I'm back and taking up a challenge...

Hello my friends,

Well in case you didn't know, I have actually been away for the past fortnight. I couldn't let you down and not post, so I had all of those that appeared during the last fortnight (except the blog candy winner post) scheduled to just pop up every couple of days.

Anyway what better way to get back into my papercrafts than to take up a challenge? And we all know that I love Gretchens Inspiration In Action weekend sketch challenges. So here is this weekends.


Now I just felt the need to go all soft and gooey, so have made this card in pinks and greys. On this card I stamped the same heart as on the centre piece on a piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock and then punched it out with a medium sized heart, from the Heart to Heart punch.


And then I decided to copy some of Juliana Bibas pocket silhouette vase idea, which of course she claims that she has seen a bit of around the traps.

The saying on this card comes from the Sale-A-Bration set, Whimsical Words. I love this set as it has so many different sayings that will suit a variety of occasions.


I will list all the ingredients together, as aside from the stamps and punches, the ingredients are the same.

Card: Pink Pirouette, Basic Grey, Very Vanilla
Ink: Going Grey, Pink Pirouette
Punches: Small Oval, Boho Blossoms, Heart to Heart
Ribbon: Basic Grey Taffeta
Embellishments: Soft Subtles Brads
Stamp Sets: Pocket Silhouettes, I {heart} Hearts, Whimsical Words, Baroque Motifs

Till next time, happy stamping...

An unusual card for me!

Hello my friends!

Well as you all know I am not really an orange person. Not that I dislike it, but I generally choose not to work with it. On this day I was sending a gift of yummy Tim Tam biccies to a Tim Tam virgin. Yep, I was going to try and convert her.

Anyway I thought that I'd use some DSP as wrapping paper and a little bit of ribbon. Now since the wrapping was going to take a whole sheet, I decided to use something that I wasn't overly attached to. So out came the Haiku DSP and I then had to make a corresponding card. Honestly sometimes I think, I work backwards!


This card was actually really quick to make (or would have been if I didn't stop halfway through to chat to some of my online crafting buddies - Hi Jules, Hi Tanya). I stamped the wheel image onto Whisper White and it looked a little bit stark, so I used some daubers to run some Kiwi Kiss over the Kind words.

This was the first time I had used my Boho Blossoms punch which I received for FREE last year during the Holiday Extravaganza promotion. It was so quick and easy to make these flowers and they look great. Expect to see more like this in the future!

Anyway talking about FREE items, remember Sale-A-Bration is on at the moment and you can receive an exclusive FREE stamp set for every order over AU$100 or party sales of more than $AU600. Or even for joining up. This offer is only valid until the 31st March 2010.

Card: Tango Tangerine, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: Tango Tangerine, Kiwi Kiss
DSP: Haiku
Punches: Boho Blossoms, Scallop Edge
Ribbon: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" striped grosgrain
Embellishments: Earth Element Brads

Till next time, happy stamping...

Gift for Natalie!

Hello again! If you have been following my blog you will know that I joined the last Ustamp. I decided to join in the swap sister program and was allocated Natalie. Hiya Natalie! Natalie and I emailed each other as soon as we got our details. We shared a little bit about ourselves. Natalie said that her favourite colours were Real Red and Certainly Celery.

Now aren't these flowery things just soooo cute???? I love the effect but wasn't 100% happy making them. I followed a video tutorial by Barb Mullikin - Barb certainly made it look easy. I just didn't find it easy to do. I also made Natalie a desktop calendar which I utilised Nikki Stalker's video tutorial.


And then I also made Natalie this cute little box, which I cased off Andrea Lowcocks blog.



It looks like a perfect little present and then kaboom, you open it up and there is still a box inside, to hold your goodies.

And of course, you can't send an empty box. The best thing is to send some choccies and I decorated these Dove choccies, just to make them a little bit more special.

Card and Desktop Calendar ingredients:

Card: Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Real Red, Certainly Celery
Punches: Scallop Edge Border, Eyelet Border
Embellishments: Ice Circle Rhinestone, Playground Buttons
Stamp Set: Fifth Avenue Floral

Origami box and choccies:

Card: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red
DSP: Bella Rose
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle
Ribbon: Real Red 3/4" Polka Dot Grosgrain
Stamp Set: Warm words

Till next time, happy stamping...

Thank you Nikki!

Well I had to say thank you to Nikki for being such a wonderful secret sister. She made many people in my house happy! Mainly me, but that has a flow on effect for everyone! LOL.

As you may be aware I have been participating in Ustamp. This particular project was developed for Ustamp With Love by Penny Hanuszak. Isn't it just the cutest little stationary holder? The DSP is from the summer mini. I wasn't sure that I would use it, but after seeing so many great projects around the net with it, I just had to get it. Now I am hooked!


I was fortunate enough to find a pen that was just the right colours to match. How rare is that?

And this is the view with the stationary holder open. Yep, even the inside is decorated. I made the paper to fit from normal copy paper. Then I sat one evening and hand stamped every single sheet. My hubby thought I was crazy! I think it just makes it that little bit nicer.


Card: Pixie Pink, Tempting Torquoise
Ink: Green Galore, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Tempting Torquoise
DSP: Kaleidoscope
Punch: Eyelet Border Punch
Embellishments: Pretties Kit,Ice Circle Rhinestones
Stamp Set: Great Friend (retired)

Till next time, happy stamping...

Blog candy winner

Well I have kept you in suspense long enough. I'll apologise for that as I have been away and my computer access was limited. This is a short post as I am still away but am on my way home.

I asked my daughter to pick a number and she chose Number# 1. So JensTreats.com you are the lucky winner of the blog candy.

Please email me your postal details so I can pop this wonderful parcel in the mail for you!

Thanks to everyone who left a message for this blog candy, your support is truly appreciated.

Till next time, happy stamping...

The reveal!!!

Okay, in case you weren't aware or have forgotten. Australia Post workers decided to go on strike the week prior to Christmas 2010. I had received a parcel from Nikki before Christmas advising me that she would be sending a reveal card to me in the next couple of days.

Alright, I am a patient person most of the time, but this was killing me! I had to know. So I hounded the poor post lady. Luckily she's a friend of mine! She normally waits until I have opened my SS parcels before she goes on to deliver the rest!

So Christmas went by, followed by new year. Finally my parcel arrived. Inside was a lovely letter from my cheeky SS, saying that I'd have to find her name on the gift. Now when this parcel came to me that back part of the card was laying flat, so I pulled each and every drawer out looking for her details. I found mini calendars, some adorable buttons and some choccies. Finally I worked out how to stand the easel card up and on the back of the card, Nikki had attached a little post it note with her name on it.

So this was the end of this round of Secret Sister and although I was pleased to know that it was Nikki Stalker, I was also saddened to know that I wouldn't be receiving any more of her fantastic creations. I am sure that you can agree that you would be suitably thrilled to have received all of these wonderful gifts too!

Now I couldn't receive all this without making a little something to say thanks to Nikki. You'll have to wait until I post next to find out what it was.

Till next time, happy stamping...

Christmas with Nikki!

Well as the title says, Nikki came, in spirit, to Christmas with us! I don't know about your house, but we had lots of presents under the tree in the lead up to Christmas. A couple of days before Christmas the post lady came by with yet another parcel. This one caused a great stir, because it was from my secret sister. Oh boy, was this going to be the reveal?

I decided to open the Australia Post box, rather than sticking it up the tree like that. I should have known that Nikki's wrapping is spectacular. In the parcel was a lovely letter from my secret sister, telling me she was going to stay that way for a couple more days.


The picture above shows the massive haul that Nikki sent my family.




Here's Lucy with her gifts. She was thrilled to have something from her secret aunty! And she is very possessive of her special bubble bath!

And this was Ava showing off her presents. She loved the lolly bottles, although she secretly thought they were rattles. She enjoyed the gorgeous fish shaped soaps.

Now I was good and didn't open my present until Christmas morning and we saved it till the last present. Upon opening the latch of the stunning tin, I found more individually wrapped presents. I couldn't have peaked if I tried! LOL. So here I am on Christmas morning a little tired from an early morning start with my gifts. So what was inside all those presents? Watercolour crayons, metal edge tags, choccies and some beautiful lemon meringue soap.


Now don't think I don't love my hubby, but it all the commotion I didn't get a picture of him with his gift. Which he loved! He even refused to share the Ferrero Rochers with the kids.

Okay now Nikki, don't be surprised if hubby hires you next year to make my day. This whole secret sister experience has been shared with so many of my friends and family and they drop everything to come and see the latest parcels as I received them.

So I bet you were thinking this was the final instalment of SS? Well no, there was one more item that came with the reveal.

Till next time, happy stamping...

November SS update!

Okay, so I showed you what I received in October in my last post. This post is dedicated to what I received for November. Now I was quite happy with what I received for October and if Nikki had kept it at that level, well that would have been enough. BUT she didn't.


This month Nikki made me this funky circle circus card. She said that she hadn't used this set much and it was nice to try something she wouldn't normally do. Now I, on the other hand, love the circle circus stamp set. Nikki also made some funky wrapping paper to go around some metallic A4 sheets. They are so nice!

Then I received another parcel. In it was this super elegant fantasy box. I LOVED IT! I haven't had the opportunity to make on of these yet. I'll show you my offering when I finally get around to it.

Now before you think that was all that was in the parcel, the picture below showed the box opened. It was filled with LOTS of embellishments. It was really good to build my stash and since I have used some of them up already, I have had to buy more.

Also there was this super cute box of the most delicious choccies. Don't you just love the oval apperture. And of course, a matching card.

So that was November and I was feeling rather spoiled.

Keep your eyes open as the next post details ALL the December items that Nikki sent me. There is some eye candy coming up. Which reminds me, don't forget to leave a comment on my Blog Candy Post to be in the running for the lovely bag of cards.

Till next time, happy stamping

My gifts from Nikki Stalker

Well if you have been following my blog you will know that I participated in a Secret Sister swap last year with the ESAD group. I haven't shown you what I received yet as I wanted to ask permission from the maker. So I had to patiently wait until January (yep that's right!) to find out who she was. And if you haven't figured it out, my SS was Nikki Stalker.

Now I have been a closet fan of Nikki's for some time, but I have decided it's time to come out! LOL!

Firstly she sent me this stunning tri-fold card. Now she didn't send that choccie smudge! Lol! Nor did she send the choccie to make this smudge! I had put this adorable card up on my piano and Miss 1 managed to climb up and grab it!

Later in October I also received this beautiful parcel. Not Quite Navy is my favourite colour - you wouldn't know it looking at my work! Nope, I am hoarding it for later. LOL! Anyways in this cute box was some in-colour ribbons, build-a-brads and chewy caramels. Mmm yum! Amazingly I was quite busy at this time, so I didn't eat the caramels straight up, as I had to wait to take a photo (for you).

And it was receiving this card that made me work out how to make the scallop medallion centrepiece. I honestly thought it was one punch that worked in one go! Well it is one punch - namely the scallop edge border punch - but it is punched four times. One of each side! I felt a bit silly not having worked this out before now. Have you ever worked something out and discovered it was simpler than you thought? Please share with me so I don't feel like such a dill.

Anyway over the next couple of posts, I will share more of what I received from Nikki.

Till next time, happy stamping...

Clean and simple cards

Well these two tone scallop borders have been pretty popular over the internet the last couple of weeks. For a really quick and easy tutorial, duck over to Gretchen Barron's blog!

I saw someone's Sale-A-Bration card made using these colours, so I thought that they looked great together, so I would give it a go.

I managed to whip these cards up in less than 10 minutes. Yep, super quick and super classy! Well that's what I think anyway!

I am really loving the FREE Happy Moments SAB Stamp Set. I am not going to be happy when it is gone, but I guess that's just the way Sale-A-Bration works. Exclusive, never to released again, stamp sets. In order to receive some FREE stamp sets, you can spend AU$100 or host a AU$600 party before 31st March 2010.

Card: Basic Black, Whisper White, Ballet Blue
Ink: Basic Black
Punch: Slit Punch
Tools: Stampin' Pastels

Till next time, happy stamping...

100th Post - Blog Candy up for grabs

I cannot believe that I have had 100 things to show you, in less than twelve months.

When I joined SU a year ago, I did it to save money. I had spent five months buying off a lovely demonstrator, who encouraged me to join as I alone was able to keep her sales quota up. So I figured, why not? I mean saving 20% on my purchases sounded like a great idea to me. And to boot Sale-A-Bration was on, which meant that I was also entitled to receive a FREE stamp set from the Idea Book and Catalogue. It seemed like a no brainer to me! This same incentive is available this year! If you join Stampin' Up! ® before 31/3/10, you'll be entitled to this fantastic offer too!

Anyway I started doing a lot more blog surfing - or blurfing, if you like and thought why don't I give this a go? I can make some nice papercraft item and my computer skills are okay. So with a little bit of research, I started this blog. I can tell you that my computer skills have improved greatly in the last twelve months. This was one of the hidden perks of joining Stampin' Up! ® for me. I have also made many great friends.

Anyway to commemorate this auspicious occasion, I thought I'd offer you some blog candy! All you have to do to be in the running is leave a comment before 14/2/10 and I'll randomly draw one winner to receive the lovely bag pictured above.

Now that bag alone is nice, but pictured below is what is inside the bag. Yep, half a dozen gorgeous cards. This bag and card set was designed by Becky Roberts for Ustamp.

Now since this is a Ustamp tutorial, I am not going to list the ingredients. But I must say, I LOVE the Happy Moments Stamp Set that is available with the Sale-A-Bration promotion. All you have to do to receive this set is to order AU$100 worth of product before 31/3/10. This isn't hard to do, as there are so many fantastic products available in the Idea Book and Catalogue and in the Summer Mini Catalogue.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be in the running to win this beautiful set.

Till next time, happy stamping...

Manly card

Well hello again! I have been so busy making things that I have forgotten to blog for a few days. I had heaps of posts last month and this month may appear a bit quieter. But keep coming back because I will be posting a few items over the next week or so.

Have you always wondered how people keep coming up with such grand ideas? Or how they find other blogs? Well I am now in the Top 50 Cardmaking Blogs of Australia. How exciting is that? On my side bar I have a permanent icon that you can click on to take you to this fantastic one stop blog shop.

Anyway enough idle chit chat. I decided after ESAD Cyberstamp that I would try to use up my Garden Green supplies. Apparently it's not a favoured colour among the SU community! So I decided one day to see if I could use it in a card. I must admit, I was sceptical - but I love the results.

To make the tree, I stamped the image in a light colour and then used my chalks (yep, they've been out again) and coloured little circles of different shades of green over the leaves. I also used the chalks to colour the trunk. I then inked up my oak tree stamp with a darker colour and using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I stamped on top of the original image. It gives a more realistic picture I think. This tree is a bit blurry to look at 'cause it's windy! lol!

This card was probably the easiest card to come together for me. Maybe I am a closet Garden Green lover! I know that I lurv Bravo Burgundy, so it's makes sense. Anyway you probably want the ingredients!

Card: Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White, Garden Green, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel
DSP: Pattern Pack II (hostess gift)
Punches: Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Small Oval
Ribbon: Linen Thread
Embellishments: Metallic Eyelets (non-SU)

Okay on a final note, I have been loving the comments on my blog. It inspires me to create more for you! This is my 99th post, so the next one will be the magical 100 and I may have some blog candy for you! Keep your eyes peeled!

Till next time, happy stamping...