baby but I am afraid that was
pre-digital and I don't use that scanner often enough that I understand
the darn thing without Chris' instructions. Jess looks (and acts which is the scary thing) more like me everyday, in fact we were in our local Woolworths the other day and the lady behind the deli counter
asked if anyone had ever commented on how much alike we
looked. I had to answer that she wasn't actually my birth child that we had her cloned!

I am determined to be a bit more blog active this year. No more neglecting my poor blog for 6 months at a time. As a result of having to post more often I am hoping I will be more productive on the art side of things too. Noah is starting full time Pre-Primary this year so I will have more time without the little voice in my head. I have already re-signed to the Scrap It Flaunt It Design Team (just about finished the first part of the project) and have been asked to do a class in mid February. I have another couple of projects in the offing but they haven't been finalised yet, I am really looking forward to them though and am itching to get started. I also want to make better use of the time I have. More 'from scratch' cooking, keeping the house more organised, clean and tidy, getting rid of the junk we have, taking the dogs for a walk more often and not wasting so much time on the puter doing nothing. Getting my Senior First Aid Certificate is also a must do for this year. We are still looking for a house and I know God will provide one just right for us in His own time but in the mean time I am going to LIVE my life instead of just living.

So, starting as I mean to go on, Jess has requested home made fried rice for her birthday dinner. I haven't made this dish for a few years and never with much success but if that is what my girl wants ... I remember when I was a teenager and still living at home that my Mum made the best spring rolls so I am going to have a go at them too. Just in case it is all a flop there is always the local Chinese restaurant as backup!



Ok, so I didn't intend for this to be such a long post but it is at an end. I will leave you with this Bible verse which means alot to me. Our Pastor was preaching on this verse the day I got Saved 3 years ago.



Matthew 7:21 KJV



Hugs and kisses,
Ky

About time!

Well, where have the months gone? Once again life has gotten in the way of art. It has been such a busy 6 months but I don't feel I have an awful lot to show for it. The kids have all settled into school, my DH now has a job and my health has stayed good so I guess there really is something to show for that time though maybe not as tangible as I might have wanted.

Thanks to everyone who emailed or spoke to me about my MS. It has certainly been a year of reassessment of my life and priorities. I had my last doctors appointment a couple of weeks ago and my MRI scan was clear of any new lessions and the existing ones were a little reduced so I am presuming that is good news. The MRI was a bit daunting this time, I was expected to be in there for an hour and a half - eek! I never thought I was claustraphobic before I had an MRI but having gone through the first one (and subsequent ones) I was not looking forward to this one. It took less than an hour for which I was very thankful.

Noah and I went to the zoo as our last outing for the year. Next year he will be in full time Preprimary. I will miss him heaps and even though he talks non-stop when he is at home I get cuddles, kisses and zurples whenever I want. He really wanted to see the snakes, the penguins and the elephants. I wanted to see the otters (could have stayed watching them for hours). I wanted to get more photos but we had so much to see in a short space of time that I kept forgetting to get the camera out. I couldn't resist the Meerkats though. This fellow below is the lookout.

How cute are these guys! It was a bit hard at first to work out what was in the hole and even to see them all there in the shade vut they were right up next to the barrier so I could get a good shot

Can you guess what this is? Aussies will probably be able to pick out that it is a Tasmanian Devil asleep on its' back. It took a while to spot it and figure out how it was lying. It is one of the hardest things about going to the zoo in Summer, all the animals are either asleep or hiding to escape the hot sun.

No, it is not a real lizard (Perentie) but Noah was still quite apprehensive about climbing up for a pic.

The week before the combined Kindy/Preprimary classes went to the childrens' playground at Kings' Park. I hadn't been there in a number of years so it was great to go there again. One of the teachers brought some little bottles of bubbles which were a great hit with kids and Mums alike. Noah still doesn't quite have the knack but he tries!

How is this, can you tell what it is? A face made from plastic railway tracks. Made by Noah. and all by himself, no help from his sisters or brother. Budding Picasso huh?

And lastly some art by me. The arty_oz Yahoo group is holding a 1-4-1 Christmas swap. This is for my partner. I hope she likes it.

This was for a combined church ladies dinner that I attended. We were all asked to bring a $5 gift to swap. The blanket cost me $5 but it was a little boring. I cut out and needle felted on some oak leaves then hand stitched the veins of the leaves. I was quite pleased with the result and the lady who picked it was very happy too.

We are in holiday time now - yay! - 8 weeks of sleep-ins. Maybe I will even get time to get back into creating. I haven't got a whole lot planned for the time, maybe a trip to Aqua (which I will always think of as Underwater World) and to the Dinosaur exhibit at the museum, mostly just bumming around and being happy I don't have to drive up the hill twice a day to get the kids to and from school.

I hope everyone stays safe over the holidays.

Ky

Been a while

and it feels like I have been to there and back (you know where!) Where I am now is sooooo much better though. It is really good to have my art mojo back as well as my health. The kids have also started 'real' school at a local Christian school (Armadale Christian College) they are loving it and so am I. It is nice to be just a Mum again instead of a teacher as well. It was alot of work and although it was worth it I am glad that they are in a good school at last.


One benefit of the kids going to school is that I have volunteered myself in the art class one day a week. I am cleaning up/out the store room at the moment (which is right up my alley) and helping the kids where I can. I am doing and extra half day this term as the teacher wants some extra help with a year 10 project. I am also doing a day a fortnight in the canteen. the first day was an experience let me tell you. I don't think my feet have been that sore in ages and I was absolutely stuffed at 2pm! It was a great day non the less and I am looking forward to this term too.


Noah started Kindy last term too. here is a pic of him in his way to big uniform. It is a size 4 but still has quite a bit of room for growing.




We had to give greyhound fostering a rest for a while too as I couldn't drive but we are up and running again. So far we have had Tiger,

Sophie

and Destiny.

Someone said to me the other day that greyhound fostering is the recession busters answer to pet owning. It doesn't cost anything to foster a greyhound, GAP provides everything, food, muzzle, lead collar, bed, the lot. All you need is love and a couch - for the greyhound!

I have managed a few art projects over the last few months. bellow is the page I am doing for this years Collaborative book for the arty_oz yahoo group. Yeah, I know - pink, so not my usual colour.

The next is a page for Ness Henry for her House Book themed 'Fabric'. Quite a challenge for me as fabric gives me nightmares. I decided to get my needle felting tool out and try out a pattern from Betz White's wonderful 'Warm Fuzzies' book. I had a hard time sending it off actually as I was so pleased with the result.

The next pic is of a 12' x 12' canvas project that I did with a class in mind for Scrap It Flaunt It. It had a Vintage Valentine theme.

This is a 6' x 6' canvas project for SIFI though this time from their Design Team pack. I used the techniques I learnt from Audrey Underwood's She Canvas Class for inspiration.

This last one is also a canvas but 8' x 8' this time. The first piece of art I have done for my self in ages, too long in fact. I did it over the July school holidays. It was very satisfying and therapeutic. I find myself coming back to Asian themes when I get time to play.

It really is good to be able to create again. For a while I didn't have full function of my left hand and even now have slow days. This is a result of Multiple Sclerosis which I was diagnosed with in March this year. It took a quick trip to hospital for that to happen as I am told the specialists usually wait until your second episode before they make it official which can be years for some people. For me it happened within 4 months of my first episode. Thankfully I am almost back to 100% again. As I said I sometimes have trouble co-ordinating my left side and I don't know if that will get any better. I am on a treatment that means injections every two days which was quite daunting to think about at the beginning but you soon get used to it and it is very easy with the injection device, stings like the dickens though! Strange as it may sound, I feel very blessed to have gone through what I have so far. I can see God protecting my family and me all the way through and I know He has a reason why my life has taken this path. The timing of everything has been incredible. My DH lost his job the week before I went into hospital and was off work all the time I was recovering. He has had some off shore work along the way which has payed the bills but otherwise he has been home to look after the kids and me. Global recession? Maybe not!

I think I am caught up. Memory loss, especially the last few months worth, is a problem for me too, so it could be that I have forgotten something that I really should have mentioned but that is at least something to save for another post.

Take and keep creating,

Ky

And The Winners Are ...

... ?

There are about 910 other blogs with the same (or very similar) titles today. Yes, it is time to draw the winners of the the One World One Heart blog giveaway. Are you excited? I am! I went and visited all 910 other blogs and they were all so different. Some I left comments on, some I didn't, some had content that interested me, some didn't, some I am going to visit regularly, some I will check once in a while, but all were wonderful just because they got involved with Lisa's great idea of making the blogging world a little closer.

Ok, enough of what I think, to the winners! Not alot of science was applied here. I printed out the pages (all 39 of them - thanks!), randomly picked a page, closed my eyes and took a stab. These are the 5 winners names.

Bec


Stacey


Melanie

AlwaysInspired

Congrats everyone!!! I will be contacting you very soon.


Thanks to all 240 of you that left some really lovely comments. I would loved to have sent you all something special. I can't wait for next years event now. Can we hit 1000 participants - I would love to think so.


Take care,
Kylie

One World One Heart

This wonderful event is on again. The idea of Lisa Swifka from A Whimsical Bohemian is now more than 500 strong. I have visited each and every blog to date and have seen some really great talent, I even put my name down for a few of the prizes. Not many Aussies in the bunch so to bolster our numbers I have decided to jump in too. Here is what Lisa has to say about her idea ...


"The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way."


It is easy to enter, just add your comment to the end of this post (and ONLY this post). Easy huh? You don't need a blog, you don't need to be part of the giveaway and anyone, ANYWHERE can enter. You need to leave your comments by midnight, February 12 to be in the running. Please include some way for me to contact you if you are the winner. I have 5 prizes to giveaway for 5 winners.


1. 50+ handmade ATC sized backgrounds.




2. One handmade button bracelet. This is not the actual one but the only one I could lay my hands on for a pic!

3. A selection of 100 pages of text including dictionaries, music sheets, ready reckonners and foreign language. The pic below is not a true reflection of the variety or quantity.

4. 3 canvases - 10 x 10cm, 10 x 15cm & 4 x 6cm.

5. 50 x 1m lengths of assorted fibres. No pic and I probably won't get around to one before the cut off date but it is pretty self explainatory don't you think?!

Ok then, off you go and leave a comment! And don't forget to have a look at all the other wonderful blogs in the Gypsy Caravan all listed on the main site.

Thanks,

Kylie

COMMENTS NOW CLOSED, THANKS!