A Blatant Case...

Okay, so these were the gifts and cards I made for my Secret Sisters, Theresa and Genevra.


They each received a lovely card and a Fantasy or Stepper Box filled with ribbon and embellishments. I had received one (click here to see) from my Secret Sister, Nikki Stalker, in November 2009 and had been meaning to make one ever since. They look fabulous and aren't really that tricky to make.


I used up some of my Jolly Holiday DSP... and who would have thought that it was Christmas related in these pics???? Gotta love the all roundedness of this DSP!

Okay it was months since I made these, so I'll have to try and guess what I used....lol!

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
DSP: Jolly Holiday
Punches: Scallop Square, Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Circle, Modern Label, 1/2" Circle
Ribbon: 5/8" Very Vanilla Satin
Embellishments: Build A Brad
Stamp Sets: Circle Circus, Cute By The Inch (hostess set), Just Believe

Till next time, happy stamping...

Too busy creating to blog....

Isn't it annoying when I don't get online and keep you up to date.... but honestly I have been so busy... creating, and who can deny anyone creating time? Anyway in case you don't know Inkspirations 4U Valentines and Birthday Extravaganza is open and running! We've got a fortnight of classes, already commenced...but you can join now and still get access to all tutorials. Click on the header below for more information!


Okay so here is the first project that I tackled... and it was really easy to tackle! The tutorial was so easy to follow. This gorgeous little album folds out in a variety of funky ways and can hold nine photo's in it! This tutorial was made by Madeline Morcelo herself, the founder of Inkspirations 4U!



As this is a tutorial from an online class, I am not going to give you the ingredients... but join the classes and you'll have all the information at your fingertips.

On a side note, I'd like to let all my readers in QLD know that I am thinking of them. I have had contact from some of my friends and one family has lost their home and anothers livestock and farm is currently under water. They have all got their lives, for which we are extremely grateful, and praying for the safe return of the 90 missing people. If there is anything I can help anyone with please contact me.

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

November Gift for Andrea

Well it's nearing the end of November as I type this. Yes I am a little organised. I have found that if I write my blog as I send it, the details about the projects are all fresh.

This is the gift that I have sent to Andrea for November. It's a couple of 'magazine' holders, although they are perfect size for our cards. I whipped up a couple of quick and simple cards using Circle Circus and Think Happy Thoughts. These cards are so easy to make.

I also received an message from Andrea telling me that her arthritis was playing up, so I thought I'd tie a couple of bows for her. I suffered from some sort of illness last year, which they initially thought was rheumatoid arthritis and I will never forget the pain that I was in. I vowed that I would do anything to help someone suffering from this crippling disease. Unfortunately Andrea is on the other side of Australia, so I figured the best thing I could do was make some fiddly bows.

Now you may remember the chest of drawers that I sent to Andrea last month. Okay I really meant in October! Well it was part of this set.

I actually followed a Becky Roberts pattern. I love her projects. The tutorials are great and simple to use.

I am not going to list the ingredients for this gift as it was the same as for the chest of drawers. Please check my earlier post for more information.

Till next time, happy stamping...

Scrapbook page challenge

Well if you know me, you'll know that I am not very confident with scrapbook pages. Actually I think its too big an area for me to deal with. There is a lot of space that needs to be filled.... I don't know how people can just whip up a page in a matter of hours - for me it takes days.

Anyway as I had challenged myself to enter every challenge from the cyberstamp. Carole Stedman set the scrapbook challenge. We had to include three items - photo, title and journalling. Easy I hear you say, then we also had a to include another seven things out of a list of ten. Okay so it helped fill the page, I'll agree. Anyway it took me two nights to plan this in my head and finally on the Monday afternoon (entries had to be in by 8pm) I threw this page together.


As you can imagine, I wasn't overly thrilled with the end result, but decided to enter it anyway. And you'll never believe but I won the challenge! I honestly think it must have been an encouragement award, as there were other great entries.

I also won the scavenger hunt on Sunday and to my surprise, I won the colour challenge as well. You can see my entry here.

Now are you wondering how I made the circles on this page? I used our circle scissors which are coming out in the summer mini on 1st December 2009. I had not used them before and I was so surprised at how simple they were to use. I love the fact that you get to decide the size of your circle, and you can make rings etc.

Okay so you know I wasn't happy with my page! And things like this seem to nag me.... even though the challenge was over and I had won, I still didn't think it was good enough. Suddenly one night it came to me that I should stamp some images from Circle Circus and fill in that wide open empty space that had been taunting me. And here is my stepped up version;



Card: Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point
DSP: Ski Slope
Ribbon: Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain, Real Red 3/4" Polka Dot grosgrain
Punches: Scallop Edge Border, Scallop Circle, 1/2" Circle, 1" circle, 1 3/8" Circle
Embellishments: Flower Fusion, Button Bouquet
Tools: Circle Scissors

Till next time, happy stamping

Diamond fold card

Well as promised here is another card that I made for my Secret Sister. This was one of the very early ones that she received.

It is called a Diamond fold card and is really simple to make.


As you can see in the picture below it opens out quite snazzy.

I did use a DSP on the triangle folds next to the back rectangles, but you can't see from these pictures. Sorry. As you probably have noticed my photography has improved somewhat over the last couple of months and since I sent this away, I have nothing to take extra photo's of.




I was really organised when I made all of Kim's cards and gifts wrote all of the ingredients down. I also send Kim the links to where I had obtained my tutorial from, but I didn't note these, so I apologise to the author and also to my followers.

Card: Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirrouette
Ink: Chocolate Chip
DSP: Berry Bliss (retired - lucky you can't see it...lol)
Stamp sets: Circle Circus, Echoes of Kindness (hostess set)

Till next time happy stamping

Fathers Day Swaps

A little while ago, I showed you a card that I made for the Fathers Day Swap that a group of ladies were participating in. I have now received my six very nice cards. I couldn't even pick a favourite. I love them all. Now I just need to find six fathers...lol..



Starting from top left and going clockwise the artists are:
Chris Parker-Barnes, Kerri Donsky, Jane Norrish, Narissa Curlis, Tanya Kitto, and last but not least Tina Devlin.

You can click on the highlighted names and go to these wonderful ladies sites to see more of their fantastic work. Unfortunately I don't have the website for the other three.

I feel that I have been very bad lately and not put any of my work up on the site. Unfortunately I have been busy going away on holidays, working, catching up on housework and doing mending and alterations. I have made some more cards, however I can't show you because they are for my Secret Sister.

Till next time, happy stamping...

Getting ready for Christmas - already!

Well hello again. Bubs asleep and the big girl is off with Daddy, so I had a couple of free minutes - couldn't possibly clean as it would be too noisy - lol. So I have got a head start on Christmas. I saw these Christmas cards on my upline, Vicky Dean's, blog and had to case them.



These cards were created using the masking technique. I just punched a couple of 1" circles out of my masking sheet and then held these over my card, while I stamped and sponged.


I love this idea as you don't have to have a heap of Christmas stamps. In fact, aside from the greeting the rest of the card is made using non christmas stamps.

I used my co-ordinating markers to draw the strings for them to hang on. Quite simple!

I'll include all the ingredients together as it would get awfully long to write each one out.

Card: Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Kiwi Kiss, Taken With Teal, Apricot Appeal
Punch: 1" Circle
Stamp sets: Snow Swirled, Priceless, Rustic Rooster, Circle Circus, Always in Bloom Wheel

Till next time, happy stamping...

Faux metal challenge

This week on Extremely Special Aussie Demonstrators (ESAD) group we were challenged to make a card using the faux metal technique. Now I have recently learned this technique and thought that it would be a good opportunity to hone my skills. I really love Circle Circus stamp set as it works wonderfully with this technique.



I am also really enjoying the Best Yet stamp set which is only available to hostesses. Remember that during the months of June and July if you hold a workshop with orders in excess of $600 you are entitled to an extra $40 spending money.

Card: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy
Ink: Summer Sun, Tango Tangerine, Not Quite Navy, Versamark
Punches: Scollop Circle, 1 3/4" cirle - non SU, Large Oval
Ribbon: Riding Hood Red Taffeta
Stamp Sets: Circle Circus, Best Yet (hostess set)

Till next time, enjoy...

Faux metal technique

Well I decided to have a go at the Mojo Monday sketch 88, although I am not brave enough to enter it on their site. And here is my finished attempt

A close up of the faux metal that I made....

Yes this is another new technique from me. And another addition to my blog in such a short space of time. I have been housebound for the last couple of days with a sick baby - who's sleeping a lot, so I have found plenty of time to work quietly on my papercafts.

Faux metal is an incredibly simple concept and the results are stunning. You just need a little time, embossing powder, versamark, stamps and a heat gun. I will look at running a class in my home in the not to distant future, so if you would like to come please email me.

Card: Basic Black, Taken With Teal, Elegant Eggplant.

Ink: Versamark

Ribbon: Purple 1/4" grosgrain (non-SU)

Embellishments: Metallic eyelets (retired)

Stamp sets: Circle Circus, Best Yet (hostess set) and Rustic Rooster (hostess set)

Cuttlebug: That's my type - embossing folder

There are a couple of ways to get the hostess set and the first is to host a workshop, however if you can't do that, perhaps you could show the Ideas Book and Catalogue and collect orders, via a catalogue party. To order an Idea Book and Catalogue, just email me at soniagarbutt@yahoo.com.au

Get Whale Soon

Here we are with a very different card to ones I have made in the past. This card was whipped up very quickly, when I found out a friend had slipped off into hospital without telling anyone and was coming home that day. No pressure there.

It was a bit garish, but I was trying to use colours that I knew my friend likes, even if they aren't my favourites.

The following ingredients were used to make this card:

Card: Tangerine Tango, Ruby Red,

Ink: Staz on Black, Versamark

Watercolour crayons: Rich Regals

Ribbon: Baja Breeze 1" double stitched grosgrain, Purely Pomegranate 3/8" double stitched ribbon (retired)

Stamp sets: Pun Fun, Circle Circus

Embellishments: Tombow and Light Blue Chunky Sprinkles