SFYTT Happiness

I finally got around to making a card for this week's Sketch For You To Try . I went with a very neutral colour palette for a soft, elegant look, so I hope you can see it OK from the picture!
I started with a base of Very Vanilla, layered with White (edge pierced) and topped with some new Kimberly Polson Paper (Fiskars). The long rectangle at the top is the flipside of the same paper, matted in white and then again on Very Vanilla and scalloped the bottom edge (SU punch) and added some white Kaiser pearls to the corner. The main image is from SU's 'Always' set, stamped in Versamark and embossed in white EP on VV card, matted on white and pierced the edges. The flower is made up of three white Kaiser flowers, layered and a pearl brad from Little Yellow Bicycle was added to the centre. Finally I added the sentiment, which is actually a sticker from the co-ordinating Kimberly Polson range. I don't normally 'do' stickers, but I liked these. :)
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!!! :)

SC221 - With Sympathy

Today's card is for this week's Sketch Challenge over on SCS . I'm a little late getting it done, just this week has been so busy with the kids! We had excitement here last night, my eldest child lost his very first tooth!!!

I needed to make a Sympathy card, so I went with these beautiful Cafe Culture papers by Kaisercraft. I know I seem to be using brown a lot lately reminds me of a well known book that says....."Brown is warm. I miss brown. Everything that is supposed to be brown - tree trunks, rocks, dirt - is all covered in squashy green stuff here." :) I'm sure a lot of you know where that comes from!

I started with a base of cream, layered with Close to Cocoa and some dotted Kaisercraft paper - Cafe Culture. The large rectangular panel is Close to Cocoa layered with more Kaisercraft paper. The diamond panel is Chocolate Chip layered with cream and I pierced all the corners (and then covered most of them up *rolls eyes*) and over the bottom corner added some sheer brown ribbon and made a flat bow and putting a prima flower and Kaiser Chino pearl in the centre. The sentiment panel has been stamped using the retired SU 'Brighter Tomorrow' set in Close to Cocoa, matted on C to C card and pierced the edges. Finished off by adding some more chino pearls in the corners.

Can you believe it - a card with NO Nestabilities!!! I was a bit apprehensive when making this, but I think it turned out OK in the end.

That's all for today, thanks for visiting!!! :)

FS111 - Beate-ful Butterfly!

I knew I couldn't stop at one!!! This is my second card for the Featured Stamper Challenge! This time I cased her Pink Butterfly card. I kept the same layout and stamp, changed the colours, paper, corner embellishment and moved the pearls.
This time I started with a base of green bazzill, layered with white and then blue (embossed with Swiss Dots). The rectangle panel is some of Basic Grey's Urban Prairie range and layered on white with the edges pierced. Across the bottom I've place some pink bazzill with the edge punched with the Lacy Days of Summer punch and tied some sheer ribbon around it. The corner embellishment is cut using the 'Vintage' die set by provocraft. I cut a pink and green one and then carefully cut off the pink flower and stuck it on the green with a dab of Pritt glue. The main panel has been stamped using the Harmony Classic Circle Stamper III by Just Rite and cut out with circle nestabilities. Stamped it in black and coloured with a pink tombow and blender pen and then pierced the edge using a paper piercer and mat pack. Finished off with some white pearls in the corners!
For all those Aussies, the stamp, nestabilities, bazzill, embossing folder, die set and punch are all available through my friends at ABSA just click on 'craft' on the lefthand side. They are in the process of upgrading their website, so if you can't find what you are looking for, give them a call or email them!
As much as I would love to make another one, I simply don't have any more time today!! :) Thanks for dropping by and thank-you so much to all those who have been commenting, I really appreciate every one!!

Featured Stamper - BEATE!!

Today's card is for this week's Featured Stamper Challenge who is none other than the amazingly talented BEATE !!! I visit Beate's blog pretty much every day and love her eye for layouts and combining colours and embellishments. I think I'll probably do a couple of challenge cards this week! :) To start with I chose her Rusty Thanks card to case. I have modified the layout a bit because her's was a square and I was using a rectangle. I've changed the image and sentiment and papers, but tried to use her style of piercing edges and how she does those cool brad things with the paper circles under them and the chocolate ribbon.

I started with a base of dark green bazzill, layered with Chocolate Chip and cream card and topped with some paper by Heidi Grace. (I was trying to go with 'earthy' colours which are not normally my thing.) The larger panel is some more Heidi Grace paper, matted with the same dark green. The image panel has been stamped with the soon to be released 'Bloom Away' by Stampin Up! designed especially for the Australian market!! Isn't it just GORGEOUS!!! I stamped it in Chocolate Chip and coloured it with Always Artichoke, Rose Red and Close to Cocoa. The gum blossoms and gum nuts have been coloured again, cut out and popped up on foam tape. I cut the panels with the square nestabilities - as you know, available through my friends at ABSA . The sentiment is from SU's Upsy Daisy and stamped in Always Artichoke on cream and cut out with the Spellbinders 'Ribbon Tags Trio' (also available through ABSA) and tied on with some chocolate grosgrain ribbon. I finished off by adding three copper brads on top of three 1/4in punched circles to the top corner.

That's all for now, thanks for visiting!!! :)

WSC73 Birthday Flowers

Today's card is for this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge hosted this week by Cambria.
I started with a pink bazzill base, layered with green bazzill and then Very Vanilla and topped with some paper from DCWV's Nana's Nursery -Girl. The horizonal panel is green with the bottom scalloped with the SU scallop edge punch, then pink and the squares have been made using the 'Vintage' dies and a cuttlebug. The flowers are from SU's Big Flowers set (are you impressed Edna, I finally used it!!) and stamped in versacolor, adding a tiny pink rhinestone to each and popping them up on pop dots. Finished off with the sentiment from SU's Upsy Daisy set in black.
Thats probably all for today, usually I'm trying to do the FS challenge this afternoon --- but softball season is back and I'll probably be running around a diamond! Wish me luck!!! :) Thanks for visiting!!!! :)

SC220 - Praying for You

I have finally gotten around to making a card for this week's SCS Sketch Challenge . I decided I was in a blue/green kind of mood and I just love this Lily Kate paper by Basic Grey so that's what I used.

I started with some blue bazzill, layered with some green and another layer of blue. Then I cut 1 inch strips of patterned paper and glued them down and added some green satin ribbon around the middle. The middle panel has been stamped using Verve's 'Notes of Prayer' set, stamped in Versacolor, adding a Bella brad to the centre of the cross and some piercing to the top corner. Finished off with some Kaisercraft 'Blush' pearls.

Thanks for visiting!!! :)

Burgandy 40th Birthday

This week I was asked how quickly I could make a burgandy and green 40th Birthday card --- "like that other one you made". Hmmmmm...... So this card probably looks a bit familiar, but that's what they wanted!

I started with a base of Very Vanilla, layered with Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgandy and then some paper by Grant with a toile burgandy print. Next I tied some light cream satin ribbon around it all and then some burgandy/red ribbon I had in my stash. The flower is from 'Bloomin' with Beauty' (or Bloomin' Beautiful if you are in the US) and stamped in black on very vanilla twice. The first one I coloured (in Always Artichoke and Bravo Burgandy and a touch of Ruby Red) and cut out using Rectangle nesties and embossed the edge. The second one I coloured in only the blossom and popped it over the other. Then I layered it on BB and AA. Finally I stamped the sentiment in AA using my Just Rite 1 5/8in Stamper and the Small Letter Set and Special Occasions Font (for the 40) and cut it out with circle nesties. Then I stamped the 40 again using BB, cut it out with 1 1/4in circle punch and popped it up.

All the Spellbinder Nestabilities and Just Rite products are available here in Australia through ABSA , just contact Michael and Colleen and they'll be happy to help! All other products are Stampin Up.

That's all for now, thanks for visiting!!! :)

What an HONOUR!!!

I am being featured on the Our Daily Bread Designs Blog for the Customer Card of the Day!!! How fantastic is that??!! Thanks so much Kelley!!

WSC72 Welcome Baby Girl

It feels like such a long time since I've posted. This week has been incredibly busy with various things and I feel exhausted and it's not even the week-end yet!!
I had to make a baby girl card, so I decided to use this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge hosted this week by Jenn. The Top Note Die (SU), which I think is the basis for this sketch, is not available in Australia yet so I've used the Label 1 die (Spellbinders) instead.
I've started with a base of pink Bazzill, layer with white (with edges pierced) and layered again with pink. I've cut some white with the largest Label 1 die and stamped the sentiment in the corner and put some Basic Grey Urban Prarie paper at the bottom of the card (I just love this paper!!!) and covered the join with some pink satin ribbon. The giraffe is from SU's Bundle of Joy set (ret.) and I've coloured her in pink and yellow tombow pens and a blender. It was cut out with the rectangle nestabilities and embossed the edge. It's finished off with a large pink prima flower and some buttons.
I really liked this layout and will have to use it again! That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Featured Stamper - Twinshappy!

Today's Featured Stamper is the very talented Twinshappy!!! Stacy has a huge gallery and I've chosen this card to CASE this week! I just love this 'Light Of The World' set from Our Daily Bread Designs and as soon as I saw Stacy's card I knew exactly what I wanted to do!!
I started with a base of River Rock, layered with Black and the White card. The white layer has been embossed with the Devine Swirl embossing folder and my cuttlebug. Then I cut a piece of Ginger Blossom DSP to cover the bottom of the white panel and tied some wide black organdy ribbon around it. The lighthouse has been stamped in River Rock and the sentiment (from the same set) stamped over it in black. It has been cut out with square nestabilities and embossed the edge and matted on a very thin layer of RR and then the black scalloped layer. I've finished off with a gold swirl clip tied with some RR grosgrain ribbon.
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Mojo77 Quick Birthday

I have not been feeling well this week - in fact the whole family is sick right now! I did however, want to play with this week's Mojo Monday Sketch . It was a super quick, easy card to make, but I think it turned out OK considering my mojo is in sickville with me!

I started with a base of cream card and then the next largest layer is some beautiful paper by Kaisercraft from their Cafe Culture range and matted it with Close to Cocoa cardstock. The other rectangular layer has paper from the same range and also matted with C to C and tied some dark cream satin ribbon around it. The circular layer has been stamped using Just Rite's 1 5/8 circle stamper and the '10 Designer Centers and Borders' in Close to Cocoa ink. The I cut it out using the Lg Classic Circle Nestabilities and matching Lg Scallop Circle Nestabilities. I just love the Just Rite and Spellbinders products work so perfectly together. I thought the top right corner looked a bit bare so I added some Chino pearls - also by Kaisercraft!

The current range of Nestabilites and Just Rite Stampers can now be purchased through ABSA for those of you in Australia. If you are in Brisbane, you are welcome to order and pick up from the store to save yourselves postage! The new CHA products should be in by the end of the month!! YAY!! I've already pre-ordered!! :)

That's all for now, I think it's time to lie down! Hope you are all better than me right now! Thanks for visiting!

Featured Stamper - StampingQueenJAR!!!

This card is for this week's Featured Stamper Challenge! Today's honoured FS is the amazingly talented StampingQueenJAR. I have long admired Judy and was really excited to have the chance to CASE her work. Admittedly I am a couple of days late, but I've had a horrid start to the week. I chose this card and changed the colours, main image, ribbon, moved the brads and piercing (because sadly I don't have those ornare piercing templates yet!) and added some embossing.
This card started with a base of Wild Wasabi and layered with some white (edge pierced) and Soft Sky (embossed with 'Stylized Flower' EF). Then I took a piece of 'Afternoon Tea' DSP and stamped the sentiment from Our Daily Bread Designs Flourished Christian Symbols set. The main image panel has been cut using Circle Nestabilities (now available through ABSA ) and the cross is from the same ODBD set, stamped in versamark, embossed in silver, cut out and popped up. It's finished off with silver brads in each corner and some Wild Wasabi striped ribbon.
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

SFYTT Butterfly For You

Today's card is for this week's Sketch For You To Try on Jen's blog!
I started with a white card base, layered with Purely Pomegranate and Pretty in Pink. The larger panel is a piece of white, punched down the sides with the Lacy Days of Summer punch by Fiskars (I just LOVE this punch!!), and topped with some butterfly paper (Patchwork Quilt) from Basic Grey's Urban Prairie range. The horizontal panel uses some 'Petticoat' paper from the same range and has been matted with some light teal card. The next panel is made of some white that has been embossed with 'Stylized Flower' EF and matted on some Pretty in Pink. I've stamped the butterfly from SU's 'Touch of Nature' set in Rose Red (because I don't have Pomegranate), cut it out and popped it on some foam tape. The sentiment panel has been cut using the Ribbon Tag Trio die set, sponging the centre, adding ribbons on the sides and stamped the sentiment in black from SU's 'Occasional Greetings' (or All Holidays if you are in the US) and finished off by adding some silver brads to the corners.
That's all for now, thanks for visiting!!! :)

Just Rite Engagement Book

Today's project is the co-ordinating book for the engagement card I made in the previous post. I love to make co-ordinating sets!
I started with a Quill Visual Arts Book (the lady wanted an unlined book) and covered the front and back in this delicious black paper by Doodlebug called 'Beetle Black La Fleur'. Then I cut a large rectangle panel of Very Vanilla, layered with Black Bazzill, and layered again with more vanilla. The horizontal panel is some VV embossed with the Swiss Dots EF and layered on Black with a piece of black organdy ribbon around the middle. The main circular panel (as below) has been cut with circle nestabilities and stamped with Just Rite Stampers (Harmony Circle III Ensemble for the border, Special Occasion and Brayton Fonts for the names). I finished off by using some large black Kaiser pearls in the corners and some cream and black ribbons down the side binding.
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Just Rite Engagement

I had a lady ask me if I could make a cream and black engagement card for her neice. Always such an elegant colour combination and what could be more elegant than Just Rite Stampers?? And now I can buy them through ABSA which is even better!!! They are going to be putting details up on their website soon and all the new Just Rite products from CHA will be here by May!!! How exciting is that???!!!

This time I started with a cream base, layered with some black bazzill and then another layer of cream. Then I made a narrow panel of cream that was embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder, matted it with black and put some wide sheer black ribbon around it. The circular panel has been cut with circle nestabilities (also available through ABSA) and stamped with Just Rite Stamps! The border is from the Harmony Circle III Stamp Ensemble and the sentiment has been made using the Small Letter Set, Special Occasions Font and Brayton Font. I finished off with some small black Kaiser pearls.
Now I have to make a covered book to go with it, so I'll post that when it's finished!!
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Exciting News for Aussies!

Hi there!! As most Aussies know, we often have trouble finding products that are more easily available overseas because the wholesalers here don't stock what we are looking for! Michael and Colleen at ABSA are a small home based stationary shop that are branching out into craft supplies!!! They are the loveliest people and now can order over 1000 different shades of Bazzill, all Spellbinders products and the latest news.....JUST RITE STAMPS!!!! I tell you I screamed when I found out!!! The best thing (for me) is that they are only 5mins drive away!!! WOOHOO!!! They are also hoping to offer a huge variety of products soon, and if you are looking for something particular, let them know and they will try their best to source it for you!!! If you give them a call, let them know I sent you!!! :)

SFYTT Happy Mail

This is for Jen's Sketch For You To Try challenge which is offering Blog Candy for participating this week!! Now I have to say my mojo went on strike this week and it was probably not the best idea to try something fairly new. I scored this super cute stamp from my BFF Edna for my birthday but haven't inked it up until today. I haven't done a lot of watercolouring before, so don't look too close!!!
I started with a base of white card, layered with some unknown teal card and layered again with some yellow check paper from DCWV. I added a strip of white card punched with the Lazy Days of Summer punch by Fiskars and tied some white grosgrain around it to cover the join. Then I attached the watercoloured "Post Box" image by Sugar Nellie Stamps and sentiment from Artful Elegance by Verve .
I think I'm going to have to practice my colouring and have another try with this stamp because it's just so cute!! That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Featured Stamper - Kelly H!!

Due to chaos at home and my mojo having a complete melt down, I haven't had a chance to do this week's featured stamper challenge until today! The honour this week goes to Kelly H who has a HUGE gallery!!! It took me forever to figure out which card to case this week. Finally I decided on this card but I just couldn't bring myself to use Yo-yo yellow!!! Due to the mojo meltdown I went with a clean and simple look and I seem to be a bit stuck on the asian theme as well!!
I started with a base of white and layered with black and some SU 'Ginger Blossom' paper which is still available here in Australia until March 31st! I stamped the branch from Artfully Asian (which is on the retire list for anyone still wanting it) in black on white and embossed it. Then I coloured it with markers (cameo coral and old olive) and added the sentiment from Pocket Silhouettes. At first I wasn't going to use that MS butterfly......but I really couldn't help myself!! LOL!!! I added some black pearls for the body. Then I added some black and white brads by Kaiser to the side and finished off with some black satin ribbon.
Here's hoping this will jump start the mojo again!!! That's all for today, thanks for visiting!! :)

Happy Birthday EDNA!!!!

This card is for my BFF Edna who is celebrating her birthday!!! I've used this week's SCS challenge and the style is very much a change from the usual for me, but I think it turned out OK!

I started with a base of black card, layered with white and then red card. I've added a strip of Kaiser paper from their Sakura range and stamped the sentiment from SU's 'Occasional Greetings' (All Holidays in the USA) in black. The main panel is black, layered with a piece of white that I had embossed with the Floral Screen embossing folder. The black squares are cut the the CB 'Vintage' die set and then I've stamped the three flowers from SU's 'Eastern Blooms' in Real Read, cut them out and popped them up. I even decorated the inside, but forgot to take a picture of it....ooops!!!
Happy Birthday Edna - Hope you have a wonderful day my friend!!!!
That's all for today, thanks for visiting!!!