Week #114 - 31st July - sponsored by The Craft Barn

Hello friends! Time for a new challenge :)
This week we are once again sponsored by our fabulous regular sponsor, The Craft Barn...
... for all your crafting needs



The Craft Barn offer a wide range of goodies for all crafters
from all things 'Cuttlebug' to grunge paper,
from cottage cutz dies to cosmic shimmers,
not forgetting your essentials like cardstock & papers and adhesives.
Fancy a go at Metal Art? or maybe you want to try your hand at altering something made of wood, glass or paper mache?
well you can find what you're looking for at The Craft Barn.
Not forgetting their HUGE stock of clear & rubber stamps to tantalise you!
There really is something for everyone :)


And at the moment The Craft Barn are having their SUPER SUMMER SALE, saving you even more money than they do already off a wide range of your favourite crafty buys.


Would you like to see for yourself all that The Craft Barn has to offer?
Well Sandy & Ian are hosting another special weekend of inspiration and wonderful free demonstrations! Please click the link below for more details and booking info...

SEPTEMBER EXTRAVAGANZA WEEKEND
11th and 12th September 2010


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This weeks challenge winner will win a shopping spree worth £15 to spend at The Craft Barn!
Sadly, due to a fire, they have had to temporarily close their bricks and mortar shop for at least the next couple of days whilst repairs are made to the building. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Mail order and internet orders are still being processed as normal but they are experiencing a short delay on processing of orders. Please bear with them, they are working really hard to minimise the disruption to all of their customers.

Here is this weeks sketch for you...

This delightful card has been made by Lisa Hjulberg, who has been a fabulous Guest Designer throughout July, we would like to thank her immensely for her stunning cards this past month, thank you Lisa! xx



Here's the stunning work made by the Design Team :)


Jilli

Lena Katrine

Maya

Terry

Paula

Jo

Jeanette

Simonne

Happy Crafting!
Please leave your entries with Mr Linky...

winner of challenge #113

The winner of FOUR Meljen images of their own choosing is...

Michelle! (Inspired By Paper)

Here's Michelle's winning card!



Congratulations!! Please EMAIL NICOLE (Meljen's DT co-ordinator) with your FOUR chosen designs from Melissa's images. Thank you.

Jo xx

Welcome Friends

YEA~~ It looks like everything is working again. I hope your having a wonderful day.
Ginger
Good Morning Friends, I'm so sorry but we are having a problem with Mr. Linky. I'm not sure what's wrong but I hope it's working soon. Once again I'm so sorry.

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Spiritual Sundays it is so exciting to see new people post each week and seeing Spiritual Sunday grow and the

We say bye bye to Ria

Sad news for sketch saturday :(
Ria has decided to leave our design team, I know it was a difficult decision for her to make and she will be greatly missed from the team.
Ria joined the design team from the beginning, so she has been inspiring you with her beautiful cards using our sketches for 2 years now,
I'm pleased to say that she isn't giving up crafting altogether, so you will still be able to see her fab work on her blog.
Ria, Thank you so much for all you've done for SS these past 2 years.
We'll miss you, and wish you all the very best.

Love, The girls xx

Markets - July 26th to August 1st

Wednesday 28th July

Ceres Organic Market

Saturday 31st July

Ballarat Lakeside Farmers' Market
Ceres Organic Market
Echuca Farmers' Market
Healesville Organic Farmers' Market
Knox School Farmers' Market

Sunday 1st August

Castlemaine Farmers' Market
Gisborne Olde Time Market
Heathmont Farmers' Market
Hurstbridge Farmers' market
Lilydale Produce Farmers' Market
Maffra Variety and Farmers' Market
Melbourne Showgrounds Farmers' Market
Mulgrave Farmers' Market
North Melbourne Farmers' Market
Tallarook Farmers' Market

Baling on Papa Stronsay

The last week or so has seen the winter feed cut and bailed here on Papa Stronsay.  Unfortunately no photos were taken of the cutting, but the rest of it can be seen here.  It's a time consuming but necessary task if the animals are to get through the winter without starving.  This year has been our best ever harvest.

Fr. Anthony and Br. Martin took the haybobbing in turns.  Fr. Anthony is driving here.

We were very lucky this year to have the generous help of Tony and Matt Duffy, farmers from Stronsay.  Matt came with their baler and did all of the fields.  It took a little over 12 hours to do.

This baler not only bales the hay, but also wraps it in plastic.  It can put much more hay into each bale, so that although they are the same size as our normal bales, they are 1.5 times heavier!

 

 

 

Baling on Papa Stronsay

By the end of the evening there were 203 bales!

Matt changes the rolls of plastic wrap.

For the evening recreation, the community came down to cheer him on!

Matt with his tractor...

...and with the community.

A job well done!

Many thanks to Matt for all his work - and a happy birthday for today!

#225 - letter

Remember on Sesame Street when they said that today's episode was brought to you by the letter M? Well, the prompt today is brought to you by whichever letter you choose!  You can be silly and choose a letter of the alphabet, or you can be serious and talk about an actual letter.  Whatever you choose to use, have some fun with it if you can!

Week #113 - 24th July - sponsored by Meljen's Designs

Good Morning everyone, it's Saturday, so time for another sketch challenge :)

This week we are sponsored by the fabulous Meljen's Designs!

Meljen's Designs is a lovely stamp company owned and illustrated by Melissa Jenkins.

She illustrates whimsical digital images inspired by her kids and family.

The Meljen's Designs store officially launched on April 1 and is steadily growing!

Meljen's Designs has new releases along with a new challenge every Thursday, freebies every Monday and a Guest Designer each month at the Meljen's Designs Blog.

Please visit the Meljen's Designs line of stamps at the WHIMSY STAMPS STORE to browse and enjoy Melissa's wonderful images!

Meljen's Designs are giving a wonderful prize this week too,

the challenge winner will receive FOUR digis of their own choosing from any of Melissa's images!

Here is this weeks sketch...

This gorgeous card has been made by Lisa, our GD for this month...

such a bright, cheerful and fun card! :)

Here is the fabulous work by the design team, some cards were already made beforehand, but we were also given 4 fab designs to work with this week, and i'd like to pass on our thanks to Melissa, DT Coordinator Nicole and all at Meljen's Designs for the beautiful, cute images.

Jilli

Emma

Maya

using Firefly Fairy by Meljen's Designs

Paula

using Little Girl Bear Hugs by Meljen's Designs

Lena Katrine

using Little Girl Bear Hugs by Meljen's Designs

Terry
using Cupcake Mouse by Meljen's Designs

Jeanette

Jo
using Bubble Bath Bunny by Meljen's Designs
There's another card using Firefly Fairy on Jo's blog

Simonne

So, to receive FOUR Meljen digis of your own choosing all you have to do is make something using this weeks sketch!
Please leave a direct link to your work with Mr Linky, thank you...

winner of challenge #112

Thank you for taking the time to submit your wonderful work, but there can only be one winner (sorry everyone!)
The winner of £15.00 to spend at Bunny Zoe's Crafts is...

Christine! (Running This Way And That)

Congratulations!! Please EMAIL ME so that I can pass on your email address to Nikki, who will let you know how to claim your prize. Thank you.
Have fun shopping! :)

Jo xx

WELCOME BACK TO SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS

Seems like we are starting Spiritual Sundays earlier and earlier. Originally we started the sign ups on Saturday and then we changed it to Friday night. My husband laughed and said we might have to change the name from "Spiritual Sundays" if we start it any earlier. Nevertheless, some of you had indicated that you appreciate linking on Friday. Because some have to work on Saturday or have other

Our Lady's Garden, 2007 - 2010. Update.

"Our Lady's Garden."

Chant of the
Salve Regina
on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 2010.

2007 - 2010

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
11 February 2007.

The future greenhouse blessed for the Queen of Heaven
as
"Our Lady's Garden"

Brother Paul Mary in the trenches.
4 May 2007
A lot of work was done.

And a few days later, same trench:

Fr. Anthony laying the raised bed over it.

Since May 2007 we have seen Our Lady's Garden
taking shape,
we are still experimenting on what works
and what doesn't.

16 July 2010
Update

Grapes were planted last year.

Pruning the Grapes.

I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away:
and every one that beareth fruit,
he will prune it that it may bring forth more fruit.
(Jn. 15:1)

Fr. Anthony's Peach Tree.

Some of us doubted
the introduction of a peach tree
to Papa Stronsay!

From the beginning,
when the tree was but a spindle in a pot,
it produced abundant peaches
although those first ones were but the size of golf balls.

This year they were large, soft and brimming with juice.

Could these be the most northerly peaches in the world?

Fr. Anthony's Peach Tree
was a very successful introduction.

...the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily.
(Is. 35:1)
We have produced our own flowers for the altar since March.

Br. Yousef Marie with the Jerusalem Artichokes.

Nectarines.

The Passion Flower.

Doing well but it didn't need to be inside.

Corgettes everywhere.

The tomatoes are in abundance.

Post Scriptum.

11 May 2007
the planting of the Kiwifruit vines!
Understandable perhaps,
(rich in Vitaman C)
we were hopeful,
but alas!

It flourished
and remains fruitless
three years,
a failure!
2007 - 2010.

"Behold for three years I come seeking fruit on this and I find none.
Cut it down therefore,
Why cumbereth it the ground?"

But he answering, said to him:
Lord, let it alone this year also,
until I dig about it and dung it.
And if happily it bear fruit:
but if not,
then after that thou shalt cut it down.
(Lk. 13:6)

(2 male and 4 female Kiwifruit vines are growing together
their fruitlessness is probably due to our degrees of latitude (59.2° North).
The sun remains close to the horizon at this latitude
and there may not be sufficient sun intensity to bring forth flowers for fruit.)

The unsuccessful Kiwifruit vines
of Fr. Michael Mary!