Friendship Blooms: Sale-A-Bration 2008

Ok, so I'm feeling like I missed the mark just a bit on this one. Do you ever have those cards that you start, and you really want them to succeed, but it seems that they are doomed from the start? Well, this one was like that. It took forever...and the reason for that was probably that it just wasn't working...but I went on valiantly, trying to force a round peg through a square hole. I'm putting it up here because I wanted you to know that I tried. I promise I did. Really hard! I'm looking forward to starting something new and fresh tonight though ;-).



The colours (and herein lies my problem I think) are Brocade Blue, So Saffron and Rose Red. I thought they looked ok together when I started...

The Stamps are from the very pretty Friendship Blooms set, part of this year's Sale-A-Bration selection. The ribbons are from the Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals, not available in Oz yet...I got them as a gift, and they're from the US. The Brad is also not available here...but I have my fingers crossed for next year ;-).

Merci: Sale-A-Bration 2008

This little card looked like it would be nice for Valentine's Day. The colours used are Ballet Blue, Ruby Red and Summer Sun. The flower and heart stamps are from the Merci SAB set. The 'With All My Heart' sentiment is from the Lots of Thoughts SAB set. On the background I have stamped the flower in Ballet Blue Classic Ink, then I have added a dab of Two-Way Glue Stick to each of the flower petals and sprinkled on some Dazzling Diamonds. The Ruby Red layer is mounted on Dimensionals. The Summer Sun layer has been wheeled in Marigold Morning ink using the Speckled jumbo wheel. The brads in the corners are Ballet Blue.

The next layer is Watercolour Paper. It is also mounted on Dimensionals. I have used Black Stazon to stamp on this layer. The central image has been coloured using Ballet Blue, Ruby Red and Summer Sun Watercolour Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter. I have dabbed Two-Way Glue over the flower centre and applied Dazzling Diamonds here too! And that's it :-)

My mosaic mural

Okay, so this is not about cardmaking or scrapbooking...it is mosaic tiling, and it is a little project I started on Christmas day. I used to have this wall in the backyard that I was tiling. I am no pro at this...I just collected scraps of broken plates, and old tiles and wacked them up with some tile adhesive. Anyway, I had this really nice spot, and then we decided to extend the house, so my beautiful wall was knocked over. I have a photo of what I'd done...but I might not go looking for it, I don't want to compare this current job to it, and be disappointed.

Anyway, on Christmas day I decided that it was time to suck it up and start again. I was going great guns until today, I asked hubby (who was busy hacking breather holes in the back deck he made) what he thought of my creation so far (why do I keep hitting my head on that hard brick wall?). He was pretty unexcited. His comments to me indicated that he couldn't even tell what it was...what's that all about? I asked my 3.5 year old, and she could see the sun, the two butterflies, and four flowers...is it really that obscure?



There is lots to be done here. It is nowhere near finished. I will be infilling the spaces and doing whatever else comes to mind as I go along. There is no real plan, I just use the colours and shapes as I get to them. I won't grout it until the very end.

As an aside...I went down to Bunnings today to buy some tiles (I haven't been throwing so many plates at the walls these days, so my supply of smashed crockery is at an all-time low ;-), and I half filled up a little hand-basket with a bunch of tiles, in a myriad of colours. I was thinking that because they were all the same price, it wouldn't be a problem. WRONG, no es correcto, nuh-uh! Each colour had its own code, and the poor girl on the tile desk had to come back with me and write them all down for me to take to the cash register...Oooops! The girl on the register then had to fat finger in the 7 digit code and quantity for each of the 15 different colours I had selected (can you guess how many unhappy faces were in the queue behind me by the time she was done. COME ON! Get a life people!! Its Christmas :-). I really hate that uncomfortable hot feeling you get when you know 8 pairs of eyes are focussed on the back of your head and thinking ill thoughts...KWIM?

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my mural. Thanks for looking.
Sam.

My last Christmas Card for 2007...

This card will be my last Christmas card for 2007...probably ;-).



This card looks better IRL IMO. It is hard to see the stamping on the background cardstock, so you'll have to take my word for it that I have stamped one of the greetings from Handle With Care on the Real Red, in Real Red ink. The next two layers, Very Vanilla and Brushed Gold are mounted on Dimensionals. The small Real Red layer is also mounted on Dimensionals, and has gold brads in the corners.

I've used the large square punch to punch squares of Brushed Gold, and then the small square punch to punch squares of Watercolor paper. I've stamped the penguin from Sleigh Full of Toys in black Stazon on the Watercolour paper, and coloured using the Aquapainter and Watercolour Wonder Crayons (Grey and White [both from the Neutrals pack], and Real Red and Old Olive).

The Brushed Gold squares are mounted on Dimensionals. In fact, there are about 22 Dimensionals on this card...YIKES! I have wrapped Gold Cord right around the upper layers, and tied it in a bow. I have then tied a second bow around the first...to give it a bit more 'bow' volume.

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas! Best wishes for the New Year.
Sam.

Birthday Whimsy

Did you know that taking a photo of a card with Dazzling Diamonds on the front is really hard? The auto-focus was having a spack attack...and I can only think that the glitter was causing it serious grief. I ended up having to spot focus on a brad, then move the camera and take the shot.



The stamp set is Birthday Whimsy, and it is one of our Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration sets for 2008!

The colours of this card are Tempting Turquoise, Orchid Opulence, Only Orange and Whisper White. I have stamped various images from Birthday Whimsy onto Whisper White cardstock in Tempting Turquoise, Orchid Opulence and Only Orange ink. Even though I stamped each off two times first, I still thought the final thing was too vivid, so I have layered a piece of Vellum cardstock over the top and anchored it with silver brads from the Vintage set.

The Orchid Opulence layer has been Cuttlebugged. The Only Orange layer is mounted on Dimnesionals, as is the Tempting Turquoise layer. I have 'wrapped' the lower layers in Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain. I dabbed a little two-way glue pen on the candles and around the base of the centre-piece cake and sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds onto it. The Dazzling Diamonds actually ended up sticking everywhere as the Only Orange ink was so juicy it hadn't dried yet. ETA...once the Only Orange ink had dried the excess glitter all came off...and went EVERYWHERE :-(.

This card is a birthday card for my hubby. I am really pleased with how it turned out. Its also a bit new for me in that I've used LOTS of Bold Brights. I am not usually a Bold Brights girl at all!

ETA: I received a light tent from hubby for Christmas...so now I can take schmick-o pics like the one below...well this is the theory, at any rate ;-).

Festive Favorites and Handle With Care

I like layers on my cards! Lots of layers...can you tell? ;-)

The colours on this card are Real Red, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Old Olive and Watercolour paper...which is off white. I have stamped the Season's Greetings stamp from Handle With Care on the background cardstock, in Real Red ink. The Very Vanilla cardstock has been Cuttlebugged, and stuck on the Kraft layer, and the two layers have been mounted on the Real Red with Dimensionals.

The Old Olive and small Real Red layer are also mounted on Dimensionals. The Festive Favourites Christmas Tree Tag has been stamped in Stazon, on Watercolour paper and punched out using the Tag punch. I've coloured it using Watercolour Wonder Crayons, and mounted them on Dimensionals as well! I have tied a small bow in Gold Cord and stuck it on the tag with half a Glue Dot. The Round Tab is in Old Olive, and mounted using two Real Red dimensionals (ETA: yeah right!! I mean brads...red dimensionals...DOH! ;-). The 'Celebrate' sentiment is from Everyday Flexible Phrases.

Glue Globs....a photo tutorial on what they are, and their removal :-)

You may think I am having you on here...but this is SERIOUS business, and a topic which I recently commissioned myself to research thoroughly. The thesis/dissertation is on its way (don't go holding your breath), but I have made such an important breakthrough that I though I would share it here with you, in the form of my FIRST EVER BLOG TUTORIAL! ZOWIE CAVEY!!!!!! I bet you are excited.

GLUE GLOBS AND THEIR REMOVAL

I bet you are asking yourself...What is a GLUE GLOB? Ask me something hard!! (if you are not asking yourself this, why are you reading this post?).


They are a small, parasitic GLOB of SNAIL adhesive (AKA GLUE) which accumulates on the edge of either the upper or lower tape surface on my (and possibly your...) beloved SNAIL adhesive dispenser.


I find their presence very frustrating and worrisome, as when I use my SNAIL adhesive dispenser to make projects, the GLUE tends to adhere preferentially to the GLOB, rather than attaching to my project. I have called this phenomenon Preferential GLOBing, and it results in an increasingly large GLUE GLOB on the dispenser, and only a partial line of GLUE on my project...and significantly reduces the GLUEing capabilities of said GLUE....IMO.

DO NOT DESPAIR :-). There is a solution, and it does not involve nasty smelling shampoo! Take a thin sharp object. I personally prefer a pair of scissors, Teflon coated scissors are jolly excellent for this job as you will find the GLUE GLOB disengages from these with ease!


If you can't find your Teflon coated scissors, like me, any old pair of scissors will do.

Manipulating the scissors with the precision and care you would employ to cut a fine embellishment for your card front, poke at the GLUE GLOB with the pointy end! Eventually it will all come out of there.



And, surprisingly...that is all there is to it! You will find your SNAIL dispenser GLUE GLOB-free, and ready to roll.

I personally recommend you check for GLUE GLOBS at frequent intervals, you can never be to cautious. These are horrid little things, wasting away your precious GLUE, and decreasing the sticking-together capability of your beautiful handmade projects.

If you have any questions or comments on today's tutorial please don't hesitate to contact me.

...another Christmas Card from me

The colours are Old Olive, Real Red and Very Vanilla. The stamp set is...that is such a good question, I will have to go look that up...back again, Holiday Spirit (it is not like I haven't used this set about 15 times this season, you'd think I'd know what it was called).

The Christmas trees are stamped on Water Colour Paper in black Stazon and Water coloured using an Aquapainter and Water Colour Wonder Crayons (Old Olive, Garden Green and Real Red). I've punched them out using the Tag Punch, and mounted them on dimensionals. There is also Gold Cord (which I am almost out of...approx. 60 m later [not 60 m on this card though ;-]).

Last, but not least, are the red blingy things that I have stuck on the Christmas trees. They are Renoir Embellishments (from my LSS). If you know how to glue these little guys onto a card without getting glue all over yourself, your desk and your project...I sure would like to hear from you. I tried the tweezers from the Stampin' Up! Toolkit. They didn't do the job...in fact, they acted more like a supercharged slingshot...and I had these little things - all glued up and flying about the room. NOT FUN!!!

BTW: Yes, I DO have a Stamp-a-ma-Jig. I just felt like free-handing those 'Happy Christmases' in. Remember, there are no mistakes in cardmaking, just FEATURES and different ways of doing things. This is a FEATURE...it is called 'wobbling words' :-).

Time Well Spent

This beautiful stamp set, Time Well Spent, arrived in my mailbox yesterday. It was a special 'thank you' gift to all Stampin' Up! demonstrators from the very generous Co-Founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!, Shelli Gardner. Shelli, if you happen to be reading my blog, THANK YOU SO MUCH...I love this stamp set!

This card is, in my opinion, a little bit hippy and a little bit Christmas :-).



The colours are Old Olive and Real Red. The stamps on the background cardstock are stamped in Old Olive. The feature panel is on Glossy White cardstock. I have stamped the flowers from Time Well Spent in Versamark ink on the Glossy Cardstock, then brayered over it using the Pumpkin Patch Spectrum Pad. I wiped off the excess ink from the versamarked images afterwards, with a tissue. This is the first time I have used a brayer (and Spectrum Pad), and I only tried it after watching several video tutorials on Linda Heller's awesome site Stamping School.com. The small joining fee is well worth it :-).

The ribbon is Black Gingham, and the sentiment down the bottom has been stamped in Basic Black and highlighted with a white gel pen.

BTW - This set will be available from next April, as a Level 3 Hostess Set in our new Idea Book and Catalogue 2008|2009. So, if you want it too....start planning your workshop ;-).

Origami Christmas Tree in Holiday Thyme

This little Christmas card is the second make n' take at an upcoming Stampin' Up! Christmas workshop I am doing, the first being the Christmas Criss-Cross card I put up last week.



It is 4' x 4', with a background card in Old Olive, a layer of Cranberry Crisp and a layer of Confetti Cream. The Christmas Tree is three folded squares of Holiday Thyme Designer Series paper. There is a great tutorial for making these trees on Juliann's blog Pixie Too.

I have used a gold brad as the top-of-tree ornament, and tied some gold cord around it and frayed the ends with scissors. The tree trunk is Cranberry Crisp, and it has been 'roughed-up' also using the scissor tips. The Cranberry Crisp layer has been distressed using the distresser on the Stampin' Up! cutter kit (which I love - it is so easy to carry around, and takes up very little space on the table). The 'Season's Greetings' sentiment is from the Many Merry Messages stamp set, and has been stamped in Old Olive ink.

Au Chocolat Pinwheel

Sounds yummy eh?

You may have noticed that in addition to my appreciation of all things ribbony (add that one to your dictionaries girls ;-), I also love all things floral and Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous Designer Series Papers to boot!!! Here they are together in a simple gift tag that I made...also made while watching Torchwood the other night.



Colours...again think Neopolitan Ice Cream: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red and Regal Rose...who needs Vanilla Ice Cream anyway? I've used the Big Blooms stamp set (in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink on the Chocolate Chip cardstock), as well as the Linen Background stamp (in Regal Rose Classic Ink on the Regal Rose layer). The 'petals' are large square punched pieces, folded in half then back again.

The button is a ring-in...and it doesn't look too bad IMHO. I didn't have any of the appropriate colour, so I've used a Pretty in Pink one from the Soft Subtles selection. The string is Linen Thread, coloured using a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker. I've attached the button using a Glue Dot. Glue dots are THE BEST! So easy to use, no mess and I've not had anything come unstuck while using them. 10 out of 10 from me!

Hasta Luego,
Sam.

Summer Mini Secrets...

You may have noticed a few stamps and accessories in my latest posts that are not familiar to you (if you live in Australia that is, if you live in the US, you have probably been there done that :-).

The new stamps and accessories will be available in our Summer Mini Catalogue...due for release on the 1st December...FIVE DAYS, not that I'm counting! There are some beautiful things in it...especially ribbons. And you will have noticed that I LOVE ribbon!

This next card has been made using some of the new ribbons, designer series paper and a new stamp set too! I made it last night while watching episodes 5 - 7 of Torchwood (a GREAT show...thanks Veronica!).



The ribbons are Ribbon Originals called Flirty. The paper is Au Chocolat and the stamps are Big Blooms. The colours are Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Rose Red. It makes me think of Neopolitan Ice Cream...YUM!

Enjoy!
Sam.

Christmas Criss Cross Card

I have a Stampin' Up! workshop coming up where the hostess has asked for a Christmas-themed Criss Cross card as one of the make n' takes. This is going to be it! Beate's excellent (as always) tutorial for the Criss Cross card is on Splitcoaststampers here.



The colours are Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme and Confetti Cream. I've used some Holiday Thyme paper...of course! I love it, and have accumulated a little stash. The ribbon is Cream Grosgrain and Copper Cord. The brads are copper, from the Vintage set....I never seem to use the copper ones, so I will be glad to put them to good use here.

The large snow flake embellishment is from Yule Bits & Borders, and is stamped in Cranberry Crisp on Confetti Cream and punched out using the 1 1/4" circle punch. This piece is mounted on a 1 3/8" circle of True Thyme and the whole lot is mounted on dimensionals over the top of some Copper Cord tied in bows.

The tab on the inner card is a Round Tab punched piece of Cranberry Crisp. The snow flake is from Snow Flurries (get it before the Spring Mini catalogue finishes in LESS THAN A WEEK....Eeeeeeeek!!). 'Season's Greetings' is stamped in Cranberry Crisp, and is from the Many Merry Messages set...a very useful set, if I may say so myself!

And another one....basically the same stuff. I've used Burgundy Grosgrain and Gold Cord on this one. I tried the stitched Cranberry Crisp ribbon, but it didn't work for me.



I guess it is worth mentioning that the two pieces of Holiday Thyme double-sided Designer Series paper are not from the same sheet. I have just used my two favourite patterns...because I can!

Have a great weekend,
Sam.

Sydney Regionals 2007 - Make n' Takes

You will probably have seen these projects on at least 20 other blogs by now...but you know what?...They won't be EXACTLY the same as mine :-). My sentiments are decidedly crooked (who didn't have their Stamp-a-ma-Jig handy??), and I was rushing, rushing, rushing to finish...AND making it with written instructions (the example card was often too hard to find)...so I'm feeling pretty darn pleased with myself that I got them finished at all!




I know I used the wrong piece of ribbon for at least one card, and I finished up with one piece of cardstock left over, still don't know what that bit was from...but you know, there are NO mistakes in cardmaking...just a different way to do it :-).

The colours, as you can see, are: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Cool Caribbean, More Mustard, Marigold Morning, Certainly Celery and Old Olive. The stamp set is Simply Said....which I now have two of. One for each hand!

Have a great day,
Sam.

Christmas Cracker in Holiday Thyme

So, I was going for the David Jones Christmas Catalogue look with my photos here. Unfortunately I didn't have any napkins that looked remotely respectable with this dinner setting (think lady bugs, pirates, clowns, fish etc...but nothing refined Christmas :-).

You get the idea though. Make your own Christmas Crackers this year using Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Holiday Thyme Designer Series (double-sided) paper (12 sheets for $14.50 - available through me until 15th December, 2007). I think they look stunning (the crackers and the paper :-).

I'm going to make my own Christmas Crackers this year....I'll even endeavour to find some silly jokes online and some ridiculous looking hats in the $2 shop (what cracker would be complete without a ridiculous hat inside?).

This one took all of 15 minutes to make. I have used sticky strip to join it together...don't want it falling apart on a 40 degree Christmas Day now, do we? The ribbons are Olive Organdy and Gold Cord. Don't tie them too tight.....I've heard the cracker can rip if you tie them too tight (or if you cut the diamonds at the ends too thin).

Have Fun!
Sam.

Sydney Regionals 2007 - Swap ATC

I thought I'd make a couple of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) to swap in Sydney...just in case anyone else was swapping them too.

This one uses: True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp and Confetti Cream Cardstock. The flower 'petals' have been punched from Holiday Thyme paper using the Word Window punch. The stem is gold cord, and the leaves and the background stamp are all from the Level Three Hostess set 'Flowers For a Friend'.

Sydney Regionals 2007 - Second Swap Card

So here is my second Sydney Regional swap card. I went with the first design in the end, and made 24 of them. The colours are, Ruby Red, Kraft, Whisper White and Chocolate Chip. The stamps are Stem Silhouttes, and have been stamped in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink and Whisper White Craft Ink.

Sydney Regionals 2007 - Swap Card

I know that the blog value of this post is questionable, and it may even be considered a bit of a spolier, as the Sydney Regionals are not until next Saturday (17th November), but I'm putting it up here anyway because:

a) not many potential recipients look at my blog,
b) this will give those few who do look, the chance to decide whether they like my swap or not, and if they don't - duck for cover if they see me coming their way on Saturday, and last but not least,
c) I just felt like it :-).

As you can see I went for the all blue version of the card, and am pleased with it (although completely over it after having made 24 of them). I am in the process of making another 24 cards (it'll be a late night tonight) but in a different design. I'll post a picture of those next weekend (so now you won't know whether to run in the opposite direction or not...you never know, the other swap may be be simply FABULOUS ;-).

Christmas Triangle Trifold Card...

This is one of the things we will be making at a workshop I am demonstrating at tonight. I had not tried making a trifold card until now, but they are so cute, and I thought it would be nice to try something different. I followed a tutorial by Beate Johns, which you can find on Splitcoaststampers.

The colours are Brocade Blue (gee I need to get myself some more of that!!) and Night of Navy. I have used some Holiday Thyme Designer Series Paper, some Confetti White (inside) and some watercolour paper too. The Reindeer stamp is from the....? What set is that from...will check and get back to you later ;-). I have watercoloured them using an aquapainter and Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Ruby Red and Night of Navy). The ribbon is Navy Organdy.

I think that about sums it up.
Have a good weekend.
Sam.

Christmas Bows and Gift Tags

These little goodies are made using the fabulous new Holiday Thyme Double-Sided Designer Series Papers, amongst other things.

There is a video tutorial for the Origami Box on Kristina Werner's fabulous blog. The tutorial in in October 2007...for some reason I couldn't link to the specific post.

There is a photo tutorial for the paper bows by Jessica Crawford on Splitcoaststampers.

And last but certainly not least, there is a tutorial for the Gift Tags by the very talented Andrea Walford.

I have used the Holiday Thyme papers, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme and Very Vanilla cardstock. I stamped various images on the Very Vanilla cardstock in Sahara Sand ink (after stamping off once first). As we do not have the Stampin' Up! scalloped circle punch here in Australia yest I searched my local craft shops high and low for another scalloped punch. Who would have thought they would be so darn hard to find. I eventually found a Carla Craft Mega Punch which does the job nicely. If you can't find a scalloped circle punch either, and are feeling up to it, there is a great video tutorial for making your own by Julie at Paper Pleasing Ideas.

Big Bloom

I found a card remotely similar to this on the Stampin' Up! UK website here. I did say 'remotely' similar ;-). We don't have Bashful Blue Grosgrain, and we don't have whatever stamp set has been used in the original....well, I don't own it if we do. I have made my own judgment as to what colours were used (although my judgment on colour is NOT renowned for its accuracy ;-). I have used one of my newly acquired Big Blooms, and I love them! I do have one colour issue with this card. One possible error of judgment...but maybe if I don't tell you, you won't notice ;-) (I should be so lucky).

Sam.

Holiday Thyme

These cards are also based on Andrea's beautiful card as seen here. I have used the recently released Holiday Thyme papers this time, and I think they look pretty nice.

The colours on the first card are Old Olive and Cranberry Crips. The second card is Brocade Blue and Night of Navy. The central stamped design is from Festive Favorites and is stamped in Black Stazon on watercolour paper, then coloured using an Aquapainter and Watercolor Wonder Crayons. The Christmas sentiments are from Many Merry Messages, and I've stamped with the Snow Flurries snow flakes in the background.

I am undecided as to which I like best. If you want to share your opinion, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks,
Sam.

Snow Flurries

Do you see a theme here? More blue! I love blue!! I am also still having that seasonal confusion going on (snowflakes and all ;-), but still, a viable swap candidate nonetheless!

The colours are Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White and a piece of Four Seasons Designer Series Paper. The background layer is stamped with Brocade Blue using the snow flake in Yule Bits and Borders...that set is getting a work out right now. The Night of Navy layer is mounted on dimensionals. The three snow flakes are from Snow Flurries (get it while you can.....it is in the Spring Mini which is only available until the end of November...it may come back in next year's Idea Book and Catalogue, but there are no guarantees). I have embossed those three snow flakes in white and they are also mounted on dimensionals. The ribbon is navy organdy and the brads, silver.

Hey Presto!
Ciao.

Possible Sydney Regionals Swap Card

This card is a front runner for my Sydney Regionals swap card. I am PMSL at my use of the words 'front runner'.......it is the ONLY card in the race at the moment.

I am working on the colours at the moment. I find it a tad....blue. Might change the ribbon colour from the navy to the wine organdy. At the moment the colours are Brocade Blue, Night of Navy and Whisper White. The Christmas carols stamp is from the Yule Bits & Borders set. The 'noel' is from Many Merry Messages and the dots..(AKA snow [for those of us Aussies who don't know what snow is ;-]) is from the Itty Bitty Backgrounds set. I have inked the edges of the Brocade Blue and Whisper White layers, using a sponge and Classic ink. I am always amazed at how much this technique can do for a card. It really takes it from being flat, boring and dimension-less...to having great depth and appeal (for me at any rate).

Hope you like it.
Sam.

PS. Some variations on the theme. What do you think?

Spring Bouquet Flower Punch

I am really pleased with this card. It says Spring....so we are in the correct hemisphere at least ;-).

Colours are Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and Whisper White. I have used the Watercolour Vine wheel in Old Olive. There are Pretty in Pink and Rose Red brads, and a piece of Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon. The Certainly Celery cardstock has been crimped. The 'thanks' sentiment is stamped in Whisper White Craft ink on the 'Round Tab' punched piece (in Rose Red).

Petals and Paisleys Gift Certificate

I got the idea for this Gift Certificate from the very talented Tanya, and the design instructions for the criss cross card at Splitcoaststampers.

I am still working on the design of the actual certificate inside the envelope, maybe some stamping up the top...but it looked so pretty I couldn't wait to share it!


You found it ;-).

Have a good day,
Sam.

Yule Bits and Borders MkII.

My wonderful sideline Veronica made some great suggestions to me about a card I was feeling pretty ...blah!... about. I finally got my act together enough the other night to have a go at implementing them, and I think she is right. It is a vast improvement on the MkI version. Thanks Veronica!

The 'happy Christmas' sentiment stands out much better on the Marigold Morning layer.....all the better for you to see how crooked I stamp freehand ;-). A Stamp-a-ma-jig would be the solution there...but time was not my friend...it was already about 11pm when I stamped this. So crooked it is!

Have a great weekend!

Watercolour Vine

So...I sit down to create, and of course, that Summer Sun stuff is still strewn all over the table. Not happy to let it get the best of me...I try again! I'm thinking head, brick wall, pain....you get the picture.

Anyway, while DS (1.5 yrs) is chewing on the handle of one of my Fiskars circle punches (they make awesome teethers) and making generally helpful grunting noises, I throw this card together. I'm feeling really pleased with myself until I step back and look at the overall product.

It says two things to me, and it didn't say them quietly either. First, AUTUMN, and second HALLOWEEN! Now, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, unless of course you a/ live in Australia, like me...where it is currently SPRING!, and b/ don't do Halloween...which we don't!

Back to the drawing board.......oh, and BTW...the Summer Sun has been removed form the craft table vicinity ;-).

Cuttlebug Dies

Okay, so this colour scheme was approved by he who checks ;-). I've used the Cuttlebug Asterisks Dies for the embellishments. They are so cute. I wish that I had used a darker yellow, perhaps Marigold Morning, to do the background stamping on the Summer Sun cardstock. The Summer Sun ink almost disappears completely. The rest is all Gel Pen. I'm going to need a new one soon. This one is getting a real workout :-).

Scribble Wheel

Hubby's comment on this was....it's black! Well yes, yes it is. What can you say? He is right after all! But, it is not ONLY black. The rest is Summer Sun, Old Olive, Whisper White and Rose Red.

I smudged the White Craft Ink on the background, when I was putting it together.......but I photoshopped that out in a jiffy ;-)! Ahhhh, if only there was Photoshop for life eh?

Hubby is right though. It is an...odd combination. I had decided I was going to use some of my Summer Sun......it was a trickier task than I had expected. My other largish issue with this card was that I was mean't to be thinking of a swap design for our upcoming Regionals, to be held in Sydney. The sets I used here (Scribble Wheel and Office Accoutrements) are, however, not on sale after November 30th this year......so what good is that? They may come back in next year's Idea Book and Catalogue, but there are no guarantees....so back to the drawing board for me!!!!

Festive Favourites

This card was inspired by a beautiful one I saw on Andrea Walford's blog. Andrea has used some beautiful patterned paper that we do not have over here (yet ;-), so I made my own using Snow Flurries on Confetti White, in Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss and Sage Shadow (all stamped off first). When our November promotion starts here......Holiday Thyme Patterned paper for $14.95...Yipppppeeeeeeeee....I will try it again, using some of that...and a different colour scheme.

My base card is Always Artichoke, then there is some Mellow Moss with the corners punched. The next layer is the stamped Confetti White, with silver brads in the corners, and the 'Season's Greetings' sentiment from Many Merry Messages stamped in Always Artichoke. The next layer is Always Artichoke, and it is mounted on dimensionals. The line of trees is from Festive Favourites and it is stamped on Confetti White. It is actually part of a much larger stamp, which I have cut into three pieces. I haven't mounted it yet...as I only have the one large block to mount it on. So I stamped it here, using Stazon, while it was unmounted. The hardest part was cleaning it afterwards! I have coloured it using Water Colour Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter. The whole piece and the underlying layer have then been wrapped with silver cord (and lots of sticky tape on the back to hold it in place), et voila!

Have a great weekend.
Sam.

A little more silliness...

The flower and swirly bits are from Bodacious Bouquet, and the colours are Elegant Eggplant, Summer Sun and Real Red. There is some stamping off, some Real Red brads, some doodling with the white gel pen, some paper piercing and some red Grosgrain ribbon...what more could a card want?

Sam.

Yule Bits & Borders

I had never considered buying this set until a customer recently purchased it, and then showed me what she had done with it. It really is a very pretty and versatile set! This card doesn't really do it justice. Being way too tired while card-making probably didn't help. I even deconstructed it this morning to change the brads I used in the corners. It pulled up fairly well after that major operation...I was surprised.

The colours are Vintage Violet (making the most of it before it goes off the market next April), Marigold Morning and Cranberry Crisp. There is crystal effects on the star on the centre strip, and I have sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on it before drying. The whole centre strip is mounted on dimensioanls. The 'happy' and 'Christmas' are from Everyday Flexible Phrases...I've eyeballed them in...hence their wobbliness ;-).

I'm thinking of this card as a prototype. There are some changes to be made...I just can't tell what they are right now. Will ponder that today :-).

See you!
Sam.

Stampin' and Doodlin'

I love my Gel Pen! So I was looking for some doodling to do...and I found it :-). LOTS OF IT!

The colours are Elegant Eggplant, Real Red, Summer Sun, Old Olive and Whisper White. The stamps are all from Bodacious Bouquet. There's some distressing, some inked edges, some dots, some line and some dimensionals......see if you can find them all ;-). The card is 1/3 of A4, folded...so just a wee bitty thing. I was considering applying some Dimensional Magic (oooops, Crystal Effects ;-) to the central flower.....but forgot. Double Ooops :-).

Have a good weekend.
Sam.