A Little Something....

Hi again - here is an idea that I cased off SCS - The tutorial shows the colours for the background being applied using a brayer but I don't have one but really liked the effect so I just used my SU ink spots - my coloured areas are smaller and more of them but I am really really happy with how the background turned out. Also they have embossed their background stamps using white embossing powder halfway through the brayering process but since I didn't have white, I did mine right at the beginning on the white card stock using clear embossing powder. The first one was my trial run and I really looooved it! So I tried it again using different colours - not so happy - so then I did it again using the colours I liked but a different stamp set. The plum ones were birthday cards for two SU demonstrators and the green one I'm saving for someone else. Absolutely love the background effect! Will definitely try it again sometime. All supplies are Stampin' Up! I'm so proud of myself (for using only SU stuff LOL)

Roses are red.. Well pink actually!

Hi all - This is another of those stamps that I have had for a few years with this idea in mind. The rose has has been made using different layers (paper tole) (which you can't see very well in the pictures) I have stamped the same image a couple of times on SU watercolour paper and coloured them in using water colour pencils and blender pens (wonderful invention) (only colouring the sections of the upper layers that were needed) and attached the layers using dimensionals. The first one I made to try it out was for my sister-in-law's birthday. I was so happy with how the rose turned out that I made a couple more and tried them in different layouts (couldn't bring myself to change the colours - but think it would look nice in yellows for "friendship") I was quite pleased with all of them. Brads and most of the papers are SU. Also the sayings are from the SU Greetings Galore stamp set. (Fantastic set - so very very versatile!)

Happy birthday to me.....

I'm soooo sorry - with everything that has been happening in the last week, I forgot to show you all the beautiful handmade cards I received recently for my birthday. Am I one of the luckiest people out there or what! This alone is a fantastic reason to be involved in cardmaking don't you think! Who wouldn't want to be the receiver of all these beautiful cards. As you can see, they are all completely different but all equally beautiful. I love seeing the versatility of different people and their unique styles. Thank you all for really making my birthday special this year (p.s: I turn 40 next year lol - looking forward to that! lol)

First one is from Karen, SU Demonstrator in Mackay. (my upline)

Second one is from Jean, SU Demonstrator in Blackwater.

Third one is from Kylie, SU Demonstrator in Adelaide.

Forth is from Melissa, Sister-In-Law.

Fifth and Sixth are from Judy, Sister-In-Law and SU Demonstrator in Mackay. (One from her as a demonstrator and one from her family LOL)

Once again thank you all!

WOW... What a Weekend!!!

What a full on weekend we have had! First of all my youngest son's birthday and then my very first Stampin' Up Workshop!! (Yes I know - absolute craziness having them on the same weekend) but all went well thanks goodness.

My son likes spooky (not scary) and so we decided to have a spooky party for him (again craziness as it was only family invited - you know - just a basic get together for a family member's birthday) but silly ol' me went all out! Firstly doing up some spooky invites (first two photos showing the outside and inside) and then decorating the house with fake spider's web (yes fake stuff lol), spiders, skeletons and other creepies. The first ghost card is the one I made for him, the second from his Aunty Judy and the third from his Aunty Melissa and then his Aunty Carole made him the spooky cake! Wasn't he a very very lucky boy! It was a great night (overboard but great).

Again craziness though, 'cause then it all needed to be cleaned up quickly for my very first workshop which for all it's chaos, went remarkable well - so to all my wonderful, wonderful friends and family, thank you for making my very first such a success! Thank you.

The photos below show the thank-you gifts that I made (12 in all - not all pictured) for the ladies and then the cards that we made. I am sooo proud of them all - All the girls did extremely well including the ones who had never done stamping before (even with my obvious lack of tutoring ability lol - thank the lord for instructions sheets! LOL). I played it safe and used suggested Stampin' Up starter ideas. The envelope bag was an easy idea suggested by Judy (sister-in-law and Stampin' Up demonstrator also)

Wonderful Waterfalls

I LOOOVE the waterfall cards! And I especially love this one - I was sooo happy with how it turned out. It was for a friend's boy turning 10. When it was time to make this card I knew exactly what I was going to do as I had been thinking about it for quite a while - with having four letters in his name, it was the perfect name to do a waterfall card with. The letters are from a Sizzix die cutter and I have embossed them (I do love embossing) and the stamps used are Stampin' Up's "Crab & Company" which lends itself beautifully to this style of card (thanks Karen for that idea). I stamped them onto Stampin' Up's watercolour paper and coloured them with watercolour pencils and a paint brush (another favourite technique of mine). "Crab & Company" were a set from a mini catalogue last year.

Fabulous 40

This one is not a favourite of mine - I wanted it to be very very special for a very dear friend and I tried it in a couple of different colour combinations and different stamp sets but wasn't happy with any of them!

Stampin' Up supplies: Card stock - Mellow Moss (I think), Stamps - Petal Prints

Other supplies - unmentionables LOL

P.s: SCS inspiration again

K is for.....

I did this for a friend's birthday - Something personalised says more than any amount of money (that's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL). I wanted it to be something special and I was really happy with how it turned out.

Stampin' Up products used are the Spring Bouquet Flower punch, Spring Flowers Designer Series paper and background stamp from Looks Like Spring stamp set.

For the "K" I printed an outline onto red cardstock, cut it out, then embossed it. It's also raised up on dimensionals.

CD Cover

Another SCS idea - I had a CD to give to a friend and thought it would be fun to put it into a hand-made cover - and she loved it!

Pretty Post-It Note Holders

These (and one of the verses) were another idea off SCS and even though there is no stamping on them I just looove the idea! I have only taken photos of these three but I made a few more (don't ask me why not the others?? I wish I had!) . They were just such an inexpensive gift idea but so beautiful and thoughtful that I was making them for friends, teachers etc - for birthdays, thankyou's and just because. I hope they liked them just as much as I liked making them. I tried to match verses to the people I was giving them to so each was individual and personal.

P.s: The brads, eyelets, ribbons and punch flowers are Stampin' Up

Birthday Blues

This was also pre-joining and I didn't like this at all when I first made it but when I looked at the photo a couple of weeks later, I didn't mind it at all. (I've made a habit of taking a photo of every card I make so I can remember what I did and also hopefully see how I change/improve LOL)(Also I have endeavored to send my upline crazy by sending them to her for her to "check" LOL) The Stampin' Up "Riveting " stamp set was one of my first sets and I really like it - It's a Hostess only set and, like all the Hostess gifts in the current catalogue, it is retiring at the end of March, if not gone beforehand so if you would like one yourself, email me and I can help make it happen. The other materials were leftovers from my craft and scrapping days (not that I've given those up mind you)

Fancy Fairies

At last I'm adding photos LOL - What's a blog without them right????

The pink one was for a baby girl and the purple one was for a friends daughter's 7th birthday. These were done before I joined Stampin' Up (but had started going to a monthly Stampin Up workshop) using a stamp that I have had for years. The idea for the tuelle skirt was something I had seen long ago and I had bought the stamp especially for it. And it's not hard to do - get a tiny bit of tuelle twice the length and twice the width of the skirt on the stamp, fold it in half. The folded edge will be the top of her skirt. Bring the thread up through the stamped image on one side of her skirt then hand-stitch tiny gathering stitches along the folded section and back down through the image on the other side of her skirt and tie it at the back. Clear as mud right???? The actual card idea was a tutorial off SCS.

Welcome to you all!

Hi and welcome to my blog - I am a 30 something (almost 40 something but lets not go there) married to the most wonderful man (most of the time) and have been lucky enough to be truly blessed with two beautiful boys, who sometimes make me want to tear my hair out, but I love them anyway. We also share our home with a big black labrador cross and a part Ragdoll cat (who looks nothing like a ragdoll but acts like one) and lots and lots of cat memorabilia as I loooove cats!
I have just recently joined the wonderful world of "Stampin' Up" and am enjoying it immensely! I have always been involved in some sort of craft, having tried just about everything out there, much to the dismay (and amusement) of my dear, darling husband (re: blog name - his idea! And he still loves me! And he hasn't stopped helping me get set up! And he still loves me! LOL) For the last 5 years or so I have been a Scrapbooker and one of the things that drew me to Stampin' Up was their beautiful scrapbooking range, but I've hardly done anything with that side, instead finding great joy in cardmaking and all the wonderful craft ideas one can do with stamps! I must take this opportunity to thank my wonderful upline Karen as if it wasn't for her continued support and amazing enthusiasm I don't think I would have had the confidence to be doing this. So, Karen, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and am looking forward to a long and valued friendship and working relationship (Hubby thanks you not so much LOL)
Anyway I'm hoping that you will come look in from time to time and check out what I've been up to and if I'm able to inspire one person along the way to start crafting then, well my job is done!
So come for a look and if I can help anyone with anything regarding "Stampin' Up" then please don't hesitate to Email Me .Why not think about joining me on this fun and fabulous journey and become a "Stampin' Up" demonstrator also!
Keep a look out as I will have a card or two on display very soon.