inspirestampin

Well it is time to say goodbye!

2011-07-12T14:59:00.001+10:00

Hi I am just popping in to say I know it has been a long time since my last post and you would have noticed I have changed my blog slightly as I am still deciding whether to close my blog. My hubby told me not to but I am still not so sure. I have recently given up my Stampin Up! demo commitments as I am currently studying and my time is minimal for crafting now and with the day to day life things it has become apparent no time for blogging. What that means is ....I don't believe I will be updating this blog any longer so thank you for following me over the years and I hope I have inspired you while I was in blog world.
Thank you for all the encouraging comments over this blog journey and you never know I might be back on here to inspire again but I will take a back seat and enjoy others in the blog world.

Liam

ETA: WOW what a response you are all so wonderful. For those that know me knew this was coming for a long time but the decision didn't come lightly I just felt it time for a change. I kept this blog going for my Stampin' Up! friends in the blog world. I will keep this blog open for a little longer until I decide what I really want to do with this blog if I want to do a different one or close it altogether. My inspiration was my followers and friends in the stamping community so I applaude you all because you are all the ones that kept this blog going. I will always love stamping and crafting but there are many more crafty inspirational people out there that keep on inspiring like those down my blog list. Thanks again for all your kinds words. Inky hugs to all of you.

Just add Ink Challenge # 69

2011-05-27T09:00:00.000+10:00

Well I am back with another challenge from Just Add Ink . This week the challenge was set by Paula from the Just Add Ink Design Team. This challenge is to just add fussy cutting. Now it just coincidentally happened that I had to make a pressie for a friend's baby so I wanted to use a party set but this particular set needed lots and lots of cutting. I decided to use the idea a "cake in a box". The tutorial I used was designed by Patti Lee. I have done one in the past for my sister's baby girl but this time I thought I would make one for a boy gift. The blank spots were designed this way because this was made accordingly with the photos I was going to use I just couldn't use the photos on my blog for privacy reasons but I wanted to share what the box looked like. Sorry about the quality of photos unfortunately this was made during a long raining week and after the rain stopped I had to hand over the gift so no good photos could be taken but I hope you get the general idea. It is a beautiful gift to give to someone special. Anyway I hope you will join in the challenge. Thanks again for popping by and I love your comments you are so sweet.
This will be my last entry as a Guest Designer and I must say I had lots and lots of fun preparing these cards and boxes for the challenges I hope you have enjoyed my contribution to the Just add ink site as I have enjoyed making them for you. Enjoy and I hope to be back soon.

Just Add Ink Challenge #68

2011-05-20T09:00:00.026+10:00

Well I thought I would pop in this week to share my two new creations as a Guest Designer for Just Add Ink this month. I really loved the colour combo for this challenge. I had so much fun with it. As soon as I seen these colours I came up with the idea of a wardrobe full of clothes. I don't have girls so I thought I would do a girly card this time as well as a baby card.

I changed the wardrobes in both cards to show different options.

I used my woodgrain stamp to create a wardrobe look and sponged the edges with white craft ink. It looks rather effective. I used a little bit of hemp twine for rail of the wardrobe.

I used my textured embossing folder for the top of the wardrobe as well as my scallop border punch. I used a few white brads to finish off the drawers and added a few hangers from my local craft store.

Come and join in the challenge I would love to see what you come up with for this colour combo challenge. I think you will be surprised with what you can come up with. Why not check out a few of the Just Add Ink Designers for some inspiration. They are always full of inspirational ideas. Thanks for popping by.

JAI Sketch Challenge #67!

2011-05-06T06:30:00.000+10:00

This is my first sketch challenge as a Guest Designer for Just Add Ink. I feel so honoured to take part in the May challenges. The talented Bronwyn provided the sketch for this week's challenge and it is a fabulous sketch. Thank you Just Add Ink design team for the opportunity to be a part of your talented team this month. I hope I can inspire a few of your followers this month. Come join in this week for the challenge I would love to see what you come up with at the Just Add Ink site.
The colours I used for this card were very vanilla, soft suede, cake crumb, rich razzleberry, certainly celery.
I used a woodgrain embossing folder that I bought at a craft show I layered some soft suede ds paper over cake crumb and stamped with the bella toile background stamp to give it a vintage look. I then used my new label punch and layered that too. I used the clearly for you stamp set to create the background for the sentiment. I added my boho punch flowers and sponged them in rich razzleberry. Finally to finish off I used some rich razzleberry ribbon and a little celery button. Enjoy now I hope you will enter the challenge this week. Thanks for popping by.

Scallop envelope photo purse tutorial!

2011-05-02T22:27:00.000+10:00

Now I thought I would share this tutorial on my little album I made a while ago for my handbag. Here is the original design I made. click here. My original inspiration came from Jan Tink. I thought I always planned to do a tutorial but never did so here it is. This tutorial is slightly different to my original design this one is using only the Stampin' Up! scallop envelope die for the project. Well here goes.

First start with three scallop envelopes two just as normal and one just the top and middle section as photo above shows.

Then cut a piece of cardstock 6cm x 8cm or 3 1/8" x 2 1/2". Then on the 6cm side or portrait orientation score at 3cm or 1 1/8".

Then stick your envelope roughly together don't worry if the adhesive shows because you will place ds paper on top.

Then once you have adhered your envelopes put adhesive on the top of the scallop end of the envelope and stick to the 6cm x 8cm piece but only up to the middle score line. Then adhere.

It should look like this photo above so far. Then you are going to take the odd piece that you cut earlier with the scallop edge and the middle section and adhere to one side of the envelope as shown below.

Now this is what your scallop envelope purse should look like now as photo below .

Now it is time to embellish you can punch a 1" circle punch in the sides of 2 x pieces of ds paper I used play date ds paper. The size of these pieces are 2" x 3" or 5cm x 7.5cm. Now these pieces will be stuck on the inside of your purse .

The next 2 x pieces of ds paper will be measured at 1" x 3" or 2.5cm x 7.5cm.

The next pieces are 7.5cm x 4.7cm or 3" x 1 3/4" or slightly larger than that. I also cut out some labels to make it easier to pull the pieces out of the pockets.

This is what it looks like when it is all adhered to your purse as photo above. Looking good so far.

Now I have taken a ds paper measuring about 3 1/2" x 2" folded as per photo above. Please note I have the folded edge on the edge of the scallop side of the die so that it creates a double sided scallop for the top of the purse.

This photo shows the double sided scallop on top of the purse before adhering to the purse I have used my crop a dile to put two holes on the edges to place my ribbon through.

This photo above shows the ribbon adhered with sticky strip and then adhered to the purse. I have also cut some more ds paper to place on the outside of the purse to make it a little more attractive.

Here is the two sides covered with some ds paper this ds paper size is the same size as the other two measurements before measuring 7.5cm x 5cm.

I hope you were inspired by this tutorial. I had always planned to share this tutorial but due to commitments it all went out the window. I hope you try it if you have a scallop envelope die. I bought it thinking I would use it for my scrapbooking but I must say I have used it for mini album things mainly. It is a really beautiful die to use. Please remember if you do use this tutorial please link back to my creation as your inspiration. Thanking you in advance. Thanks for popping by.

I forgot!

2011-04-27T19:52:00.000+10:00

Sorry this is what happens when you get older you forget what you create I had made this card for my nephew for his birthday last week. My nephew seems to like motorbikes so I went ahead and bought the Stampin' Up! motorbike stamp that was in the mini since I know my son will go through that phase soon enough. I decided to make this motobike stand out so I brayered the background. It looks really effective in real life. I also used one of my non stampin up embossing folders which I thought looked appropriate with this motorbike stamp and added some ds paper and stamped a few images from circle circus. I added a little certainly celery ribbon and a little tag from pti and just to finish off I used the scallop edge border punch and layered the oval with a few dies. This card was super quick. It is nothing amazing but I felt awkward that I didn't share anything crafty for a while. Maybe I will find a few more cards I haven't shared yet in my blog files. Hope to be back soon.

School holidays almost over!

2011-04-27T14:54:00.000+10:00

Catherine Hill Bay under the jetty

Walking along the beach at Catherine Hill Bay

It was the centenary for the trains in Toronto NSW so we went for a visit

Here is the station that was set up for photo ops

For my scrapbooking writing Caves Beach in the sand

Caves Beach caves there are two beautiful caves

This is the second cave that most tourists don't know about there are usually bats in this one. If you follow the tunnel through it goes out to the ocean. It is a rather hard tunnel to photograph it is mighty dark in there.

Well I hope you haven't missed me too much. I thought I would share my tourist type photos of where I have been these school holidays. It was so jam packed this school holidays that I can't remember when I lasted blogged. I kept rather busy all holidays so I didn't have much time for crafting. I did however do some crafting for my scrapbooking. I don't show that stuff on my blog as I still feel I am not great at scrapbooking I am still learning as I go. I am really starting to enjoy scrapbooking because it makes me photograph in such a different way and remember things so much easier now.

I actually wanted to talk about my tourist photos a little Catherine Hill Bay I visited briefly I have never heard about it but my father in law suggested we visit and so we did I must say I will be back there I just loved the jetty they have the perfect spot to take photos. I didn't bring my SLR camera with me so I was most disappointed but my little canon camera seemed to take quite good photos anyway because the weather was fantastic. This jetty you can't walk on anymore it is very unstable and there is no railings there either but it looks so spectacular in real life. Just love this spot. I must say I didn't like the rocks there. Many fishermen have paid with their lives on those rocks there and I can totally understand why there are so many freak waves so I was a little nervous at this spot with my son but an amazing spot all the same. The other place we visited was the train rides at Toronto for the centenary. Just gorgeous steam trains. The other thing we did most of the school holidays was spend time at the caves in caves beach. My son loves the caves because there are multiple rock pools there and you can see loads of things crabs, star fish, sea urchins, little fish you name you will see it. There is something different every time you go.
The first cave go through an entry at the back of the cave where it leads you to the rock pools but you go for a longer walk and follow it around the rock face and you find the second cave it is well hidden but the second cave is amazing I love how the water comes in from the ocean and you can walk down the cave to the ocean. The one thing about the caves is at certain times of the day it is closed because of the tides. This is what is amazing a portion of each day these caves are not accessable. We normally venture in the morning because it is usually open at this time. You know when the tides come back in because the white wash gets larger on the rock pools and it starts to fill the pools again. I have been there many times before and it is perfect for the youngsters they are always amazed what is in the rock pools. I sound like a tourist agent at the moment but if you get the chance to visit these places you won't be disappointed. I enjoy it occasionally when I visit. You never get sick of the view.

I hope to be back with a few crafty things but I thought this post will be dedicated to my adventures during the school holidays and explain why I haven't blogged all that much because I was enjoying the view.

Easter presents!

2011-04-08T17:30:00.000+10:00

I thought I would share a few of the easter projects I made for my son's teachers and classmates. I must say it took me the day to make. I completely forgot today was my son's last day at school and now it is school holidays. Sounds like fun!!!! Anyway I had seen these rabbits made with a top note die but I needed a smaller die so I had to compromise and use a smaller die that I had for the bags I had. Here is the link of the original creation I found. I also used a chick tutorial too to create my little shopping list note books. I had to make 8 of them but I had fun putting it together. I used my retired ds paper because the colours matched my theme. I also did a matching bag to put them in but I forgot to take a photo. Sorry! Anyway I hope you all have a good Easter and I hope to be back before Easter I hope with a few more crafty projects. Thanks for popping by.

Pop up card!

2011-04-06T08:04:00.000+10:00

I did this card last night quickly. It wasn't what I was intending to create. I used the tutorial from splitcoast stamper. It is called the "sliding pop up card".
The first photo is the card flat and then the second photo is it lifted. Now to keep it upright I added a sizzix button die it is flat enough so that the slider can move but allow you to keep the pop up standing when upright. This sliding pop up card is very addictive. Once I started this one I wanted to do a few more. I have ideas for this type of card. Fantastic idea for a different birthday card. I used my butterfly die can't think of the name right now to create a few layers using the subtle ds paper. The colours used for this card were kraft, cake crumb, pretty in pink, baja breeze, chocolate chip, soft suede, very vanilla. I also used my butterfly embosslit to add a few smaller butterflies. Added little leaves die to the back.
Some of the stamp sets used were on your birthday, vintage vogue, hostess level 3 set and one of the new stamp sets clearly for you from the new autumn winter mini catalogue. I added a little eyelet border trim and used the scallop circle punch for the greeting which I finally was able to buy and used my 1 3/4 circle punch for the greeting as well. A few jewels on the butterflies and that is about it. What do you think? too much stuff? It does look busy. I was actually going to add more but I thought it was busy enough. Anyway tell me what you think?

Thanks for popping by.

New Goodies!

2011-04-05T10:39:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone sorry it has been a while since I posted I must admit I haven't been feeling too creative. I am feeling rather uninspired at the moment. I have an assignment that is causing me grief and I just can't get my head around it and I only have a few more days to get it right anyway enough about that I decided to share a simple creation very much a case from the new mini catalogue that has been released as of the 1 April. The stamp set I used was eat chocolate.
I started with Kraft cardstock cut 20cm x 10cm then used soft suede ds paper for the bottom layer. Then I used an old envelope die that I bought before SU! introduced the scallop envelope die. I have that die too of course but I wanted a smaller envelope at the time I wrapped some satin very vanilla ribbon. Then I stamped a few chocolate images to create a chocolate bar and wrapped it in ali foil then placed it in the envelope and added the to do list. Very simple oh I forgot to mention I also used kraft ds paper to create the envelope insert. Anyway I hope you are all having a good week and I hope to be back soon with some new and creative project. Thanks for popping by.

Just add ink challenge 60

2011-03-23T21:33:00.000+11:00

Well I finally finished my card for the Just Add Ink challenge. I must admit I was rushing for the deadline. Anyway I found this new style of card I believe it is called the funky fold card and I had several attempts to try and create one in cms so I finally did that with this card. It is such a different kind of card I had to try and make it. There are tutorials online but I couldn't work out their dimentions mine never worked out using the tutorials so I tried to work it out myself and finally after million attempts with whisper white cardstock I finally managed to get the same effect. It should be easy now that I have worked out those damn measurements. Anyway not my best card but I had fun with the colour combo. The challenge was old olive, cake crumb, rich razzleberry and whisper white. Anyway thanks for popping by and if you have any questions about this card I am happy to give out measurements. Enjoy.

2011-03-21T10:50:00.000+11:00

I received these two blog awards from a few talented stampers which I must admit I regretably feel bad that I didn't acknowledge earler since I have received these blog awards a few weeks ago now or more probably. I want to thank Lou, Melissa, and Nikki . Now there were a few things I needed to do for this blog award but since I should actually be doing some of my homework for my course I might refrain.

I will pass this award on to a few of my favourites

Nancy Riley
Monica Gale
Tiffany Bauer
Teneale Williams
Diane Barnes
Felicity
Kerry Bunting
Andrea
Leonie
Patti Lee

Anyway they are only a few of millions I love. I actually chose a few aussies as well as other demos overseas to have a mix of talents. There are so many more out there I love to visit and I just can't think of right now as I am in assignment mode. Enjoy some of these blogs. They are all inspiring crafters and I absolutely love their work. Thanks Lou, Nikki and Melissa for passing me this award I would pass this award onto you all too. You are all such talented women.

Enjoy

Just add ink challenge 59!

2011-03-16T14:11:00.001+11:00

I decided to enter in this week's Just Add Ink challenge. I actually had difficulty with this sketch but I love this stamp set. I haven't pulled it out in a while so I really wanted to have a play with an old time favourite. The colours I used for the sketch was river rock, perfect plum and chocolate chip. It is a really nice combo. I am loving the neutral tones lately. Anyway if you have a chance to play along why not try. Thanks for popping by.

Bliss!

2011-03-15T14:11:00.000+11:00

Today I wanted to share a salebration set called Bliss. I absolutely loved this set when I seen it in the catalogue. The only thing was I wanted to do a card very simply just using the stamp set. I was finally happy with this one. I used the motif from the bliss set and inked it up in white craft ink and sponged the edges of the craft to give it a lovely effect. I stamped and cut some butterflies and stamped the greeting along the whisper white background to give it a nice effect too. I had to add some gorgeous ribbon and I am finished for the card. Of course you know me I always have to add a 3D item. Now this box was inspired by the following box click here. Now what I loved about this idea was it was using the milk carton die from Stampin' Up! I decided to have a play and try it work it out but of course Felicity's one is slightly different mine is a whole box. Thanks Felicity for the inspiration!!!. This is super easy to make using the die. I don't actually own the die I have a template I made a while ago so I used that instead but it is the same principle I believe. Anyway for the box I used kraft as my base and also used the motif in craft ink and then sponged the edges. Now for the ribbon I used my jumbo white brad and threading the ribbon through the brad to create a bow for the top of the box then wrapping the ribbon around the box. I think this box will be a popular thing for my next get together with my fellow demos. Thanks for popping by.

Cupcakes Haven!

2011-03-13T14:52:00.000+11:00

Cupcakes are my theme today. I had heaps of fun playing with new and inventive ways to make cupcake designs. I have done one of these designs before.
The first photo is an overall picture of what I created. A card, a party favor box to put some delicious treats and a petal punch box to put a little Hershey chocolate or celebration favourite chocolates.
The second photo is a close up of the cupcake card. I used my new cupcake punch to create the cupcakes and added a cherry and matching greeting and added some crystal effects to make it look realistic. I also embossed the cupcake topping to give it some dimention as well.
The third fourth and fifth photo is of the party favor box. I crimped it then added a scallop circle after cutting it through my big shot. I had to fold a 14cm x 21cm or A5 size and place the folded side on the edge of the scallops to create the top of the box. Then I cut a 1/2 inch x the length of an A4 sheet to create the handle. To hold the box shut I used my whisper white cardstock and placed them on dimentionals so that it stops the cupcake box from opening up and then you don't need any further adhesive. I also learnt from my crafty friend Kerry how to create the scallop roses. This is done using a 1/1/4 circle punch first punch the 1/1/1 circle out then punch out your scallop circle cut on one edge of the scallops then put adhesive on the edge of the inside of the scallop then roll it around your skewer or paper piercer to create your rose. I did my bigger rose with a scallop edge border punch. Some principle but it makes a bigger rose. You can use any of your edge punches to create a different kind of rose. Try it you will be amazed. I used the roses as a cherry on top to carry the same theme as my cards since I didn't have a cherry stamp. I also used the level 2 hostess set to create the three cupcakes on the front of the party favor box and added the cherries to the front of those cupcakes too. I embossed the top of the cupcakes because I think it makes it look effective.
The last two photos are made using my tutorial here. The only difference is I have added a handle with my eyelets on the sides of the box and also added the scallop circle and cut in half and placed on two ends of the box to create a little cupcake box. I embossed the top of the cupcakes to keep the theme going. I added another rose to have another matching box to the party favor to share different size gifts and ideas to create with cupcakes. If you have any questions just email me I am happy to provide a tutorial on these cupcakes.
Thanks for popping by.

Scallop easel shaker card!

2011-03-11T13:13:00.000+11:00

I have made these cards before it was my own idea that I came up after seeing a shaker card made with a scallop circle but I wanted to do a Paris one this time. Some of my friends are going to Paris so it just seemed appropriate to remember my memories of Paris. I just loved Paris when I travelled over there. I didn't have any high hopes of this place because I was told by many they did not like it all that much but because I didn't have a good impression given of Paris I thought oh well lets see but I was so pleasantly surprised. After travelling to Europe one of my absolute favourite places was Paris. I dream of going back there again but I don't see it in the foreseeable future but you should never say never but at least I was blessed to have the opportunity to see it once in my life if I never go again. It is a beautiful place to travel to and the Eiffel Tower is so much better in real life than in the pictures. Anyway I hope to be back with more. I hope you are having a good week and Thanks for popping by.

Open ended envelopes!

2011-03-11T08:41:00.001+11:00

I designed this little card holder for the Stampin' Up! open ended envelopes. I used the colours soft suede, baja breeze, cake crumb and basic gray. It is using an A4 sheet of paper and you can add a belly band I didn't only because I had already stuck down the upsy daisy flower image to the front but I love the colour combo. All the cards are very simple only because you have limited space in the pockets but if you want to add embellishments you can design it with a 12 x 12 size to give you more space for your pockets. I was trying to use an A4 size because there is more colours to choose from to make this pocket. I also dressed the envelopes to match. I ruffled some ribbon to the front. It was a very easy to construct and an effective little holder. Perfect for an inexpensive gift. Thanks for popping by.

Home Card!

2011-03-10T11:24:00.000+11:00

I have been playing with a few new goodies that I received lately in the mail. I decided to do a stair step card and I am really happy with the way it turned out. I used cake crumb as the base cardstock and old olive for the grass using my scallop edge border punch and frilled up some grass. Flowers are the retired accents from Stampin' Up! with a few silver brads. I used soft suede for the brick wall and all windows and doors I used were with very vanilla cardstock. The stems of the flowers were used with the bird punch. I was going to add a roof but I thought it would be too over the top. Enjoy and I hope to be back soon with some more samples to share. I have been working on a few projects but I can't yet show you. Anyway hope you are having a good week. If you have any questions about the card just email me. Thanks for popping by.

Just Add Ink challenge!

2011-02-23T13:16:00.000+11:00

I was working on the Just Add Ink challenge as I have been stuck at home today waiting for the postie and I have been watching the news about the terrible earthquake in New Zealand.

I have been praying for all those affected by this tragedy. The pictures coming through on the news are just devastating and the stories that are coming out of this are truly sad and overwhelming to hear. I imagine there is going to be a high death toll that will emerge over the coming days but I hope and pray there will be many more survivors from this tragedy.

I was working on this card before I heard about the tradegy but I really thought it captured what I think is important our time on earth and to enjoy the life we have with our family and friends. You just never know what is around the corner. Please pray for those affected by the earthquake and pray for a miracle that more survivors will be found amongt the rubble.

Oh before I forget I wanted to add that I tried the technique faux tiling for this card and I did a little embossing on the clock. I also embossed the gold strip below. I just used my adhesive and placed embossing powder over the top and embossed the strip. I know you can use versamark to do the same thing but I found it less messy.

Thanks for popping by.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 105

2011-02-22T19:53:00.000+11:00

I have been planning to participate in the Sweet Sunday Sketches for ages but I just never had the time but I thought this sketch was perfect for my baby dino. I was having lots of difficulty making a card to match my dino so this sketch helped me to complete this card for my friend's son. The dinosaur was inspired by a utube video I watched click here. I did change him slightly to include a tail, a little more of a spike in the hair and embossed him to create texture. He does look so cute coming out of that egg. It is for a 4 year old boy so I think it will be perfect. Thank you for the inspiring sketch I had lots of fun with this sketch. Anyway thanks for popping by and I hope you try making one of these adorable dinosaurs.

Back to school project!

2011-02-22T11:11:00.000+11:00

Today I thought I would share a design I made a while ago a waterfall backpack. I made a back to school project for my son but I won't show you my one with all pics because I have restrictions on what I can show you in terms of pics from the school so I decided to make a mock one for you all as a display sample so you can get some ideas on your own mini album. I worked quite a number of days on this project because I was trying only to use SU! products only but I did struggle truthfully but the end result was worth it. In the photos I am only showing a few of the pages because the other pages I am still not confident to show. Anyway I hope you get inspired. Thank you for popping by and I will be back with some more.

Matching gifts for concord crush!

2011-02-20T13:25:00.000+11:00

I wanted to share a treat box I made using a splitcoast stampers tutorial. The treat box is made for Hershey nugget chocolates and unfortunately in Australia we don't have those so I went on a search for a chocolate bar to fit in the same treat box without altering the measurements and I found this dairy milk bar in woolies... now after buying it I realised it is the exact same colour as concord crush so it suits the packaging perfectly. I decided not to use the shimmer paint on the flowers on the treat box because I thought the flowers look pretty without it. Oh by the way my treat box is the other way around because I cut my diagonal the wrong direction and just a hint don't follow the measurements on the template just on the instructions because the measurements on the template were ohhh so confusing. Just thought I would mention it if you are trying to make one don't want you all to waste precious cardstock. Even I make mistakes. Anyway I hope you are all having a good weekend and I will be back with my back to school project next. I hope!! Thanks for popping by.

Concord Crush!

2011-02-19T09:05:00.000+11:00

I wanted to make a birthday card for my mum. I thought I would try a new colour combo so I used the new in colour concord crush. Now I must admit I was no fan at first of this colour but it looks beautiful with real red and very vanilla. To make the flowers I used the flowers from birds and bloom and fluffed them up. I also dazzled them with platinum shimmer paint. I also used the flower fancy punch to create a bigger flower. I used the new jewels by Stampin up! to finish the flower. The embossing folder I used was elegant bouquet I didn't think I would use this embossing folder much but I love it. I also used my petal card punch to do the message holder and cut a 1" square and used my spiral punch to give it a note effect and I found a small greeting from one of the hostess sets to fit. I then used the love letters ds paper to cover the petal card and add 4 you from the tiny tags set. I learnt how to make a ruffled ribbon so I decided to try doing it with great results without a sewing machine. Anyway thanks so much for all your comments on my last project. I have been actively crafting a project. It is actually a back to school project. I made one for my son but I wanted to show you a past project I made but using a new theme 'back to school 'so I will share that with you soon. Thanks for popping by.

Little place to call home!

2011-02-09T11:51:00.002+11:00

I have been working on this little project on and off for a few days. I had too many ideas swimming in my head that I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with this house template. I bought this template a little while ago and forgot all about it. I actually wanted this box for my slices I make and that is why I used the homemade to die for stamp. No I still haven't bought my 2" scallop circle punch because Stampin' Up! still haven't released them again so I have to hand cut them still. I will keep waiting because I really want one and soon. I used many punches for this box. I used the flower punch, window punch for the fence, scallop border punch for the fence too, tag punch for the door. The square punch for the windows and a retired square punch for the windows and cut the small squares in half to create a different kind of window, owl punch for the flower centres, I frilled the grass under the fence and added a few butterflies to the house. I used a retired speckles stamp but Stampin' Up! have a new wheel with a sand effect which can have the same effect. I used some retired chocolate chip ribbon to close off the box.
The colours I used were old olive, chocolate chip, bashful blue, pink pirouette, basic black, cherry cobbler, tangerine tango.
The embossing was done using a Stampin' Up! texture plate that are not available in Australia but I managed to get my hands on ages ago. I thought it would suit my roof. For the fence I used an embossing folder that I bought at a craft fair that makes it look like a wood effect. I think that is about it. I hope you like it. Thanks for popping by.

Novelty card!

2011-02-04T12:59:00.001+11:00

I thought since my son started school yesterday I thought it appropriate to do a starting school card. It was only suppose to be a novelty card just to give me some ideas how to use this owl punch. I have seen so many wonderful samples so I am not sure if this idea has been done yet it might have been done already. I find it really hard to use this owl punch. It is the one punch I bought that I struggle to use. Anyway I hope you have all had a good week. Thanks everyone for your lovely comments. Always a pleasure hearing what you think. FYI: My son went well at school he was so sweaty first day. I haven't seen him that way in ages. He talked about the 'tuck shop'. I haven't heard that word in ages either. I thought they call it the canteen but I must be wrong. Anyway I am working on another project not that it is getting very far but we will see. It might still be related to the starting school theme. Anyway I hope you all have a great weekend. Thanks for popping by. BTW: the wings of the owl was done using the scallop oval punch.

JAI53 challenge!

2011-02-01T21:19:00.000+11:00

It has been ages since I have joined in a challenge and I thought to get the mojo going I thought I would participate in the Just Add Ink challenge this week. I will have a few weeks off my studies so I will try to be a little more regular this month and with DS going to school on Thursday I hope that can free up a lot of time too. Anyway with this challenge I went embossing crazy. The flower was embossed with a few different embossing folders and I used the square lattice for the background which I recently bought. I used a retired saleabration greeting that I thought was suitable for this card. I had so much fun with this card. It was great to sit down and share a card. The colours I used were so saffron, kiwi kiss, soft suede and whisper white. Must head off if you get the chance why not join in the challenge too. Thanks for popping by.

Trinket box!

2011-01-18T21:19:00.000+11:00

I played around with this box before Christmas and I was struggling with the instructions on how to create it. I found a template on a website called Folding Trees this was one of their tutorials.
I found it age ago but kept the instructions because I really wanted to know how to make it. I finally was able to work it out in the end but extremely fiddly even with a template. It still has a link to the blog it came from so you can still find the template available if you want to try it. I thought I would share it with you since I did finally finish it on Sunday bit late for Chrissy I guess. Always next year right!

On another note I must say with these school holidays now I understand when the mums run out of things to do with their kids and shopping just doesn't cut it anymore. I still have another two weeks to go. What am I going to do with my son. I think I have pulled out every toy he has in his cupboard and it still doesn't occupy his time. Oh well I am sure I will think of something. He hasn't been too bad just me complaining yet again.

Anyway I must go I should be working on my assignment due in a couple of weeks I have started it just at a stand still have lots of information just don't know where to put it all with a word limit. I am one of those people that ramble. I talk too much in my day to day conversations and I do the same when I write just like I am doing now. Well in this case I am procrastinating.

Thanks for popping by.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-15T16:17:00.000+11:00

I wanted to pop in and try and wish all my loyal followers a Happy New Year!!!. 14 days late I am truly apologetic.

Christmas just flow away with the wind last year. I was intending to pop back in before Christmas but I was extremely busy with my uni stuff I just didn't have any spare moment and when I was able I was preparing Chrissy gifts for all my son's teachers and some other friends of mine. Unfortunately over Christmas I was crafting away but every single time I was intending on photographing ....it either was already given or needed to be sent in the mail. I can't believe it has been a whole month since blogging and I must admit I have had a lovely time just relaxing after Christmas. I went away for a couple of days and it was truly worthwhile just to gather my thoughts and think about what this year will hold for my family and I.

I have to admit thank you for all your words of encouragement and all my loyal followers that come regularly to see what I have updated you are so wonderful and I am truly slack these days.

Today I really felt the need to pop in and say hi and share a few simple treats I made for my son's OT teachers. He did a camp over the school holidays and I wanted to make something simple it didn't turn out simple I spent too much time talking to the mums instead of thinking of the job at hand so I didn't end up finishing what I wanted to give them so they actually ended up with half of what was shown here but I thought I would share it with you since I have been rather slack with my posts.

The coconut ice was handmade I used a recipe from my mother in laws little recipe book but I had a little accident with the pink colouring I was a little carried away so it turned out bright pink rather than a light pink. I also made passionate fruit slice and I bought the containers from Abcoe in Penrith it is a great alternative for slices instead of using cello bags. Oh by the way I had to hand cut all those scallops for the containers because I don't have the punch which really took ages. I had to hand cut individually ten of those. The chocolate wrapper I did with the crimper. It is an Aldi chocolate inside.
Finally the card was a buckle card. I used the tutorial from Splitcoast stampers but changed it slightly in measurements. I used my embossing folder to do the front of the card and the buckle. I used a few butterflies to give it a little colour and just stamped a greeting.
The colours I used were marina mist and blushing bride (in colour).

Anyway I hope this helps you think of inexpensive ways of giving a gift with the thought in mind. Enjoy and I hope to be back when I can. Thanks for popping by.

Santa and elves business!

2010-11-28T15:00:00.000+11:00

I wanted to share the swaps I made for a gathering I am going to on Monday. I had to make 8 of these little beauties. I had very little time to think of anything so I decided to use one of Patti Lee's ideas. I seen it on her blog ages ago but I decided to use the same principle but using the milk carton die. No I don't own the milk carton die but I did make up a template of my own a while back so I used that to make these little boxes. They are so cute. I used the owl punch to make the buttons and scallop circle for the elf frill. I added a little tag to them all and added some gold cord which I had from my retired Stampin up cord to finish the boxes off. Thanks for the inspiration Patti. You are amazing. Anyway I have been a little quiet I know and I am sure you are all missing me but I have clammed up in my shell lately reading and really putting my head in the books lately. My time crafting has diminished so you will hear less and less as time goes on I am afraid. It is not that I don't love it. I do and there are so many ideas floating around in my head but I am afraid there is no time for me to do these things as much. Anyway thanks you all so very much for your comments and support along the way you are so great. Enjoy and thanks for popping by.

Trapeze box!

2010-11-07T19:43:00.002+11:00

Well I said I would be back to show you my christmas box using a similar template I used in an earlier post. This box is smaller than the lunchbox idea because first of all I didn't want to waste my new ds paper that I received because I absolutely love this paper with the new christmas promotion that is going. I couldn't resist this paper but in saying that I also wanted to show you a small version of this box. I have two templates one small box and one large one. The lids are made differently too. The first design was two side flaps this one the lid actually tucks back into the box. I think it is so adorable this box. I used my new stamp set welcome christmas set. The ds paper is called Christmas Cocoa specialty ds paper. I wish I could get more of this paper it is just devine I love it to bits. I did use some retired soft suede ribbon to finish the box and I also used the vintage embossing folder too.
Thanks for all your birthday wishes and thanks again for popping by and saying hi.

Have you missed me!

2010-11-04T15:02:00.000+11:00

I thought I would pop in and let you know that I have been away on holidays for the last couple of days. I am so sorry for my missing posts I just had so much on before leaving for Queensland. It was also my birthday so I was away for my birthday and I had a lovely time in Dreamworld and had a lovely dinner on the marina mirage eating seafood. It was a great time to get away. I will try to be back on my blog in the next couple of days with more of this lunchbox idea. I hope to create a chrissy one. Thank you to all that sent best wishes you are all so wonderful for thinking of me.

My new lunchbox idea!

2010-10-29T09:30:00.000+11:00

I made this template about a year ago and while I was searching through my database of tutorials and inspirational ideas I realised I never finished making the box from the template. Now this box is very large. I mean you can fit a whole box of chocolates inside. My son calls it the lunchbox. I seen a beautiful sample from Kerry and that is what reminded me of my old template. I have designed three different lids for this box. I will show you over time the three styles. This box is so easy to construct once you have the template to print out and cut out. I made the template so all I do is print out and cut all pieces for the box. I used the kiddy papers because my son's birthday is coming up so I thought I would start preparing for ideas for my son. I will be trying to make a chrissy one if I get time. I am extremely busy at the moment so I will see what I can achieve in the next couple of days. Anyway I thought I would share this to give you something exciting to look at for a little while. Thanks for popping by.

Wine dressed up!

2010-10-26T07:49:00.000+11:00

Well I said I was working on something that was causing me grief. This is the culprit that was causing me much distress. I started making a wine bag to match the other petal box I did in an earlier post. Here is the petal box I made earlier that was filled with chocolates and then I wanted to make a wine bag since one of the pressies was a wine bottle well sort of. It was a rather fat bottle of alcohol. I started off with a tutorial I had found but then I had to start from scratch again because this bottle didn't fit in that particular wine bag so back to square one create my own. Now I know the photo is not that great but you can try to see in the photo the embossing at the top isn't it gorgeous. I love that embossing folder I had to use that for this box. I made a little matching 3 x 3 love note size card to hang off the ribbon and 6 hours later after changing the box that many times. First it was the size that didn't work then it was the lid I changed that at least three times and then I was going to put a handle then I thought if she picks it up by the handle there might not be any alcohol for her to consume so I thought I better not. I did a twist top for the top of the box but it looked enormous compared to the box so I wasn't happy with that. Then I thought pinching the sides would make the box look slimmer but then once I did that I couldn't have it as a box square again so I couldn't restart again because I didn't have any more 12 x 12 sheets of old olive cardstock so then I had to improvise again but after finishing it I think it turned out well in the end. I think the problem with me is I am way too fussy with my workmanship. I just always want every card or item to be perfect. Anyway I have to go I have a team meeting to get to. Enjoy! Thanks for popping by.

Creating a purse!

2010-10-24T20:58:00.000+11:00

I had a wonderful time at the Craft Sale last weekend. It was very busy and I think many people received great bargains from the sale. I enjoyed meeting up with a few of my friends from camp and catching up with everyone in my team and meeting a few new faces at the sale that visit my blog regularly and I love the fact that you introduced yourself to me because at least I know someone out there is listening to me yap on and boy was I yapping on with some of you. I had lots of fun and the day went quickly. I volunteered for a lucky door prize and since I didn't know what to do for a lucky door prize I decided a mixed pack of 6 x 6 ds papers would be alright but I still wasn't happy so I decided to dress it up and I thought I would use a template again but boy it took me way to long. I started at 6pm and didn't finish till about ten. This template is by Becky Roberts she does beautiful tutorials but boy are they long instructions since I haven't made one for ages and I had forgotten how long this purse takes I can tell you this was me at full pace oh well I will say that I had to make dinner and put the dishes away and bath my son all in between so maybe it wasn't that long but it sure felt like it. This paper looks like the new ds paper but it is not it is a retired lot but it still looks chrissy which is what I was trying to achieve. Christmas was in the air at the sale. I added the delightful decorations stamp set as the tag and voila a beautiful dressed up purse. Sorry about the poor picture that is what happens when it is 10:30pm at night and you have to get up early to pack the car for the sale. I came back with a little less. I still managed to fit what I didn't sell back in the cupboards except for a few stamp pads but I am happy all the same. I found I needed to get rid of some of the clutter but I still feel I have a long way to go. Anyway I really enjoyed meeting you all and meeting some others that I haven't seen in a while thanks for stopping by and saying hi and I just love talking to you all. It is nice to know some of you in person. Anyway must go I am working on a gift for someone and it is not going to plan. I have had to improvise on this gift so many times and I am going to give up soon. Every idea that I have come up with has not been what I was looking for. I will show you what I mean when I have finished. Anyway must go.
thanks for popping by.

Giant Craft Sale!

2010-10-22T14:55:00.000+11:00

Giant Craft Sale!!

Well just a quick reminder tomorrow is the Giant Craft Sale for the Stampers Anonomous Team I hope you can come along if you live Sydney there will be some great bargains. I listed some of the stamp sets I have for sale but I didn't list everything that I will be taking along to the sale so come along if you don't have anything planned tomorrow. Here are the details:

When: Saturday 23rd October

Time: 9am - 1pm

Where: The Church Hall

Blacktown East Presbyterian Church

Cnr Heffron Road and Gallop Grove

Lalor Park

There will be lucky door prizes on the day and we will also have refreshments available for a gold coin donation. I hope you can pop in and say hi. You might find some great bargains.

Last petal punch idea well sort of!!!

2010-10-21T16:09:00.000+11:00

Well I thought I would pop in and put up my last idea using the petal card punch. I had lots of fun with this punch. I will admit there are many other ideas I came up with which I haven't shared with you all because I became a little tired of the same punch.
I started my tutorials because I wanted to point out how many things you can create with this punch and not to judge a punch by its cover. Sometimes certain types of punches don't seem all that inspiring but you can create beautiful things if you carefully think about things outside the square.
I will say that I do think outside the square most of the time at least.... once I had my son that is. With my son you always have to think on your feet and bribery and ways of motivation always involves thinking outside the square which is probably why I enjoy paper craft so much it keeps my mind thinking all the time and trying to be more creative in my thoughts which means more brain power in outsmarting my son from getting his way all the time. I might be getting older but I still need to try and outsmart my son sometimes to get through the day otherwise I might go insane.

Anyway my last two ideas were to create a flower using the petal punch by cutting two petals I used blushing bride and peach parfait for my flower and I also embossed the blushing bride card stock to give it more texture. I also used my 1" circle punch and placed a message within the petal to give a secret message. Then I created a stem using the petal pizazz which has become one of my favourite stamp sets. I used pocket silhouettes for the grass and cottage garden for the background stamping. All the colours I used on the first card were the new in colours. The last and final idea was creating an octagon box now I did a tutorial on the hexagon box here. All you do with particular box is add the following steps... add two extra petals to create this box. It makes the box a little bigger. Now I did discover when making this box you can also make an octagon basket. It looks really cute. I did it while trying to make this box. I won't share the octagon basket with you. I hope you don't mind I just need a break from this punch for a little while but if you have any questions on my tutorials just let me know.

Presents for a few friends!

2010-10-19T13:43:00.002+11:00

I thought I would share a few presents I made recently. I had so much fun making this box again. I actually have made this box before but I needed to make a pretty little box a couple of times so since I had the template I thought I would use it again. I used one of the new colours cherry cobbler for these boxes. I used the the chrissy ds paper and love letters ds paper. The rose I used with this box is using the tutorial with the petal card punch. It sits flat so it fits perfectly on top of this box without falling off too easily. Anyway I thought I would share it with you. It is a template that was designed by Lauren Meader. If you need more details you can email me. Anyway I know I said I will be back with the last idea I am still working on that I just was a little distracted with making these boxes. I hope to be back with the last idea soon. Enjoy and I hope to continue to inspire you.

Note: I had a few people asking about the petal box it is a template of Lauren Meader . You will need to visit her blog to get more details. Sorry!! I am happy to share what I can for free but some paper craft items I do are made only for my personal use such as this one and some templates do have restrictions which don't allow me to give out instructions on my blog as they have copyright. Thanks again for asking.

Petal punch ideas so far!

2010-10-17T18:13:00.002+11:00

Well I have been out all day with one of my fellow team mates Kerry. She planned an event for the cards for the troops. She did a fabulous job of organising this event. I was very impressed. Thank you Kerry for inviting me along I had a wonderful time helping make the cards with you and your friends. Unfortunately I didn't bring a camera but I am sure Kerry will post some photos of the event. It was great to get all the cards finished all in the required time. We actually finished early.

After the event since I haven't been crafting all that much I thought I would share a photo of all the ideas I came up with using the petal card punch altogether to show how versatile this punch really is. I have one more idea to share but I have to make up a card to show you. I haven't yet done that but I will try to get around to it tonight but I can't promise. Enjoy and if you have bought this punch try some of these ideas I think you will love it! Thanks for popping by

Oh no!! She is at it again!!

2010-10-16T21:48:00.000+11:00

Well this is the last tutorial for my petal punch ideas but I have one more idea after this one but there will not be a tutorial necessary. Well I have been overwhelmed with the amount of people interested in my tutorials using the petal punch obviously everyone was wondering what you do with a petal card punch. I think I have convinced a fair few of you what you can do with this punch now. So I hope you intend on using this punch I know I got my monies worth. Anyway this idea that I will be sharing with you today I have seen in the past but I thought I would still do a tutorial for those following all the rest of my tutorials lately. Ok here goes...

First cut out four petals and cut on one end on all four petals. As above

Then you will need adhesive for one side of each petal as above.

You will then need to adhere in the following way as above.

You will then have them all aligned and then you will turn over and put adhesive on the other side so that it becomes a rectangle as the photo below.

Stick your box together as above.

Then using your 1/1/4" square punch if you have a 1" punch I find it cuts to small you need slightly bigger so that is why I used the 1/1/4" square punch and then I cut any excess for the bottom of the box.

Your box should look like the picture above I have cut my square to size and adhered to the bottom of the box.

I then did a little twist at the top of the box to have it close nicely.

Then this is my finished product. I used the hostess level 2 set to do the embellishing and some soft subtle ds paper to wrap around the tiny box. You could fit a chocolate or it can be a little box for prize numbers for workshops. You can put a number in a few boxes and then chose a number for a lucky door prize. Anyway enjoy. I will be back with one more idea but that is the end for the tutorials for a little while. I think you have all had enough of my tutorials anyway. Thanks for popping and thanks for all your lovely comments you make me feel so special. Thanks girls. You are all amazing.

GIANT CRAFT SALE!!

2010-10-16T16:31:00.004+11:00

Well I have been a little slack in promoting the giant craft sale this year. I will be joining my team mates from Stampers Anonomous Team for the giant craft sale. I actually attended the last craft sale and it was a great success and great bargains at the sale. If you haven't been why not book it in. It will be worth your while. I am sure there will be lots on offer and you can grab yourself some crafty goodies at less than retail price.

I know what you are thinking where and when....

Here are the details:

When: Saturday 23rd October
Time: 9am - 1pm

Where: The Church Hall

Blacktown East Presbyterian Church

Cnr Heffron Road and Gallop Grove

Lalor Park

If you want some great bargains why not come along you won't be disappointed. I thought I would share a few of the things I have up for sale at the craft sale. If you are interested just email me and I can reserve it for you and you can pick it up at the craft sale. I don't mind if you change your mind that is fine to. I am just sharing a few of the things I have up for sale so you can think about what you are looking for. I will mention that all my stamps are lacquered and are in immaculate condition since I don't do classes anymore many are not stained and have been in my special collection. The only ones that are not lacquered are the unmounted stamp sets.

Ink pads, markers(pens) and the colour cardstock packs

some are full packs of the colour unopened and some have at least a half pack or more unless stated otherwise. When I have said paper that means only a few sheets I have in that colour. Just ask if there is a concern.

Apricot appeal x pad, 2 x pens, pack, ribbon $30.00

Brocade blue x pad, pen, pack , ribbon $35.00

Orchid Opulence pen, pad $10.00

Summer sun pad, pen $10.00

Ballet blue pad, pen, pack $22.00

Taken with teal pad, pen, paper $11.00

Barely Banana pen, pad and pack $18.00

Really rust pen, pad, and pack $20.00

Bordering blue paper and pen $3.00

Brights mixed pack and 7 pens $30.00

Cameo coral pad, pen and pack $18.00

Ruby red pad, pen and pack $18.00

Earth elements paper pack not opened $10.00

Antique brass brads $15.00

White aluminium Squares two packs available $6.00 each pack.

STAMPS

Whimsical words not mounted $15.00

Crab and co $40.00

Bold butterfly not mounted $45.00

Wild hearts $20.00

Both way blossoms $30.00

Paisley $25.00

Tres Chic $20.00

Friendship Blooms $10.00

Weathered $20.00

Buds basics $25.00

A beautiful thing $24.00

Blooming with happiness $20.00

Snow burst $30.00

Hostess level 2 occasions for all $35.00

Vintage labels not mounted $15.00

Terrific tags $15.00

Hostess level 1 picture this $15.00

A little bit of happiness hostess $20.00

Boho backgrounds $20.00

Stem sayings $15.00 RESERVED

Live like you mean it hostess set $15.00

Too terrific tags $15.00

Organic grace not mounted hostess $25.00
Spring solitude and wheel hostess level 2 $30.00

Window dressing hostess level 3 $45.00 RESERVED

Gallery $27.00

Best yet hostess $20.00

Fresh fillers $12.00

Lovely labels $15.00

Polka dot punches $10.00

Merci $10.00

Little pieces $20.00

Sending happy thoughts $15.00

Taggers dozens $25.00

Big bold birthday $40.00

Jumbo wheels bodacious, daisy dash, watercolour vine, it’s beautiful $10.00

Small wheels sandy shells $9.00

I have also ds paper and other items I will be selling on the day that I won't put on my blog. If you want more information regarding what I will be selling exactly I can forward you a list that I have created of what I will be selling on the day so you can have an indication of what will be up for sale and prices too. Thanks for popping by.

Blog award!

2010-10-16T16:09:00.000+11:00

I wanted to pop in and say thank you to one of my fellow demonstrator Andrea. She comes to my blog so regularly and vice versa. She is one of my best blogger friends ever. She always is so encourging with her comments and she is such a nice person too. I love visiting her blog because she always says a little bit about what is going on in her life and it feel almost like I am there experiencing it along with her. I love that about blogs in general sometimes they give you a little piece of their life and share it with the world. You can get to know someone just by reading each and every entry. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Andrea personally yet I am sure in time we will meet but I thought I would share her personally designed blog award that she awarded me. I am deeply touched and I had to share. Well it has to be eight people I have to pass this onto. Well let see....
1. Kerry Bunting
2. Debbie Pamment
3. Melissa Davies
4. Leigh from Cause I'm me
5. Leonie
6. Felicity
7. Robyn Irving
8.Rachel

Well that was tremedously difficult trying to pick 8 blogger friends only. Now all these girls have given me enormous encouragement over my time in the blogging world and they always make me laugh with some of the comments they leave me. I wish I can write back sometimes. You are all an inspiration and I want to give thanks to these girls because they are the many few that keep me going with my blog. Thank you so much and there are lots more out there that always leave comments and are always so kind with their words. Thank you to those I haven't even mentioned yet. You are also important to me too. You know who you are. Here is the award for you.

Robot time!

2010-10-14T18:40:00.000+11:00

Well I had to do a very quick card for my nephew's birthday. I have 6 nephews and 1 niece. So boy cards tend to dominate and so do gift cards and cash. I decided to do matching packaging again. The card and a gift card holder. The gift card holder was designed by Keesh. Here is the link for the tutorial. Thanks Keesh for the inspiration.
I used the following colours for this card: pacific point, pumpkin pie and basic gray. I used the polka dot stamp which is retired for the background. I absolutely love this stamp I am amazed that Stampin' Up! discontinued this stamp it is one of my favourite stamps to use. I used party this way stamp set for the balloons and the lots of bots stamp set for the watercoloured images. I used some threads for the streamers for the balloon and a retired pumpkin pie ribbon for the gift card holder. Very simple construction but for boys that the best I think. A few star punch outs and we are done. Enjoy and I will be back soon with more.

Heart petal punch idea!

2010-10-14T12:47:00.000+11:00

Well I am back with another tutorial for your petal card punch. I think some of you might not use this idea much but I thought I would share another idea all the same.

Firstly you will punch out two petals. If you have a greeting you can put it inside one of the petals. I used the hostess level 2 set for my little message. As shown above.

Then I have folded the message petal as shown above.

Then as shown above I have put adhesive to stick my message petal to the other petal.

Then as shown above I have adhered it to the other petal.

Then I will punch out another petal as shown above and put adhesive on the two bottom sides of the heart.

As shown above the heart box is turned upside down and shows where to put the adhesive and how to adhere it together.

Then you will cut about 10 cm piece by 1cm and wrap around the bottom of the heart and cut off excess cardstock.

This is what your box should look like when you have adhered your cardstock.

You will then get your crop a dile and using the small hole just cut out two holes at each side for your ribbon as shown above.

Then this is your completed little box with a little message. You can put a little message, a chocolate or just an added embellishment. Enjoy!. I have one or two more ideas to share then I should be finished with this punch. Thanks for popping by.

Using the rose from my tutorial!

2010-10-13T10:03:00.000+11:00

I wanted to show you the finished rose from my tutorial on a card. I did a lovey dovey card very unlike me but I wanted to use one of the new stamp sets I bought " style beautiful" and I thought it would go perfect with the stamp set "artistic etchings". I did a case of Teneale's colouring of the flowers in the heart area from the hostess set "punch potpourri". I thought that was really clever and her card looks so much better than my card.
The colours I used for this card was cherry cobbler which is a new colour.... absolutely love this colour and early espresso. I used one of the new taffeta ribbons early espresso 1/8" ribbon and "en francais" for the background stamping. Oh I did also use the eyelet border punch to give it a nice edge. Anyway thanks everyone for your comments you are so very encouraging.
I do have about two more tutorials to go for the petal punch and then I will give you a wrap up of all the things I have made. I had fun using this punch. I really didn't think I would have so many uses for this punch. Anyway thanks for popping by. I will be back with more.

Christmas card holder!

2010-10-12T12:01:00.000+11:00

I bought a template from Lauren Meader again... this one was called card catch all. I didn't do it exactly the way she had designed just because I intended to do something a little differently. I wanted to use my sweet treat cups on the holder. I did six cards two designs. Nothing too fancy I just wanted to start on my christmas collection. I thought the sweet treat cup suited the template that Lauren had and it fit perfectly. I also put a hatch on the back of the card holder to be able to eat the lollies without ruining the card holder. I had to make the cards slightly shorter only to fit a little easier under the sweet treat cup but they are still a comfortable fit. Enjoy and thanks for popping by.

A rose using the petal card punch and another tutorial.

2010-10-12T07:50:00.001+11:00

First of all punch out three petals and sponge the edges I did mine using the new shimmer paint on both sides of the petals.

I have cut the three petals as above picture

I have put adhesive on the following petals. Now with this step you can use tombow multi adhesive but I find it terribly hard to wait for it to dry so I use sticky strip or double sided tape.

I then fold the petal that was cut on one side fold it over. You can see on the petal one of the petals has an overlap layer of a petal.

I then did the same thing to the 3 leaf petal overlaped one of the petals to create a two petal as picture above.

I then used a skewer or stylus to curl the one petal piece.

This is what it should look like now.

I then cut off the bottoms of the three petal and two petal pieces as picture above shows.

I then took my petal that was untouched and curled the petals slightly then put the three petal rose on top of the four petal piece. As picture above.

I then put tombow multi adhesive in the centre and ran my skewer around the bottom to make sure those petals stick to the petals below.

I then put the two petals on top and put adhesive again. As picture above shows.

I then placed the last petal in the centre I did cut off a little bit of the end of this petal too. Sometimes it is a bit long for the centre. Don't worry if you put too much adhesive the adhesive dries clear. I wanted to do this tutorial because I like this rose a little better than the flower fancy rose only because this rose can be adhered flat to your card because I am using a flat petal card punch out it can be adhered strongly to the card where the flower fancy one could fall off a lot easier. Anyway enjoy and I have more ideas to share. I hope you are not getting too bored with all my tutorials.

A basket using the petal card punch and a tutorial!

2010-10-11T13:04:00.001+11:00

Well I said I would be back with some more ideas using the petal card punch. I have come up with so many ideas using this punch I should convince at least one of you to think about buying this punch. I used the petal card punch to make a little basket. I would say this little basket will come in handy in Easter but I guess you can use it for parties or Christmas occasions as well. Here goes....

Firstly punch out two petals as picture above.

Then you will punch with your crop a dile two small holes on one side of each petal.

You will then put adhesive on three sides of the petals that don't have the hole and also cut out a piece of card stock at or 4" by 5 1/2"(10cm x 14cm). You will score at portrait 1/2", 1 1/2", 2 1/2", 3 1/2". You will then use your scallop trim border punch or another border punch and punch out on both sides your trims as per picture above.

You will then adhere your petal to your sides of the scored card stock as picture above. Please make sure you use sticky strip to make sure it doesn't fall apart. I haven't just for the purpose of the photos.

You will then adhere another petal to the bottom. Make sure your petal which has the hole is at the top at this point.

You will then adhere your last petal. It should look like the picture above. Now you need to repeat this process on the other side of the card stock.

You should have a box that is completed like the picture above. Now you need to cut a 1/2" or 2cm strip of card stock for the basket handle and grab two eyelets I used two gold ones from the metallic eyelets collection. I also centred my basket handles with the holes on the petal and used my pencil to pencil in where I need to put my hole and then punched my hole on my strip so that the basket handles are placed correctly when you set your eyelets in.

You will then set your eyelets with your crop a dile as the picture above for both sides of the basket.

Lastly this is your final product a beautiful basket for a special someone. Very easy and very cute. Have I convinced you yet of how versatile this punch really is. I have more ideas to come so stay tuned.

Different places to shop!

2010-10-08T07:45:00.000+11:00

I seen this beautiful card made by Lorri on Confessions of a stamping addict and I loved it but I didn't have the stamp set she was using so I found a tutorial on Dawn's site. I just had to make one. I came up with three different ideas. First one was a lolly shop. I had seen this on Nancy Riley's blog but do you think I can find it now. Nope!. I didn't have the trendy trees stamp set that she used so I improvised I used my delightful decorations set. There is a little round circle stamp. I used craft ink on the rose red and the old olive cardstock. The punch I used was a 3/4" circle punch and I used my card bags to create the wrapper and then some Stampin' Up! thread. I used the whisper white ribbon the new really thin ribbon. Oh I forgot to mention I also used some toothpicks cut down to size for the sticks.

Second idea was to make a baby shop. I had bought the baby tee jumbo wheel and hadn't used it yet. I had so many ideas floating in my head but this idea seemed to suit this card to for a congratulations card. Isn't it adorable. Love this card. The colours I used were so saffron, very vanilla and bashful blue. I did use the retired bashful blue tafetta ribbon which I thought looked perfect for this card.

Last and final idea I came up with was a shop front for cocktails. I love my cocktails but I can't handle my drinks at all so I rarely get to drink. When I was a single girl in my younger years I was always very cautious of this because I knew one drink would always make me tipsy so I refused to drink when I went out just because I was so frightened of the prospect that someone could spike my drink. My mother taught me well. I was always thinking of consequences. How sad am I but you can never be too careful. Anyway I did use another embossing folder to give you an idea you can use texture for the base of the shop. In this card I used pacific point, tangerine tango and kiwi kiss. The scallop I used was from the birds and bloom die. and I used a 1" circle and a 1/1/4" circle punch for the greeting. A little glitter was used on the base of the glasses too.

Anyway I hope I have inspired you to create something with this tutorial. I had so much fun with this idea. You can do heaps and it looks gorgeous in real life. Anyway I must go but enjoy and thanks for all your lovely comments I hope to be back with a few more ideas for the petal card punch. Don't worry I have three more ideas to come.

Shadow technique!

2010-10-07T07:36:00.001+11:00

I made this card to try and work out how to do shadowing using craft ink. I used the tutorial from Renee. She did such an easy to follow tutorial and I couldn't wait to try it after seeing this video.
Sorry about this photo it is so awful but lately I have been trying to take my photos a whole lot quicker and where I work there isn't much light so it effects the quality of the photo. I will try to take a photo later to show this card in a better light. Now that is better!!
This card was made with perfect plum, pink pirouette and very vanilla. I used the stamp set "just believe" and I did use the "bella toile" background stamp which I think is gorgeous. Lastly I used the vintage embossing folder just to give it a little bit more texture. Added a little pink ribbon and we are done.
I don't know whether you can notice I have used the modern label punch but I have cut the edges slightly smaller. I first punch out my modern label and then I run the edges through my punch again to create the edges smaller.
Very easy. I wanted to try something different and it worked. Thanks for popping by.

blog awards!

2010-10-06T19:31:00.000+11:00

I received this beautiful award from Leah. I felt terrible that I never gave her proper thanks. I wanted to say thank you now and since I have so many others to thank I thought I would do them all at the same time. I receive so many awards and I just find I run out of time to deliever these awards. I am so sorry it was so late on my blog. Please forgive me Leah. I really did appreciate the gesture. If you haven't been to Leah's blog please stop by she does some beautiful scrapbook pages. I just love her scrapbook pages. Always inspirational pages to admire. Thanks again Leah.

I received this award from Patti. I get so excited when I get nominated for awards but I never seem to keep up with them all. Thank you Patti. I feel really special that I have so many people thinking of me. Patti is someone I admire.... her work is absolutely out of this world. She comes up with amazing ideas and she is always happy to share. Thanks Patti you are an inspiration.

I received this lovely award from Kerry a team member we joined up Stampin' Up! at the same time. We try to get together once a month to do a little stamping together with a few others. We have so much fun. Kerry is always making me laugh. She has a great sense of humour and her work is absolutely gorgeous. She does the most amazing watercolouring and brayering. Thank you Kerry for thinking of me for this award. If you haven't been past her blog you should. She has some wonderful ideas too.

All three of these girls are an inspiration and have a wonderful talent for papercraft. Thank you girls. Now I am going to change the rules slightly because I have so many awards. I thought I would name a few blogs that I find inspiring and I want to also include the girls that gave me awards too.

1. Lorri Heiling
2. Tiffany Bauer
3. Allison Ohran
4. Karen Thomas
5. Andrea Lowcock
6. Melissa Davies

I have so many more to name but I think I will stop there. Thanks girls for my blog awards I will pass these blog awards to the following girls. Thanks for the inspiration girls.

Petal card punch hexagon box tutorial!

2010-10-06T10:19:00.001+11:00

Well I said I would be back with more ideas using the petal card punch. This time I am doing a small trinket box it is in the shape of a hexagon. Once again I am doing a tutorial to show you how easy it is to make yourself.

Firstly you punch out 7 petal cards as photo below shows.

Then you will put adhesive on one side of each petal. Only do this for five of the petals and the sixth petal just cut one side as photo below shows. Put the seventh petal to the side for now you will use it later.

You will then adhere all the six petals putting the cut petal on the end. It should look like the photo below.

You will then turn your box over to the other side and you should have flaps that are not adhered to the box. You will again get your sticky strip and adhere down all the five flaps as the photo shows.

You will then turn the box over again and put adhesive on the end like the photo below to stick your box together.

Your box should look like the photo below now.

You will then get a scrap piece of cardstock and flatten one end of your box and trace around the box to create the base. You will find that the base will be slightly bigger but once adhered you can use your scissors to trim back to make it look correct with your box. As photo below shows I have cut my hexagon and it is now ready to adhere to the base of the box.

You will then adhere the hexagon to the base of the box as photo below shows

Now this bit is optional I have cut off five of the petals at the top of my box and left one petal uncut you can leave them all but I think it is better without five of the petals you will understand later in the tutorial.Your box should look like the photo below so far.

Now the seventh petal that you put to the side you will need now you will cut three sides to the petal leaving only one petal and the square bit in the middle. You will also need to trace your lid so flatten the box again and tracing your hexagon shape to a scrap piece of cardstock. The photo below shows the lid traced and ready to adhere to the box and the petal that needed to be cut.

Now put adhesive on the petal that was left on the box and adhere the lid to the box as photo below shows.

You will then adhere the last petal to your lid this will allow you to open and close the box neatly. As photo below shows.

Finally this is your box complete. To show how small this box is you can only fit a ferrero inside.

Now as I was discussing earlier you don't have to cut off those five petals if you don't want to. It will look like this box below with the petals around. It does have a nice effect too. It is up to you.

Finally this is my two boxes embellished and ready to give away as a little surprise. It is so cute!!!

Anyway I hope I have inspired you with another way to use this punch. I have a couple more ways to use this punch. Just give me a little time to prepare them. Enjoy.

Thanks for popping by.

Scallop circle boxes!

2010-10-05T11:05:00.000+11:00

Well since I have been doing a few boxes lately I thought I would just share a box I made recently using a tutorial from Tina. I used her tutorial with the box which has the build a brad on it. I had the die she was using in her tutorial so I had to try it. Since using that tutorial I also made a scallop circle punch box using the same principles and in this box you can put three ferreros within the scallop circle punch box. The other one you can't. You can fit a golden rough circle in there but it is a tight fit. These are so easy to make. I also recently found a tutorial doing a similar box but using the scallop circle die which is larger than this one in the picture and would fit a whole lot more. Here is the link. Anyway I thought I would share some more ideas of different kinds of boxes using your punches or dies. Anyway thanks for all your lovely comments. I really do appreciate the feedback. Thanks for popping by and I will be back with a few more ideas with your petal card punch. I have a few more. I think you are going to love some of them.

Petal card punch box tutorial!

2010-10-04T20:19:00.002+11:00

Well I said that I would show you a few ideas using the petal card punch recently released in the new Stampin' Up! catalogue. This one I made up recently because I wasn't sure what I could use this punch for besides little messages within the four petals. This was my first idea.

First punch out three petal card pieces as picture above.

Then I used my hostess level 2 stamp set and stamped the for you image and stuck it within one of the pieces that I cut earlier.

I then folded the message into a square petal fold it takes a bit of practise but it should look like the picture above.

I then cut a piece of 4 1/2" x 6 1/16" and scored portrait at every 1" as picture above.

I then stamped my images and also put adhesive on the 1/2" left over side as picture above shows.

I then put adhesive on one of the petals at all four corners and adhered to one side of the box. Please make sure it is sticky strip. I used other stuff but it still wasn't strong enough.

I made the size for a diary milk chocolate bar but you can make to another size it fits perfectly for this chocolate bar.

I then stuck my message petal card to the other petal with adhesive. As photo above.

I then used a strip of about 1/2" x the length of a A4 sheet. I then put adhesive on all four petals and then adhered the strip to the petals by wrapping it around the four corners of the petals. Then I cut the excess off to make the lid of the box.

You should then have a little box with a secret message on top.

Here it is finished and I made another one for a lipstick size. It would be great as a hostess gift and put samples of ribbons or different embellishments. I added a few embossed butterflies and a little tag to hang off the butterfly.

Here is my secret message revealed. I hope you try it. I have some more ideas up my sleeve so I will be back with a few more ideas I just have to finish them. Enjoy!

Creating grass with your scallop edge border punch!

2010-10-03T09:37:00.001+11:00

Adding grass to your cards can be easy with your scallop edge border as I soon discovered while making this card.

I did two samples to show you the grass in two similar cards but making a different effect.

I needed some grass for the two cards above so I thought I would invent my own grass using the current punches I owned. I was so happy with the way it turned out and it is so easy to recreate. I know that you are all going to ask me for a tutorial and since I discovered this myself I decided to make a tutorial at the same time as making the cards.
Firstly punch out your scallop border.

Then make sure you don't finish the scallop border to the edge of the strip as picture above shows so that you can centre your scallops easily without having crocked grass clippings. It keeps the cardstock level for you.

Then as the photo above shows line your scallops unevenly through your scallop edge punch. You will notice in the picture the scallop areas are showing inbetween the scallop which is what you want.

Then voila you have grass clippings. As picture above shows. You will continue the same process for the rest of the scallops.

Then you should end up with a grass strip like this for your cards. It's that easy. It is like creating a whole new border punch without buying another border punch. Anyway I hope I have inspired you to make your own grass. I was so excited because I came up with this myself while trying to think about how I could make grass. Enjoy and I will be back with more.
I have been working on some new ideas for the new petal card punch. You are going to be surprised with what I came up with using this punch. Marelle was asking me about what we can do with it. I didn't have the punch at that time so I couldn't have a play but I did end up buying it after all and I have lots of ideas so stay tuned for that. I have made up a tutorial ready to go too but I have a few more ideas up my sleeve. My mojo is coming back again. Anyway I hope you all have a lovely long weekend if you are in Sydney that is. Drive safe it is awful weather today. Thanks for popping by.

Brayering newsprint ds paper!

2010-09-30T19:30:00.002+10:00

I did this card to show you a way of using your newsprint ds paper a little differently. I bought the newsprint ds paper a little while ago and although it is great as just a newsprint colour sometimes you want to use the print but with a different colour. In this sample I have brayered the newsprint ds paper with baja breeze and created a very different effect. I think it allows me more opportunities to use it if I can change the colour to what I need. I have no idea what this bird stamp set is called off the top of my head. Kerry let me stamp off a few images when she was over at my place. I finally sat down and did a little watercolouring with the image. I just had to use the embossed butterflies they fit perfectly with this image. I also added some of the new subtles ds paper. I used perfect punches for the greeting and lastly I used my birds and blooms die cuts to build my flower. Anyway I will try to be back with some more but I am starting to lose the mojo again. I hope you are all having a good week.

Just add ink challenge # 36

2010-09-29T12:19:00.002+10:00

I wanted to participate in the Just add ink challenge this week. I have been meaning to get around to do some of their challenges just always straped for time. Well here is my interpretation of the sketch. I turned the sketch to the side. Very simple. I used my new fancy flower punch to make a rose and used the bird punch to do the leaves and then I used some embossed butterflies and the modern label punch to do the greeting added a bit of bella rose paper my favourite and then to finish off just a little bit of kiwi kiss ribbon. Enjoy. Thanks for popping by.

ETA: Here is a tutorial that I found on the net to help you make your own little beautiful roses. I didn't use this tutorial to make my own because I already knew how to do it from a previous tutorial I had seen with a non stampin up product. I wanted to share a tutorial that used the flower fancy punch so that it is easier to follow. Anyway I hope that helps all those that asked me about it. Enjoy!

Just a simple case of brayering again!

2010-09-28T08:28:00.000+10:00

I had to do an ultimate quick sympathy card for a friend. She loves brayering so I thought this would be perfect. I did the brayering using so saffron and basic black and the background was done using the retired sprikles stamp. The greeting is from "thoughts and prayers" stamp set. I also used the stamp set "pocket silhouettes" for the reeds at the bottom of the tree. I used the new scallop trim border punch too just to give it a little something. A very simple card from me but I think sympathy cards have to be that way sometimes. Thanks everyone for popping by.

Scallop envelope purse of photos!

2010-09-27T07:52:00.001+10:00

Here is a scallop envelope purse I made to hold photos of my son. I will say I haven't finished yet because I still want to do a little bit of journaling but I don't want you to see my awful writing and when I say awful it is pretty bad. My inspiration came from Jan tink's carousel purse and I made the same design but using the scallop envelope die. Now I will admit this is really small. I actually wanted it that way because I have a photo in my wallet of my son when he was like 10 months old and I wanted more updated photos of my son for my bag. I am always talking to people about my boy but I never have a photo of him (bad mum!!!) so it started to make me think why not use the scallop envelope die to put his preschool photos in and then add a few more pictures. I don't know whether you can see in the picture above it has pockets that can store two more photos. Now I did use the celebration ds paper again only because the colours that my son wears is normally really bright so these papers are perfect for the photos. I did use the new certainly celery taffeta ribbon to try it ...looks like the pear pizazz colour on the papers. Now to make the top I did use my other die cuts but you can use the top note die on the side and trace to create the same effect but using a die to do it makes it so much easier. I also used the 1 3/8" circle punch to cut out an area to show there were some more photos in the envelope. I had so much fun making this. I think I will need to create more. Now I have a compact full of a range of years of photos of my son which I can treasure for life for my bag. Enjoy and thanks for popping by.

Birds galore!

2010-09-26T20:25:00.001+10:00

I was asked to create some cards using the same stamp set and colours as the shopping list project I did for a friend. After so much thought these are all the cards I came up with for her. The one with the stair step card I did after talking to her this card involves so much cutting I think I have really worn myself out with cutting lately. I did get my inspiration from Marelle for the stair step card she did her card some time ago but I used a few different colours and made it my own a little by adding a few embossed butterflies and a few birds too. I also made the sizes differently to hers because I couldn't find the tutorial till after I made mine. The second and third cards were simple ones for this person and the last one I thought I would use a little vellum for a change. Still not convinced this vellum card is finished.I think I need to add a bit of red to make it stand out a little more. Anyway off onto another topic I bought some of the new jewels from the Stampin' Up! catalogue to see what they were like and I actually love them. I used it on my stair step card and the vellum card. I hope you like my colourful creations and I hope you have a fab week next week. I am sure to be back with more soon.

Just believe!

2010-09-25T07:47:00.000+10:00

I recently bought the stamp set "just believe" and my first thought was to use it with a brayer again. I used pink pirouette and pretty in pink for the brayering and I sponged the bottom edge with perfect plum. The bird was done using very vanilla but stamping with pink pirouette using the new hostess set. The background was done using the new vintage embossing folder. I did a bit of tearing and I also used my level 2 hostess set as well and then I layered on a scallop square punch. It looks so much better in real life. Anyway I must go but I will try to be back soon with some more. There is more to come.

Adding flags to create a name!

2010-09-24T08:39:00.002+10:00

Well I did this card last night because one of my friends asked me about the stair step card and I had to try and remember how to make one or find a tutorial. Of course I couldn't find it again so I decided to pull out an old card of mine that used that technique and try and work out the measurements again.
I got to thinking I would change the stair step card because I wanted to create flags again and this is what I came up with.
I must admit there is a massive amount of cutting so if you don't like cutting you will get RSI (LOL!!)... doing this card but the effect is super gorgeous.
I love this card because it works sort of like a pop up card. It didn't take me much thought to come up with this card sometimes I can sit down for hours and nothing comes to mind but this all came together so easily.
I love the stamp set "look who's turning". It is one of my favourite sets at the moment. Anyway I did use the celebration ds paper as well and the new modern label punch for the greeting. I did also use the "party this way" stamp set too for the flags. The colours I used were certainly celery, pacific point, bashful blue and real red just for reference. This person is turning 5 and I also photographed the back of the card so you can see more of the detail below my flag. I have lots to show you so stay tuned I will be back with more.

Christmas delight!

2010-09-18T08:24:00.002+10:00

I started doing a collection of christmas cards. I received a gorgeous stamp set from Marelle for being an active part of stamp camp Thanks Marelle!!!. This card was made with rich razzleberry,wild wasabi and very vanilla. I had kept a few packs of wild wasabi in my retired stock so since it has become one of the core colours I was excited because I still had the ink pad and papers to match. I used the bella toile in the background just love that stamp. I can do wonders with this stamp. I also just added a very vanilla tafetta ribbon to go with the card because I still don't have many of the new ribbons. I have lots of retired ribbons now that I could use for this card but I thought I would stick to a ribbon that is still available in the current catalogue. I just added baroque motif for the branch and a little pearl for the decoration. Perfect card for chrissy. Anyway must head off to the shops. Thanks for all your lovely comments girls glad I am inspiring you with some clever ideas I have found works well. Thanks for poppping by.

Using felt with your cards!

2010-09-16T22:11:00.000+10:00

I wanted to use one of the new dies I bought but I wanted to use felt as the base cardstock for the flowers in this card. I went down to my local craft store and bought some felt which was less than a $1. I decided to show you what I came up with using this die and the felt together. The die set that I used I think is called birds and blooms. Don't quote me on that but I am pretty sure off the top of my head. I also used a few more new products like the vintage embossing folder which I love to bits, scallop trim border punch, perfect punches stamp set. The colour combo I used for this card was very vanilla, baja breeze, basic gray and old olive. I used a few little pearls and used my scallop circle punch to punch out my greeting. Anyway I have to go it is really late now. Thanks for popping by.

Altogether a fun party!

2010-09-16T16:21:00.000+10:00

Well these are my four designs using the celebration ds paper and a few new and old stamp sets. These were really quick and simple to whip up. I don't yet have the new in colours so I had to accomodate for pear pazzaz with certainly celery again. I just don't have enough money to spend on some of the new products. Although I wish I could spend some more I just have to tell myself stop otherwise I really go beyond my means. On another note my son absolutely loves the lolly machine card. He always wants to munch on those lollies. He always asks me "OPEN THE MACHINE". These are such fun cards to create and so simple. I hope you get inspired by what you can do with these stamp sets. My favourite one is "look who's turning" with the hippo and octopus. They look soo sweet. Anyway I have more to come don't worry.... I have been busy having a good play with my new goodies. I haven't used some of my new goodies but I intend to very shortly like tonight. Anyway thanks again for popping by.

Party time!

2010-09-15T14:13:00.003+10:00

These sets were the first sets I wanted to get when I seen the new catalogue "party this way" and "look who's turning". I had to also get the matching ds papers celebrations. Using the colours real red, pacific point, bashful blue and certainly celery because I haven't invested in the new in colour pear pizzazz. I think that colour combo looks fab with the theme "party time". The first card all I did was cut out cardstock 14cm x 21cm and folded them in to make a door appeal and added my ds paper and then I did a band to fit around the card and voila a different card but using the little animals in the centre piece with some party hats. I just love that card. The second card is just showing the inside of the card when you take off the belly band. The last card was using the new scallop trim border. I used my star punch to create the flags. I cut the star legs to create flags then used multipurpose adhesive to get them to stick to the hemp twine. Then used some antique brass brads to stick the twine to the card. This idea of the flags I seen on Tiffany's blog at My crafty world. Thanks Tiffany!!!I thought it was a very clever idea so I just had to do the same thing. Anyway I thought I would share all that I have been creating. I have more to show but I don't want to overload you so enjoy and hope to be back soon.

thank card to match my other thank you gifts!

2010-09-15T14:02:00.000+10:00

Well I know I have been a little quiet. I have been enjoying some of my new products that I have been dying to play with. I thought I would share the card I made to match with the set I made previously. It is almost identical to the shopping list I made... just so there is a theme happening with gift. I hope you have been having a great week. I will be back with some more soon. I have been asked on several occasions whether the back ground paper was a ds paper I just want to point out it has all been stamped by me on whisper white paper. I know it looks like ds paper but it isn't. I used tangerine tango, real red, bashful blue and old olive as my base colours using the petal pizazz stamp set. Anyway thanks for popping by. I hope you get inspired to make up your own gift sets.

Thank you time again!

2010-09-08T19:42:00.000+10:00

I had to do a thank you gift for a particular person that has been a real inspiration to me. She is the type of person that is always so positive and always has something uplifting to say in difficult times. I wanted to use the stamp set petal pizazz which I bought but didn't mount till recently. I used real red, bashful blue, tangerine tango and old olive for the colour combo. I think those colours look so good together with this stamp set. I did a little bag to match as well. The shopping list book fits perfectly inside that bag. The shopping list was taught to me by Robyn. I think it was inspired by Nicole Heady from PTI. This bag was inspired by one of the bags I did earlier at Christmas time. I used the same principles as that bag and just added a few things to make it look more like a little purse. For example added a scallop envelope for the front and added a handle and also added a 4 1/2" circle to the bottom of the bag to give it more of a bag look. It is the same design as a box in a bag just dimensions are slightly different. I haven't quite finished all the pieces to this thank you gift but I thought that I will show you what I have done so far. Anyway I have to go but I hope you like what I have made so far and I will try to show you the rest once I have it completed. Thanks for popping by.

Matching packaging!

2010-09-05T10:22:00.000+10:00

Well today is Father's Day in Australia and I decided to do some brayering for my hubby for Father's day. I used a retired set unchartered territory because I think it is a great male stamp set. This is the matching packaging I designed for him. I used mainly retired ds paper which was the so saffron patterns ds paper. The colours I used were so saffron, tangerine tango, bashful blue, and basic black. I used the stamp set circle circus for the backgroud on the ds paper which I have grown to like. I hope your dad is having a lovely day. Enjoy and I hope to be back soon with a little more. I haven't received many of my new goodies so I will have a few old stamp sets to show in the meantime. Have a great day!Thanks for popping by.

New Catalogue Launch!

2010-09-01T14:11:00.000+10:00

Well today is the day of the new catalogue release for Stampin' Up! I had a little play with some of the goodies I received recently. I decided to do a film look using the spiral punch because it makes the eiffel tower look like a picture taken. I had so much fun playing with this new stamp set. I thought I would share a few samples since I have a small amount of time to spare. I used real red, very vanilla, basic black and kraft or sahara sand ink. I also used the new newsprint ds paper. One of my favourite new things is the new embossing folder I absolutely love it. I used that in my last card. These are not my style normally but it is growing on me. Anyway I must go but I hope you get inspired to create too. Thanks for popping by and thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post I was in tears. I am pulling it together now and it is the reason why I did a little stamping to get my mind off things. Thank again and I hope to be back soon with some more.

Time to remember good times!

2010-08-30T10:29:00.000+10:00

Well I have been away for quite some time and I feel I have dropped off the face of the planet. I did tell you my blog would take a back seat in the coming months and this is just the start. I have been trying to get back to my blog but I have had many things on that have prevented me. Mainly life in general. This will be a really personal blog post so if you don't want to read any further I totally understand. prewarning!!

I thought I would share my first scrapbook page I made in honour of my nanna. She recently passed away on Saturday she was 86 years of age. She was very much a person I loved dearly although we lived worlds apart and language barriers always seem to be an issue we always still seem to enjoy each others company when together or apart. She came to Australia many times to spend time with my mother and my auntie over the years and I always loved her coming over here she always made the best dinners. One of my favourites in english is called green rice with chicken sounds absolutely awful but my nanna made the best arrose con pollo. My nanna always loved food. You could always con her with a meal out. I will miss her dearly. I told myself that I wouldn't cry the day she passed away because I know she lived a very good life but it still hurts to know that she will not be there to read my letters I would send overseas. A week or two before she died she asked for a photo of my son so of course I sent that to her she wasn't able to receive that letter before she passed away. It is strange because I was very close to my grandad as well he passed away well before my nanna and I too sent a letter to him before he passed away and he didn't get to receive it either in time.

It is funny really although I didn't get to see my nanna every day I always felt a strong connection to her. I thought to myself that she was always in my heart every other day while she was alive what would make this any different I guess knowing that she is not there to guide me along the way that makes me sad and knowing that my letters always cheered her up. I remember when I was young she loved playing games. She would play all sorts of games with me. I would always try to cheat to try and win. She would always laugh at me but eventually she would always let me win. I did this scrapbook page to remember her. I had very few photos in my possesion but the one picture I love is the one with my nanna and my grandad and me as a little tot. I loved them both very much. It is my most precious picture. Sorry I did have to cover some of the faces on the page they are family members that I don't have permission to show. Well thank you for listening to my little story of my nanna. I needed to get this off my chest and share a little piece of the person I believe was an angel to me. She did no wrong in my eyes she was always trying to bring people together and she believed very strongly in forgiveness...life is too short to have a grudge on your shoulders and that is something I always try to remember. I know she is with her brother and sisters up above and at least I know she didn't suffer in her last few days of life.

I didn't have many photos of my nanna and now I believe what photos I do have are very precious to me because they remind me of little events that happened in the past that my memory won't remember so capture a moment even if you think it is uneventful it will become the most precious when that person is gone. Thanks again for listening.

I hope your week is filled with precious memories and love those that are around you. You just never know when that day will come when you have to say good bye.

A few more ideas with a scallop circle shaker!

2010-08-13T14:37:00.000+10:00

A ladies shaker card using a rose is a rose set

The shaker above is using the wild about you set I made this for my son so he could keep away from my other shaker card.

The final one was I made my son a few punch art characters he just loves toy story so I started creating some of the characters but I could only go as far as their heads so it started to make me think wait I could use it in a shaker too so I created this one for him. I had made the punch art characters ages ago but he would always pull them out so I thought I would capture it in the card so that he could play with it instead of making a mess all over my buffet every single time. I did use an alien sticker for the centre piece because I needed something small. I think it fit perfectly in that circle.

Two of my favourite sets that are retiring .... "a rose is a rose" and "wild about you"... so I just had to use them one more time. Anyway I know the kids ones aren't that great they were made for my son to play with but I thought I would show you some ideas that can be fun too. Anyway I must go I have an assignment I have to work on so I really should be doing that while my son isn't distracting me but I just had to do a quick post. Thanks for all your lovely comments always a pleasure to read when I don't want to do my homework.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Just add ink challenge #29

2010-08-11T08:44:00.000+10:00

Close up of the 3d effect of the shaker card

Well I was blog surfing yesterday to all my links on my sidebar and I was looking at Brenda's site and noticed she did this really cool shaker card click here to see her lovely creation ....that made me think this would be a great idea for a scallop easel card so off I went and used the same principal as a scallop easel card but I added another scallop circle for the front and cut out a circle to put the thick window sheet to create a window. I didn't actually intend on doing the Just add ink challenge this week but the colours suited the stamp set I was going to use so here it is I used the chunky glitter which I think is retiring for my shaker insert. I did also cut the church out to make it pop out a little and also did the large tree as well. It looks so much better in real life. I actually made a few of these because my son absolutely loved to shake it all about so I had to make a few to keep him away from this particular one. Anyway thanks Just add ink team I hope you like my card I know I have done a scallop easel card before but I just love my scallop circle die there are so many possibilities with this die. If you want to know how to do a shaker card as well I used this tutorial to work out how to put it together. I hope you get inspired to make one yourself. It was a fun card to make. I will definitely be making one of these again. Enjoy and have a great week.

A note of appreciation!

2010-08-10T12:09:00.000+10:00

I thought I would share the thank you gift I made for Marelle for stamp camp. She organised a fantastic stamp camp this year and I know everyone had a ball and everyone was inspired after camp so I thought I would wrap up a box of chocolates. I wanted to use one of the new stamps that we are getting in the new catalogue for her thank you card I don't actually own this one someone brought it along for a swap box so I thought I would use it. I also made a really quick box for Marelle for the chocolates I bought for her and tried to make it matching to the card. I must say the box of chocolates was heaps bigger than a 12 x 12 size paper so it was a little tricky to make a quick box. I believe it would of fallen apart before Marelle arrived home I was rushing severely to get it made because I made it that morning before giving it to her.
A few of the girls that were on my table had to help out to finish it. I had Jennifer running and cutting out the thank you die cuts. I had Roopa running for some more white cardstock but finally it was completed in time well the best it could be based on my timeframe. I had Kerry help me out with the pearls too. The card I made the night before but I was desperately trying to hide it from Marelle but sometimes it is so hard when you are working on something you don't notice who is looking over your shoulder. Anyway I thought I would share this today since I have been slack at getting the stamp camp stuff on my blog. Have a great week. Thanks for popping by.

Roses!

2010-08-09T14:27:00.000+10:00

I was playing around with one of the stamp sets that is retiring "a beautiful thing" that I have to admit really never used from the day I bought it so I thought I am going to use this set somehow. I sat myself down quite a number of times and realised I could use the bold image of a flower to make a rose. We don't have a punch this shape so I thought I would try doing it with the stamp and this is what I came up I stamped three bold flowers and used the kissing technique with en francais on it then stamped it on whisper white then I cut the three flowers out then I stamped the other side of the whisper white background but turning the stamp over so that I can see where the image is going to stamp on the stamp it doesn't have to be exact because you can sponge the edges then using a rose tutorial I used this one click here then I used this technique to put my flowers together I did about three roses for this card. then I stamped some leaves from a rose is a rose set and used the vintage vogue to do a background and layered a couple of times with kiwi kiss, pale plum and rich razzleberry and a little greeting and there you have a beautiful card to give away. Anyway I am so sorry my posts are becoming less and less but I will try as hard as I can to keep my blog going I am doing a course at night which is three days a week at the moment and my time is very limited as I have to make sure everything is ready for my hubby at night so that there isn't too much to do when he gets home. It means less time crafting because I have my assignments to complete during the day and chores. I do have heaps to show you from camp, swaps that I still haven't manged to post yet, blog awards I still haven't posted and heaps of cards that have been sent and gone that I still have to edit and then there are the tutorials that I have been meaning to post. The list is just endless but I will keep trying to post as soon as I can. Thank you everyone for your beautiful messages you are the best. Thanks for popping by and I hope to be back to try and inspire in the not too distant future.

Just add ink challenge #28

2010-08-02T14:33:00.003+10:00

This morning I slept in because I had an awful night's sleep too much on my brain but this morning I woke up with an idea in my head I just had to sit down and make. It didn't turn out the way I thought in my head but it was doable. I used the colours from the Just Add Ink challenge this week because I wasn't up for thinking colours this morning and I know it isn't a real male card it is more a baby card but I just had to do this card once I had it in my head. Of course once again it was using the scallop circle die and cutting it in half to create the base of the boat. As you can see I have also added a window using a sweet treat cup and added a roof. I used the fox and friend's set to create Noah's ark but I used some of my retired stock of ds paper to create the base and wrapped a kraft ribbon around the centre piece. Anyway I thought I would share my inspirational thought and I whipped this one quite quickly. I know it doesn't have a greeting there is a reason I wanted to keep it without a greeting because I don't have someone intended for this one so I like to add greeting to some cards when I have someone in mind. I hope you like it. Thanks for popping by.

Just add ink challenge #28

2010-07-31T22:22:00.004+10:00

I thought I would join in the Just add ink challenge this week even though I am very strapped for time lately I just had to fit in some craft time at least on the weekend so I had a browse at what the colours were and they seemed quite simple but the challenge for me was a male card so I had to think really hard for this challenge what stamp sets are male in my collection and I thought of unchartered territory I haven't inked it up in a while so I thought this would be perfect for this challenge. I folded an A4 portrait cut at 10.5cm and put the folded edge slightly under the top note die edge and ran it through the big shot to create a card and then I ran another piece of chocolate ds paper through again to create a second base. Then I stamped the lighthouse image on the ds paper then layered with baja breeze and kraft using the same lighthouse image. To finish it off I selected the curly label punch to display the greeting "here for you" from friends 24-7 and then used some of my old stash of chocolate brads to give it a male finish and added a little kraft ribbon. What a simple male card. I really like the stamp set unchartered territory it is one set that I always like for some reason I don't know why I think I just like lighthouses. Anyway I really enjoyed the challenge. Thanks girls for another fantastic challenge.

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #34

2010-07-30T21:19:00.004+10:00

I wanted to say a big big thank you to Keesh for letting me do the challenge and Teneale for selecting me ( Just WOW!!!) it has been one of my desires to be part of a design team so I feel very priviledged to be a part of this design team at least for this week anyway they are all so very talented. I really wanted to be more inspiring but unfortunately I have been a real busy little bee and my first attempt was an absolute disaster first reason because I had not completed the task before the due time and because I have started studying again at night so I am losing my precious time for crafting booo!!! so I had to share another sample that I made just seconds ago that I think will inspire you a little more. I have done the scallop easel card before but I hadn't tried a top note easel card so here is my very first attempt at it. It works on the same principle as a scallop easel card but using the top note die instead. You cut your cardstock portrait at 15cm and fold in half then place the folded edge on the top note die I did it landscape style but you can do it portrait as well and then I ran it through my big shot then I ran another piece of cardstock through again to make another top note. I then place that on top of the other top note that was folded and voila a top note easel card. Very easy and very effective too. Anyway I didn't want to let you all down by not at least trying again at this challenge. Thank you Keesh and the rest of the design team I had lots of fun joining this fab team for this week. Enjoy and I hope I didn't let you down too much for inspiration. Please come join the team for this challenge it really is a challenge this week. Give it a try!!! Trust me it will keep the mojo flowing with new ideas.

Thanks for popping by

Guitar made out of punches!

2010-07-29T11:44:00.004+10:00

I had to share this card my friend Robyn made at stamp camp. I actually took a photo while she was away from her desk but I know she won't mind me showing you all. She said she had to make a card with a guitar she said she did find it on the web somewhere so I am not sure who to give credit regarding this guitar if it is yours please let me know so i can give credit but this guitar is actually made all out of punches. Very clever. I can gather there is the following punches used a 1/3/4" circle punch, then curly label, then 1/3/8" circle punch and then a small oval to do the edge of the guitar and the horizontal slot for the centre bit of the guitar and the star punch for the edge of the guitar and the top of the guitar and some brads to create the strings. It just looks amazing in real life. I have always wanted to make one of these but I don't have anyone that likes guitars so there has never been any need but isn't it a fantastic male card. Very simple construction but it looks gorgeous. This is inspirational. Anyway thanks for popping by and I hope to be back soon with some more.

Belated birthday surprise!

2010-07-28T10:00:00.003+10:00

I just recently found out one of my blogging friends had recently celebrated her birthday and since I am so bad at getting cards out to people on the day of the birthday I am always sending out belated birthday cards. I can't help myself really I feel it is always a nice surprise to at least get a birthday card out to them and know that you were thinking of them on their special day even though it might be a little late. Well this blogging friend loves magnolia she loves other stamps but I think her favourite is Magnolia so I just had to ink up one of my magnolia images for this special someone. I used a little bit of cuttlebug too with my top note die. I had to use rich razzleberry with craft ink sponged on the edges and you can't see in the photo I have used pale plum textured cardstock. I ordered pale plum but I received a few textured cardstock packs and the Australia catalogue doesn't offer this normally but I will say I do love having a whole 24 pack of textured cardstock now. It is beautiful to use with my embossing folders. I used my a rose is a rose set because I absolutely adore this set at the moment and see the greeting "happy birthday" I have used my word window punch and punched out the greeting then used my tiny square punch to make a flag tail. The tiny square punch was in the Stampin' Up! catalogue ages ago but I still have mine so I used that to have a pretty exact triangle shape at the edge. Anyway I hope this special someone likes her card and I hope it comes as a complete surprise. I will try to be back with some of the things from camp. I have a few photos many were blury I must have been laughing too much on camp because I can't blame it on the wine because I didn't have any. LOL!! You would think going to the hunter valley I would go to the wineries for a little time away but that just didn't happen. Just ran out of time. Oh well never mind there is always next time. Thanks for popping by.

MIA!

2010-07-26T16:05:00.003+10:00

Sorry I have been missing in action. I have an excuse I have been at the hunter valley for stamp camp this weekend and I have had the best time and best laughs I think ever. I haven't laughed so hard in so long. The stampers anonomous team went to stamp camp for the first time this year and I have been sooooo excited about going because I loved the last one I went to with Marelle as a customer but this one was even better but due to so much crafting on the weekend I have so many things to catch up on but I thought I would pop in to show you a fox and friends card I did for a little girl in the family a few weeks ago. I had to use the colours baja breeze, almost amethyst, pink pirouette and pale plum again but I did use my polka dot embossing folder on the letters as well to give it added dimention. It is a super simple card but it had to be a quick one because I was late again with the birthday card. I hope to be back this week with some of the things we made at camp. I will say many I won't be able to show you because they are stamp sets that are not yet released one of the perks with being a demo is knowing a few of the stamp sets that are due to come out in future catalogues. I just love some of the stamp sets due to come out. I can't wait to show you. Anyway thanks girls for all your lovely comments you are super amazing and super gorgeous with your commentary. Thanks again I hope to be back this week but if I am not please know I am doing my best to get back onto things.

Manhatten flower again!

2010-07-21T12:43:00.003+10:00

I have been loving the manhatten flower embossing folder it is so easy to use and it makes a fantastic background for my a rose is a rose set. I know you are probably getting sick of seeing this embossing folder and same stamp set but I find that I usually stick to a particular stamp set for a little while and then get sick of it. I am one of those people that obsesses over something then use it so much they get sick of it and never use it again. This card is intended for someone and hope cross fingers they don't see it before they receive it. I know they pop on my blog regularly. I didn't want to come up with any new brain storm idea so I used the same structure as a card I did for the just add ink challenge because I know this particular person absolutely loved that card so I used the same stuff just changed the paper because I know this person loves bella rose ds paper. The second photo is the inside of the card. I know it looks good enough to be the front of the card but I wanted everything to be matching. I did also use my lots of tags set for the greetings and I used the hostess level one set to do the greeting. The colours I used for this was chocolate chip, riding hood red and very vanilla. I hope this person likes it. You can't really see in the photo but I did also use glitter for the flowers on the front of the card to give it more dazzle. I will be a little quiet over the next week or so I have a few fun things on this weekend so I hope to be back with more shortly. Thanks for popping by and thanks again for all my followers you are amazing.

Inkspiration colour challenge # 32

2010-07-18T19:33:00.002+10:00

I wanted to do a challenge card again so I thought I would try the inkspiration colour challenge this time around. I actually love this colour combo. It is just so sweet together. I used my manhatten flower embossing folder again for the trim and of course my scallop edge border and I actually decided to do a little bit of brayering since one of the colours was so saffron which is perfect for the sky and chocolate chip for the tree. I then stamped a few of the flowers and cut them out to place delicately on the tree to give it a little more colour to the image. One last thing that you can't really tell in the photo I have scored at every 1/2" across the top section of the card. It is a very simple card to reproduce. I hope you like it. Thanks for popping by and thanks everyone for your lovely encouraging and very funny messages it is always delightful to hear what you think. You always give me a laugh. thanks again.

My boy slider card!

2010-07-16T20:04:00.003+10:00

Here is the one I made for a boy. I put snakes in the sweet treat cups to represent a snake pit below the castle. I actually like the boy castle slider than the girl one now because I love the windows in this one and the double doors. It is such a cool card. I get asked all the time do I actually give away my cards. I actually do give majority of my cards away. Many cards that stay with me are ones that don't make the cut or don't suit occasions that I need but eventually many of my best cards have been given away or intended for someone special. This card has so many possibilities. I will definitly be doing more of these cards. I just now need to buy more sweet treat cups. I have only two more left out of my 12 I must love those sweet treat cups. Anyway I hope you like my boy castle slider and I will try to be back with more.

Thanks for popping by.

Fox and friends!

2010-07-15T13:49:00.008+10:00

I recently have been playing around with some of the girl colour combos for fox and friends and I love the idea of the one sheet wonder technique so I stamped half a sheet of A4 with the stamp set fox and friends then made four cards with the one sheet wonder. I haven't photographed the other one because I actually gave it away. These are the other three that I did. This is me trying to be simplistic and I made the cards just using a few stamp sets and using the colour combo almost amethyst, pale plum, pink pirouette and baja breeze. Most of these colours are retiring but two are my favourite. Pale plum and almost amethyst.

I thought I would share them with you since I just recently found out that fox and friends stamp set made it to top ten stamp sets sold with Stampin' Up! It is probably because it is such a sweet set. Anyway I will try to think up the other card I made and post it on my blog at a later date. I did these cards at the same time as my fox and friends easel scallop card. Anyway thanks for popping by.

Castle slider card!

2010-07-14T10:13:00.003+10:00

Well I had a few friends from my stampers anonomous team come over my place on Monday. We didn't know what we were going to do and they both loved my castle card so I suggested if they wanted to come over and make one they declined. (just kidding!) They were overjoyed to make one so we were sitting at the table on Monday discussing the castle card and Robyn who also came over asked about this idea I seen on sweet impressions (Thanks Alison!)if I had tried to make it yet and I said no so she said if I could work it out what would be a cool card would be a bell tower that was a slider card but then I said what about with a sweet treat cup so off I went yesterday and today trying to make this idea come to life so here it is the castle slider card I made using sweet treat cups. I didn't fill the sweet treat cups because I don't have any chocolates in the house I am afraid and I was too eager to post it on my blog. I thought I would share a picture of the original castle card I made that is identical in colours. I used riding hood red, pink pirouette, kiwi kiss and baja breeze. Normally I would say this was easy to achieve but I can't say it was... It was quite hard to achieve but it does look amazing when you do finish it. I know how to make one now. Thanks Robyn for the inspiration! I will show you the blue one shortly too but it was made slightly differently. I also want to thank Deneen for her template. Thanks for popping by.

Accordian purse wild!

2010-07-14T08:31:00.003+10:00

I wanted to share two creations made by my fellow team members Kerry and Robyn. They came over a few weeks ago now to make the accordian purse . The top one is Kerry's and I absolutely love all the embellishments she used on hers and the bottom one is Robyn. I wanted to show you the side angle of Robyn's because she was clever enough to find a toggle for the sides I think it looks so cute with the papers she chose and she used magnetic clips for her pockets which was fantastic too she shared a secret as well on how to use one magnetic instead of two use a smaller washer for the back of the magnetic so you don't have to use two magnets and then you use one less magnetic for each pocket. Thank you girls for showing me your lovely creations I was very impressed even though I did give them the wrong measurements for the pockets to begin with but we still managed to finish on a successful note.

I have been meaning to show a photo of them for ages but since they came over on Monday I forced them to bring them along so I could photograph them because I didn't get the chance to see them both finished!. Don't they look devine! Thanks for popping by.

Just add ink challenge #25

2010-07-10T14:00:00.003+10:00

I needed to make a good luck card for one of the teachers at my son's preschool that is leaving and I had no idea where to start so I thought I would use the colours from this week's challenge at Just add ink. It is always handy to use a colour combo or a sketch to get you started. I wasn't sure if I could get these colours to work for me but I was definitely surprised. I decided to do a scallop easel card again and made the base with elegant eggplant. Layered the circles with soft suede and very vanilla. I embossed the vanilla on scallop easel card with manhatten flower and then layered a rose is a rose stamp set. I made a little matching purse to go with the card to put lollies in using the scallop envelope die. Here is the link to make your own little purse if you want to try. Thanks Angie for the inspirational idea. Very quick to put toghther. I also paper pierced the scallops and I used my lots of tags die to do the greeting in the centre of the scallop easel card and the greeting comes from the hostess level 2 asian artistry. I learnt how to make this easel card on the following site a little while ago. I seen this card and said I would try that when I get the chance with my scallop die and I finally did. The only catch is aligning your scallops with the scallops on the back otherwise it is pretty self explainatory on how to put it together. Anyway must go. Thanks for popping by. Enjoy!

Cupcake card to match the box!

2010-07-09T19:12:00.003+10:00

I just had to make a matching card to match the box I did the other day. I created a little template for the base of the cupcake and used the same principle as the box I did for the top of the cupcake and I just added a ribbon to wrap the card up when closed in an envelope. Very simple and easy cupcake card to make. I am sure this has been done before but I wanted to make it matching for the box so I used the same colours baja breeze, riding hood red, and soft suede. I used the big bold birthday stamp set and the tiny tag set again. I crimped the base yet again. Enjoy! I have to go.

Thanks for popping by.

Cupcake box!

2010-07-08T10:46:00.002+10:00

I have been recently thinking cupcakes because I found out that big bold birthday stamp set was retiring so it made me want to play with this set again after hearing about that. I also wanted to use the tiny tag stamp set too because that is on sale at the moment. I didn't like this set too much when I bought it when they first released the Autumn/Winter mini catalogue but now I think it is adorable. I used this stamp set for the greeting on the little cupcake.

To make this box is very easy I bought the new party favor die for the big shot. I ran it through my big shot and then I ran the box template through my crimper to create a ribbed effect as the base of a cupcake. I used my scallop circle die and I folded a piece 14cm x14cm and put the folded edge under four scallops at the top of the scallop then I ran it through the big shot and cut the scallop in half to create the cupcake top. Then added some straps by using my antique brass coloured brads to adhere it to the box then added the scallop circle to the back of the party favor box with sticky strip I embellished the top of the cupcake top with the circle dots from the big bold birthday stamp set and also sponged the edges with baja breeze. The base of the box is riding hood red and I used soft suede for the cardstock that holds the box closed.

If you notice in the picture the cupcake top holds shut by the soft suede cardstock because I used dimentionals to give a little space in between the box and the greeting. Then lastly I added a greeting from a hostess level 1 set as the greeting seemed appropriate for this box. Oh the flower at the top of the box is from the alphabet set from Stampin' Up! They have a few little other die cuts besides the alphabet and numbers so I used that for the flower to match the small flower from the big bold birthday stamp set. This idea once again has been on my head for a while I never get around to making it until a promotion comes up and reminds me of that stamp set. You can put lollies or little treats inside for a party gift. I hope you like my idea. It is such an easy thing to recreate. If you have any questions just email me I am happy to answer any questions. My son absolutely loved this project. He was saying it was a very pretty cupcake this morning. Thanks everyone for your lovely comments and thanks for popping by.

Castle Cards!

2010-07-07T16:35:00.001+10:00

Here are a boy and a girl castle cards I have been working on for ages. I absolutely love this card. I found a template here . Thank Deneen for your inspirational template! I have been meaning to do this card for absolutely ages. I finally sat down and did one girl one and one boy one. The girl one I did with a few non Stampin' up stuff but the boy one I did mainly with Stampin' Up! stuff. I love the little girl one because it was the first one I attempted and I spent a heap of time creating this one. The design was pretty straight forward but it is the embellishments I had heaps of difficulty with but in the end I finally finished these cards. If you ever want to give it a try make sure you give yourself a heap of time to create it. Love the end result though. Anyway I hope you are all having a good week and I will try to be back with more. Thanks for popping by.

Twist boxes!

2010-07-05T13:47:00.000+10:00

It has been a while I am sorry I have been extremely busy doing other things lately that my blog has taken a back seat for a little while. I did these twist boxes ages ago on my blog but never quite knew how to put it together but after watching a video of how to make it. It now makes sense on how it works. Here is the link to make your own twist box. I didn't use her template. I used this one instead I just printed the template onto my cardstock and then I scored where needed as per video and then I only did one end and used the other side as the base of my box. As per box above.

After seeing the video I decided to make one to fit a dairy milk chocolate bar as a little gift.

I used the organic grace stamp set and stamped the dragonfly from that stamp set and then used crystal effects to give it dimention. I actually used this idea from one of the swaps I received from Felicity Hawkins. I thought it was very clever. Thanks Felicity! Anyway I must go hope to be back soon with more. I have many things to show but all in a process of finishing I am afraid. There is one thing I am dying to show but I am still working on it and I still don't think they are finished yet. Thanks for popping by. Enjoy!

SORRY!! please note: for all those that left comments on this post they were accidently deleted and I don't know how it happened and I can't bring them back. Please don't think that I deleted your comments I tried to figure it out but I can't seem to locate them now.

Blog award!

2010-06-29T12:06:00.002+10:00

I received this blog award from Patti Lee (this fabulous papercraft genius!!!!!) I absolutely love her work she nominated me as one of her links for this award. I felt soo honoured. I had to share this one with you. Thank you Patti. Now there are a few rules with this award.

1. Thank and link the person who gave you the award.
2. Display the award on your blog.
3. Tell 6 lies and 1 truth about yourself.
4. Nominate 7 others and notify them of the award.

The 6 lies and 1 truth:

1. I have been doing Stampin' Up! for less than a month
2. I hate chocolates
3. I love sports
4. My parents come from Thailand and South America
5. I was born in America
6. I have 5 children
7. I love ironing

I wonder whether you can guess which is the truth. Now for the nominations.
I have to say anyone on my sidebar. I am so slack I know but there are so many of you that do just absolutely breathtaking pieces of work that I just can't choose anymore.

Well if you are still wondering what was the truth it was that my parents come from Thailand and South America. Yes what a mix I know. Well my husband's parents come from Scotland and Germany so my son is a mix of 4 countries sorry 5 now if you include Australia. What a fruit salad for my son. I love family trees it is always exciting to know where your family comes from and the history that comes with it. Anyway Thank you again Patti I was truly touched.

Fox and friends crazy!

2010-06-27T08:30:00.002+10:00

I have been obsessed with fox and friends stamp set lately. I have done several different designs for this set. This is one I made last night. I used the technique one sheet wonder where you take a sheet of whisper white and stamp all different images using the fox and friends stamp set using all different colours to make your own sort of ds paper. It is rather effective. The colours I used for this one is chocolate chip, tangerine tango, so saffron, kiwi kiss and pacific point. I did this using boy colours. I also did a couple in girl colours which I will show you later. I wanted to try making a scallop easel card. I have seen them around not my idea of course. I am not sure where I last saw one I had lots of difficulty remembering how to make an easel card how sad is that! so I had to get one of my easel cards out to remember how to put it together I knew it was easy but I just couldn't remember but I worked it out.

Doing a scallop easel is a little harder than the average easel because of the scallop edge you have to remember to align your scallops because they are all different sizes slightly. First thing to do is using your big shot you will cut an A4 sheet and cut it to 15cm portrait and then fold in half. I used my scallop circle die and aligned my folded edge just about four scallops in at the top of the scallop and put it through the big shot. It then creates your own scallop card with an edge that is straight at the top. Then cut out another scallop circle to be your top base this doesn't have to be aligned with the four scallops because it is going to be your top base. The scallop card should have a little flat edge at the top you will then fold the top of the scallop card base in half so that it can be used as your easel point and then align all your scallops with the top base and easel point and you did it. Your own scallop easel. It is very simple indeed. If you want to know more just let me know I will definitely try to find a tutorial to help you out with this one. This is such a cute card. Anyway I must head off I have heaps to do today so I will try to be back soon with more.

Vintage vogue again!

2010-06-23T20:19:00.003+10:00

Well today I was meeting up with a friend to do a few cards and I forgot all about it until this morning. I said I would do a few cards for her but I couldn't whip up four in less than an hour so I explained I had forgotten but I did do one card with her today this is what I came up with. I decided to do a card with brayering because she said she wanted to know how to do it. I thought that I would try to show her the best way I knew how. I had to think up this card in ten minutes. I was so impressed with myself. I decided to go with my favourite colour combo pale plum, perfect plum and mellow moss as these are my absolute favourite colours. I am so going to miss pale plum. I chose vintage vogue because that is her favourite stamp set at the moment.

I will tell you a little secret this was my second attempt at this card. I was a little unhappy with the greeting on the card it just didn't suit the person I wanted to give it to. I decided I would change the greeting for my second attempt.
I thought I should mention before I forget I found out about the no tie bow from the very talented Andrea (thanks Andrea!)she did provide some excellent instructions on how to do it and I just had to use that idea for this card because I wanted to use my rhinestone brads on this card. Anyway I had lots of fun and I thought I would share this card with you .
Anyway thanks everyone for your lovely comments they are always encouraging

Just add ink #22

2010-06-23T19:35:00.003+10:00

Well I thought I would do a challenge this week with just add ink and I really wanted to enter this challenge because the colour combo was very difficult to work with. My card base is rich razzleberry I have stamped in craft white ink and smudged the edges to give it a real smooth edge then I have used my vintage vogue set and brayered the whisper white cardstock with rich razzleberry and stamped the leaves on the edge and centred the greeting. I used the centre of my rhinestone brad on the trio flower and put the "F" for Friend on dimensionals to give it a little lift. I also dry embossed the edges of the scallop oval with my crop a dile. A very simple card today because the cut off is tonight. I hope you have had a good week so far and I hope to be back with more. Thanks for popping by.

Accordian purse!

2010-06-21T11:50:00.003+10:00

I designed this accordian purse from scratch using the following tutorials to help me to work out the basis of the design. The boxes that gave me the inspiration to make my own were the following designs. One was done by Maria by stampin' inspirations and the other one that gave me inspiration to make mine was Dannie's Designs I have created links to both these tutorials for your own reference.

I did four pockets on each side of the purse and added some handles using the scallop square punch and cardstock for the straps. I added a place inside to hold a pen and I also added some dividers because otherwise it would not hold my cards properly. I learnt that the hard way trust me!. I had so much fun creating this purse except for the crop a dile part since I had already stuck the accordian bit in then thought nope that won't work need dividers.

The other day two of the demos that are in my team came over to make this purse and they seemed to enjoy making them besides a few hiccups along the way because I couldn't remember the measurements of my pockets I told them score landscape but it was suppose to be portrait so we had to cut and rescore all over again whoops! I guess that is why I don't do classes anymore I am little too relaxed with my instructions. I had lots of fun with them coming over. I didn't get the chance to photograph their purses as they hadn't finished but I think if they do place their purses on their blogs I think you will love them to bits. They didn't have all the materials with them but they all looked fabulous so far. I should of taken some photos anyway. One was done using Bella rose ds paper the other one was made using urban oasis ds paper. I hope they post on their blogs the final product so I can see them.

Anyway before I forget I did a matching card for the bag to show how they fit inside and the size of the bag to give you an idea of how big it is. You can't see in the picture but I used the new hostess set from the autumn/ winter catalogue to create the card and I used the technique cracked glass you can't see that in the photo I was really happy with the way the cracked glass turned out. I also used the embossing folder manhatten flower for the background cardstocks of the card and of course I used haiku paper to do the bag and the card.

So now you know why I have been absent last week. I have been designing and creating new 3d projects. I have more in the process so stay tuned. I am so excited about the next one I made and not even the girls that came over last week has seen it yet. so it is my little secret. Anyway thanks for popping by.

Fancy Favor!

2010-06-12T19:07:00.005+10:00

Well I bought the fancy favor box because I just had to try something out.

I wanted to use the box to do a little file folder using the fancy favor box. It worked.

I did 6 cards to fill the box. I think it looks adorable.

Since the Haiku ds paper is on sale at the moment until Tuesday I wanted to play around with this paper. This is the deal of the week 2 where four selected ds papers are on sale. Haiku ds paper is one of them so I had to buy this one. It is such a bright and cheerful selection of colours together.

I wanted you to think outside the square and get inspired to use your fancy favor box for something else instead of a party box.

I used cottage garden and the vintage vogue stamp set. I also used the little leaves die .

Oh the tag was done using the word window and snipping off a flag look very easy to recreate. Thanks for popping by.