Birthday Gift bag

As I was sorting out my craft room I came across some pastel gift bags from Hobbycraft. I bought them months ago thinking I could tart them up and use them for friend's birthdays. So they sat on my shelf and patiently waited and waited. 
The wait was worth it. They turned out to be so easy to decorate.

 I made a matching tag using scraps.

I've used Tilda paper to cover the bag and tag. That gorgeous sparkly trim is from 3D Jean.

I also found some kraft boxes when I was sorting out so I've used one to hold the present.

My friend loved them so much she said that just the bag and the box were presents enough.

Now I just need find use for those dozen or so boxes/bags etc.
 

 

This week I'm loving

UFOs no not the unexplained things flying in the sky but that mound of unfinished objects that are lying around in my craft room. Last week I tackled the mammoth job of clearing out. Do you ever start something and think half way through "Why did I start this?" But once started you have no choice but continue. In one of the corners I came across this box marked UFO. 

Full to the brim of stuff that I haven't finished. Most of it were class samples. So I set to and  added inserts, envelopes and cello bags. Now I have a pile of cards ready to sell or use. 

The UFO box is only a quarter full now and maybe I might find the energy to tackle some more next week. I felt quite good when I finished. 

So if you have that UFO box lurking about in your space check it out you may find some gems.
 

My month in number June and July 2013

Hi I've decided to combine June and July numbers as I have been traveling around  Australia. We went on The British and Irish Lions Tour.(click here for the full story)

10 the number of flights I took. Durham Tees valley-Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei-Brisbane- Melbourne- Sydney- Guangzhou-Amsterdam-Durham Tees Valley.


3Jk my seat number. Lovely hubby donated his airmiles for me travel business class and what a difference. The air stewards called me Mrs Taylor. Real glasses and cutlery, food that tastes of what it said on the menu.FABULOUS... thanks Phil. 

 5944 miles traveled from Amsterdam to Brisbane.

6 different hotels.

2 Smoggy hats (click here for a definition of a smoggy).

22389 steps walked around Melbourne on one day phew!

 8 wines tried on our wine tour round the Yarra valley.Cheers

 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. These are rock formations along the coast outside Melbourne.Absolutely stunning. The observant among you will note that there aren't 12. Well there never has been 12 but the tale goes that a local school girl came up with the name of the Apostles in a competition.  Later on the the number 12 was added. Still beautiful whether there's 8, 9 or 12.

 79 steps to Gibsons bay a beautiful secluded beach (well apart from all the tourists).

1 very cute Koala

56 the birthday that Phil celebrated on our holiday.
83,704 rugby fans in the ANZ stadium in Sydney to see the Lions end 20 years of defeat. The final score 41-16. FANTASTIC

4 scrumptious pancakes consumed by me, Phil, my brother Charlie and the biggest,eaten by my sister-in-law Robyn.

 
3 nights spent in the fabulous Blue Mountains.

2 local lads

1 very very very steep railway

0 the number of wild kangaroos seen.

1 fabulous holiday down under.

So there it is my two months in numbers if you want to know more about Julies month in numbers then click on the side button and join in.

If you want to read the full down under saga then click here.

As for the communal count I've opted for 
825, the number of photos taken, 0 the number printed.  

 

Bird

This little Z fold card shows off the bird topper perfectly. These cards are so easy to make. Just fold back the front of your card and voila!! (ps off to France in 4 weeks so I'm practising my French). You can use any shape card.

The trickiest part is matching up the front and rear panel. 

This week I'm loving

British Sport. As a sports fanatic I'm having a fantastic summer.
1st The British & Irish Lions

 Then Andy Murray winning Wimbledon ending a 77 year wait for a British Champion.

 Chris Froome and his amazing win on the Tour de France( how do they ride so far nearly every day?)

 Finally 2-0 up on The Ashes. Come on England you can do it!

Flower power

I'm back from my travels down under and I found these on my worktop so I thought I'd share. These fabulous brooches were the brainchild of Effie.

 Using felt, leather, buttons and other fabric scraps these booches were made up by cutting circles with my bigshot. Hardly any sewing involved which is good for me. 

They will make fab little gifts.

This week I'm loving

Boys toys....

 This is my eldest's latest toy. Oh how I wish I had a headscarf when he took me for a spin!!!