Another ‘altered’ project

By | January 10, 2013
2 Comments

Hi there

One of my friends at work had her birthday on Monday and this is the card and gift I gave her.

This was my first attempt at an altered tin – it was a really fun project so expect to see a few more of these.  I filled it with 8 mini Whittakers chocolate slabs.  To seal the base back in place I used Crystal Effects.

Supplies:
Stamp – Betsy’s Blossom, Made for You
Card Stock – Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink – Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight
DSP – Floral District
Punches – 1 1/4″ and 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle, Large Oval and Scallop Oval, Decorative Label, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border
Other – Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Rhinestones, Bakers Twine, Dauber

Have a great day.

Try Stampin on Tuesday # 100

By | January 9, 2013
5 Comments

Hi there

We have another great sketch for this week’s Try Stampin on Tuesday.  I used this week’s sketch for a masculine card as I’m need of this these at the moment.

Why is it I buy DSP then don’t want to cut into it?  Well as this paper is due to retire at the end of this month I thought I’d better bite the bullet and use it.  I’ve used ribbon from the current Holiday catalogue and the upcoming Sale-A-Bration.  At first I thought the ribbon was Calypso Coral but when I double checked it was actually Tangerine Tango so it goes perfectly with this paper :).  I used white bakers twine then sponged it with black ink before threading it through the button.  I’ve also made a gift to go with this card – and yes it contains chocolate!

Supplies:
Stamp – Clockworks, Made for You
Card Stock – Tangerine Tango, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Ink – Tangerine Tango, Basic Black
DSP – Howlstooth and Scaringbone
Other – Striped Satin Ribbon, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard Button, White Bakers Twine, 1 1/4″ Circle and 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Mini Brad

I hope you are able to join us in this week’s challenge.

Inlaid Embossing & Altered Pad

By | January 8, 2013
2 Comments

Hi there

Well I managed to survive my first day back at work for 2013 – although I did need a ‘chocolate fix’ at 3pm!

For the work birthday gifts this year I decided I’d use up all the scraps of card stock from the previous years projects.  What better way to use them than with the inlaid embossing technique – and we have such a neat range of embossing folders each one will look different.  To accompany the card I’m covering jotter pads and adding a pen with matching DSP in the barrel.

Here’s the first one:

and here’s a close up of the card which features the new embossing folder which is part of Sale-A-Bration:
I pulled out all my circle punches and had fun punching away – now I have a big bag of circles to create another 60+ cards!!  The majority of the colours are from the Brights collection.
Check back tomorrow for this week’s card for Try Stampin on Tuesday.

Have a great day.

DSP layering

By | January 6, 2013
1 Comment

Hi there

Well it’s been another beautiful day here in Auckland – with another hot muggy night is in store!

Today’s card is a CASE from Mary Fish – she is such a talented crafter.  Check out her video tutorial for this great way to layer DSP perfectly.  I adjusted the measurements to fit NZ/Australian sized cards.

My layers are:
Bottom –  5 1/2″ x 3 3/4″ – Tangerine Tango paper from Summer Smooches
Middle – 5 1/2″ x 3″ – Daffodil Delight paper from Floral District
Top – 5 1/2″ x 2 1/4″ – Tangerine Tango floral from Floral District
The Whisper White is cut at 5 1/2″ x 1 1/4″ and then embossed with the Delicate Designs Folder.  The Tangerine Tango ribbon is a sneak preview from the upcoming Sale-A-Bration.

If you’re heading back to work tomorrow I hope you have a great start to 2013.

Party On with Pennants Parade

By | January 5, 2013
0 Comment

Hi there

It’s hard to believe the holidays are almost over – it’s back to work on Monday :(.  We had a productive morning washing the windows inside and out.  This lead me to a bit of a clean up of my craft space so now I’m ready for 2013 with a somewhat tidier desk!

Here’s a card I made last year and hadn’t got round to blogging it. It’s another one using the very versatile set Pennant Parade.  I have had so much use out of this set.

Supplies:
Stamp – Pennant Parade, Bring on the Cake
Card Stock – Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink / Markers –  Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo
Punches – 1/2″ Circle, 1 1/4″ and 1 1/2″ Square
Other – Rhinestones
It’s a beautiful day here in Auckland so I think I’ll head outside for a bit and soak up some sun and read my book.

My Little Valentine Promotion

By | January 4, 2013
0 Comment

Hi there

Stampin Up have a new promotion going from the 3rd to the 21st January.  When you purchase the brand new My Little Valentine set you will receive the Sealed with Love Simply Sent Kit FREE – a value of $19.25.  This four piece set was created exclusively for this promotion and will not be available again after 21st January so be in quick.  Click on the picture below to see the My Little Valentine set.

Email me now if you would like to order this set and receive your free kit.

Try Stampin on Tuesday #99

By | January 2, 2013
7 Comments

Hi there and Happy New Year

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.  We managed to stay up and see the New Year in.  We did our own countdown as they no longer seem to have them on the TV.  We had a lovely BBQ with family and friends and then sat around chatting and laughing.  It was a great evening.  New Year’s Day saw the sun out in full force so we had our first picnic (along with half of Auckland) up in Cornwall Park.  It was so lovely.  In the evening we went for a walk along the waterfront where the other half of Auckland were.  It was great seeing so many people out enjoying the summer weather.

Now on to this week’s sketch challenge.  I love this layout that Jenn gave us – it just fell into place so easily.

I decided to get out a set that hadn’t seen ink/crayons for some time.  I love water colouring images and this set is a favourite of mine for this technique.  I used Elegant Eggplant and Perfect Plum as my colour base – straight from the colour coach.
Supplies:
Stamp – Bordering on Romance, Pennant Parade
Card Stock – Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla
Ink – Black Stazon, Elegant Eggplant
Other – Watercolour Crayons, Perfect Plum Taffeta Ribbon, 1 3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Adorning Accents Edgelits
I also made an altered pad and pen to go with the card:

 Supplies:
Stamp – Word Play
Card Stock – Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla
Ink – Elegant Eggplant
DSP – Floral District
Other – Perfect Plum Taffeta Ribbon, Apothecary Accents Framelit

For those of you ‘Down Under’ I hope you are enjoying the summer weather while it’s here!
Catch you back soon with some more crafting.

Don’t forget to check out the other design teams cards for this week’s sketch

Try Stampin on Tuesday #98

By | December 26, 2012
6 Comments

Hi there

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day – we did.  Yesterday was spent with my family – we had a really nice lunch, then home for a nana nap before getting together again in the evening.  Today Phil’s mum and brother are coming around to lunch.

Now on with this week’s sketch:

Last week’s sketch was the wedding anniversary card we gave friends and this week’s sketch is the card Dave gave Deb.  We have this rule that the boys aren’t allowed to give us bought cards for our birthdays or anniversaries so they ‘commission’ the other crafter to create – so here is the card I made for Dave to give Deb.

I made mine a normal sized card rather than a square.  I don’t own any doily dies so created my own using the retired Scallop Circle #2 die.  I then used the crop-a-dile to create the holes.  I was really pleased with how this card turned out and I know Deb really liked it.

Supplies:
Card Stock – Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Red Glimmer Paper
DSP – Howlstooth and Scaringbone, Be of Good Cheer
Other – Scallop Circle #2 die (retired), Crop-a-dile (retired), Smal Heart punch, 1 1/4″ Circle punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals

I look forward to seeing your creations over at Try Stampin on Tuesday

Well I’m off to prepare lunch – cooking another chicken and making salads.
Have a great holiday break and hope to catch you back here soon.

Try Stampin on Tuesday # 97

By | December 19, 2012
6 Comments

Hi there

Our good friends are celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary today and here’s the card I’ve created for them.  They are coming round tonight to enjoy a lovely dinner & dessert that Phil has prepared – this has now become an annual tradition.  Congratulations guys.

I wanted a card that would be suitable for them both.  For a feminine touch I used the hearts embossing folder from the Adorning Accents set.  To create the end of my banner I used my newly purchased 1″ square punch.
Supplies:
Stamp – Memorable Moments
Card Stock – Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
DSP – Howlstooth and Scaringbone
Ink – Cherry Cobbler
Other – Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Window Framelits, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, 1″ Square Punch, Dimensionals
Don’t forget to have a go at this sketch then post your card here.  We will be having weekly challenges throughout the Christmas/New Year period so if you have a moment to yourself check out the site for some inspiration.

Last of the Christmas Cards for 2012

By | December 18, 2012
0 Comment

Hi there

With Christmas Day only a week away I thought I’d better show you the last of my Christmas card creations.

The first one uses Embellished Events which is a great all round set.

I played around with a few options of paper and finally settled on this combination – I think it works well.  I’ve added a bit of bling to the top of Santa’s hat.

Supplies:
Stamp – Embellished Events, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Card Stock – Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
DSP – Be of Good Cheer
Ink – Cherry Cobbler
Other – Rhinestone, Apothecary Accents Framelits, 1 3/4″ and 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punches, Polka Dot Embossing Folder

My last card uses a set I’ve found very versatile this year – Pennant Parade.

I saw this card on Dawn Olchefske’s blog and knew I had to recreate it.  I love the clean and simple look of it.

Supplies:
Stamp – Pennant Parade. Word Play
Card Stock – Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, Whisper White
Ink – Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso
Other – 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Pennant Punch, 1/4″ Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon

Check back tomorrow for this weeks Try Stampin on Tuesday sketch.

By | December 16, 2012
0 Comment

Hi there

Well it’s been a busy weekend for us – Christmas parties, team breakfast, 50th wedding anniversay celebrations and dinner with friends.  I managed to get some crafting time this afternoon but you’ll have to wait till Wednesday to see my creation.

Here is the card I made for the wedding anniversary celebration.  50 years is such an amazing milestone and deserves a special card.

The Memorable Moments stamp set was perfect for this card.  As it was a golden wedding anniversary I went with the gold theme and added some colour for the sentiment.  I was really pleased how the gold embossing turned out on the gold card stock – it looked very regal.  I cut the numbers out and off-set them just in case I didn’t get them perfectly straight if I’d stamped directly onto the card – sometimes I have issues even though I use a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig!
Supplies:
Stamp – Memorable Moments, So Swirly Wheel (retired)
Card Stock – Gold (Non SU) Very Vanilla
Ink – Raspberry Ripple
Other – Gold Embossing Powder, Labels Framelits, Dimensionals
Well it’s the last week of work before the holiday break – I’m looking forward to relaxing for two weeks.
Catch you back soon with the last of my Christmas cards

Clearance Rack Blitz – week one

By | December 14, 2012
0 Comment

Hi there

Clearancerack_lpheader_demo_dec_na
Stampin’ Up! are temporarily taking hundreds of products out of retirement with discounts up to 70% off retail–only while supplies last! There will be FOUR different groups of products on sale between 14 December – 21 January.
The four sales periods are:
14-20 December
21 December-3 January
4-10 January
11-21 January
Here are the items available during 14 – 20 December.  If you want to order contact me now.  Orders can be combined with non clearance rack items
page    code    item    regular price        sale price
11 124938 Tagtastic Stamp Set [w]  $31.00 $20.00
11 122747 Tagtastic Stamp Set [c]  $25.00 $18.00
15 121592 Dasher Stamp [w]  $18.50 $10.00
15 125050 Elebration Stamp [w]  $23.95 $12.50
15 125042 Something for Christmas Stamp [w]  $23.95 $9.50
19 115902 Winter Post Stamp Set [w]  $57.95 $30.00
 21 121492 Christmas Greetings Stamp Set [w]  $24.95 $12.50
 21 116893 Tree Trimmings Stamp Set [w]  $29.95 $15.75
22 121584 Welcome Christmas Stamp Set [w]  $59.95 $23.50
22 120597 Welcome Christmas Stamp Set [c]  $47.95 $21.50
23 125024 Tidings of Joy Stamp Set [w]  $44.95 $23.50
23 122687 Tidings of Joy Stamp Set [c]  $35.95 $21.50
25 121498 Contempo Christmas Stamp Set [w]  $31.95 $17.50
25 120594 Contempo Christmas Stamp Set [c]  $25.95 $15.50
25 113023 Season of Joy Stamp Set [w]  $61.95 $24.75        
27 115918 Happy Christmas, Mate Stamp Set [w]  $45.95 $23.75
27 115820 Holiday Lineup Stamp Set [w]  $46.95 $24.50
108 115930 Many Merry Messages Stamp Set [w]  $77.95 $40.75
120 124338 In Color 2010-2012 12″ x 12″ Smooth Card Stock  $22.95 $11.95
120 121701 In Color 2010-2012 A4 Smooth Card Stock  $17.50 $8.75
120 124386 In Color 2011-2013 12″ x 12″ Textured Card Stock  $27.95 $18.75
121 102277 Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad $14.25 $5.75
121 103133 Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad  $14.25 $5.75
121 105211 Regal Rose Classic Stampin’ Pad  $14.25 $5.75

Sympathy Card

By | December 13, 2012
2 Comments

Hi there

As promised here is the second sympathy card I had to make last week for work 🙁  One of our distributors son died suddenly at age 34 leaving behind a wife and young son.  So very sad.  Yesterday’s card was for the parents and today’s card is for his wife.

I have seen a number of cards of this design around and thought it would be perfect for a sympathy card – not sure who the original designer was but thank you for a great layout.
Supplies:
Stamp – Blooming with Kindness, Thoughts and Prayers
Card Stock – Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink – Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Other – Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon, Delicate Designs Embossing Folder, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Sponge
I’ll be back tomorrow with some more Christmas cards.
Have a great rest of your day.

Try Stampin on Tuesday # 96

By | December 12, 2012
5 Comments

Hi there

I was in need of a couple of sympathy cards last week and this week’s sketch went perfectly with what I had in mind.  They are not easy cards to make but I find this set (Lovely as a Tree) is a good one to use.

I finally got to use my Core’dinations card stock and Woodgrain Embossing Folder together – I love the effect the embossing folder has on the card stock.  I embossed the trees then coloured them in with watercolour crayons which I haven’t used for a while.  I used my Sizzlits Lots of Tags die to create the label cutting one in Early Espresso and matting it behind the Very Vanilla.
Supplies:
Stamp – Lovely as a Tree, Thoughts and Prayers
Card Stock – Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Early Espresso Core’dinations
Ink – Early Espresso
Other – Clear Embossing Powder, Watercolour Crayons – Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Dimensionals
I’ll be back tomorrow with another sympathy card using Blooming with Kindness.

I hope you’re more prepared for Christmas than I am – I still haven’t got my tree up!

Altered Note Pad and Pen

By | December 6, 2012
0 Comment

Hi there

As promised here is the gift I made to go with yesterday’s card.  It’s an altered note pad and pen.

I used a topless note pad, covered it with card stock then decorated the front with DSP and embellishments.  For the the pen you need one that has a removeable end and a clear barrel. Remove the ink cartridge, insert some DSP, replace the ink cartridge in between the DSP and you’re done.  You now have a matching pad & pen that co-ordinates with the card – such an easy gift to make but very effective.

Supplies:
Stamp – Word Play
Card Stock – Pool Party, Very Vanilla
Ink – Midnight Muse
DSP – Comfort Cafe
Other – Apothecary Framelits, Soft Sued Taffeta Ribbon

Have fun creating 🙂