Moi... Scrapbooking????

I apologise for so little activity over the last week. I have been working six days a week and whilst I have been creating, I haven't had time to blog.

In an effort to attempt all challenges over at Inkspiration 4U Fall session, I decided to try the scrapping challenges. This gorgeous layout was set out by Mariangeli Miranda.


And here is my feeble attempt. Do those buttons look familar? I made them in THIS post.



I am attempting to use up old supplies before I buy some more.

Card: Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo
Ink: Island Indigo
DSP: Sweet Stitches (retired)
Punch: Cute and Curly
Big Shot: Buttons No 5
Ribbon: Melon Mambo pompom trim (retired)
Stamp sets: Wonderful Favourites (retired), Sense of Time (retired)

There is still time to join Inkspirations 4U Fall session and it's so worth it with so many wonderful projects and challenges - and you can win FREE stuff.

Till next time, happy stamping...

I finished a challenge on time!

Actually I finished two challenges, although one didn't have a time limit! I managed to combine these two challenges. The first is a colour challenge put out to us over at Inkspirations 4U Spring and Easter session by the sensational Diane Oullette. I honestly think I've found my new favourite colour combo.


I've been trawling the net a bit of late and had noticed some wonderful Mojo Monday sketches about! I really like this one, but nothing was working for me! Until I decided to combine it with the colours above. So I have managed to finish it on time and can actually enter it! Yippee!

I know all this talk, when all you want to do is see the finished result. Well here it is! What do you think? Most cards I make are very feminine or masculine, but this one confuses me. I am leaning more towards masculine, but not overly!

Card: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy

DSP: Greenhouse Gala, Blueberry Crisp

Punch: Scallop Trim Border

Tools: Circle Scissors Plus, Mat Pack

Embellishments: Vintage brads, 5/16" brads (retired)

Stamp Sets: Sense of Time, Elements of Style

Till next time, happy stamping...

Sense of Time Butterflies

Well here, I go again with another card I made for Louisa, my Secret Sister, from Stampin_Up_In_Oz.

I tried to incorporate green into this card to give Louisa some ideas on how to use it. I am not normally a green person either, but trying to do things for a Secret Sister is just another way to challenge myself.



The Sense of Time stamp set was not available at the time I made this card, but I think that the wording is so appropriate for butterflies, as they have to "Live for Today" and "Hope for Tomorrow". In case you are wondering the Sense of Time stamp set has made it back into the current Idea Book and Catalogue! Three cheers for SU!®

Here is a close up of the butterfly. I stamped him in Stazon Black and then using my classic ink pads and blender pens coloured him it. It was so quick and easy!

Card: Certainly Celery, Tempting Torquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Black Stazon, Certainly Celery, Tempting Torquoise, Pacific Point, Apricot Appeal (retired), Soft Suede
Tools: Paper Piercing tool and Mat Pack
Stamp sets: All A Flutter, Vintage Vogue, Sense Of Time.

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

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...

One Sheet Wonders

I know I have been very bad at keeping up to date with this blog. I am so sorry for making you wait. I have been busy working on things for my secret sister. No excuse, I know, but it's the only one I have.

Anyway last week was DH's birthday and of course, I left it to the last minute to do anything. Someone, sorry I can't remember who, had directed me to Mae's Cachet which has templates for doing "One Sheet Wonders" What is a "One Sheet Wonder"? I hear you ask! Well basically it is a piece of cardstock, with many stamps stamped over it and you then cut it up to make a number of different cards. It is quite an effective way of using one piece of card to make a bundle of cards. I think it's fantastic as well, if you don't have much DSP, as you create your own design.


So I quickly whipped up a 'sheet' and cut it up. I decided to try and use Pacific Point, as I don't use it very much at all. I do like the colour but in general find it very BRIGHT. I had just bought the co-ordinating ribbon as well for an extra incentive to use it.

I made two cards using the same sheet for hubby. The first one was from the kids and I had a little accident when stamping "Happy Birthday", so I covered it with the beads. These beads are not SU and were from my friend Julie.

This second card was from me. I loved the way using the same paper you could come up with two completely different cards.

The other fantastic thing about Mae's "One Sheet Wonders" is that you can adapt them to any type of theme you need. My next lot is going to be for Christmas.

Card: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Really Rust
Ribbons: Pacific Point 5/8" striped grosgrain, Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin
Punch: Double Rectangle, 1/2" circle

I am also working on an apparently foolproof method of watercolouring, which I hope to show you next post.

Till next time, happy stamping