Little Paper Shop Challenge

Another colour challenge from the Little Paper Shop.  This one is red, white and black and could include Valentine's Cards if wanted.  I chose to do a Birthday Card. It is inspired from a card seen in the UK magazine Cards - January 2010, although the colours have been changed and I gave it more of a amateur feel!  I now notice my stamping is well off-centre with the small flower as well - didn't think it was too bad while I was putting it all together! Anyway, here it is...........

I used a SU stamp set called Think Happy Thoughts and SU Whisper White paper, SU Black paper, SU Riding Hood Red paper and ink.  The red glitter on the cake is a cheap rought chopped glitter and the and the ribbon is ......ribbon! Background Paper was from a DCWV  All dressed Up matstack.  Red Kaiser pearls and and SU Circle Scallop punch outlined with black marker makes the flowers, and the base was embossed with a Cuttlebug folder Swiss Dots. The cake and the flowers were also embossed with a Hearts folder from Cuttlebug. That's the advertising! 


I also made a card for my eldest grandchild's 17th birthday yesterday - how old does that make me feel! I used a SugarNellie stamp  - Lola with Gift - I have had for a few months but not yet inked up - it is for winter rather than summer but the little girl is cute, so I went with it anyway  (don't you love the way these stamps from Sugar Nellie come with an Adoption Certificate??!) Pink of course  - she is a pink and purple girl - and I tried to keep it simple. I used my SU markers to colour her in and the SU set Congrats for the sentiment. It was completed with a large Prima Flower Embellisment. Papers were from the scrap section of the stash - and the foam numbers were Thickers. It was all based onto a  SU Pink Pirouette card.  That's it today folks - my HUB is waiting for me to create the stirfry for dinner, so had better shake those tail feathers!

More Valentines....

I found some acetate sheets and so had to make another box, but this time I thought I would make it for Valentines Day rather than Easter, so I fiddled with the templates and created this!

It is filled with Colombines, and as their packaging is pink and blue (girls and boys?) I decided to stay with those colours and use a blue card insert (SU Tempting Turquoise) and some paper from a ministack from Creativ - Romance Series (it was pink!) I picked up cheaply at K-Mart. I stamped a stamp from SU's I (heart) Hearts using SU ink Pink Passion rolled in Ballet Blue and then stamped on Whisper White card and cut out. The ribbon solved the way I was going to close the box as I had not allowed quite enough foldover to keep the lid down and was contemplating having to use sticky fixes when I realised I could use the SU punch and thread the ribbon through it and tie a bow on the top! Easy-peasy....

I used a Waltzing Mouse sentiment stamp on the back from the Sweetheart set.

Then I thought I would put up some cards I made a few weeks ago using a paper that was free in the back of my magazine Australian Scrapbooking Memories - it was very muted pastels and pretty design with heart flowers and nice swirls.  I had several different bird stamps and I saw a card in another magazine that used a stamped bird image on a printed background.  So I got them all out and had a play.  This is what happened.

This card used stamps from SU set called Always and a sentiment from Waltzing Mouse's set Blessed by You.  A few flowers, some SU Chocolate Chip ink and it was done!  I put the paper front onto a long card made from SU Very Vanilla. 

Same paper background but from the other end so colours were different.  Here I used a stamp from Elusive Images that was free on the UK magazine Craft Stamper recently.  I tried to stamp over the existing heart on the pattern and then used the flowers over the blue hearts on the pattern. The ink was Su Chocolate Chip. The white flower has a pearl centre and the sentiment comes from Waltzing Mouse - Blessed by You again.  A bit of green organzy ribbon to finish and I thought it looked quite good! the background card is a piece of blue bazzil and then this is attached to a card created from SU Confetti White. You could use this card for Valentines if you wanted to or simply as a Thank You card.

The third card was made by stamping many flower stamps I have from a variety of places (too many to name) and a little bird from T J Designs - Song Birds set.  Add some flowers and some jewel brads from SU, backed the grey paper on a piece of green scrap and then all of it on another piece of the background paper and stamped 'thank you' from the SU set For a Friend, mounted it all on a white card blank and 'Bob's your Uncle'!

A Sketch Challenge

I have been doing a challenge across at the Little Paper Shop and have made several for the sketch challenge ending tonight, none that I really like - but I have decided to put this one in anyway. 

I have used paper from the my booklet of DCWV Adhesive Paper prints and a chipboard sentiment from a set that was a freeby on a magazine a few years ago and has been hanging around for ever in my stash.  The flowers, a button to match, some scrap orange bazil and the stamped sentiment from my SU set One of a Kind was also included. I used SU pumpkin Pie ink to stamp it and a commercial card blank. Nothing inside it yet. There is a scalloped circle behind the flower but my SU punch was not big enough to show clearly. I struggled with  this sketch and didn't know whether to case the design or use it as an inspiration and so my card is not very inspiring - no 'mojo'. However, 'here tis'.

On a Roll.................

While I was on a roll, I also made another card that is from a template off Splitcoaststampers called an easel card.  Again this is 'cased' from Crafty Squirrel. 

The card is SU card - YoYo Yellow - and a Bazzil card scrap of green.  The edging on the bottom of the green was punched using a Fiskar's punch. The yellow card has been embossed by a Cuttlebug folder Hearts and the green card through a Cuttlebug folder Floral Fantasy.  The circle was cut out and embossed using a Spellbinders nestie - standard circles small. The heart is stamped in SU Riding Hood Red on Whisper White card and then cut out and layered on another stamped heart, from the same SU set - I (heart) Hearts. The first heart was then coated in Dimentional Magic to make it shine and pop. The sentiment on the red circle is stamped with white ink and embossed and comes from Waltzing Mouse's set Sweethearts. The glittery 'love' word is in foam and came in a packet of pink lips and pink and red hearts, all glittery, from K- Mart. Three bits of bling were added to also make it pop. and some ribbon. 

Inside the card is some marbled paper and another heart. The ribbon keeps the card from sliding shut and makes the front sit up, like on an easel!!

I think I would do this in another colour combo next time - I was really just using scraps I had to hand with the embossed card, and the red circle and it seems a little stark. However,.....that's it folks!

It's HOT and muggy here, and overcast.....but I'm thinking Easter

I have the fan going in the craft room and the air conditioner going upstairs and I am still HOT. However, the washing is dry and the vegies are growing - there have to be some consolations!

I purchased several rolls of ribbon somewhere lately - I think it was K Mart - in an acetate box with a card inserted in the top to hold it all in place which told you who made it etc.  When I took out the ribbon rolls, I found the template for this was easily copied and conceived the idea of making an insert for Easter and filling the box with eggs for a gift. The insert had a small box on the top and then a long flap that inserted down one side of the box, leaving three sides clear to view the contents.  I then also took the box apart and copied the template for that as well with the idea of making some more boxes from scratch and not just recycling!  All I need to do is find out where I can get some acetate. I have a limited number of Easter stamps, so used them  - and here it is:

This is the original insert which I used as a template

This is my insert, looking at it from underneath - I thought I could write on the long down piece

Sorry this is blurred but this is the other side of the down piece and will be viewed from outside the box

This is the top of the insert, and will be viewed from through the top of the box

And this is what the box looks like with the insert but without the goodies at this stage. 

I put a bit of yellow card around the sides of the top but you could write greetings or do more stamping.  I used some DCWV Adhesive paper prints scrap to back the stamped image on the down strip.  The stamp was purchased at the $2 shop a few years ago and I coloured it with SU pens and then put some glue on the chicks and sprinkled various colours of glitter over each one to make them shine a little! The top image is from a rubber stamp that was a freebie several years ago from the magazine Craft Stamper (from the UK - I have a subscription to this now and the stamps are now polymer and are original designs from some of the better stamp designers in the UK - I love getting it each month). The image was also coloured with SU pens and the card is SU Whisper White.

I made another Easter card as well, from a template I looked up on the Splitcoaststampers site. It is a 'case'  from Crafty Squirrel.  Again, I was limited with the stamps available, and the card I used is too thin really to support this shape but I will make it again now I know how to do it. I stuffed up the sentiment section and had to cover over the mistake with paper and just wrote on the paper piece rather than stamp anything - I really need to get some good Easter stamps! The circle contains an image from the silly chicks, cut out and glued onto SU Whisper White, and then onto a circle in SU Riding Hood Red.  The kissing chicks were similarly layered and both images were coloured in using SU markers. The paper is scrap from somewhere and the yellow card is from a pile given to me - and I have no idea of maker.  It is not as strong as SU card however.

Valentines Day Offering

I have been blog-hopping today and have seen so many lovely Valentines Day cards.  Now, here in Australia we do not celebrate this day as much as it is in USA and now UK, but we are aware of it.  I have been able to purchase some truly beautiful stamps from Waltzing Mouse that I have been dying to use, and so I have dived in with this one:

The card is made from SU craft, and the front is layered on SU Riding Hood Red card, SU Chocolate Brown card while the top layer is a photocopy from a book, aged with Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo. I drew faux stitches around this with a brown pen.   The ink used on the sentiment is SU Chocolate Chip. The heart is a Kaiser Craft chipboard one, coloured with SU Riding Hood ink. I ended up stapling the ribbon onto the heart so that I could tie a proper bow with the ribbon.  I used SU Very Vanilla card to stamp on and edged it with Chocolate Chip and layered it on some red card as well. It didn't look finished so I added some bling.  The sentiment comes from the Waltzing Mouse set Sweethearts.

Inside the card I put a white paper insert with a red heart stamped from SU I (heart) Hearts.

It was such a lovely day yesterday, I went for a walk around our area.  We live on the side of a hill on the edge of the river Derwent. I walked the trail around the hill (about 2.5 ks) and took some photos to show you our lovely spot.

Are you envious yet?  Cheers! Thanks for dropping by.

Forgot to Boast....

Also, very exciting news - our 14 year old granddaughter Hettie went to the National Scout Jamboree in Sydney earlier in January along with over 13 000 other young people.  She decided to enter their Idol competiton and suprised herself by getting through the auditions to be accepted into the final by beating over 230 other young hopefuls.  She was singing 'Colours of the Wind".  And then guess what....SHE WON THE COMPETITON!  Came home 2 weeks ago and was as sick as a proverbial dog (tummy bug and exhaustion) but still had time to talk to her press!

So, how is that for a boast!  See her article on the ABC website this week:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/01/28/2803996.htm?site=hobart

Yeah, Yeah I know.....

Late again.  However, I have been busy and not that much time for playing. The family from Canberra have been visiting us for a week and a houseful of 4 year old boy and a 6 year old  sister + parents is different from just me and HUB.....plobably (as Mr 4 would say)! So lovely to see them all though and such a great time had by all. Even enjoyed being jumped on at an early hour in the morning ("...don't look at me Ninny, I am not going to do anything"......oh yeah, sure Jack!)

We even did some crafting on several occasions and they stamped, coloured in and painted with a vengence. In fact they left behind some of the paintings (using images from clip art on the computer and watercolour pencils, water and paintbrushes), and I thought I would make them some cards to give to their friends from them and post them off to Canberra.  So, simple and quick but they look quite good really and Jack was inside the lines most of the time - his colour scheme was interesting and adventurous, while Lily's work also showed origionality! I have attached a few samples from the dozen I made - Jack's choice of images were 'doggies' and trucks' and Lily wanted flowers and unicorns.

I wrote on the cards and used a stamp from a cheap set I purchase several years ago as well as scrap papers and left over card

This is inside of the blue dog card.

Lily's two cards were commercial blanks, and scrap paper, SU stamps and the same plastic stamp used on Jacks, with Stazon black ink.

I have been making other cards for birthdays but usually running late and delivering them before taking a photo.  Also playing lots of card games on the computer and reading books.  HUB had a quick visit to hospital as well (all OK), so life has been interesting!  I do hope to get back into production and back to writing regularly in the blog as well. Here's hoping!!! Cheers,

Time, it sure does fly................

Whew! Is it that long ago since I posted!!! Guess I better get back to a routine and start posting in a more regualr manner. What have I been doing? Well, making over 120 Christmas cards for ourselves and getting them posted out, as well as over 30 for other people; celebrating granddaughter's birthdays; and family Christmas both here and in Melbourne; organising these same things and getting the Santa presents ready and wrapped; celebrating my MIL's 96th birthday as well on Christmas Eve; then my HUB's 75th on the 30th; entertaining visitors and house guests; gardening; nothing; volunteering (did you know I won a boy's 24" bike in a raffle over Christmas from the hospital where I volunteer? Out grandson will benefit from that eventually!); reading.........guess that is how the time goes!

So a collage of photo's from that time:

Sunset from the lounge room

Portulaquer's (??!) in the tub in the carport

Tassie really is a beautiful place - Marion Bay from the Wylanta Road - where I grew up!

The winning boat (over the line) in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, tied up in Hobart - Alpha Romeo and the inside of the shed at the Taste of Tasmania Food Festival - there were lots of tables outside as well. Lovely grub and wines.....this was just after Boxing Day, before the New Year and is an annual event (both of them!).  Over the next two days all the ret of the various fleets of racing boats came in - the Launceston to Hobart and the Melbourne to Hobart, and the whole area was a sea of masts and boaties!

My 14 yr old Granddaughter's birthday card - thanks to Lynda's Mum (Crafty Squirrel) that I can make these......

Some of the Christms cards I made - if you want the name of the stamps and embellishments/papers, please contact me, but I am not going to write them in at this stage.

Ready to send out the cards - I shifted to my Dining table to do it as it was such a big job; took me all day!

Busy, Busy, Busy.......

Just doing what I don't rightly know.  I have been supervising Year 11/12 exams in the last couple of days but before that, I don't really know what I have been doing except I have been busy! I have made lots of Christmas cards, as well as a couple of birthday card - lot of people with a zero in their birth year this year - from 40 to 60!

this card was for my dear friend Adele - who is more than several years younger than me I might add! The front of this card used a paper that came as a freebie in a scrapbooking magazine.  I used a  rubber stamp I purchased that had to be mounted using EZfoam, one of about a dozen I got several years ago when I first began to stamp.  It is hard to ink up, as it has a very fine surface, and you need to stamp off several times before you can get a good image. A bit of ribbon, some bling and the numbers (American Craft Thickers - Prancer) and the outside was completed. It  had the somber feel I was after - and I then needed to make the inside brighter and more joyous!

Again, the paper was a freebie - it took me ages to locate what paper I wanted as I needed something light and expressing a sense of fun, but after trawling though all my papers and offcuts, this seemed perfect. I then began to stamp it.  I had stamped another of the flat rubber stamps, and again had trouble with it as it kept getting ink pooled into the corners but this would have to do.  I tried to use my corner stamp expressing delight (a clear polymer one got in the days when I didn't record the names of stamps or store them well) but the slight raised edge on the picture meant I didn't gt a clear stamp.  However the sentiment was OK - one of those funny ones from Ann-ticipations - and a few stickers to complete the picture!  Adele replied that she wasn't sure about going to heaven, but I think she will be OK!

The next birthday girl was ten years younger again! I think I am feeling my age......however, I struggled on and used another one of the flat rubber stamps and got a good clear image. Stamped using Basic Black from SU on cream paper (SU), and liked the clean look of the image on the thick cream paper by itself, so just left it 'centre stage' as it is. 

Again, I used a funny sentiment stamp inside, by stamping onto the insert. This one is from Inky Antics. Some sticker numbers and rub-on for the HB and it was done.

My third card in the zero's was for my friends 60th birthday.  Again, I went to my funny stamps, and used this Clear Art Stamp  from Shirly's2Girls (I love their stamps) for the card.

I used some paper from one of the Hot Off the Press Cardmaker's Instant Card booklets, and coloured the image with SU markers. I added a little bling to make it sparkle!

That's it folks - must rush, I have a meeting and then we are flying to Melbourne for a funeral!  Cheers,