Today I received these stats from WordPress.com so I thought I would put them on the blog (mainly because I don’t have a card for today).
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,000 times in 2010. That’s about 5 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 96 new posts, not bad for the first year! (actually it was only 5 months) There were 303 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 124mb. That’s about 6 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was October 6th with 62 views. The most popular post that day was Mojo Monday 159 Contest.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were copicoz.blogspot.com, mojomonday.blogspot.com, mail.live.com, atsblog.typepad.com, and papercraftstar.blogspot.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for cards made with hero arts santa in chimney stamp, christmas with cricut cards, xmas pud picture, penny black every which way, and rocking horse card.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Mojo Monday 159 Contest October 2010
6 comments
Another mermaid October 2010
5 comments
Christmas Tilda “off the page” November 2010
1 comment
I love magnolias…. November 2010
1 comment
See you tomorrow with a card (I hope so anyway).
Before I show you today’s card I just want to share something “spooky”. 😮 When I turned on the computer this morning (1st Jan 2011) the number of hits on the blog was registered at 2011 – how coincidental was that?
Lilli of the Valley Challenge 78 is to make a card with the theme New Beginnings – so you could make a card for a new baby, New Year, new school, a new job, an engagement, a wedding or you could use a new technique, new crafty stash, etc.
My “new beginnings” – a new stamp (and I just love her, can see myself using her lots), a new style of card (for me). I haven’t made a “suspension” card before but knew it would be great for the little ballerina doing pirouettes (wind the central image section around and she will pirouette for ever) 😀
and here is the reverse of the central circle –
- Stamps – Lilli of the Valley
- Paper – My Mind’s Eye (Penny Lane)
- Flower – hand-made by my sister
- Ribbon – unknown
- Coloured with copics
Bye for now,
Wishing you a great 2011.
Here’s a quote for you to think about 😀
“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.” ~Unknown
I decided not to make a New Year’s card but instead show you my Christmas gift from my sister and what I have made from part of it.
Woo hoo – card making things. She made her own gift box and bag – very, very nice. In the box are hand-made flowers. Heart doilies, beautiful floral ribbon and a stamp. I hadn’t seen this brand before so couldn’t wait to make something.
I had seen a technique of stamping onto Kraft card and colouring with pencils (click here to see some of her lovely work) but I decided to use copics to colour and then go around the image with white pencil.
- stamp: Bild Malarna
- paper: Basic Grey (Pyrus)
- Flowers: Wild Orchid
- Dies: Spellbinders
- Kindyglitz
- ribbon unknown
I think I might start on some challenges again soon, so look out for those.
Bye for now,
Today’s card is for a male birthday (like most of us, I find male cards ‘challenging’ to say the least). My inspiration is from the Boxing Day Test. We saw Englishman Trott batting and he went way passed 40, in fact way passed 140. What a great batting display.
40th Male Birthday
The background is a slice of cork which I thought worked well considering a cricket ball is made from cork. Click here to find out how a ball is made. I also thought the “dew drops” were kinda like the red ball.
- paper – cosmo cricket (green ledger), basic grey: origins (brown)
- stamp – clear stamps (Aussie Sport); verve (big wish)
- 40 – thickers
- dew drops
- cork (unknown)
Not sure what tomorrow’s card will be. I guess I should be thinking New Year. Oh I don’t know …..??????
Here is my take on the beautiful hot air balloon I saw on Monday.
The card is made with digital paper from Pink Petticoat. The balloon stamp and sentiment are by PTI.
The gift balloon is a concertina egg shape which I bought years ago to make something for Easter, but didn’t get around to it. The basket is embossed with Tim Holtz folder. I have put flowers in the basket but you could put anything you like. Bon voyage was computer generated.
I’ll be back tomorrow with another card inspired by my posts over the last few days.
We went to the second day of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne – it was FREEZING (and they say Ballarat is cold). We didn’t get nose bleeds but we were up high enough to. No really we had quite good seats, just wish there had been a bit more sun (and a bit better cricket from the Aussies). We hadn’t been to a Test match before at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) – have been to ‘Day-Nighters’ but that is quite different. Siddle bowled and caught very well and was really well applauded by the crowd, except the Barmey Army. To read a bit about the Ashes click here. Here are a few photos –
We're sitting in the Olympic Stand looking around to the Great Southern Stand
The first wicket of the day
Huddle after a wicket was taken (a rare occasion on the day unfortunately)
Drinks
- 1/2 time entertainment – under 13’s girls’ cricket from around the state
See you tomorrow with my first “after Christmas break” card. Some of the recent posts will be my inspiration.
Edited to add: While on my way home from the supermarket what should I see but the ballonists cleaning up the basket of their balloon. They had landed just a short distance from my home near the little school. They landed in a paddock of potatoes. They had stopped to go into Ballarat to have breakfast. The woman pilot had her son visiting from England and his friend from Ukrainia. I think the ground staff was her father. What a lovely way to look around.
While eating my breakfast this morning I happened to look out of the window just at the right time to spot this floating by (well not really floating, it was very windy so it was almost soaring by) – –
Now a little up-date on the Myer Boxing Day Sale. I got there at 8:30 (much too late according the news reports. In Melbourne they started at 5 am and in Ballarat 6ish(?). There were quite a few people but not like some other years. I didn’t find any of those WOW bargains. I did buy a few things which I thought were a good buy but not extraordinary. Perhaps it was just me not being in the right mood?!? I did buy 2 birthday presents for February and March (can’t show the photos yet). Here is a photo of some glasses I bought to replace my Vegemite drinking glasses (oh shame on me). I think they are so pretty.
See you tomorrow,
Here are a couple of photos of my mother and 2 of her 4 great-grandchildren.
The first were taken two days before Christmas day and are of my daughter’s son.
We’ve got a secret – don’t tell anyone else. Shake on it!
Is it a plane, is it a bird, no its the ceiling fan!
The next photos were taken on Boxing Day and are of my youngest son’s son.
Okay Great Grandma I’ll look cute and you dote on me for this photo.
Alright we’ve had enough photos now – we are both getting tired.
I might be biased but I think they are cuties (that includes Great Grandma). She has 2 other Great Grandies but they live in Queensland and will visit in February.
Bye for now,
I will be putting “my feet up” for a few days over the Christmas break. So I will wish you a very Merry Christmas now and look forward to you joining me again after Boxing Day. I do enjoy going to the Myer Boxing Day sale, so if I do go I’ll let you know all about the bargains I find – ha ha ha or should I say Ho Ho Ho.
Try not to stress too much over the preparations and when lunch is over sit back and enjoy yourself with family, friends and beverage of choice.
Seasons Greetings.
On Tuesday there was quite a bit of hype in the news about a “Blood Moon” which would be seen over Eastern Australia that night. (The northern hemisphere were to have a much better view). It was a lunar eclipse. The sun, earth and moon align. The earth moves between the sun and the moon and its shadow can be seen moving across the moon. Apparently the best view in Australia was to be in Brisbane, Queensland. My son lives not far from there so I asked him to take some photos. The view from down here in Victoria was expected to be less impressive and last a shorter time.
Here are 2 photos from the Gold Coast:
Quite good – but not quite as impressive as I anticipated – a “blood moon” I don’t know about that!!
We waited for the moon to rise here at home but unfortunately it rose behind a row of tress and we couldn’t see it until it had risen for 15 or so minutes. Here are 2 of my photos:
Perhaps in the first one there might be a sliver on the top left. Nothing to note in the second. I was very disappointed. The up-side was that it was a beautiful evening to be outside taking photos. Such a beautiful sky.
Thank goodness my son took some photos for me – thank you Mark.
Bye for now,
I wanted to make a card for a young woman who loves Tinkerbell. I was lucky enough to see her collection of “Tinkerbells” – so cute. Well I don’t have a Tinkerbell stamp but I do have a fairy image (I have shown you her before). Here is the result. I hope she likes it. THANK YOU (you know who you are). 😉
Have a magical day.
I found some lovely wrapping paper at Myer (not only lovely but 30% off). Red, white and silver stripe. I wanted to make tags to match so I found some silver card and heat embossed in red using Verve tag stamps and die. I am really pleased with the result and it was so easy.
So now I have all the presents wrapped, named and under the tree.
It is very tricky getting a good photo of shiny things – sorry.
See you tomorrow,
Last week before Christmas —— ooh ——- hope you’re all organized. I have one more gift to pick up, just waiting for the phone call. One has to be delivered and all the others are wrapped and under the tree. Woo hoo for me.
Now onto the next challenge. The wee Memories challenge team have a theme this week of “Colours of the Season”.
← click here for more information.
When I think of Christmas I think holidays at the BEACH. I’m sure many of us in Oz do. So here is my card. I made a round card (inspired by the wreath shape). The colours of red, yellow/gold, green, blue and pink are all in the wreath and I have incorporated them into my little card. What do you think? Does this conjure up Christmas for you? Lily is being very safe, with her lifesaver and I’m sure she is going to swim between the flags.
- The stamp is from Pink Cat Studio “Lily at the Beach” Sentiment – PTI
- Paper – October Afternoon “Seaside”
- Coloured with Copics
- Spellbinder dies.
- Dimensional Magic (on lifesaver).
See you tomorrow,
I don’t think I have explained on this blog exactly what an ATC is.
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are mini works of art the size of basketball cards, ie. 63 mm x 89 mm (2 ½ x 3 ½ inches). Most people keep them inside standard card-collector pocket sheets. The cards can be produced in many ways including: pencil, pen, marker, watercolour, paint, collage, paper, etc. etc. On the back of each card the following information is added: name, contact, title and number. The cards are traded or exchanged NOT sold.
There are 9 people in the group at the Imagination Factory. We deliver our 8 cards (keep one for ourselves) by the 30th of the month and then pick up the exchanged cards early the next month. Each person ends up with 9 totally different cards all with the same theme. It really looks great when you put them together.
Here are my 9 for December (theme – red and gold) ready to be delivered.
Firstly I coloured glossy card with Tim Holtz Distress Ink “Barn Door”. Then I stamped the sentiment in gold over the ink. The next step was heat embossing in gold the wreath (Lockhart Stamp Co) and sentiment (Hero Arts). The heat faded the colour but I kept going because I think it still looks alright. I ran a gold ink pad around the edges, added some punched leaves, bling and tiny ribbon.
Bye for now,
The challenge at Simon Says Stamp this week is – you guessed it – to use the cool colours of silver, blue and white. You have the choice of using a Penny Black stamp. I have a couple of PB stamps and remembered that I bought one last year when we were on holidays with friends in the Port Stephens/Newcastle area. It hadn’t seen the light-of-day until now. This will be its debut.
I coloured the image with copics and popped up 3 of the little gifts. I wasn’t sure what sentiment to use and was putting away some stamps when the “fa la la” caught my eye ~ just the right curves for the top of the card. Sometimes things work out okay. Lots of sparkle on this one – almost need the “sunnies” 8)
- image stamp – Penny Black “Gift Hedgy” ; sentiment stamp – The Cat’s Pajamas “Naughty or Nice” set
- scalloped die – Spellbinders
- flowers – Wild Orchid
- paper – PTI
See you tomorrow,
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Cards & Co
Cards & Co 