Christmas Cheer - Belated!!

Well Christmas has been and gone, and likely it has been a very busy time for everyone, including me. However, I wanted to post this Christmas card I made for my family this year. I cased this design from Splitcoast Stampers. It was created by Beate Johns who is an amazing stamper in my book. I have always liked this card, so here it is. The card is called a Criss Cross Card, and you can find the instructions here The colours I have used are Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla & Dashing DS paper. The tag created on the card insert is using the 1 3/8" circle punch, which has then been folded in half and adhered. The flower has been punched with the spring flower punch and a silver brad has been used to adhere. To finish off I have used 5/8" Old Olive ribbon, and stamped the flower from baroque motifs in Real Red onto Very vanilla cardstock and then used my scallop circle punch. The sentiments inside the card are from the stamp sets Short & Sweet (pg 118) and Occasional Greetings (pg 121). Hope you like....my family did!! Hope you all have a very safe and prosperous New Year. See you in 2009!!

Big Bold Birthday

My sister in law celebrated her birthday today. This is a card I put together to send her my best wishes. It uses the stamp set 'Big Bold Birthday', which is really cute. I have stamped the pieces of the cupcake individually and then cut and mounted onto whisper white cardstock. The frosting has been elevated on stampin' dimensionals and covered with dazzling diamonds to create some extra effect. I have used some decorative scissors for the edges of the whisper white cardstock. All other supplies are from Stampin' Up. Also for those of you who have been awaiting some new stamps, the Summer Mini Catalogue was released yesterday. There are some gorgeous stamps, DS paper and even some new punches, including the scallop edge punch which is the first thing I will be purchasing. If you would likeany further information, feel free to contact me.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Big bold birthday

Cardstock: Old olive, pumpkin pie, real red & whisper white

Stamp pads: Real red, pumpkin pie,old olive & chocolate chip

Accessories: Decorative scissors, stampin' dimensionals, heat & stick powder & stampin' glitter

Feedback please!!!

I was having a play with colours tonight and made this card. However, my Mum and I both are unsure about the colour combination. I thought it was OK, but she wondered if the blues went with the green. What do you think???? I have included a recipe below.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Baroque motifs & occasional greetings
Cardstock: purely pomegranate, soft sky, blue bayou, old olive & natural ivory
Stamp pads: Versamark, old olive & soft sky
Accessories: Silver brad, white gel pen, scallop punch, 1 3/4 punch & stampin' dimensionals

Update

Hi all. Just letting you know that the Christmas Stack workshop on the 24th November is full, however I still have some spaces available for the 11th November and the 12th December if any of you are still interested.

This little card I made for my nephew for his 2nd Birthday last month. The stamp set was part of the sale-a-bration promotion last year, so unfortunately is no longer available. What I do want to share with you is in regards to the sentiment I have used. It is from the hostess set 'So many sayings' (Level 1 - pg 19). I wasn't sure what to do with this set initially, because it is three stamps with lots of sayings on each one. But then I discovered that you can use the 'word window' punch (pg 142), and it fits perfectly around all the sayings, so then you have 34 individual sentiments and decorations you can use to accessorise your cards.......now how cool is that!!!

Now it is very easy to get both the stamp set and the punch with out spending a cent. Simply hold a workshop for family and friends in your home, collect sales to the total of $300 (which is very easy) and then as a hostess you can have this stamp set & an additional $30 to spend - which is the cost of the punch......now that's really cool. So if your interested, feel free to contact me.

Materials used:

Stamp set: So many sayings & birthday whimsy

Stamp pads: Soft sky & chocolate chip

Cardstock: Old olive, soft sky, whisper white, really rust & fall flowers DS

Accessories: Word window punch & stampin' dimensionals

SYDNEY PAPERCRAFT FESTIVAL

Hi all. Just a quick not to let you know the annual Sydney Papercraft Festival is on this weekend if you are interested. Doors opened today and close on the 2nd November - so don't miss out.

Where: Canterbury Racecourse, King Street, Cantebury NSW
Time: Open 9.30 - 4pm (Fri- Sun)
Cost: $10, $8 concession. Kids under 16 free.

Visit www.papercraftsfestival.com.au or call (02) 9555 9322 for further information.

Christmas Card No 4

This is the last of the 4 designs we will be making at the Christmas workshops. I really like the earthy tones of this card, and it steers away from the more traditional colour combination of Christmas. You may have noticed that I haven't provided the recipes for any of the Christmas cards just yet.....obviously you will have to attend one of the workshops if you would like to find out!!! I am sure there are some clever people out there that can work it out just from the photos. Have a good day.

Tis the Season

This is the third card we will be making at the Christmas Stack Workshop. Remember that you will make 5 cards of each design (4 designs in total) for the cost of $15. All you need is your own adhesive. I would have to say that this card, along with the Joy card (see previous posts) are my favourite. Let me assure you they are not difficult to make. Hope you have all had a great weekend and well rested for the week ahead. Don't know about you.....but mine is pretty hectic. Looking forward to the next weekend already.

Another Christmas Card

This is another one of the designs I have created for the Christmas Stack workshops. It uses one of my favorite stamp sets from this year's catalogue, 'Baroque Motifs'. A very simple design to create but most effective!!! Hope you are all busy checking your diaries to see which day would suit you.....can't wait to craft with you all. Have a great day :)

Christmas Stack Workshop

That time of year is almost upon us. I love making my own cards to send to those I love to wish them a Merry Christmas, however, time always seems to get the better of me. That's why I love organising a Christmas stack workshop. It is a time where I can get together with family, friends and other like minded stampers, and have a fun-filled time whilst getting my cards made ready for the festive season. I would like to extend an invitation to you to join me. For the cost of $15 you will be able to make 20 cards (4 designs). All materials will be provided, you just need to bring your own adhesive. Light refreshments & nibbles will also be on offer, and of course the Christmas CDs will be playing to get you in the mood....."O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree...." no I won't sing, don't worry!!! The dates are as follows:

Tues November 11th 2008 - 7pm

Mon November 24th 2008 - 7pm

Fri December 12th 2008 - 10am

Class sizes are a maximum of 8-10. Workshops will be held at my home in Kings Langley. Feel free to extend invitation to family and friends that may be interested. For further details email me at meganjk@gmail.com. Would love to see you there!

Note: Card posted here is an example of one we will make at the workshop. Will post others over the next few days, so stay tuned.

Big Pieces

I have recently purchased this stamp set 'Big Pieces' (page 88). I also bought the 1 - 3/8" punch so I didn't need to cut out the images (I know very lazy, but heaps cool)! I made this card for my Mum for her birthday. The colour combination is perfect plum & pale plum cardstock. I have then used ruby red, old olive, so saffron & perfect plum ink for the images and the sentiment. I have attached the flowers with stampin' dimensionals to give added appeal to the card. The sentiment comes from the stamp set 'Wonderful words' which I think are a must for all cards - a great way to fill that vacant space. Hope you like.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Wonderful words & big pieces

Cardstock: Perfect plum & pale plum

Stamp pads: Ruby red, old olive, perfect plum & so saffron

Accessories: Stampin' dimensionals

Smile

This is a card I made for a male friend. I have so much trouble trying to make masculine cards, how about you??? This was quick and easy really. The card size is actually 6"x 6". The card is old olive. I have then used some designer series paper from 'fall flowers' (page 134). Then I have used a strip of real rust across the card, and punched stars out of soft sky cardstock. The title has been created using sahara sand and whisper white cardstock. The sentiment has been stamped in old olive. Very simple I know, but I think it is quite effective.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Wonderful words II (retired)

Cardstock: Old olive, real rust, fall flowers DS, soft sky, sahara sand & whisper white

Stamp pads: old olive

Accessories: star punch (not stampin' up)

Little Pieces - For You

These little 4x4 cards I have cased from the current Stampin' Up catalogue (page 88). I thought they were really cute, and wanted to try using different colour combinations. These are the results.

Material used (Card 1):

Stamp sets: Defining alphabet & little pieces
Stamp pads: Certainly celery, perfect plum & pretty in pink
Cardstock: Perfect plum, pretty in pink, certainly celery & whisper white
Accessories: Gold thread, 5/8" certainly celery grosgrain ribbon & brad

Material used (Card 2):

Stamp sets: Defining alphabet & little pieces
Stamp pads: Pumpkin pie, chocolate chip & old olive
Cardstock: Old olive, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip & whisper white
Accessories: Gold thread & brad

Birth Announcement

My girlfriend wanted to make some birth announcement cards for her son and asked if I could help. I was naturally, more than happy to. She really liked the example used in the current catalogue on page 58, so we used it for our inspiration. The card base is bashful blue. We have then layered using old olive and certainly celery. The certainly celery has been stamped with 'Print' background stamp (retired set) in certainly celery ink, we then have used a white gel pen to create patchwork effect on the card. The word 'baby', stamped in bashful blue, has been created using the defining alphabet set (page126). The word 'welcome' comes from the stamp set 'short & sweet' (page 118), which has been stamped in certainly celery. The giraffe has been taken from my favorite baby stamp set called 'bundle of joy' (page 58), stamped onto barely banana with chocolate chip ink, and the spots have then been coloured using a blender pen and the chocolate chip stamp pad lid. We have then used a star punch on the whisper white cardstock, and cut some additional stars in bashful blue. They have been mounted using stampin' dimensionals. A little glitter glue has been used for added sparkle. The back of the card obviously shows the gorgeous Timothy.....what more can I say!!! This is a beautiful keepsake to have. Let me know what you think.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Bundle of joy, prints, defining alphabet and short & sweet

Stamp pads: Certainly celery, chocolate chip & bashful blue

Cardstock: Bashful blue, certainly celery, old olive, barely banana & whisper white

Accessories: Glitter glue, stampin' dimensionals, blender pens & star punch

Man's Birthday Card

This is a card I made for the kids to give their Dad for his birthday. It uses the stamp set Boatloads of Love (page 45). I have stamped the image in chocolate chip onto some sky blue cardstock. I have then used my blender pens and my stamp pads to colour image in. The clouds have been coloured using my white gel pen. For added sparkle I used some glitter glue. The birthday present in the tug boat is from a retired set from last year's catalogue, 'Favorite Teddy Bear'. I have placed present in the boat using the 'masking technique'.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Boatloads of love & for a friend (hostess set)

Stamp pads: Rose red, blue bayou, soft sky, always artichoke & chocolate chip

Cardstock: Blue bayou & soft sky

Accessories: White gel pen & glitter glue

Little Girl's Birthday Card

My son has been invited to a girl's 5th birthday party tomorrow. The theme is princesses and fairies (I know, my son has been informed he can wear batman, spiderman or something else boy related). Anyway, I couldn't go past the 'Pretty Princess' stamp set (page 38). I also bought a new cuttlebug embossing folder called 'Textiles' which I couldn't resist using on the card itself. I have used a piece of pale plum and covered using the Dazzling Diamond effect (see this post). I have stamped the princess image on very vanilla cardstock using chocolate chip ink. I have then used my blender pens and stamp pad lids to colour image in. The very vanilla was then attached to pretty pink cardstock and adhered to the card using Stampin'dimensionals. The tag was made using the tag punches, both located on page 142. Hope you like!!

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Pretty princess

Cardstock: Perfect plum, pale plum, pretty in pink & very vanilla

Stamp pads: Perfect plum, pale plum, pretty in pink, apricot appeal, certainly celery, chocolate chip & versamark

Accessories: Heat tool, heat & stick powder, Stampin'glitter, stampin'dimensionals, tag punch, eyelet setter, eyelet, ribbon, cuttlebug & embossing folder.

September Promotion

Some of you may already be aware of the fantastic promotion that Stampin' Up has for September. For a limited time, you will be able to buy a selected stamp set, and receive the matching Stampin' Around wheels for free!!! How cool is that. Feel free to check out flyer at left (Just click on the red cross at left of box). If you have troubles opening, can view flyer on the Stampin' Up website. So get your catalogues out and start looking...feel free to contact me if you would like to place an order. On another note, my workshops in September are booking up fast. If you were interested in attending, please let me know so that I can reserve a spot for you. Due to limited space, I can only have 8 people in each class. I would hate for any of you to miss out. Happy Stamping and have a great weekend!!

A little bit of Christmas

One of my customers requested some Christmas card 'make & takes' for her upcoming workshop. So where better to look for inspiration, but Splitcoast Stampers. This one is sooo easy. The stamp set used is the All about Christmas jumbo roller (page 29). I have inked it up using always artichoke, and rolled it across the whisper white cardstock. The snowflake anchored to the word 'joy' is from short & sweet (page 118). I have used my 1/2"circle punch, and then attached using a silver brad. The pattern paper is from the current mini spring catalogue entitled 'Holiday Harmony' which matches beautifully with the purely pomegranate card. To finish it off, I have added some purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon. Hope you like....

Materials used:

Stamp set: All about christmas and short & sweet

Stamp pad: Always artichoke & elegant eggplant

Cardstock: Purely pomegranate, always artichoke & whisper white

Accessories: Silver brad, 1/2" inch circle punch & purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon

Baroque Motifs - take three

I wanted to make a card for a friend, and somehow I just can't get past Baroque Motifs. As you can see, it is the same design I have used in an earlier post, but I decided to change the colours. The combination used here is always artichoke, elegant eggplant & purely pomegranate. Unusual but I think I like it.

Material used:

Stamp set: Baroque motifs

Cardstock: Always artichoke, elegant eggplant & whisper white

Stamp pads: Always artichoke, elegant eggplant & versamark

Accessories: Purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon, stampin' glitter, heat & stick powder, heat tool, silver brads & stampin' dimensionals

Upcoming workshop dates

With Christmas fast approaching, and birthdays always popping up, it's always handy to have little gift bags and boxes to put your goodies in. What about some pretty handmade ornaments for your tree? Well this is a workshop you won't want to miss. For just $15, you can make an ornament, tote bag & folded gift box (all instructions & material included). All you will need to bring is adhesive & a paper trimmer (if you have one). Workshops will be held at my home in Kings Langley. Dates and times are as follows:

Tuesday September 9th 2008 7pm
Monday September 15th 2008 7pm
Friday September 26th 2008 10am

If you are interested in any of these dates, please email or contact me on 0401 441 244. Class sizes are a maximum of 8.

Baroque Motifs - take two!!

I am loving this Baroque Motif stamp set. It really is very pretty...and girly! This is a card I cased from Splitcoast Stampers. I loved the colours used, so I decided to keep with them. The sentiment is from a stamp set called Short and Sweet (page 12). The material used is listed below.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Baroque motifs & short and sweet

Cardstock: Chocolate chip, pretty in pink & whisper white

Stamp pads: Chocolate chip, pretty in pink

Accessories: Glitter glue

Baroque Motifs

Well I am having so much fun with my Stampin' glitter, that I decided to make another card using the technique. I fell in love with the stamp set Baroque Motifs (page 98) in the new catalogue. This is a 'case' of the sample card displayed in the catalogue. I have changed the colours, deciding on certainly celery, pale plum & perfect plum for my card. I have stamped the large flowers in pale plum onto white cardstock, and then used the smaller flower from the set and stamped inside with perfect plum. I have then cut flowers out and the flowers have been covered with Stampin' glitter (see previous post for instructions). The swirl pattern has been stamped with certainly celery ink. The flowers have then been adhered using Stampin' dimensionals. I have used silver brads for the centre of the flowers. To finish off, I have added a strip of pale plum cardstock & white grosgrain ribbon to the side of the card. I have stamped the sentiment in perfect plum onto white cardstock and then mounted onto perfect plum cardstock. Let me know what you think.

Materials used:

Stamp set: Baroque motifs

Cardstock: Certainly celery, pale plum, perfect plum & whisper white

Stamp pads: Certainly celery, versamark, pale plum & perfect plum

Accessories: Stampin' glitter, heat & stick powder, silver brads, stampin' dimensionals & white grosgrain ribbon

Dazzling Diamonds!!

Some of you may recognise this card from the current Stampin' Up catalogue (page 77). I thought it was a pretty card to 'case' and it gave me a chance to use my Stampin' Glitter. I have seen this technique used on Splitcoast Stampers and have been dying to give it a go. All you need is Versamark ink (page 150), Heat & Stick Powder, Stampin' Glitter & a Heat Tool (page 148). A hairdryer will do the same trick if you can not afford a heat tool just yet, but watch your fingers!!!! Here's how you do it:

1. Stamp images onto cardstock, allow to dry

2. Take versamark and cover cardstock

3. Sprinkle heat & stick powder over top while versamark still wet

4. Tap off excess powder and place back into container

5. Heat with heat tool until powder becomes sticky

6. Cover with Stampin' glitter

7. Tap off excess glitter and place back into container

8. Reheat with heat tool to set.

Result: Lovely sparkly card to give to that someone special.....SOoooooo easy!

Materials used:

Stamp set: Garden whimsy

Cardstock: Always artichoke, rose red, so saffron & whisper white

Stamp pads: So saffron, rose red, always artichoke & versamark

Accessories: Stampin' glitter, heat & stick powder, heat tool, eyelet setter & stampin' dimensonals

Faux Tearing Technique

I didn't realise how bright this card was until I took the photo! I hope you can picture it OK. Faux tearing is a technique that is very effective. It creates the illusion of more layers, when in fact only one is used. All you do is pick a piece of coloured cardstock (I have used apricot appeal), and then pick a coordinating stamp pad (in this case, cameo coral). Take a piece of blank paper and tear it. Place it across the cardstock where you would like your faux tear line to be. Take your ink pad and a sponge dauber, and sponge along the edge of the tear. When completed, move the torn paper upwards slightly, and then ink a stamp of your choice (I used the paisley background stamp) and stamp over the top. Voila!!! Now it's just a matter of decorating the card to your liking. I have used a hostess set from last year's catalogue called 'Blooming with Happiness'. I have coloured the flowers of the cake using my stamp pad lids and blender pen. I recommend that you give this a try......it is so easy, and I am sure whoever you give the card to will be impressed.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Blooming with happiness & paisley background stamp
Cardstock: Apricot appeal, certainly celery & whisper white
Stamp pads: Cameo coral, apricot appeal, chocolate chip, summer sun & creamy caramel
Accessories: Scrap paper, sponge daubers & blender pens

Pretty Princess

Well as you can see I have fallen in love with the Joy Fold Card. This was another opportunity to make one. One of my girlfriend's daughter turns two this weekend, so here it is. I had some leftover designer series paper from last year's catalogue, called 'Slumber Party'. It coordinates beautifully with perfect plum, pale plum & pretty in pink cardstock, which I thought were nice girly colours. The stamp set I used was Pretty Princess (page 38). I stamped the image in perfect plum ink directly to whisper white cardstock. I then stamped the image on to some coordinating designer series paper and barely banana, and paper pieced the dress, star and heart on the crown for additional effect. I have also sponged the whisper white cardstock with perfect plum ink to give a more distressed/antique look to the card. The stars in the upper right corner have been created using a star punch (not Stampin' Up) and adhered with Stampin' dimensionals. I am also proud to say, that I drew and then cut out the number '2' for the bottom of the card, and stamped some stars onto the number. I've decided that I will need to buy a numerical stamp set for occasions such as these.


Materials used:

Stamp sets: Pretty princess
Cardstock: Perfect plum, pale plum, pretty in pink, whisper white, barely banana & slumber party DS
Stamp pads: Perfect plum
Accessories: Stampin' dimensionals, glitter glue & white gel pen

I'm Back!!!

Well I have officially moved, and can start creating again. Today is the first time I have been able to sit and play in ages (or even felt like it). I decided that I want to have a go at this card tutorial I found on Splitcoast Stampers, called a Joy Fold Card, designed by Beate Johns. I can not emphasise enough how wonderful this site is, particularly if you have a creative block or looking for inspiration. The best thing is that it is free!!! I found this a very simple card to make, and I love it. The top two photos show what it looks like on the outside, the buterfly on the bottom left holds the flap from opening. The photo below shows what the card looks like on the inside. I am going to send this to my little sister who has recently moved interstate. All supplies for this card (other than the designer series paper) is from the current Stampin' Up catalogue. A full list of materials used have been included below. Hope you like.....

Materials used:


Stamp sets: Time well spent (hostess) & wonderful favourites
Cardstock: Chocolate chip, mellow moss, barely banana, cameo coral & spring flowers DP
Stamp pads: Chocolate chip, barely banana & whisper white
Accessories: Stampin' dimensionals, glitter glue, blender pens & stampin' sponges

New Header!!!

Well what do you think of my new look? The new header for my site has been taken from a kit entitled 'Beautiful Day' by Danielle Corbitt, a digital scrapbooker. I had never heard of digital scrapbooking until my good friend Nikki, showed me the ropes. I think it could be another aspect of craft I could become addicted to. I am moving this weekend, so I hope once things are settled I will get my butt into gear and create some more cards and papercraft creations etc to post. In the meantime, check out my favorite sites for inspiration, there is some great designs and ideas out there.

What's cooking!!

There is a lot cooking at my house at the moment!!! I will say upfront, that things may be a little quiet on the blog front this month. I have recently sold my house and am in the process of trying to pack. But I am the worlds worst procrastinator, so here I am. Hopefully when all has settled, I will be back in full force. This card is one made at a recent workshop I held. The stamp set is Backyard BBQ (page 53), and it is one that I have been hard pressed to use as it is so specific. I actually bought it this year for my sister's 30th birthday which was a BBQ breakfast. I made all the invitations (see this post). For this card, I actually stamped the weber, and then cut in half so that I could insert some hamburgers (s0 easy). The hamburgers have been coloured using my favourite product, the Stampin' pastels. You could also use the lids of your stamp pads for a more vibrant look. As usual, below is a list of all materials used.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Backyard BBQ & linen background stamp

Stamp pads: Chocolate chip, old olive & pumpkin pie

Cardstock: Night of navy, more mustard, old olive, bravo burgundy & whisper white

Accessories: Stampin' pastels & blender pens

Timothy Patrick has FINALLY arrived!!!

Congratulations to my girlfriend Meghan and her husband Anthony on the safe arrival of their first baby, Timothy Patrick. I am hoping to get up to the hospital to visit the new mum and dad so I put this card together quickly to take with me. The colour combination is blue bayou, soft sky and certainly celery. I have used versamark and 'Spot On' (page89) for the background. The alphabet set I used was 'Defining Alphabet' (page 126). A list of the rest of the materials is below. I can't wait to meet little Timothy!!!

Material used:

Stamp sets: Wild about you, spot on & defining alphabet

Cardstock: Soft sky, blue bayou, certainly celery & whisper white

Stamp pads: Certainly celery, blue bayou & versamark

Accessories: Decorative scissors

Zambia Mission

This is a card I made for one of my friends from church. She is heading off to Zambia with a mission group for 3 weeks to help run a camp for disadvantaged children. I wanted to let her know I was thinking of her as she prepares for this exciting and challenging adventure. I wish her and the team all the best, and may God bless them as they minister to the children and may he keep them safe until their return.

Materials used:

Stamp set: Paisley background, wonderful words & friendship blooms

Cardstock: Perfect plum, pale plum, whisper white & regal rose

Stamp pads: Perfect plum, pale plum & rose red

To my friend

I had some sahara cardstock, (which personally I think is a very bland colour on it's own), and decided to try and come up with a card design. This is the result. I have taken some chocolate chip cardstock and created a matte for the card. I have then used the simple somethings stamp set (page 43) and stamped the flowers with whisper white. The sentiment has been taken from wonderful favourites (page 119) and stamped in whisper white also. For colour, I used flowers from the looks like spring stamp set (page 76) and stamped in ruby red, pumpkin pie and summer sun onto whisper white cardstock and then punched out using my spring flower bouquet punch (page 143). To finish off, I have used some wild wasabi double stitched ribbon (page 146). I was quite surprised and pleased with the result. Let me know what you think. Now I will have to decide who to send it to. Better still, I might make a whole lot and send it to all my friends for eScape which is on the 25th June 2008. Go to Stampin' Up website for further details.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Simple somethings, wonderful favorites & looks like spring

Cardstock: Sahara sand & chocolate chip

Stamp pads: Ruby red, pumpkin pie, summer sun & whipser white

Accessories: Wild wasabi double stitched ribbon & spring flower bouquet punch

Thankyou!!

I was having a play with some of my stamps today and made this. I am still not sure about it to tell you the truth. Would love your thoughts. I have take a 12x12 piece of cardstock and cut in half to make a larger than normal card. The designed series paper used is Spring Showers left over from last year's catalogue. I have then used the 'All in the Family'and 'Wonderful Favourites' stamp sets to create images. The punch used for the flowers is the spring flower bouquet punch which is still available in the new catalogue.

Material used:

Stamp sets: All in the family & wonderful favourites

Cardstock: Barely banana, chocolate chip, whisper white & spring showers designer series

Stamp pads: Chocolate chip

Accessories: Spring flower bouquet punch, brads, stampin' pastels, blender pens, stampin' dimensionals & glitter glue

Snappy Birthday

This is a card we made in a workshop I had last night (excuse the black ink on bottom of card, which happened in workshop). It's another design I cased from Splitcoast Stampers. I love the Crab and Company stamp set, and thought this was a really cute card. The colour combination is soft sky, blue bayou, whisper white and wild wasabi. I am loving these colours from the new In Colour range. I have used versamark to stamp images onto the sky blue cardstock. The main images and 'snappy birthday' have been stamped with basic grey. I have then used blender pens and the lids of the stamp pads to colour in the image. For a little added dazzle, I have finished off the card with some glitter glue. Hope you like.

Material used:

Stamp set: Crab and Co

Cardstock: Sky blue, blue bayou & whipser white

Stamp pads: Basic grey, versamark, real red, creamy caramel, so saffron, old olive & chocolate chip

Accessories: Wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, glitter glue & blender pens

Lots of Purple!!

This is another card I fell in love with on Splitcoast Stampers!! I love the colours used and the effect of the paisley background on the pale plum cardstock looks really classy. This card was very simple to make. I cut a piece of pale plum cardstock slighty smaller than the perfect plum card. I inked the paisley background stamp (page 108) with pale plum ink and stamped the pale plum cardstock. The birthday sentiment has been taken from sincere salutations (page 119) and stamped in perfect plum. The birthday cake, taken from greetings galore (page 56), has been stamped onto whisper white cardstock in black ink and then coloured using my stampin' pastels and blender pens. It has then been adhered to a piece of perfect plum cardstock which I have scalloped using some decorative scissors. Before adhering this image to the card, I have wrapped a piece of whisper white grosgrain ribbon (page 146) around the pale plum cardstock. I then have done a faux bow on the perfect plum using my double rectangle punch (page 142). I think it is quite cute!! Let me know what you think. Have a great long weekend!!

Long time....No Post!!

Hey everyone. It has been some time since my last post. I don't know where May went. I think I was suffering from 'stampers creative block', but I am back and will endeavour to post more creations this month. With the rain over the past few days, it is a perfect time to sit and play. Being stuck in doors is not always a bad thing!! I have a couple of workshops coming up, so to help clear cobwebs and find my creativity -ness I went to Splitcoast Stampers for some inspiration. I found this gorgeous card and decided to case it. I fell in love with the colours and thought it was a happy and fun card to give to someone and brighten up their day! I have used a cuttlebug on the summer sun cardstock, but otherwise all other material can be purchased from Stampin' Up®. Full list of material used is given below:

Stamp set: Wild about you

Cardstock: Pumpkin pie, summer sun, old olive & whisper whit

Stamp pads: Pumpkin pie & old olive

Accessories: 5/8 Old olive grosgrain ribbon & antique brass brads

Bud Basics...AGAIN!

This is another card I made using the stamp set 'Bud Basics' (page 78) of the new catalogue. It is my sister-in-laws birthday today. Happy Birthday! I really love the colour combination for this one. The card is ruby red, with a chocolate chip matte. I have stamped images on the chocolate chip with white craft ink, and added some glitter glue for added effect. The large flowers have been stamped onto cameo coral with chocolate chip ink, cut out and then outlined using a blender pen and the lid of my ruby red ink pad. The leaves have been stamped onto handsome hunter with chocolate chip ink and cut out. The buttons are from the earth elements collection(page 147) which are $13.50 for 80 assorted buttons....good buy! The sentiment has been taken from 'Birthday Whimsy' which was part of our Sale-a-Bration promotion, so it is no longer available. Let me know what you think.

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Bud basics & birthday whimsy
Stamp pads: White craft, chocolate chip & ruby red
Cardstock: Ruby red, chocolate chip, cameo coral & handsome hunter
Accessories: Glitter glue, earth elements coloured buttons & mini glue dots

Mucking Around

With all this wet weather, I have had a chance to muck around with my stamps. A colleague and I (Hi Helen), are holding a workshop at an upcoming conference, and I need to come up with a design. This is one of designs and would love to know what you think of it. Sorry, the photo is a bit glarey, but I hope you can make the card out OK. The stamp sets used are Bud Basics (pg 78) and Wonderful Favorites (pg 119) from the new Stampin' Up catalogue. The background stamp used on the so saffron has actually retired, but the mini flower from the set works nicely for this layout. All I have done is stamped the sentiment in white craft ink onto the chocolate brown cardstock. I have then torn a piece of so saffron and adhered to chocolate chip. The mini flower design has been stamped all over the so saffron with versamark. I have then stamped the small flower outline from 'bud basics' onto rose red, almost amethyst and whisper white, and cut out and adhered to the so saffron. The leaves have been stamped onto old olive and cut out as well. The final touch is some glitter glue to the centre of the flowers......DONE!!

Thankyou

Yes, another card! I am on a run this month, with birthdays, thankyous and so forth, I have difficulty keeping up! I received a lovely parcel in the mail today for my daughter from a dear friend at my old church. It was such a lovely gesture, I wanted to send a special thankyou her way. I struggled with a design for ages, and I still don't know what I think. When I look at the card, it feels like something is missing (maybe a background stamp is needed on the mellow moss....what do you think?) Anyway, all material used is listed below. The friendship bloom stamp set is no longer available (sorry), I just love the flowers in that set so I keep using them. Till next time.....have fun!

Materials used:

Stamp sets: Friendship blooms & wonderful words

Stamp pads: Basic black

Cardstock: Mellow moss, whisper white, regal rose, so saffron & brocade blue

Accessories: White gel pen, glitter glue (of course), mini glue dots & burgundy grosgrain ribbon

RAK for a wonderful friend

I have a friend that is having a hard time at the moment, and I wanted to send her something to brighten her day. It was also an excuse to use some of my new Stampin' Up products and have a play. I have fallen in love with the stamp set 'Wonderful Favorites' from the new catalogue, because you can address a card to almost anybody, it has been used here for the sentiment. However, the thing I love most, and which I am sure has grabbed your attention is the Tag punch star. I had seen the tutorial for this on Splitcoast Stampers last year, and fell in love with it, but at that time, we did not sell the smaller tag punch. Well all that has changed with the the new catalogue, where you can buy both the large and small tag punch. That is all you need to create this amazing star. Sure it is a little time consuming, but I think the results are worth it. You can access the tutorial for yourself if you go to Splitcoast Stampers, and then go to resources. The star has been created using Slumber Party designer series paper (retired) and perfect plum cardstock. Naturally I have added glitter glue for added sparkle (I love my glitter glue). Other material used to complete this card is listed below.

Stamp sets: Wonderful favorites & simple sayings

Stamp pad: always artichoke & versamark

Cardstock: Pretty in pink, mellow moss, perfect plum, slumber party designer series paper

Accessories: Stampin' dimensionals, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, glitter glue and mini glue dots

Benjamin turns ONE!!

One of my friend's little boy turns one next week. I just got this stamp set titled 'Boatloads of Love' from the new catalogue, and thought it would be cute for a first birthday card. Here is the finished product. When looking at the photo, I think the white matte could have been smaller, but I do like the boat combination. I took the birthday cake from the stamp set 'Favorite Teddy Bear', which retired from the last catalogue, but I thought it was cute, as it has one candle in the cake. I have used my blender pens and stamp pad lids to colour in the image. Naturally I have used some glitter glue on the clouds and candle for added sparkle.Hope you like!!

Material used:

Stamp sets: Boatloads of love & Favorite teddy bear

Stamp pads: Old olive, ruby red, not quite navy, chocolate chip, basic black & summer sun

Cardstock: Night of navy, old olive, whisper white & pumpkin pie

Accessories: Glitter glue, black brad & blender pens

April - a Month for Birthdays!!

My best friend celebrates her birthday at the end of this week, and I had not made a card, that is until now. I was browsing my favourite web pages when I came across this cute card on The Stamp Link and knew I just had to case it. I am surprised how different a card can look with a few minor changes. What I loved about this design though was the rough edges around the pink cardstock and the paper piercing around the main card. You will have to let me know what you think. Unfortunately all the stamp sets used to create this card have retired, but I still have provided a list of material used for your own information:

Stamp sets: Lots of thought & friendship blooms

Stamp pads: Basic black, pixie pink, always artichoke, old olive & certainly celery

Cardstock: Sage shadow, pixie pink,pretty in pink & blush blossom

Accessories: Mat pack, tag punch & ribbon (not Stampin' Up)

Melissa's 30th - Happy Birthday

One of my good friends, Mel turns 30 tomorrow, hence another birthday card! I really liked the Big Blooms stamp which was available in the Summer Mini Catalogue (which finished yesterday). I have used this stamp in earlier posts as well which you can check out if you like. The colour combination for this card is perfect plum, certainly celery, cameo coral, apricot appeal, bashful blue and whisper white. The flower stems have been stamped in certainly celery directly onto whisper white cardstock, while the flowers have been stamped in colours listed above onto whisper white cardstock, then cut out and adhered to matte using stampin' dimensionals. I have used some glitter glue on the flowers to add some sparkle. The happy birthday stamp seen on the perfect plum cardstock has been taken from Birthday Whimsy, which was one of the Sale-a-Bration stamp sets offered earlier in the year. I have stamped the sentiment in perfect plum ink. I think it looks quite cute. Feel free to tell me what you think.

I have been tagged!!!

I've been tagged! Thanks Nikki. I am not sure on how to do the tagging, but I can at least add the links that I think are my favorite (including the ones listed in my blog of course). I will have to get your help Nikki to keep this tag going. Hope you like the links.

ALL are invited to join in the Links fun! PLEASE just follow the rules! Just copy paste THIS and everything below up until my Five links:

"I thought it would be cool to have a meme where we post links. We can post up to five. Then we tell five more people to share their links. If we all share who tagged us, our links are sure to be seen!
They can be business links, favorite sites, affiliate links, whatever you want…

There are Five Rules:
1. MUST be clean. No R rated sites.
2. Only FIVE links.
3. MUST tell 5 people.
4. A link back to the person who tagged you
5. Lara’s Place is the meme originator. (an active link is appreciated)

so join in the Links fun!"

My Five Links:

Well most of my favorite links are listed to the left of my blog. My top five would be:

1. Scrapbooking Quotes which has excellent quotes for your scrapbooking pages and cards
2. Inspirational Quotes same as above
3. thINKspot which is Marelle Taylor's blogspot. She is an Independant Demonstrator for Stampin' Up and I think her designs are fantastic for inspiration
4. BBC - CBeebies For those of you with young children, this site is an excellent place for kids to play games, listen to songs or stories, make and do, download colouring pages etc and it's all the ABC kids shows ie Postman Pat, Tellietubbies, Lunar Jim etc plus some that must be in the UK. So check it out, my boy loves it. He is better on the computer then me.
5. Free recycling A friend put me onto this site, which looks really interesting. It's as the title suggests, getting rid or purchasing things for free. It is trying to prevent unnecessary landfill, by encouraging people to advertise unwanted stuff, that can be collected for free. You really need to look at it to see what I mean

The person who tagged me was my good friend Nikki

Face Paint Creations

My children had their faces painted at playgroup one day. I just had to scrapbook the photos as they are beautiful memories to keep. I really enjoyed doing the Batman page for my son, particularly the POW and BAM. Unfortunately, the Headline Alphabet that I used in his page will retire from Stampin' Up as of midnight tonight. The good news is that the new catalogue is officially available to order from us of tomorrow. I am very excited to place my order. The large butterflies on my daughter's layout are using one of the Hostess level 3 stamp sets available in the
new catalogue. I have stamped the buterfly onto coordinating pieces of cardstock, and then paper pieced the butterflies together. I have used a white gel pen to add detail to the butterflies. I have listed all other materials I have used in these two pages below. Catch you later.


Butterfly page:

Stamp sets: Time well spent (hostess Level 3 set from new catalogue), rough edges alphabet and small sayings
Stamp pad : Chocolate chip and always artichoke
Cardstock: Sage shadow, bravo burgundy, close to cocoa, elegant eggplant and blush blossom



Batman page:

Stamp sets: Headline alphabet
Stamp pads: basic black
Cardstock: Real red, basic blackand yoyo yellow