Stampin' My Style

Up to 50% OFF selected Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets

2010-06-16T10:05:00.000+08:00

FOR 1 WEEK ONLY !!!

Grab your catalogue and check out these AWESOME specials

Page 34 - A Happy Heart - rrp $41.95 - SALE PRICE $20.98
Page 57 - Greetings Eight - rrp $49.95 - SALE PRICE $24.98
Page 78 - Bella's Bloom - rrp $24.95 - SALE PRICE $14.97
Page 97 - Enjoy Every Moment - rrp $53.95 - SALE PRICE $26.98
Page 105 - All Scallops - rrp $55.95 - SALE PRICE $27.98

If you don't have a 2009/2010 Idea Book & Catalogue of your own you can view it online HERE.

To order these specials please email me before 22nd June. There's no limits, you can buy as many of the specials as you like as well as any other Stampin' Up! products that you may also need.

NEW !! Deal Of The Week

2010-06-09T18:08:00.000+08:00

Click HERE to see this week's special offer from Stampin' Up!

If you love our Designer Series Papers then this awesome deal is for you. Huge discounts on some of our most popular designs... Call 0438 009 920 or email me if you'd like to order - but better make it snappy, this offer closes on Tuesday 15th June.

I'm Quite Chuffed !!

2010-06-09T06:45:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Mae Collins, who has given me a Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award......

It's really great to know that someone out there has visited my little blog and likes what they see ... Thanks Mae, your blog is also a pleasure to visit :)

Now, according to the rules for receiving this blog award I have to do the following:

1. Put the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award on my blog.
2. Share 5 things about myself.
3. Pass the award onto 5 other Bonny Blogs.
4. Add links to my 5 chosen Bonny Blog Winners.
5. Let them know they have been chosen to win the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award by leaving a comment on their blog.
6: PAY IT FORWARD and link to the person from whom I received the Swap Sisters Bonny Blog Award.

Five things about li'l old me...
1. I'm in the mood for a serious de-cluttering of my home at the moment - I hoard far too much stuff just in case I might need it some day.
2. I find it very difficult to get motivated to exercise.
3. I need to start ticking things OFF my bucket list.
4. Achieving a Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip at least once is pretty high up there on my bucket list.
5. I love finding better ways of organising and storing my craft stash - it's almost as much fun as actually stamping and creating.... I find it very relaxing. Am I weird ??

The five people I'd like to forward the Bonny Blog award to are:
Narelle Harrison - one of my dearest friends and a seriously talented crafter.
Olga Cooper - a 'Stampaholic' - my downline team
Jacqui Crouch - a lady whom I wish I could spend more time with
Delys Cram - whose blog I stumbled upon recently and really admire
Michelle Frost-Stevenson - a clever crafter and a great tour guide (Hi Frosty)

Thanks again for the award Mae...
I hope you all have a great day - Happy Stampin'

Vintage Vogue

2010-06-06T08:19:00.002+08:00

We had to postpone our trip to the Karijini National Park - I very generously shared my cold and flu bugs with Brad and neither one of us were up to roughing it for a week.....

So we came home instead and I'm feeling much better now that I'm surrounded by my lovely craft room... LOL

Here's a card I made with Vintage Vogue stamps and the Very Vintage matching wheel. The colours in the photo look a bit washed out.... it's actually really pretty in real life.

The main card is Kraft - the foliage and sentiment is stamped with Basic Brown ink. I stamped the "F" in Bravo Burgundy and the same colour cardstock for the darker contrast behind the Naturals Ivory/Very Vintage panel. I highlighted the images by watercolouring with my aquapainter.

The Vintage Vogue flower is stamped with Apricot Appeal ink and then I popped a clear Rhinestone brad in the center and cut the "Little Leaves" Sizzlit die in Old Olive to complete the embellishment.

Vintage Vogue is my favourite set in the Autumn/Winter mini catalogue from Stampin' Up! If you don't have a copy of your own, email your postal address to me and I'll get one in the mail for you - free of charge. To view the mini catalogue online, just click the link on the right....

2010-06-01T05:07:00.005+08:00

It appears that my "new look" has a problem or two - looks like I've got to go back through and reload all my photo's - please bear with me while I get organised.

In the meantime, here's a cute little gift basket I made from 4 Scallop Envelope die cuts.

I used an A4 sheet of So Saffron cardstock for the die cuts and the handle and some scraps of Washington Apple DSP to decorate. I also recommend using Sticky Strip to adhere your pieces together - that stuff won't budge once it's on and you can be sure your project isn't going to fall apart in a hurry.

My favourite stamp set in the Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue is Vintage Vogue. Here, I've used Really Rust ink to stamp the larger flower and Ruby Red for the smaller one and layered them together with a dimensional between and a silver brad for the centre. I also cut the "Little Leaves" die from Old Olive cardstock and sponged some ink on the leaves to highlight them.

You can put absolutely anything in this little gift box. As you can see - perfect for handmade soaps - great for chocolates (easter eggs) or cupcakes. I made one for Sheree, the hostess of my last workshop and filled it with a sample package of SU goodies. She loved it so much she joined as a demonstrator ..... Well, she'd already decided to join way before the workshop .... but it's a pretty impressive little gift box non-the-less.

Shock Horror !!! - I'm Back

2010-05-22T17:08:00.009+08:00

Yes, I know it's been a long time coming - but I'm back again, with sincere apologies for my long absence from blogworld. Life in the wild west has been busy to say the least but in a strange sort of way, I'm feeling pretty happy with how things have turned out for myself and my family - Brad is now working on the same mine site as Bianca and I which is definitely helping to bring us back together as a family again.....now if only we could talk Scott into working up here we'd be all set.... LOL

I don't get as much time to stamp as I used to - working 12 hours a day, 14 days straight out here in Pannawonica really takes it out of me....but the weather up here is perfect for camping at this time of year and we have a trip to the Karijini National Park planned for our next week off.

Even though I don't get time to stamp while I'm at work, I still love to stamp during my week at home. I'll be back soon to show you some of the things I've made with goodies from the Stampin' Up! Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue.

Thanks for sticking with me - I really do appreciate it very much

Tina

A change of pace

2009-12-29T05:12:00.008+08:00

Hi Everyone,

2009 is coming to a close and I've been taking a bit of time to reflect on the year that flew by in the blink of an eye and look forward in anticipation on the year to come. My year ended very differently to how I imagined it would....I am writing this blog entry from my room on a remote mine site in Pannawonica in the north west of WA. I started my new job (kitchen hand) here on Christmas Day and to be honest, this is the first night I've been awake long enough to turn on my laptop and find out what's happening in the real world.

So why am I here?? That's a question I've asked myself at least 50 times in the last 3 days... but more than anything it was a financial decision.
It's hard to make a good living in the transport industry (hubby's a truck driver) and so I decided it was time I found a 'real' job that would make a big difference to our situation... so here I am, broken nails, sore feet and all... The best thing about it is that my darling girl Bianca is also working here so I get to see her every day now and I've got a desk in my room so I've brought a small amount of stampin' gear with me so I can still stamp in the evenings if I can stay awake long enough.

As for my SU business - well that's taking a back seat for a little while, just till I get myself settled into a new routine. I've given up all my classes and workshops but I hope that once I'm in routine, I can fit a workshop in during my week off work. Of course, my lovely team members will always get my support and help when they need it - I can still be contacted by email and mobile phone - and that goes for my customers too....... I can place orders for you, just email me with the details.

I'd like to thank you all for your friendship and support in 2009 - lord knows I've needed it.

I hope you've all had a fantastic Christmas and I wish you love, luck, health, wealth and happiness in 2010

Mac's Back..... a card.... and some other stuff !!

2009-12-13T22:12:00.008+08:00

Phew !! that was an experience I don't want to suffer through again any time soon..... You don't realize how much you rely on your computer to store all your info until it spits the dummy, folds it's arms and says "I'm not playing anymore" ... LOL

With the help of some lovely friends, I've managed to restore some of the data I lost and fortunately the most important things were stored in my iPhone such as contacts and photo's...... so I'm back in business.
Here's a card I made recently with a new stamp set from Stampin' Up! - Razzle Dazzle - it's in the new Summer Mini Catalogue which is now available until the end of March 2010.

Stamps: Razzle Dazzle (Summer Mini $33.95) Oval All (retired)
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy
Ink: Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: Silver Brads, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Dazzling Diamonds, 2 Way Glue Pen, Dimensionals.

Technique: Rock & Roll. To do this technique choose two complimentary colours to work with, then simply load up your stamp with ink in the lighter of the two colours and roll the edges of the stamp into the darker of the colours to pick up a little bit of contrasting colour on the outer edges of the design - then stamp. Easy peasy lemon squeezy... the best way to describe the Rock & Roll action is to imagine a marble on your ink pad and when you place your stamp on top, it rolls around on the marble and only gets ink on the parts that can reach the ink pad.

For the background to this card I stamped all over with the small flower from the Razzle Dazzle set using Pretty in Pink ink. I also stamped the stripey image twice onto the strip of white with Pretty in Pink ink.... so simple and effective.

DID YOU KNOW ???? that the Scallop Oval Punch is still available even though it was in the Spring Mini promotion which is now over.... Stampin' Up! have made a number of Spring Mini products permanantly available. Please let me know if you'd like to order any of the following items.

112534 - Jumbo brads 5/16" Neutrals Assortment - $15.50
112533 - Jumbo brads 5/8" Neutrals Assortment - $13.50
114889 - Scallop Oval punch - $30.95
106960 - StazOn ink pad (White pad and refill) - $22.95
109196 - StazOn Cleaner - $9.95

I've crashed my Mac

2009-11-03T15:29:00.002+08:00

Thank goodness is wasn't my Mondeo....hubby would not be happy!!! LOL

So here I am on the clunky old PC in my office..... I don't have any of my card photos in this computer so I've got nothing to show you today unfortunately - and I've completely lost all of the data from my Mac, photo's, documents, emails......the works. Luckily I have an iPhone my contacts, music and photo's are all on there.

Lesson learned from this mistake: BACK UP - BACK UP - BACK UP .... this wouldn't have been so much of a drama if I'd made the effort to hook my MacBook up to an external hard drive and BACKED UP regularly.....

So I'll have to do a quick photo shoot this afternoon, then at least I'll have a few things to share with you over the next week or so.... the computer doctor who is performing a lobotomy on my dear little Mac says it could take as long as a week but a full recovery to good health is expected - however, the lights will be on with no-one at home for quite some time to follow.....

ahhhhh, ya gotta laugh or else you'd cry !!!

Tina

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T15:35:00.011+08:00

I'm not usually a follower of this particular tradition but the girls over at Stampt'Art have set a challenge to create an art piece with a Halloween theme. I saw Jayne's punched pumpkin and the inspiration for the rest of the card just seemed to follow.

Now there's obviously some fairly extensive use of non SU product here but I'm hoping you'll overlook that fact because the card's just so darned CUTE !! :)

Stamp Set: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, Only Orange, Old Olive, Basic Black
Ink: Elegant Eggplant & Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Small Star Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch
Non SU: Embossing Folder & Die Cuts

I'd love to hear from you.....leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my first attempt at a Halloween card.

Tina

The Rejects

2009-10-29T15:36:00.008+08:00

I made this set of cards and submitted them to an Australian magazine, hopeful of getting them published....unfortunately a few days after I sent the email to the mag, I received my subscribed monthly copy of said magazine in the post which contained a lovely set of cards made with the same "Bloomin' With Beauty" stamp set.... I just knew my cards wouldn't make the cut.....oh well, it was worth a try I guess. I still love the cards so I'll share them here with you instead :)

My colour scheme is Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue and Very Vanilla with Bella Bleu DSP for contrast. The ribbon is Pretty In Pink taffeta and I've coloured the flower with Pretty In Pink and Regal Rose inks. I used the En Francais background stamp in Not Quite Navy ink onto the main card.

For this one I stamped the flowers three or four times onto watercolour paper, coloured them with Regal Rose and Rose Red inks and then trimmed out various sections of the flowers. I layered the pieces onto the main image paper tole style to achieve a 3D effect.

I switched the colour scheme around a little bit here....Bordering Blue for the main card, Not Quite Navy accents and a Pretty in Pink panel to offset the main focus of the flowers. I used Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon and some Rhinestone Brads to finish the whole piece off.

I'd love to have seen these cards in a magazine but it's not to be so thank goodness I have this blog to share them with you. Enjoy

Workshop WOW Presentation

2009-10-26T15:34:00.010+08:00

I just thought you might like to see the cards I used as part of my demonstration at the Perth Regionals on Saturday.

My presentation was all about Stampin' Spots and I showed some of the fun things you can do with them. I showed how to do the actual technique and then displayed the completed card.

For this design I used Gable Green, Orchid Opulence & Lovely Lilac Stampin' Spots to ink up the Sanded background stamp. I also used Orchid Opulence, Gable Green, Elegant Eggplant & Glorious Green for the two step stampin' flower from Heartfelt Thanks. Best Wishes is from the Sincere Salutations set, inked up with Basic Black stampin' spot. I also dyed the ribbon to match the card as we no longer carry Orchid Opulence 1/4' grosgrain ribbon...... And all only using the Stampin' Spots.... pretty impressive huh!! :)

I made this one as an example of the same technique for the Weathered background. The leaves are from the Lovely as a Tree stamp set.

I demonstrated how to use a selection of Stampin' Spots to create my own custom coloured "Spectrum" ink pad. I pre-stamped and clear embossed the Upsy Daisy design onto Glossy White cardstock, then brayered Mellow Moss, So Saffron & Apricot Appeal over the design. The clear embossed areas resist the ink and leaves the flowers showing white against your coloured background. For this card, I re-inked my Upsy Daisy stamp with More Mustard and Always Artichoke Markers and over stamped the design, slightly off setting it so that it looks like a shadowed effect. Other products used: Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango cardstock, Haiku Designer Papers, Apricot Appeal 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch.

Some of you will have seen this card before - I've used this one as a make & take in my recent workshops. I showed how to use the Stampin' Spots to paint/watercolour with. Basically, you take a palette (I use a piece of laminated paper) and squish the little ink pad onto it which leaves a splotch of ink for you to pick up with your aquapainter - then colour your design as desired. The base card is Kiwi Kiss stamped with Versamark Ink. Accents of Rose Red, Regal Rose and Raspberry Tart Designer Paper.

If you'd like me to demonstrate any of the designs you see here, why not consider hosting a workshop of your own. It's fun, FREE, and easy to do. Just call or email me to make your booking :)

Perth Regional Training Seminar

2009-10-25T21:55:00.015+08:00

I had a great day yesterday at the Perth Convention Center where Stampin' Up! held a training seminar. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some of my friends who are also demo's and to introduce my newest team members to the excitement of a Stampin' Up! event. One of the best things about going to this type of event it swapping cards and ideas with everyone. Here are the cards I made as my swaps.

Stamp Set: Snow Swirled
Cardstock: Old Olive, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Always Artichoke, Vellum Card.
Ink: Whisper White, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Accessories: Holiday Treasures DSP. Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Riding Hood Red Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Border Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch. White Embossing Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy

NOTE: Mix a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds with White Embossing Powder before stamping with Whisper White onto Vellum Card and embossing with Heat Tool.

*****

This card was inspired by one I received from a lovely lady and my dear friend Glen.

Stamp Set: Embrace Life, Weathered Background.
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Watercolour Paper.
Ink: Mellow Moss, Basic Black, Whisper White.
Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Heat Took, Embossing Buddy. Pretty in Pink & Cameo Coral reinkers. Always Artichoke & Rose Red Markers. Dimensionals

NOTE: You can find the tutorial for the technique I used for the flower HERE

*****

This card was made at the very last minute - hence it's simplicity.....but I just love how it turned out.

Stamp Set: Lovely as a Tree, Occasional Greetings
Cardstock: Mellow Moss & Very Vanilla
Ink: Always Artichoke & Rose Red
Accessories: Rose Red 1" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch.

*****

I was also one of the "*lucky*" ones who was asked to demonstrate a Workshop WOW on stage for the training event...I was incredibly nervous but I think it went ok, going by the response I got from my fellow demo's - Thanks Ladies :) I was particularly pleased to receive words of praise from Sarah Klass - a demonstrator whom I find truly inspiring .... here's a few (not so wonderful) pic's of me in action.

These are my fellow demonstrators who also inspired the crowd and contributed hugely to the success of the Regional Training Day. This was the first time I've had to present to a large group of my peers and I found it utterly nerve wracking - this group of ladies were truly professional and were a joy to watch on stage.

From the left: Tracey Wilson, Andrea Buckland, ME, Louise Ryan, Ngaire Anderson, Skip Seigman

and now for something a bit different

2009-08-11T22:45:00.007+08:00

well it is for me anyway......... :) This colour scheme just sorta happened when I wasn't thinking too much about it, just having a bit of a play with my brayer - some of my regular class members asked for a refresher on using the brayer..... and this is what I came up with.

I really didn't think that the ladies would like the colour combo but they all agreed that it was certainly different and quite striking - and they really enjoyed making the card. Here's how it's done:

Stamp Set: Season of Joy
Inks: Going Gray, Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Versamark
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tangering Tango, Basic Black
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Sponges, Brads, Dazzling Diamonds, Brayer, Post-it Note, Heat & Stick Powder, Heat Tool.

Stamp the swirly stamp in Versamark onto the top half of the Whisper White and let it dry for a few minutes before loading up the brayer with Going Gray ink and rolling it across the top half of the card. You will find that the Versamark resists the ink and shows up the swirly design.

Next, turn the card around and brayer the Kiwi Kiss ink across the bottom half. Try to leave a lighter patch between the two colours. Sponge the edges with Basic Gray. Stamp the Christmas Tree twice with Basic Black ink. Tear a post-it note to mask off the tree areas and sponge Going Gray ink to the base of the trees - this gives the impression of un-even ground. Stamp Merry Christmas with Tangerine Tango ink.

Now for the BLING !! Swipe over the whole piece with an embossing buddy (anti-static) before stamping the tiny flower randomly with Versamark all over the scene. Sprinkle with Heat & Stick Powder and heat till it melts, follow with the Dazzling Diamonds and another quick blast of the heat tool to set it.

Punch a word window from the black cardstock and cut it in half before sticking the two pieces into place on the card. Pierce a hole through and pop in a gold brad. Assemble onto the Tangerine Tango card.

It looks a bit complicated but it really isn't so don't be afraid to give it a go :)

Great Friend Gift Set

2009-08-07T16:30:00.004+08:00

I recently did a workshop for my friend Gail (hi honey!!!) Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my love for Stampin' Up! with you and your friends. I always give the projects that I demonstrate to my hostess when I do workshops, so on top of a lovely scrapbook page and handmade card, I also made this gorgeous gift set of cards and envelopes as a thank you gift for Gail..... I like to spoil my hostess :)

Stamp Set: Great Friend
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Confetti White
Ink: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Patterns DSP, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Trio Flower Punch, Stampin' Sponges

The gift box is a mini magazine holder and it's so simple to make. Here's the pattern and instructions for you to try this for yourself. Becky's instructions are great and I made minor adjustments to her measurements so I could adapt them to our A4 cardstock. Regular sized A5 cards fit beautifully into the box and the set makes a great gift for anyone.

Have fun :)

Tina

Eastern Blooms in an Urban Garden

2009-08-06T22:19:00.002+08:00

Ok....no prizes for guessing how I came up for the title of this post...LOL My card was inspired by one I saw on SCS (if it's yours, please let me know and I'll give credit)

Stamp Sets: Eastern Blooms, Oval All

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy

Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: Mat Pack & Piercing Tool, Scallop Oval Punch, Gold Brads, Dazzling Diamonds, 2 way Glue Pen, Sponges, 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon in Kiwi Kiss, Urban Garden DSP, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Lots of layering in this card. I've written a brief description of how it's made for the benefit of Vicki who won a card kit for this card at a workshop I did for her friend Barbara last night.

I started off by piercing a row of holes down the left side of the white card and sponging Kiwi Kiss ink along the right side, then stick it to the Baja Breeze main card. Stick the strip of Urban Garden Designer Series Paper to the strips of Kiwi Kiss cardstock and pop two brads through at the bottom. Stick the white square to the Not Quite Navy square and layer it onto the patterned strip. Wrap the ribbon around and adhere at the back. Pierce a hole in the top right hand corner of the white square and place the brad. You can then stick the now assembled pieces to the main card. Cut around the 3 flowers (stamped in Baja Breeze, sponged with NQN) and dot some glue into the centers...sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds then when the glue is set, stick them into place on the card. Add the best wishes sentiment, I used dimensionals for this, and your card is complete.

Hope that helps you put your card together Vicki - if you need help, just give me a buzz :)

Have fun

Sometimes I impress myself...

2009-07-22T20:29:00.003+08:00

Well there's nothing like tooting your own horn...but what the hey!! Someone's gotta do the job :) While clearing out a draw full of clutter, I found a watercoloured rose that was left over from my previous attempts at this technique. I just couldn't bring myself to throw it out even though it was obvious that it was spoiled during the technique process - so I decided to make a card with it instead. The project ended up bigger than Ben Hur in terms of stamp sets used but I just LOVE how it's turned out.

Stamps: Friends 24-7, Weathered, Le Jardin Botanique, Echoes of Kindness, Fifth Avenue Floral
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Old Olive, Watercolour Paper
Inks: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Basic Black
Accessories: Rose Red Reinker, More Mustard Reinker, Aquapainter, White Embossing Powder & Heat Tool, Sponges, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Four (I'm loving my nesties at the moment)

To make the background design on the Pink Pirouette card I stamped the flourish from Friends 24-7 over the entire card and then overstamped with the Weathered background and sponged ink on the edges of the card. It looks so lovely it's almost a shame to cover it up with the rest of the card elements.

If you haven't tried the watercoloured rose technique yet, give it a go..... it's really easy and the results are stunning.

Have a happy day

Snow Swirled Christmas Tree

2009-07-21T15:00:00.002+08:00

Now that we're well into July I've been making a few Christmas cards in my classes so we get a decent stash of cards before the silly season is upon us. This is a cute card that you can easily make a lot of in a short time.

Stamps: Snow Swirled
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red,
Accessories: Old Olive Marker, Sponge Dauber, 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

I like the effect of tying a single knot in the ribbon to give it some interest - it's certainly easier than making bows :)

enjoy

Following in Keesh's footsteps

2009-07-20T22:44:00.003+08:00

Back in June, Makeesha showed a great tutorial for stamping with markers - you can see it here - I tried it out and decided to add a sprinkle of Dazzling Diamonds to the Crystal Effects and it looks lovely - difficult to photograph, but lovely non-the-less :)

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Think Happy Thoughts

Cardstock: Orchid Opulence, Whisper White,
Ink: Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Orchid Opulence Marker, Chocolate Chip Marker, Always Artichoke Marker, Designer Label Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Sponges

After applying the Crystal Effects to the flowers, I used a fine paintbrush to pick up the Dazzling Diamonds and gently tapped the glitter over the glossy surface which gives it a lovely sparkle.

It's quite difficult to get a good photo of the glittery effect - I hope you can make it out in this pic.

Crystal Effects tends to lighten the colour of the ink that it's applied to so my flower ended up looking pink rather than the Orchid Opulence it started out as - but that's ok, I like it anyway :)

Have a happy day

Bareback Beauty

2009-07-20T21:51:00.003+08:00

My friend Jacquie comes to my Wednesday morning classes - she asked if we could make a card with horses on it as she wanted to give a horsey type card to a friend who loves horses. Hmmmm !! no ideas immediately jumped into my head so off to Splitcoast for some inspiration. I fell in love with this card made by Leslie Miller and CASED it as best I could.

Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Watercolour Paper.
Stamps: Bareback (retired) Weathered Background, Friends 24-7, Baroque Motifs.
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Markers & Aquapainter, 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, copper cord

Jacquie's friend was over the moon with her card - I'm pretty happy with how it turned out too. Thanks Leslie for your wonderful inspiration, I'm now a regular visitor to your lovely blog.

Butterfly Tilda

2009-07-18T18:47:00.003+08:00

My first ever Magnolia card....

I've always resisted buying a Tilda stamp as her strange little expressionless face puts me right off, even though the rest of the images are really cute. So I decided to draw in a bit of character myself and added a cheeky litte smile, a suggestion of a nose and some definition around the eyes - I like it much better now :)

I stamped onto SU watercolour paper and coloured in with my SU markers and an Aquapainter. The rest of the materials are SU cardstock and ribbon and the Celebrate Today stamp is from the SU set called Starring You. The background paper and the plastic flowers are from my stash of non SU stuff.

So Cute !! I think I'll enjoy playing with Magnolia images now I can spin my own little touches of character into them.

Have a happy day

Hello World - I'm Back

2009-07-17T16:30:00.004+08:00

I know it's been a long time since I posted last - life has a habit of getting away from me just lately and there never seems to be enough time in the days to get everything done. This time of year is very busy for me with end of financial year bookwork for our main business (transport company) and with Stampin' Up! offering a fantastic hostess bonus, I've had more than my usual amount of workshops to demonstrate for my lovely customers. I also managed to sneak in a few days away with my darling Brad - bouncing around in the truck for 5 days isn't my idea of paradise but it was great to spend 5 solid days with him when usually we only have one day a week together before he's off on his next trip.

I haven't been slack in the stampin' & cardmaking department though - just slack in posting them here for you all to see. I've got a folder full of card pictures to share with you so I'll try to get them posted here over the next day or two.

Here's one I made with the Stampin' Up! set Fresh Cuts .... !!

I started off with a Basic Black card, added a Kiwi Kiss background panel and then layered the stamped image onto Riding Hood Red and assembled the whole thing.... simple

Today I have a team meeting so I'll be busy most of the day but I'll be back soon to post some of the cards I've done in classes these last few weeks. I noticed that the slideshow on my website home page isn't working again....hmmm! need to fix that as well - another job to add to the mile long 'To Do List' - oh well, keep smiling :)

Have a great day

Bird on a Branch

2009-06-08T16:58:00.004+08:00

I made about 15 of this card as swaps for convention - I wanted to do more but there are only so many hours in a day :) so I thought I'd share it with you here.

One of the things I love about this stamp set is that I get to use my stamp-a-ma-jig with it... well, that and the fact that you get 5 lovely stamps in the set for just $33.95

I know - great value - huh!!! :)

One valuable lesson I learned while I was making this card is that the Tombow Mono Multi adhesive can be used as a permanent OR removable glue. I just used small blobs in the middle of the flowers and sprinkled the glitter on while the glue was wet - simple, right.... Then came a moment of unimaginable panic when all 15 of my cards were complete and stacked together ready for taking to convention..... THEY WERE ALL STUCK TOGETHER...AAAAAAHHH!!

Lesson learned: Read the packaging of the products !! :)

Luckily for me, the dried glue becomes repositionable so my cards came apart easily without damaging them. Phew!! Won't forget that in a hurry.. LOL

Stampin' Up! products used for this card:

Stamps: Bird on a Branch

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Brown, Basic Black, Sahara Sand

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, various markers, Tombow Multi Adhesive, Dazzling Diamonds, sponges

Elite Challenge Card

2009-06-07T20:24:00.003+08:00

Every month Carol sets three challenges for everyone in the Elite team. Usually there's a colour challenge, a stamp set challenge and a sketch challenge. This time, I chose to go with the sketch challenge - here's my card

The challenge rules are that you must use Stampin' Up! products so I've used:

Stamps: Circle Circus, On Your Birthday, Crazy for Cupcakes & Simple Serif Alphabet & Numbers
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Inks: Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: 1" - 1 1/4" - 1 3/8 Circle Punches, Aquapainter, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sponges, Snail Adhesive.

Well, I really like how the card turned out - there's only one problem - I have abolutely no-one to give it to........what on earth posessed me to put a number 7 on it ?? I don't have grandchildren (yet) and all my friends kids are grown up too... LOL

So if you have a special litte person in your life who would love to receive this card for their 7th birthday, leave me a comment here and I'll send it to you. (I'll pick a random name if there's more than one of you) :)

Happy Sunday

Hedgehog Cutie

2009-06-07T16:35:00.003+08:00

Last weekend three of my best stampin' buddies and I took some time-out for ourselves and had a PMS weekend.....(PMS stands for pizza, music, stampin') :) We didn't really eat pizza but we had lots of other yummy food to share along with lots of laughter and chatter.

We limited ourselves to taking a bare minimum of craft supplies so we could all fit into my car for the 3 hour trip....sounds like a challenge huh!! :) Narelle has this cute little Penny Black hedgehog stamp that I couldn't resist having a play with

Stampin' Up Products Used:

Stamps: Best Yet (level 1 hostess set)

Cardstock: Cameo Coral, Summer Sun, Whisper White & Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Various markers & Aquapainter, Pink Flamingo DSP, White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Curly Label Punch, Designer Label Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Non SU bling

So cute!! The colours are more than just a little bit over the top for my liking but I just couldn't resist making this a really bright and happy card - that little hedgehog makes me smile :)

Faux Woodgrain

2009-06-06T20:14:00.002+08:00

Sometimes it's good to revisit techniques we have tried in the past - this is one of them. Alisa showed a great example of the Faux Woodgrain technique in the Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft magazine so here's one of the cards we made in my class last week

I think the look lends itself wonderfully to masculine styled cards and would make a great feature on a Father's Day project.

It's such a quick and easy technique to create and the woodgrain effect is quite remarkable. Starting with the Whisper White ink pad, swipe the ink onto the More Mustard card in long downward strokes until the majority of the card is covered in white streaks. Set aside to dry or use your heat gun to dry off. Next, take your More Mustard ink pad and do pretty much the same thing - swipe ink over the top of the white, making sure to leave some of the white showing. Repeat this step using Chocolate Chip ink pad - just two or three swipes with this colour as you don't want to swamp the lighter colours with this dark one....... and that's it. Decorate and embellish as desired :)

All Supplies from Stampin' Up!

Stamps: For Father (retired)

Cardstock: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Confetti White

Ink: Whisper White, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Hemp twine, various markers & aquapainter, snail adhesive, vintage brad, sponges.

Fresh Cut Pastels

2009-05-27T23:51:00.003+08:00

I haven't used my Stampin' Pastels for ages. We are definitely spoilt for choice with so many beautiful colouring tools we have with Stampin' Up! products

This card was inspired by one I saw on Splitcoast - my apopogies for not remembering to write down the name of the artist - if it's you, please let me know and I will update this post with credits.

Again, I used Jenni's inkpad plonking - aka Smashed Suede technique on the background of the Handsome Hunter card. I love that soft suede look. :)

I took a piece of Whisper White and scribbled all over it with sponge daubers using Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Only Orange and Glorious Green Stampin' Pastels. Initially I thought I'd made a right mess of it - wasn't too impressive looking..... Then I stamped over the top with the Fresh Cuts main image in Bravo Burgundy....and WOW - suddenly it looks stunning... (phew...sigh of relief) LOL :)

I trimmed off the excess and mounted the piece onto Apricot Appeal - oh! but I punched out the two flowers from the piece of cardstock first :) I stamped the vine from Fresh Cuts in Handsome Hunter onto a strip of Mellow Moss and tore all along the edge. I stamped 'For You' in Handsome Hunter and punched out with the small oval punch, then the two flowers in Bravo Burgundy and cut out by hand. A couple of silver brads to finish off .... sweet.

I hope I've inspired you to get your Pastels out again and have a play.

Watercolour Paper

2009-05-26T21:39:00.002+08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post regarding the use of watercolour paper instead of shimmery white, here's a card I made using Patty Bennet's Watercolour Rose Tutorial

I used the flower stamp from 'Embrace Life' and Lavender Lace and Apricot Appeal re-inkers for colour. The main card is So Saffron with elements of Mellow Moss and Lavender Lace to offset the look of 'white lace' which I punched with the Eyelet Border Punch from SU.

Jenni Oliver - one of my convention roomies - showed me her gorgeous inkpad plonking method background technique which I have now re-named 'Smashed Suede' because it accurately describes the creation and effect of the technique. To get that beautiful suede look you take the stamp pad which matches the cardstock colour and 'smash' the ink pad onto the card, turning the piece each time you 'smash' the pad down. Hence the name 'Smashed Suede'

To finish off, I stamped the sentiment from "Best Yet" - level 1 hostess set - and punched it out with the large oval punch. Then I punched the Designer Label in Mellow Moss and the Curly Label in Always Artichoke and layered them all together with a piece of Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon and a gorgeous brad from the Filigree collection.

I hope you like it - I think the watercolour effect on the watercolour paper is just as beautiful as on the shimmery white - just different. I found it easier to control the placement of the colours and I could add more depth of colour if I wanted to. Let me know what you think.

Happy Stampin'

On the Watercolour Rose bandwagon

2009-05-16T22:00:00.002+08:00

You may have noticed there's a bit of a craze in the SU world at the moment for this gorgeous technique. So of course, I had to give it a try :)

Here's my card

I've used Rose Red as my card base and followed the suggestions from the Colour Coach to select the accent colours of Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Garden Green.

The stamps I've used are Fifth Avenue Floral and Le Jardin Botanique.

To make the lacy edge on the circle background I've punched a strip of whisper white with the Eyelet Border punch and whizzed it through my paper crimper. The corrugations allow you to bend the paper into a curvy shape. I've used a piece of Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon as a band across the card and stamped the leaves in Garden Green ink onto Certainly Celery cardstock, then cut them out.

In the tutorial for the watercolour rose technique, the recommended paper for the technique is Shimmery White from Stampin' Up! - however - it's not available in Australia so I've substituted with a pearlised cardstock I had in my stash. I've also tried it out on Whisper White but I'm not all together happy with the results as the paper gets very wet with the technique and I didn't get the finish I hoped for. I will try watercolour paper next and let you know how that turns out.

If you're coming to either of my classes next week you're in luck - we're making this card :) If you can't make it to class just follow Patty's tutorial - it's really easy.

Have fun stampin' and let me know how you get on

Mother's Day Card

2009-04-19T19:10:00.004+08:00

I decided to spend my Sunday creating.

Here's my first project which I'm so glad came together so well because it's for my dear Mum for Mother's Day (May 1oth for Aussies)

The card stock is Elegant Eggplant with a little bit of Mellow Moss for trim. The patterned papers I used are Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers from the Enchante range which is now retired but I think it complements the colour scheme really well.

Don't you just love the tri-fold card design. I found it here after seeing a similar card that was made by a lady named Joyce who belongs to the same yahoo group as me. If you click the link you will find a downloadable word document or a PDF which you can print off. It's really fun and easy to make.

The stamps I've used are SU Upsy Daisy and Occasional Greetings. I used my Lovely Lilac, Elegant Eggpland, Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke markers directly onto the rubber and huffed on it before stamping onto Whisper White. For the lighter background flowers on the message panel I stamped with Almost Amethyst (second generation) and sponged around the edges to give it a soft, dreamy look. The large flower in the center panel is from the Pretties Kit. I sponged some Lovely Lilac ink lightly over the petals to colour it a little. The center flower is also from the Pretties kit but I've sponged Lovely Lilac heavilly over the whole flower to give it a nice deep purple colour. I used one of our new filligree brads in the middle and I love how it looks.

I wish I had nicer hand writing - I always think it spoils the look of a pretty card when my message looks like it was written by a six year old...LOL Never mind, it's part of me.... and my Mum loves all of me so she won't mind... :)

I love this card - leave a comment for me and let me know what you think. Better yet, make one of your own and show me your design.

Have a happy Sunday

Cheers !!

2009-04-17T03:49:00.003+08:00

Hello everyone,

Here's a card I made recently using the Cheers to You stamp set which is new in the Stampin' Up! 09/10 Idea Book & Catalogue. I've also used Baja Breeze cardstock for the main card and So Saffron with Chocolate Chip as a contrast to the spotted Pacific Point Designer Series Paper. I stamped the beer glasses on Whisper White and coloured the beer with So Saffron ink. Then I cut each glass out and popped them up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

There's some pretty cute cocktail and wine glasses in this set that I can see being very useful for any party occasion.

Hope you like this one - very blokey...

Cheers !!

Natural Beauty

2009-03-09T16:14:00.003+09:00

I made this card from the sketch at mojo monday blog using one of my all time favourite stamp sets - Natural Beauty - from Stampin' Up!

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Barely Banana, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal.
Accessories: Embossing Folder, Spring Break DSP, Aquapainter, Dimesionals.

I'm going to send this one to my Aunty Beryl in the UK....it's her birthday soon and I think she'll really like it.

Have a great day

x Tina

Lovely as a Christmas Tree

2008-12-03T00:16:00.003+09:00

I made this card for the Elite Challenges website - it was a sketch challenge - and I loved the finished card so much I included it into my class schedule this week.

The base card is Mellow Moss stamped with the flourish from Baroque Motifs also with Mellow Moss ink - this creates a lovely background. The line of trees are stamped onto Very Vanilla with Mellow Moss ink and the main tree is in Always Artichoke ink. The sponging is done with Mellow Moss - I used the 1" circle punch for the moon mask - and then mounted the scene onto Always Artichoke cardstock and pierced down the sides using the grid in the mat pack. I made the scalloped edges with Stampin' Up!'s border scallop punch and Purely Pomegranite cardstock.

I stamped Merry Christmas (from Many Merry Messages) onto Vanilla cardstock and punched each word out individually with the Word Window Punch.

Enjoy :)

Embrace Life

2008-12-02T23:33:00.001+09:00

This is my first attempt at a card using the Embrace Life stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catatlogue. I used a colour combination that I found on my desk one day while unpacking a cardstock order from Stampin' Up! .... Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom and Groovy Guava - gorgeous !!

Everyone who attends my classes this week are making this lovely card and also the one in the next post. Stay tuned for the next one......

True Friend

2008-12-02T22:53:00.003+09:00

I love the flower from Stampin' Up! True Friend stamp set - I think it begs to be multi-coloured with markers so I used the combination of Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie and More Mustard for the flower and Old Olive for the stem. It takes a while to colour each section of the stamp so I had to huff onto it before stamping (the moisture of your breathe re-activates the ink). I then used my classic and scalloped oval nestabilities to cut the shapes from Barely Banana and Choc Chip. the patterned paper is from Brocade Backgrounds DSP and is mounted onto River Rock. I stamped the larger flower with Versamark ink as a background on the main Old Olive card. The sentiment is stamped in Choc Chip ink and mounted onto Barely Banana which I sponged with some More Mustard ink to match the ribbon. Another of my favorite cards using stamps from the Spring Mini. I hope this set makes it to the new main catalogue in April 09.

Double Blooms

2008-12-01T02:25:00.001+09:00

Here's another one made with Bloomin' with Beauty.....just the single bloom, stamped onto watercolour paper, masked and stamped again. I thengave my Groovy Guava ink pad a good squeeze and coloured the flowers with my aquapainter. I highlighted with my Really Rust and Basic Black markers. I coloured the stems and leaves with Mellow Moss and a touch of Old Olive.

The base card is Really Rust, patterned paper from Fall Flowers DSP and the flower image is layered onto Close to Cocoa and Barely Banana. The ribbon is Apricot Appeal grosgrain and the 'for you' sentiment s from 'Occasional Greetings' stamp set. The metal frame is from the gorgeous Styled Silver Hogdepodge kit which fortunately, is still available in our lovely new Summer Mini Catalogue, thank goodness.

Always - together forever

2008-11-30T22:07:00.002+09:00

Here's my prototype for a wedding invitation I was asked to design for the wedding of my friend Katie's son. The bride loved the design but chose a different colour scheme of Silver Metallic card, Almost Amethyst and Whisper White - the combination looked lovely. The card pictured uses Gold Metallic card, Bronze Metallic card and Very Vanilla. I stamped the hearts from Stampin' Up! Always set with Versamark and heat embossed with gold EP - likewise with the Forever Flowers wheel for the side border. The sentiment is from the Together Forever stamp set, stamped with Versamark and gold embossed. As you can see, I made this into a gatefold card which ties at the front with Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon.

For the actual wedding invitaions, we printed the invite details onto vellum cardstock and set it into the card with eyelets and the fine silver cord from last year's Stampin' Up! catalogue.... beautiful.

My Blue Eyed Boy

2008-11-30T21:41:00.001+09:00

This is Frankie - the other love of my life. Some of you may know that our lovely old Jessy died in January this year at the age of 17 - we miss her still but this adorable fellow has filled the empty spot in our hearts, full to overflowing. He's a very affectionate and cuddly ragdoll cat who has taken over the entire household and reigns supreme - I address him as 'Your Majesty' and he answers when and if he sees fit.... lol ..... He can be a bit naughty though so I have a water pistol loaded and ready to keep him off my ribbon storage unit (see here) and now that the Christmas tree is up, he thinks it's there for his own personal amusement. He has me wrapped around his incredibly large fingers and toes (really, this cat has massive feet) and those blue eyes are hypnotic -

Anyways.....back to our regular program !! more cards to come

Goodbye to the Spring Mini

2008-11-30T20:08:00.003+09:00

I thought it was high time I showed you some of the cards I made with stamps in the Spring mini catalogue which sadly finishes today...but not to worry, our gorgeous Summer mini starts tomorrow :)

This card uses my favorite set from the Spring Mini...Bloomin' with Beauty.

I chose Chocolate Chip as my base card and pretty paper from the Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper. The Choc Chip satin ribbon is also from the Spring Mini.

I stamped the vase of flowers 3 times onto watercolour paper and coloured the images with Purely Pomegranite ink and my aquapainter. I then cut out various sections of them so I could layer the pieces - kind of like paper tole.

I mixed a little bit of Crystal Effects with some Purely Pomegranite reinker and added Dazzling Diamonds for that lovely sparkle, then painted the mixture onto small sections of the flowers to give it a really special effect. I also applied Crystal Effects to the bumble bee's wings for an added feature. The scalloped square background was cut with Spellbinders Nestabilities.

Here's a close up so you can see a bit more of the detail and how I have layered the pieces of flowers to get that great 3D effect.

I love this card and I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Stampin'

Tina:)

As requested by Angela

2008-08-12T00:44:00.003+08:00

Angela Sargeant is my SU upline * Hi Ang * :) and she left a comment asking to see this card. Not all together my original work though, I fell in love with and cased this card by Beate, another very talented lady, you should check out her work. I just adapted products from my stash to get the 'look'

So here's what I used to make it:

Always stamp set

Cardstock: Black, Naturals Ivory, Whisper White & spotted paper from the 'Apple Cider' DSP pack in the new Spring Mini Catalogue

Basic Black ink to stamp the bird onto ivory card and 'Everything' onto spotted paper

Chocolate Chip Tafetta Ribbon

Slit punch to make the scalloped edge on the strip of white cardstock

Self adhesive diamantes (non SU)

Mat Pack template to pierce the decorative corners

Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities die

I could really do with some help taking photos of my cards - I somehow never seem to get the colours right. Leave a comment if you have any hints for me :)

Happy Stampin'

Ribbon & Punch Storage

2008-08-11T01:33:00.001+08:00

I thought I'd show you what my darling hubby Brad made me for my birthday last week......pretty cool huh !!! I've had this in mind for ages and when he asked me what I wanted as a gift I drew him a picture and asked him to make it. I'm a lucky girl :)

You can see on the cork board some of the cards I have made recently - I will photograph and post them here if you'd like to see them a bit closer up. Leave a comment and let me know which one you want to see.

Bronc Busters Birthday

2008-06-01T01:33:00.002+08:00

Well, I'm back - hiding my head in shame for not having updated this blog for so long.......but even though I have been slack with blogging, I've been hard at work creating some great cards which I will share with you all over the next week or so...........so stay tuned :)

This is the card I made for my husband Brad's birthday this week. I used the Bronc Busters stamps for the main images and Sanded background stamp for that rough and ready look.

Cardstock is Stampin' Up! Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Very Vanilla with a combination of Really Rust and Chocolate Chip ink. For the main image I inked the stamp with Rust and then rolled the edges of the stamp into the Choc Chip ink which gives that two toned look. This technique is called "Rock & Roll" - Looks good huh! :) I used the 1/2" circle punch to notch out the corners of the Vanilla and Choc Chip card then layered it all onto the Close to Cocoa piece. I sponged Really Rust ink around the edges and used the distressing tool from the cutter kit to rough it up.

I made the star and horseshoe medallion by stamping first onto vanilla card with choc chip then punching out the image with the 1" circle punch, coloured the star with the Really Rust marker and popped a star brad through the center......then punched out the designer label in Choc Chip card, the 1-1/4" circle in Very Vanilla, the 1-3/8" circle in Really Rust card...then layer them all together and mount onto a strip of 5/8" Choc Chip Grosgrain Ribbon. Stick the ribbon around the bottom of the Close to Cocoa card, pop vintage brads into the notched out corners - then it's ready to stick onto the main card.

The main card uses Really Rust cardstock, stamped with Sanded Background stamp with Really Rust and Chocolate Chip ink, again using the "Rock & Roll" technique. Stick it all together and you're done. I like to place an insert into the center of my cards and stamp a matching image before writing my message to the person receiving the card - it makes the finished card look really professional.

Hope you like it - Brad certainly did :)

TTFN

Inspired by Michelle Zindorf

2008-03-04T23:36:00.002+09:00

Here's a card I made after discovering the amazing works of Michelle Zindorf. This lady has a remarkable talent for composing incredible artworks - her blog is a must see.

I used Stampin' Up! stamps from the Natural Beauty & Stem Silhouettes sets to create the bird scene. A circle punched from a post it note to mask the 'moon' - Sponged with inks: Sahara Sand, Going Gray and Yoyo Yellow.

The background is done with Sahara Sand cardstock and the Cuttlebug 'Script' embossing folder. The main card is Stampin' Up! Close to Cocoa with Basic Black and Barely Banana accents. I used a piece of black gingham ribbon for the finishing touch.

Although it's not a patch on the original Zindorf artwork, I'm still really happy with my end result - I certainly want to keep trying anyway :)

Natural Beauty

2008-02-16T18:37:00.002+09:00

In November last year my stampin' buddies and I went to a Stamp Camp which was organised and hosted by a dear lady Kaye Bloor and her daughter Shellice - Hi girls if you're reading :) There were heaps of card demonstrations and make'n'takes, and this is one of the cards I got to make.

Here's the 'How To' if you'd like to have a go at this natural beauty :)

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Natural Beauty, French Script B/G, Linen B/G & All Year Cheer I
Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Mellow Moss
Accessories: Sponges, Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

1. Start by inking up the French Script background stamp with Mellow Moss ink. Lay the stamp down on your table, rubber side up, then place your folded Mellow Moss card onto the rubber and apply light pressure all over the card. Carefully lift the card off the stamp so as not to smudge the ink. Add some sponging to the edges of the card to soften the whole look of the card.

2. Then follow the same steps using the Linen background stamp. I call this effect *Double Background* for obvious reasons...lol It's kinda hard to tell from the photo but the effect is really quite lovely.

3. Next you're going to stamp 'Thinking of You' onto a piece of Whisper White card, sponge a little around the edges with Mellow Moss ink and mat onto Basic Black card.

4. Then, stamp the bird, butterfly, flowers and leaves in Basic Black ink onto Whisper White card, colour and cut them out, ready for assembly. The actual assembly part of this card is a bit difficult to describe - it's pretty much a case of fiddling around with the pieces until you're happy with the look of it - use adhesives and foam dimensionals to get that 3D effect.

5. Mount the finished piece onto the card, then give it to a very special person who will appreciate the amount of work you've put into this absolutely lovely card.

All images copyright Stampin' Up! ...... All supplies available from me by email or phone :)

Happy Stampin'

Stipple Rose - 50th Anniversary Card

2008-02-08T23:18:00.001+09:00

This stunning card was made by my friend Ann Sankey who comes along to my cardmaking class on Tuesday mornings. She made it for another of our friends Flo Lockett who, along with her dear husband Frank, is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today. Everyone in the group wrote messages of congratulations inside to make it a real keepsake for the happy couple.

Ann has used Stampin' Up!'s Stipple Rose stamp and has embossed the images with a lovely holographic gold embossing powder. She very cleverly cut out some of the rose images and raised them on foam mounting tape to give a wonderful 3D effect. Beautiful job Ann, and I know that Flo & Frank really appreciate the effort you went to to make their special day even more memorable and will treasure it always.

Feel free to leave your comments for Ann here - I know she visits often and would love to receive your feedback :)

Carte Postale - Easy Elegance

2008-01-16T21:11:00.002+09:00

Here's a card I made using the gorgeous stamp set from Stampin' Up! called Carte Postale and the matching Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel - Leaves a la Carte. You can see these stamps in the Summer Mini Catalogue and are available until March 31st.

To make this card I used Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke cardstock and inkpads. The wheel stamp is rolled with Mellow Moss ink onto Whisper White card and the leaf detail is coloured with the Rose Red marker. The white card is then trimmed and layered onto Always Artichoke and adhered to the Mellow Moss base card.

To make the Medallion embellishment I stamped the square flower design from Carte Postale twice using Always Artichoke ink onto Whisper White card. Then, after cleaning the stamp, I took the Rose Red marker again, inked the center flower of the stamp and stamped onto the white card also. This little red flower makes the centerpiece of the medallion when cut out. I also coloured the white ring on one of the squares and punched this piece out with the 32mm circle punch. The second square is punched out with the 35mm square punch. I used dimensionals to raise and mount the small flower onto the punched circle flower and then onto the square punched piece. Then the whole lot is layered onto a piece of Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke card. The ribbon is adhered to the back of the completed Medallion prior to attaching the embellishment to the card.

If you like the simple elegance of this card and would like to purchase any of the products used to create it, now is the best time to buy them. Stampin' Up! are having their annual Sale-a-bration which means that for every $100 you spend on merchandise you get to choose one of these stampsets for FREE !! Email, fax or call me with your order, and I can have your purchases delivered directly to your door, anywhere in Australia within 10 working days.

Stem Silhouettes

2008-01-06T03:11:00.001+09:00

Stem Silhouettes is a stamp set from the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalogue and this is a card I made today with the set.

My friend Margaret showed me the card design which I thought was really different and could easily be used for all kinds of cards. It's very easy to do, here's the project recipie.

Cardstock: Whisper White, A5 Rose Red & So Saffron

Ink Pads & Markers: Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Method: Fold A5 Rose Red in half to make the base card. Measure 5cm up the right hand side and cut diagonally across to the left hand corner. Turn the off cut over to it's wrong side and decorate (I cuttlebugged & layered) Cut a piece of Whisper White to fit onto the remaining cardfront, leaving a narrow edge of Rose Red showing all the way around. Decorate this piece to your liking and adhere to the card. Adhere the triangular shape to the cardfront so that the card stands up properly.

This design would look equally as good in an upright card (portrait) as it does in the landscape format that I chose.

Bodacious Bouquet

2007-10-24T02:21:00.001+08:00

My friend Ann comes to my place on Tuesday mornings to make cards. This week she asked me to do a card using Bodacious Bouquet as she has this stamp set but hasn't really used it much as yet so this is what we made.

I love this card but can not take credit for the design - I cased it from a card I saw on SCS by 'bobkitten' I did give it a little twist of my own though - here's the recipe if you want to slap one together for yourself.

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White & Confetti WhiteInkpads: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, Mellow Moss Stamps: Bodacious Bouquet & Simple Sayings II
Accessories: Navy Organdy Ribbon, Double Rectangle Punch

Stamp the smaller flowers around the edges of your folded Bashful Blue card. I used the stamping off technique to get different tones of Bashful Blue ink. Then stamp the crocus flower onto Whisper White, once using Ballet Blue and once with Bashful Blue. The third stamping of the crocus flower is 'KISSED' ... to do this technique you need to ink up a patterned background stamp (here I used the Paisley stamp and Night of Navy ink) then stamp your crocus onto the ink on the background stamp - kinda like using the stamp as your inkpad - then stamp the crocus onto Whisper White - you will find that the flower has the pattern of the background stamp. Stamp the leaves in Mellow Moss onto Whisper White and then cut out all of your pieces - I left an outline of white all around each piece - I think it gives great definition to each element of the bouquet. Stamp the curly stem onto Confetti White cardstock using Mellow Moss ink and then sponge the edges of the piece with Bashful Blue. Assemble your flower arrangement and adhere to Confetti White. Next is the fun part - Line up the Double Rectangle punch along the stem and punch. Then follow Marelle's tutorial for the 'Faux Bow' - very clever :) Thanks Marelle. Layer the completed piece onto Night of Navy card and stick to your card front. Stamp your sentiment at the bottom of the card and you're done.

All the products used here are from Stampin' Up! and are available to order from me !!

Challenged by the Elite

2007-10-11T17:39:00.001+08:00

The Elite Stampers are all Stampin' Up! downline of Angela Sargeant - and I'm one of them :) Every month Alisa sets challenges for us which are often colour combinations or a particular stamp set or a sketch layout. This month I combined the sketch challenge with the colour combination challenge and this is what I came up with.

I have used "Scribble This" & "Floral Background" stamps and also the Happy Birthday from "It's Your Birthday" The cardstock and ink colours are Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore and Cool Caribbean - I've also used the inkpads to colour my images with an Aquapainter. Each time I use my Cuttlebug I fall more and more in love with it - well what's not to love when you see the added WOW factor it has on your projects. The scalloped circle is punched with my Marvy Giga punch.

Be sure to check out the Elite Challenges blog to see the fantastic work of the other members of the Elite Stampers. You'll be inspired - I promise :)

Simple but Sweet

2007-10-07T17:39:00.002+08:00

For "Seniors Week" our local council have arranged many different activities and events. I have been asked to do a cardmaking demo/class at a local library and these are the cards we will be making.

The snowman card on the left uses Stampin' Up! Festive Favorites & Snowflake Spots stamp sets. I stamped snowflakes in Bashful Blue and Brocade Blue ink onto Whisper White cardstock and have also dry embossed the background with Cuttlebug's snowflake folder which gives a great dimension to the card. The main card is Bordering Blue and the feature strip is Brocade Blue. The snowmen are coloured with an aquapen and Bashful Blue ink - their hats and scarves are coloured with the fine tip of the Bold Bright Markers and then matted on a piece of Bashful Blue card before adhereing to the Brocade Blue strip. Stamp the sentiment and attach two pieces of ribbon with cute little silver brads to complete the card. Simple :)

The card on the right is equally simple using "Peaceful Wishes from Stampin' Up!. Made with a base card of Mellow Moss and embellishments of Ruby Red and Kraft cardstock. Stamp the mistletoe from "Peaceful Wishes" with Mellow Moss ink onto the base card, remember to stamp off in a few places to get that multi toned effect. Stamp the pine sprig three times with True Thyme ink onto the Kraft card - again stamping off to create the two-toned effect. Stamp the berries in Ruby Red ink and sponge the edges of the piece with True Thyme ink. Stamp 'Peaceful Wishes' in Basic Black ink on Kraft card and again, sponge with True Thyme. Matt onto Ruby Red card and adhere to base card. See! Simple! :)

Hope you like them both - as usual, all products used for these cards are available from me - all except the Cuttlebug, you'll have to get that from your LSS.

All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1999-2007

A masculine card - for a change

2007-10-03T01:45:00.002+08:00

This is the card I made for my brother Rob for his birthday - some of you will recognise it as it's one we have made in our Tuesday class.

I used Stampin' Up! Weathered background, Rough Texture wheel & Artifacts stamp sets. The cardstock and inks used are Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla and More Mustard. I used my Cuttlebug Script Embossing Folder on the Creamy Caramel card and then gently sponged over the raised areas with Creamy Caramel ink. A little touch of Crystal Effects to highlight the star, a brad or two here and there finishes off the card really well. The happy birthday is from the Warmest Regards hostess set.

Happy Stampin'

Tina

Scribble This

2007-08-06T22:26:00.002+08:00

This is a card I made with the ' Scribble' jumbo wheel from the new Stampin' Up! mini catalogue.

I used Cool Carribean, Black & Confetti White cardstock, the flower and the scrolls are from the 'Scribble This' stamp set. I stamped the scrolls with Cool Carribean ink. The 'Scribble' wheel was used with Basic Black ink to create the main feature of the card. I coloured in the wheeled panel with Bold Brights markers and watercoloured the flower with Ballet Blue, Pixie Pink, Summer Sun & Orchid Opulence inks, direct from the inkpad lid. I then accented the flower with Crystal Effects and adhered to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. The Happy Birthday stamp is from the 'It's Your Birthday' stamp set. Thanks to Marelle for the inspiration for this card.

All of the products used are Stampin' Up! products and are available from me by email tinadickman@bigpond.com

Great card layout

2007-06-19T22:17:00.003+08:00

Well this one was pretty hard to photograph but really great fun to make.....It's a Flap Fold card (credit goes to Judy Jackson for the layout) and although it's a bit of mucking about to cut all the bits, it turns out beautifully and is well worth the fiddling around. You can make this type of card for anyone, guys or girls....it just depends on your colour scheme and how you decorate it.

The stamp set I used for this one is Stampin' Up!s 'Delight in Life' Apricot Appeal & Really Rust ink pads...and...Apricot Appeal, Really Rust & Whisper White cardstock. I ran the Whisper White cardstock through my Cuttlebug to make the embossed piece and then gently sponged the raised areas with Apricot Appeal ink to highlight.

If you'd like the cutting dimensions to make this card, email me or leave comments here and I will happily send them to you.

Happy Stampin' :)

All images © Stampin' Up! ® 1990-2007

Card for Dad's Birthday

2007-06-14T15:09:00.001+08:00

I woke up this morning and realised that it's my Dad's birthday today and I hadn't made his card yet....so.....I raced into my craft room and got busy. This is what I came up with

I used Stampin' Up!s - 'Lexicons Of Love' & 'Weathered' background The happy birthday tag is from the 'Terrific Tags' hostess set. Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla & More Mustard ink and cardstock, finished off with a bit of linen thread and a brad......nice

Two Step & Wet Watercolour

2007-06-13T22:54:00.001+08:00

I havn't updated this blog for ages.....sorry !! but, I have been busy catching up with work since returning from holidays and trying to get creative hasn't been easy for this little bunny... :) Well, it's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. This is the card I made yesterday in the workshop I hold at my place every Tuesday.

To make this card I used two step stamping & the wet watercolour technique. To do this, you just load up your stamp with ink and spritz your cardstock with water before you stamp onto it. The water disperses the ink, giving it a watercolour effect. Then let the cardstock dry (use heat gun if you don't have time to airdry) and stamp over the watercolour with the detail stamp. I used Stampin' Write markers direct to the stamp for this step, then roughed up the edges of the cardstock with the distressing tool on the Cutter Kit - very handy litte tools.

Also used : Heartfelt Thanks stamp set, Print Pattern background stamp, Mellow Moss cardstock and ink, Garden Green cardstock and ink, Very Vanilla cardstock and copper cord.

All of these products are available from Stampin' Up! and you can purchase them by emailing me here

All images © Stampin' Up! 1990-2007

Technique Tuesday

2007-02-28T01:35:00.001+09:00

Today we made trifold cards. I love how I can make these cards apply to any occasion by changing the colours or main image.
I don't know the true name of the technique I used to make the background paper but I opened a plastic laminating pouch and squished ink (two colours) directly from the ink pad onto the inside of the plastic, one colour per side. Then closed the pouch and blended the inks together, the air bubbles caught between the plastic sheets create the design on your cardstock. Place two pieces of glossy white cardstock back to back and open the inked plastic sheets. Carefully place the cardstock onto the inked area and close the top layer of plastic over the glossy card. Use your hand or a brayer to press the ink onto the cardstock. Peel the top plastic layer back and remove your new background paper. The dye inks will dry instantly on glossy cardstock. You can also try the same technique on Whisper White cardstock for a slightly different finish.

This card uses Lavender Lace and Almost Amethyst ink pads and cardstock, also a little Pretty in Pink and Whisper White cardstock to add a colourful contrast. The stamps are from 'In Full Bloom' & 'Happy Harmony' stamp sets and the ribbon is Stampin' Up! Pale Pink grosgrain. Flower image is coloured using an aquapainter and Watercolour Wonder crayons and is lightly sponged around the edges in Lavender Lace ink. The background is made using glossy white cardstock.

This card is made using Pumkin Pie, Apricot Appeal & Whisper White cardstock and inks with a little Old Olive ink to highlight the design. The background technique was used on Whisper White cardstock instead of glossy and the effect is quite different. The stamps I used are from 'Happy Harmony' & 'Sincere Salutations' stamp sets.All of the Stampin' Up! products I used to create these gorgeous cards are available from myself. Email me! for further details about the techniques used or to purchase Stampin' Up! products.

All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2007

Fun With Backgrounds

2007-02-21T04:10:00.002+09:00

Every Tuesday my friends and I get together for a cardmaking morning. This is what we came up with today.

Both cards are made from Stampin' Up!s Confetti Cream cardstock and use Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa Classic Stampin' Pads. For the card on the left, I used the Cheesecloth background and Natural Beauty stamp sets and coloured the flowers and butterfly with a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels.

For the card on the right, I use the Weathered background and stamps from the Ancient Asia and Art of the Orient sets and coloured also with the Stampin' Pastels and blender pen. The Good Luck stamp is from the Sincere Salutations set. I used my favorite sponging technique to enhance the stamped elements of both cards.

All of the products (and more) used to create these cards are available from me :) and the lovely people in my Stampin' Up! family :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2007

Loving Roses

2007-01-29T15:48:00.005+09:00

On Thursday night, my Stampin' Up!group had our very first CyberStamp - and although I wasn't able to take part, I still did a couple of the challenges over the weekend.

This card is made using the Stampin' Up! Stipple Rose stamp, Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy & More Mustard cardstock, and is coloured with Watercolour Wonder Crayons. I also used a little gold cord to trim the card and stamped a sentiment from the 'Happy Harmony' set which is a Sell-A-Bration FREE set, available until 26th February. You can choose one of four FREE stamp sets every time you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! products. HOW GOOD IS THAT.... For more info you can contact me anytime at tinadickman@iprimus.com.au

I had a great time making this card,. I just love my Watercolour Crayons and think they highlight the Stipple Rose perfectly.

All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2007