An Award, a Card and some Bragging about the Beach

Hi all out there in Blogland!
I hope everyone is doing well and the creative muses have been speaking to you.

I have a couple of things I need to brag about, the first of which is the fact that the lovely Carole of Apples & Pears has been kind enough to drop an award on me!  How exciting is THAT!!!
Apparently, the Leibster Blog (Love Blog) is awarded to new blogs to bring them into the spotlight (a very worthwhile award, in my humble opinion).  And Carole chose me as one of her spotlight blogs.  I am very, very astonished and feeling a little overwhelmed, because to accept the award I had to give you all a link back to Carole's blog (not that that is a hardship *grin*) and then pass on the award to 3-5 blogs with less than 3,000 followers (I inhabit such a tiny corner of the blogosphere that I don't do much following and those folk I follow are well established, in the main).  However, I do want to recommend visiting the following blogs - they fall under the 3,000 followers requirement and they do marvellous work.  So, without any further ado, may I introduce to you:

Kasey, of Kasey's Craft Corner
Peri, of Stuff
Cheryl, of Cottage Creations
Heather, of Rica's Haven, and
Jacqui, of Cat's Whiskers

The next brag is that Guerilla Bay was FABULOUS!  We swam every day (sometimes twice a day) and walked the sand (avoided the blue bottles (nasty jellyfish with a horrible sting, for those who don't know)), then hit the galleries in Tilba Tilba (I spent too much), Cobargo (I spent too much), Mogo (I spent to much) and Bodalla (I spent waaaaay too much - but it was worth every penny!)  And now I am itching to throw paint at a canvas.  I have these huge canvases from one of my old jobs, which got taken over, so the big advertising canvases were up for grabs.  I spirited away two and they have been in my studio ever since (we're talking a couple of years now) and are no further along than being stacked up against a wall.  But, with the kids at my brother-in-law's farm near Cowra this week, I have the time, the inspiration and the material - I think gesso will be hitting canvas this weekend!

And finally, a card I have made, using another fantastic image from Lily of the Valley:

The recipe is:
Copics
BV02, BV04 and R32 for dress, tunic and socks
R30 for skin
E25 for dog
YR24 and Y32 for hair
E55 for rope
E74 for seat
G12, G24 and G40 for pillow
E71, E74 and E77 for shoes
Cardstock: Stampin Up! Old Olive
Layer Papers: Prisma 6x6 pad "Jack n' Jill" collection
Nestabilities Ovals and Scalloped Ovals
The sentiment is computer generated, the flowers, brads and buttons are from my stash.

Okay, that's your lot for today.  I am going to wander away and dream of canvas and gesso and wonderful things.

Happy crafting!
Bron