This is a sweet card!

Well as I said in my previous post, I have to make a couple of sympathy cards. This is another one that I made.

I actually did this watercolouring before I left Queensland. I had just received my new order from the new Idea Book and Catalogue and was so busy packing! The only place that I could sit and not feel guilty was at the hairdressers. I like to do crafty stuff at the hairdressers, rather than read those gossip mags....


I wish I could tell you which watercolour crayons I used, however I had them all with me and didn't write it down. Sorry!

Card: Whisper White, Pretty In Pink
Ink: Stazon Black
Tools: Aqua Painter and Watercolour Crayons
Punches: Eyelet Border
Stamp Sets: Elements of Style, Great Friend

Till next time, happy stamping...

Great friend gift

A good thing about the Stampin_Up_In_Oz group is that you don't have to use current product all the time. Since Louisa likes butterflies, I couldn't help but dust off one of my favourite sets, Great Friend.

I made Louisa a chocolate slider box and co-ordinating card. I think the Urban Garden DSP was my favourite out of last years catalogue. Although I will miss it, there are some beautiful new ones this year.

Below is a close up of my butterfly. I stamped the image on the main peice of cardstock in Apricot Appeal (now retired) and then ink up the stamp again and then went around the edge with a Regal Rose marker pen to give it a bit of oomph! I stamped this on a scrap peice of cardstock, then carefully cut it out. I know it seems a bit fiddly, but it's so worth it! I then adhered my top butterfly slightly skewiff, so that it gave the impression of movement, and put dimensionals under the wings.


I was really pleased with how this turned out. And I was even more pleased when Great Friend made a return to the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue.

Card: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze
Ink: Apricot Appeal (retired), Kiwi Kiss (retired), Not Quite Navy, Regal Rose
DSP: Urban Garden
Ribbon: Baja Breeze 1" double stitched grosgrain
Punch: Scallop Edge, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Small Oval
Stamp Set: Great Friend

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...

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...

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...

A New Year is coming!

I know it's been a while since I have posted. It's also been a while since I have created. I guess like most of you, this is a busy time of year that is dedicated to family and friends. I have enjoyed some special moments with my family over the last week or so and am looking forward to more over the next couple of weeks. My postings may be a bit sporadic during this time, but I am sure that you understand!

Here is a sweet little calendar I whipped up on Christmas Day (there's always something that's left to the last minute, isn't there?) I made the calendar to match THIS bookmark for my friend, Stacey.


This calendar was designed by Tracey Old who is a design team member for Ustamp YEBO. I have got some much inspiration from Ustamp with Dawn and Friends.

Card: Lovely Lilac, Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla

Ink: Sage Shadow, Pale Plum, Lavender Lace, Perfect Plum

Punches: Eyelet Border, , Butterfly

Ribbon: Elegant Eggplant 1/4" grosgrain
Embellishments: Clips Assortment
Stamp Sets: Organic Grace, Butterfly Prints, Great Friend (retired)

This will be my last post for 2009. I hope that 2010 brings you joy and happiness and great health and wellbeing.

Till next year, happy stamping...

October class

Hello. I thought it was about time that I stopped showing you things that I made for my Secret Sister Kim, and finally show you what I have been doing lately.

Well the picture below is from one of my October classes. I am really enjoying the versatility of these folded cards. For this class the students (hello ladies!) got to make two of each card.

I had all the peices pre cut and scored and the flower was pre-dyed. The rest was left up to the class. We did daubing, punching, cutting and thumping. We trialled quite a few different techniques.


Now I know that you think I am being a bit slow on the things that I have been making lately. However I have been very busy in my little crafting area. I am just making lots for my current Secret Sister and I can't show you a thing. Be warned though, I have already started getting each post ready for item that I have sent. They are just being scheduled to come up mid January - I know it's a long wait but at least you can be sure you'll see it all. Along with historical commentary of what is happening at the time I made the card.

Girly card ingredients...

Card: Basic Grey, Regal Rose, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Very Vanilla
Ink: So Saffron, Regal Rose
DSP: Walk In The Park
Embellishments: Pretties Kit
Stamp Set: Great Friend

Manly card ingredients...

Card: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Not Quite Navy, Really Rust
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Not Quite Navy, Really Rust
Embellishments: Hodge Podge Hardware
Stamp Set: Sense of Time

Till next time, happy stamping...

Triple butterfly

Well as promised I am back with a card I made for my SS way back. This was the first card I made using the Great Friend stamp set from the Spring Mini and I still like it.


I used the rock and roll technique on the centre butterfly, so that the colours graded from Apricot Appeal to Ballet Blue.

Card: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze
Ink: Versamark, Ballet Blue, Apricot Appeal, Pacific Point
DSP: Good Morning Sunshine
Punches: 1" cirlce, Oval Scallop
Stamp Set: Great Friend

Till next time, happy stamping...

The contents of the box revealed

Now I know that I have been gone for over a fortnight, and the suspense may have been killing you. The box in the previous post, was the final parcel to my Secret Sister. Her name was Kim Conway and I really enjoyed thinking of new things to make for her.

So the first thing to show you is this fantastic stationary box. I made this using the "I Wish" Simply Scrappin Kit.


I followed the tutorial by Jackie Topa. It was quite simple to make and a lot of fun.

Using the Simply Scrappin Kit I was able to make a heap of cards, tags and love notes to go in this box. I honestly think that is a fabulous idea for a gift for the person who you don't know what to buy.


Kim has a bundle of kids, so I made them all an individual little pocket, with a personalised tag on the front, with a freddo frog in it.

I originally bought the "All In The Family" stamp set before I even joined SU, but hadn't quite worked out how to use it. Now that I have my trusty Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I was able to put these little tags together quite quickly.

And of course, we couldn't forget a choccie for Mum and Dad, so I whipped up this cute little toblerone case.

And finally my favourite thing in the box. Yet another waterfall card. I love them. This one was made using the Walk In The Park DSP and co-ordinating Great Friend stamp set from the Spring mini.

I used the Build-A-Brads for this project and I love them. They finish a project off beautifully.



So there you go. That was what was in the box for my SS. I hope you enjoyed unveiling these all as you read down the post, as much as I enjoyed making them.

I will be back soon with some more of my creations from the last three months.

Till next time, happy stamping...

1000 hits

Wow, can you believe that my blog has received over 1000 hits. I am gobsmacked. So I would like to say thank you to everyone who has visited my blog. You make it all worthwhile.

Onto my newest card. I have made this card with a very special lady in mind. 'She's a dentist, so I can't show you her face' ...lol... no I haven't even sent this card to her, so I can't disclose to much information, but I will say that she goes out of her way to make everyone else feel special, so I hope that this card can give her a little dose of her own lovely medicine.


This card is made using the new stamp set called Great Friend from the new mini. I think this has got to be one of the best buys available. 5 gorgeous stamps for $31.95 and you'll love every stamp in this set. I don't have the co-ordinating papers yet, but it works well with papers from our current catalogue too.

Card: Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouhette
Ink: Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss
DSP: Sweet Always
Punch: 1 3/4" circle
Stamp set: Great Friend

Till next time, happy stamping...