Christmas cards 2012 - merry and bright

Yay! Christmas is coming and my cards are done.

This is a fairly simple design inspired by this gorgeous effort.

Less work on my part in the stamping/embossing department this year, and it does make things a lot easier when there's no fine glitter powder being discovered in strange places weeks after the holidays.

Work in progress.

A spray of white Mister Huey mist, a bit like snow, no? 

Patterned papers: Cosmo Cricket (also used here), Basic Grey

Stuffed reindeer: Borders (also used here)

Inside greeting stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Butterfly Wedding Card

This is a card I made after taking Online Card Classes' Kick Start class. You are meant to be inspired by the card creation of a number of very talented card-makers and designers, and it was certainly a fun and motivating couple of weeks.

I love the colours and design of this card very much - even though I nicked the design part of it. Alright, I was inspired by a number of cards in the class!

 The card is a large square, so I had to make an envelope to fit it. The envelope flap has the same doily edging as the front of the card.

Inside of the card has a sentiment and a matching stick-on button.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned paper: Various (forget which ones, sorry)

Stamps: PSX (old)

Ink: Stampin' Up!

Punch: Martha Stewart
Jewels and Button: BoBunny Design and American Crafts

Wedding Card - Love

Here's a Wedding card for my cousin in Canada - the third and final sister getting married. The cards for her sisters are here and here.

This card was made using some pretty patterned paper and the Hero Arts starburst lace stamp printed onto paper and vellum and cut out. I do like the dreamy turquoise colours in this card, even if I say so myself.

Inside of the card has the starburst lace stamped in shadow ink, with a Stampin' Up! greeting.

VIVID Sydney 2012

The VIVID light festival in Sydney has just finished for another year. 

Although it was on every night for a couple of weeks, we left it until the final Saturday before taking a look. Seems like the rest of Sydney had the same idea, as it was packed around Circular Quay.

There were lighting installations from Customs House down to Dawes Point under the Harbour Bridge, but we mainly hung around the Quay area.

 This is the facade of the original Museum of Contemporary Art building.

This is the front of the new MCA wing, with lighting of handprints:

  For a daytime view of the MCA, click here

 

The Opera House 3D projections by Urbanscreen:

Giant chandelier and light art sculpture at Campbell's Cove:

And finally, the Harbour Bridge doesn't need special lights to make it picture-perfect:

MCA Sydney - arty

The new extension to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney opened in late March, and it's a wonderful addition to the harbour foreshore. This is a quick visit, in pictures.

First, though, we took the ferry from Balmain, past Luna Park and under the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay.

The new wing is all white and stark and modern, very different to the Art Deco original building next door.

The MCA Cafe occupies a prime spot next to the Loti Smorgon Sculpture Terrace.

The menu and dishes look fab.

Here are some of the exhibits.

More on these on the MCA website

Worth a visit? Definitely!

Royal Easter Show 2012 - a Sydney tradition

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is reassuringly the same every year.

The only thing that may change is the price of entry (transport plus show entry via Showlink was $32 this year), the showbags available for sale and the novelties you can win in sideshow alley (Angry Birds and Muppets were popular).

I went to the Show in 2012 and these are my pictures.

Read on and marvel at the colour and spectacle.

Or click and play 'spot the difference' with Easter Show visits from 2010 and 2009, here and here.

Starting the kiddies early on the not-so-scary rides.

Looks like fun!

This year, we had gourmet sausages in a roll, aka hot dogs. My bratwurst was bland, the kransky in a roll (with onions, extra 50 cents) was better.

Cafe Grande flavour ice cream from Connoisseur was sensational.

Warm sunny weather calls for a Frozen Coke - love it!

BMX riders getting some air.

Horses being judged. See the unusual zigzag markings on the chestnut horse.

As usual, the cake decorating was spectacular, including Pippi Longstocking.

The district display was super-crowded. Love the Western District fruit and veg arrangement.

The woodchopping arena looks like a Quidditch stadium.

A burly New Zealander won this heat of the woodchop.

Q: How much wood does a wood chopper chop if a wood chopper does chop wood?

A: One small log

Had to visit the cat pavilion to see some judging (I think this white cat is a Maine Coon).

The Hello Kitty breed is slowly infiltrating the event.

Clowns usually give me the heebee jeebies, but these are okay.

Keep your arms inside the carriage!

It was a long day.

But I wouldn't miss the Easter Show for quids.

See you next year!

Fireworks! Sydney 2012

Happy New Year!

Here are some pics of the fireworks over Sydney Harbour.

I was feeling a bit too settled in front of the television when midnight rolled around (does that make me sound old or what?), so these photos were taken from my upstairs window. Please excuse the telegraph pole and wires, though at least you can see the top of the arch of the Harbour Bridge!