HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HUBBY

Last weekend was Andrew's and my 17th wedding anniversary (gee, it feels so much longer), but we haven't yet celebrated as husband has been overseas.  He's back in the country today, so it's safe for me to post on my blog the card I made for him.  Here's what the don't-bother-with-cards man is getting:

Stamps: En Francais, Always, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black

DSP: Newsprint and Elegant Soiree Designer Series Papers

Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black stampin' pads

Other: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Stampin' sponge, sponge dauber, Vintage trinkets, paper snips

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR OWN HAND?

I'm here to tell you, it's not easy!  I am also a little disappointed, because I've long considered my hands (bent little fingers notwithstanding) to be one of my nicer features.  Well, now that I've seen through a camera lens what they ACTUALLY look like, it's not quite as pretty a sight as I have through my own eyes, LOL.

Anyway, the reason I had need to photograph my hand was so I could share the excitement of these with you:

No, I don't have a special announcement to make.  It's just a happy day for me because I haven't worn these rings for about 10 years!!  I finally relented and had them re-sized, to fit over the enlarged knuckles that I inherited from my mother (or, does that happen to everyone as we age??).  Today I picked them up from the jeweller, and they're all nice and sparkly, so I thought I'd share their prettiness with you.  That's all!

COLOR LAB CHALLENGE #34

I've made a couple of cards today, for colour challenges.  Unlike my earlier attempt at a challenge, I'm hoping I haven't missed the deadline for the Color Lab Challenge!  The idea is to use the following colours on a papercraft project:

My card turned out WAY differently to the plan I had in my head, but I am really pleased with it.  I coloured the fern using a blender pen and my Pear Pizzazz stampin' pad (I'm loving that technique at the moment ....  colouring in was my first love!).  Just in case your straining eyes can't detect the use of Chocolate Chip on this card, I stamped the sentiment in that colour!

Stamps: Growing Green, Teeny Tiny Sentiments, A to Z

Card: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

DSP: Greenhouse Garden Designer Series Paper

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip and Daffodil Delight stampin' pads, Versamark inkpad

Other: Word Window Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Daffodil Delight brad, blender pen, Stampin' sponge, stampin' dimensional, sponge dauber

JUST ADD INK #61 (USING COLOR THROWDOWN #134 COLOURS)

Here are the colours in this week's challenge over at the Color Throwdown blog:

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline (darn these different time zones, and my inability to keep track! LOL). I have kept my card simple, as I plan to enter it in this week's Just Add Ink challenge (to use only stamps, ink and cardstock, but no embellishments).  It wasn't until I had reached the end, and realised I'd used my Color Spritzer tool, that I started to doubt if it qualifies.  I'll share it, anyway, as I had a lot of fun playing with these colours.

Stamps: En Francais, Inspired by Nature, Sincere Salutations

Card: Marina Mist, Watercolour paper

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Basic Black stampin' pad, Pumpkin Pie, Marina Mist and Old Olive markers

Other: Color Spritzer tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Stampin' sponge, water spritzer bottle

COLOR ROUND-UP COLOR CHALLENGE #27

This week's colour challenge at Rubber Redneck is a great one for a male card.  Check this out:

I have used the new Motorcycle stamp, that is in Stampin' Up!'s Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue coming out on 1st April.  I love how my card turned out:

Stamps: Motorcycle (available 1st April), Extreme Elements, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Naturals Ivory, Cajun Craze, River Rock, Night of Navy

Ink: River Rock stampin' pad and marker, Cajun Craze stampin' pad, Night of Navy stampin' pad

Other: Square Lattice embossing folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Color Spritzer tool, Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool, Regals Brads, Stampin' sponge, sponge dauber

LUNCHING WITH FRIENDS, AND AN ANNIVERSARY

I have no hand-made cards to show you in this post, but thought I'd share a couple of personal things that have brought me a lot of pleasure in recent days.

On Friday I spent a few hours with some of my dear friends.  I met each of these women through stamping, and/or blogging, and can't imagine not having them in my life.

Here we all are (that's me on the left, in case you don't know.  I missed the memo that said to wear pink!):

..... and a picture of my beautiful friends, Kerry, Judy and Chris:

I am blessed to have these women in my life.  As well as being dear friends, they are all talented cardmakers and scrapbookers.  Click on their names, above, to visit their blogs and see for yourself!



Now, I'd like to devote the second part of this post to the wedding anniversary that Andrew (my husband) and I would have celebrated over the weekend, if he was in the country.  Ethan, our youngest, thought he'd do something special to mark the occasion; he made us an anniversary card.  He worked very quietly in my craft room, and came up with this gorgeous creation:

A couple of the little details I loved (he HAS been paying attention!) are the isolation of the "Happy" and "Anniversary", from different stamps, using a marker to ink up just the words he wanted.  Also, he found a little flourish stamp to complement the pattern on the paper, and used two coloured markers to ink that.  Here's a close-up to show what I mean:

What a sweetheart.  How lucky we are.

BLOG HOP - PAGE MAPS SKETCH

Today I am taking part, with 7 of my stamping friends (all Stampin' Up! demonstrators), in a blog
hop.  You may have come here from the blog of my talented and dear friend Judy May, but if not, you can start the "tour" here, and visit all 8 blogs.

Each of us is interpreting the following Page Maps sketch by Becky Fleck:

Some of us are solely cardmakers, and some scrapbookers, and others are talented at both.  I, for one, can't wait to see what everyone has come up with.  We hope you enjoy all of our creations! 

The strip of little baubles across the lower part of the sketch screamed "pompom trim" to me.  In Stampin' Up!'s new Mini catalogue, launching on 1st April, one of the exciting new offerings is gorgeous, bright, pompom trim.  I've used it in both cards I have to show you today.

I used my Stampin' Up! Color Coach to choose the colours for my first card.  How great do Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango and Old Olive look together?

Stamps: Party This Way, Seeing Stars, Confetti, Classic Stars jumbo stampin' around wheel

Card: Confetti White, Tangerine Tango textured, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive stampin' pads

Other: Word Window punch, Star punch, Small Star punch (retired), Buttons #5 sizzlits die, Tangerine Tango Pompom trim (*available 1st April), sponge daubers, Old Olive 1/8" taffeta ribbon, stampin' dimensionals, sticky strip

My second card uses another new product from the upcoming Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue - the gorgeous Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper.  The colours in this paper determined the colours for my card.

Stamps: Punch Bunch

Card: Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi textured

DSP: Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper (*available 1st April), Newsprint DSP

Ink: Melon Mambo stampin' pad and marker, Wild Wasabi stampin' pad and marker, Baja Breeze marker, Basic Black stampin' pad, Crumb Cake stampin' pad

Other: 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1" circle punch, Mat Pack and paper piercing tool, Eyelet Border punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Basic Pearls, Melon Mambo pompom trim (*available 1st April), stampin' dimensionals, sticky strip

The next stop on today's "tour" is Kathryn Ruddick's blog.  Make sure you do the whole circuit, and check out everyone's creations; I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas for your own projects.  Please leave us all some comment love - we like to know you've been to visit!



Here's a complete list of all the participants in today's blog hop.  If you lose your way, just pop back in here and click on the links.


Ros Davidson
http://www.rosdavidson.typepad.com/


Tina Gillespie
http://scissorspapercard.blogspot.com/


Amy Buchanan
http://fashioninggreatimpressions.com/


Nikki Sadler
http://www.inkyart.com.au/


Di Dunk
http://www.stampartbydi.typepad.com/


Judy May
http://www.judymay.typepad.com/


Christine Blain  (that's me!)
http://www.christineblain.blogspot.com/


Kathryn Ruddick
http://www.katlodesigns.com/




I hope you have a lovely weekend, that involves some stamping time!

JUST ADD INK #62 - "JUST ADD STAMPS"

This afternoon when I saw the new challenge at Just Add Ink, I wasn't sure I'd be able to rise to it!  The challenge is to use only stamps, ink and cardstock to make a card.  I just LOVE ribbons, brads, punches, embellishments - all the 'bits' to pretty up a card, so this was HARD!!! 

On my way home from dropping Ethan (my big, grown-up 10-yr-old, who insisted I wasn't welcome) at a school BBQ tonight, I saw a woman wearing an outfit that I can only describe as Peach Parfait and Basic Black (we SU! demonstrators don't think in terms of 'orange' and 'black', you know).  It was instant inspiration!  I came home and made this card:

Stamps: Bella Toile, Elements of Style, Thoughts & Prayers

Card: Peach Parfait

Ink: Peach Parfait, Basic Black and Whisper White stampin' pads

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, stampin' dimensionals, stampin' sponge

Even though I wasn't allowed to add any embellishments, I just HAD to sponge around the edges.  I used a sponge, rather than my beloved sponge daubers, to achieve a deeper colour around the edges.  I've raised the central panel up on dimensionals, and am pretty happy with the result after all! 

"AVIARY" ANNIVERSARY CARD

Today marks my parents-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary - what a  milestone, hey?  I recently decorated an anniversary album for them, using vintage-y colours, so carried on the theme in their card.  Jack (my eldest) asked me if the choice of stamp sets was significant because Poppa used to breed canaries.  Ah, no, son ...... I just love "Aviary".  (I did laugh, though.) This cute stamp set is available only until 31st March, when Stampin' Up!'s Summer Mini catalogue ends.  The sentiment I've used is from Well Scripted, another of the beautiful stamp sets available only until 31st March.  Let me know if you *need* these sets, won't you?!

Stamps: Aviary, Bella Toile, Well Scripted

Card: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink: Crumb Cake and Early Espresso stampin' pads

Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge dauber, Early Espresso 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Basic Pearls, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots

Tomorrow I'm taking part in a blog hop with some fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  Please come back to visit over the weekend, to see what we've all made!

INKSPIRATIONS COLOUR CHALLENGE #62

As much as I love Stampin' Up!'s Daffodil Delight (such a bright,happy, yellow), I found this week's colour combo at Inkspirations a real challenge:

I'm having fun playing with my new stamps, that I was able to pre-order from the Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue (effective 1st April).  LOVE the Strength & Hope set, so I decided to make a little 10cm x 10cm card with it.  I photographed this just before losing natural daylight, but I think you'll be able to see the details clearly enough.

Stamps: Strength & Hope (*available 1st April), Because I Care

Card: Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose textured, Whisper White

Ink: Daffodil Delight stampin' pad, Regal Rose stampin' pad and marker, Early Espresso stampin' pad

Other: Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Rhinestone, edge distressing tool, mini glue dot

JUST ADD INK #60 - CARD FOR A GUY

I wanted to challenge myself, to not include any flowers or butterflies, on my second entry for this week's Just Add Ink challenge ..... these colours work so well for both of those beauties of nature, don't you think?

One of the new stamps that is coming out in Stampin' Up!'s Autumn/Winter Mini (released 1st April), is Motorcycle.  One of my brothers is a diehard Harley rider, so I HAD to have this stamp.  Here's what I've done with it:

Stamps: Motorcycle (*available 1st April), Party This Way, Sanded, Well Worn

Card: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Old Olive stampin' pad, Rich Razzleberry stampin' pad and marker, Jet Black Staz-on inkpad, Basic Black stampin' pad, Basic Gray marker

Other: Blender Pens, Mat Pack and paper piercing tool, Colour Spritzer tool, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, sponge dauber, Linen Thread, edge distressing tool, stampin' dimensionals, Crop-a-dile, Jumbo eyelet (Pewter)

OUR FRESHLY-PAINTED HOUSE

We are very excited, after 10 years in our house, to have finally had it re-painted; it was well overdue.  Our house used to be a cream colour, with dark green trim, but it looks much nicer now ..... a mossy, lighter green on the exterior of the house, and all the handrails, window frames, and other external trims are off-white.

Firstly, I'll show you a shot taken down one side of the house, before it was re-painted. I took this in a bit of a panic, realising I hadn't photographed the house before the original paint was covered up - hence the table hadn't been moved:

........ and take a look at how nice it looks now:

MUCH better, don't you think?  I just love it, and Ethan thinks it looks "like a cottage" now.

Please overlook the state of the garden (the next project to be tackled!) in these photos.  Here is the street view of the front of the house:

...... and a closer look at the front:

For the last few years, I have HATED our carport.  It was never properly painted when our house was built, and the timber was very weathered and ugly.  I now get a lot of pleasure from the sight that greets me as I come up the driveway:

Finally, this is the view from the back yard (that's my craft room on the right-hand side of the rear of the house!):

JUST ADD INK #60

This week at Just Add Ink, the challenge is to use the following colours on a card, scrapbook page, or other papercraft project:

I have made a very simple, kind of playful, card.  Would you believe that it took SEVEN stamp sets to make this card???!!!

Stamps: Fox & Friends; Cheep Talk; Flight of the Butterfly; Inspired by Nature; Pocket Silhouettes; Silhouette Sentiments; Hello, You

Card: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Modern Label punch, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Rhinestones, sponge daubers

I plan to have at least one more attempt at making a card using these colours, as they go so well together.

"CUTE BY THE INCH" OWL CARD

Thanks to my awesome Stampin' Up! customers excitedly placing orders during Sale-a-bration, I was recently able to earn the "Cute by the Inch" stamp set I'd had my eye on.  This set of stamps has some very sweet images in it; not the least of which is the owl.

It was about time I broke out the Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, that I just HAD to have, but that hasn't been shown much love lately.  I'm really into earthy tones, and these papers are perfect for 'brown and green' projects.  Here's the card I made last night:

Stamps: Cute by the Inch, Confetti, Tiny Tags, Itty Bitty Bits

Card: Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi textured, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green

DSP: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper

Ink: Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake, Garden Green and Chocolate Chip stampin' pads

Other: 1 1/4" square punch, 1 3/8" square punch, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Itty Bitty Shapes circle punch, Neutrals button, Linen Thread, sponge daubers, mini glue dots

INKSPIRATIONS CHALLENGE #61

Just a super-quick post tonight, as I'm about to watch the episode of "Farmer Wants A Wife", that I recorded while waiting for hubby to come home to watch it with me.  Who doesn't love a bit of romance, hey?  ("Farmer Wants A Wife", that is, not hubby coming home.)

Here is Makeesha's sketch for this week's Inkspirations Challenge:

I was inspired today to get out my Autumn Days stamp set, that had yet to see ink.  Armed with my trusty Colour Coach, I used the colour combination of Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze and Perfect Plum.  Here's what I made, using this sketch:

Stamps: Sanded, Autumn Days, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Always Artichoke, Confetti White, Cajun Craze

Ink: Always Artichoke stampin' pad and marker, Cajun Craze and Perfect Plum stampin' pads

Other: Mat Pack and paper piercing tool, Word Window punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Circles #2 dies, sponge daubers

JUST ADD INK #59

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to base a papercraft project around this sketch:

I decided to use my Greenhouse Garden stamp set, to make a "thank you" card for one of my lovely customers who has just ordered the same set.  I've used an oval sentiment panel, in place of the circle on the sketch, but other than that have stayed pretty true to the sketch.  Here's my entry for this week's challenge:

Stamps: Very Vintage jumbo Stampin' Around wheel, Greenhouse Garden, Oval All

Card: Bashful Blue, Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Bashful Blue and Peach Parfait stampin' pads

Other: Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Scallop Trim border punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch large, Scallop Oval punch XL, sponge daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

I'm unable to watermark my photos at the moment, thanks to a virus that has infected our home computer (all my important files are on there, of course!).  Thankfully I have my cute pink laptop for emergencies, like blogging, LOL.  (This'll teach me to save files like watermarks, and photos of my cards, on my laptop, won't it?).  On a brighter note, can you see the beautiful off-white handrails in the background of my photo?  For the past 10 years, the exterior trim on our house has been dark green (the Mission Brown of the '90s).  It's had a big freshen-up, and been painted off-white, which I just LOVE.  Will share photos of our newly-painted house when it is all finished; I am inordinately excited!

STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD

I've been awarded, by the talented and lovely Nikki Spencer, the following award:

Nikki's one of my stamping idols, LOL - so I am very touched.  The idea of this award is that I share 8 facts about myself, then pass on the award to some of my favourite bloggers, who inspire me.  The first part's easy, because, well, I do love to talk, but the second part is a bit of a challenge.  I've made so many wonderful stamping friends since I joined the blogosphere, and am inspired by MANY talented and giving women.  I had to revisit past blog awards, to see who I've shared them with, so that I can share the love around a bit.

Anywho, on to the 8-interesting-facts-about-me part:

1. I moved (with my parents, not on my own, ha ha) from New Zealand to Australia when I was 15.  Aside from family and friends, the things I miss most are hedgehogs and feijoas.
2. I am VERY particular about the way a roll of toilet paper is hung on the holder.
3. I hate snakes, and am not great with heights.
4. I didn't have pain relief for the delivery of either of my boys (although that wasn't entirely by choice!).
5. I'm outnumbered by males in my household, and often think they (not I, of course) come from a different planet.
6. I thought I was a major hoarder, until I saw the programme "Hoarders" on Foxtel.  I now think my compulsive tendencies are rather minor!
7. My favourite time of year is Spring.  I much prefer Winter to Summer.
8. My natural hair colour is dark brown, but my hairdresser insists a lighter colour, with blonde highlights, is the way to go "as I get older".  Thanks a lot!!

Now, the awesome women I'd like to pass this award on to are listed below.  Please visit their blogs, and give them some comment love; they are all very creative, and special people.

Kerry

Karen

Patrice

Sue

Tania

Trish

"SWEET & SOUR" BUTTERFLIES

Yes, it's yet another butterfly card!  My dear friend, Kerry, celebrated a birthday the other day.  She is a real "bright colour" girl, and I know she likes Stampin' Up!'s Sweet & Sour specialty papers, so this is the card I made for her (hardly any stamping - it just showcases the beautiful papers):

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Rose Red, Very Vanilla

DSP: Sweet & Sour Designer Series Paper

Ink: Rose Red stampin' pad

Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Beautiful Wings embosslits, Word Window punch, sponge dauber, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Basic Pearls, mini glue dot, orange glittery brads from stash

BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES MEETS LOVE LETTER DSP

I struggle a bit to make cards without butterflies on them at the moment!  I'm loving Stampin' Up!'s Beautiful Butterflies die, and Beautiful Wings embosslits.

Today's card is one I made for a fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator for her birthday.  To make the butterfly, I cut strips of Love Letter Designer Series Paper, and adhered them vertically to a small piece of cardstock.  I then used the Beautiful Butterflies die to cut out the butterfly - and how cool does it look??  I'm really pleased with the result.  The Riding Hood Red butterfly beneath it has been embossed using my Elegant Lines embossing folder; it doesn't show up in the photo, but adds some nice texture to the card.

Stamps: Sincere Salutations, Very Vintage jumbo stampin' around wheel

Card: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red

DSP: Love Letter Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake and Basic Black stampin' pads

Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Neutrals brads, sponge dauber, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Scallop Edge border punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig

"CHEEP TALK" note card

My "Cheep Talk" stamp set has been sitting, unloved, on the shelf for quite some time.  It's a gorgeous set, so today I decided it was high time it saw some ink.

I have SOOOOOOO many ideas and projects swimming around in my head at the moment, that I wasn't sure where to start.  So, I turned to page 50 of the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue, and used the cute little note card as inspiration.  My card is a direct copy, but in different colours, and is 10.5cm square.  I knew I wanted to use Marina Mist on my card, so I got out my trusty Color Coach and opted to go with the suggested colour combination of Marina Mist, Old Olive and Real Red.  I think the end result is pretty darn cute - what do you think??

Stamps: Cheep Talk, Tiny Tags

Card: Old Olive, Marina Mist, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Real Red stampin' pad and marker, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Old Olive stampin' pads

Other: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Marina Mist satin ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, paper snips, Circle punches (Itty Bitty Shapes, 1" and 1 1/4"), stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dot, Basic Rhinestone

I hope this inspires you to get out your own copy of the catalogue, and try making a card you like; it's a great resource, so make the most of it!  If you don't have your own hard copy, and would like one, please email me at stampwithchristine@gmail.com.  I can send out catalogues anywhere in Australia.

JUST ADD INK #58 .... FAREWELL AMANDA & DANIELLE :(

This week's challenge at Just Add Ink is to choose a project made by Amanda and/or Danielle, and use it as an inspiration for our own papercraft project.  Amanda and Danielle have handed over the reins of Just Add Ink, to Delys and Bronwyn .... two long-time Design Team members who I am sure will continue to run this fabulous site in a manner that will make the founders proud.

I have chosen this card of Amanda's as inspiration for my first card.  SUCH a cute card, don't you think?  I challenged myself to use Stampin' Up! only products.  Since I am sewing-impaired, I used a perforating tool to create wavy lines around the top panel; I then used a white gel pen to draw over the lines.  My circular panel is a smaller size than Amanda's, so I shifted the sentiment 'elsewhere' to try to balance out the elements.  Here's what I came up with, using the cutesy retired "Good Neighbors" stamp set:

Stamps: Good Neighbors, Short & Sweet

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red textured

Ink: Crumb Cake stampin' pad and marker, Real Red stampin' pad and marker, Old Olive marker

Other: Birds & Blooms sizzlits die, 1 3/4" Circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Old Olive taffeta ribbon, sponge daubers, Metallic brad, sticky strip, Modern Label punch, perforating tool, white gel pen, stampin' dimensionals, blender pen

The card I chose to "CASE" from Danielle is this one.  Now, I wouldn't even attempt to emulate Danielle's ability to tie divine bows ... so I've gone for more of a 'rosette' look!

Stamps: Aviary, Confetti, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

DSP: Love Letter Designer Series Paper

Ink: Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker, Riding Hood Red and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Crochet trim, Antique Brad, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge dauber, sticky strip, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, stampin' dimensionals

Despite feeling a bit daunted by this challenge, when I first saw it at Just Add Ink, I've had a lot of fun making these cards.  Thanks, girls, for always being a source of inspiration to me!

PUNCH BUNCH - MALE CARDS

I had the rare pleasure yesterday of having a little stamping session with my sister, Lynda.  She needed to make a birthday card for a special young man (14), but was feeling a bit stumped, so we pulled out my Stampin' Up! Color Coach to choose a colour combination.  We'd started off with Night of Navy as a nice bold, crisp colour stamped onto Whisper White .... and the Color Coach suggested teaming it with Cherry Cobbler and Pumpkin Pie (who would've thought?!).  It turned out great (despite my rather questionable indoor photography late in the afternoon).

Stamps: Punch Bunch

Card: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie

Ink: Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler and Pumpkin Pie stampin' pads

Other: Scallop Square punch, stampin' dimensionals, Itty Bitty Shapes circle punch, Square Lattice embossing folder

I just loved the "Happy Birthday" stamped in Night of Navy, so was inspired to use that often-neglected colour on a card using the same stamp set.  "Punch Bunch" is one of the Sale-A-Bration sets that is FREE with every $100 purchase from Stampin' Up!, through to the end of March.  This scalloped square looks fantastic punched out with the co-ordinating punch.

Here's what I made:

Stamps: Punch Bunch, Extreme Elements

Card: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler (textured)

DSP: Crumb Cake Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler stampin' pads

Other: Scallop Square punch, paper snips, Square Lattice embossing folder, Cherry Cobbler brads, sponge dauber, Linen Thread

CURTAIN CALL #71 - GREENHOUSE GARDEN GET WELL CARD

I've had lots of stamping time this week (bliss!), but have been hopelessly disorganised with all the challenges I'd intended to take part in!

Thankfully, I haven't missed the cut-off for the Curtain Call Color Challenge {Act 71}.  This is the colour combination Stacey challenged us all to use on our papercraft project this week:

It is now officially Autumn in Melbourne, although it feels a bit more like winter today!  These are gorgeous autumn-y (or should I say "autumnal") colours, aren't they?  I do have flora, but not foliage, on my card! 

This is the first time I've inked up my new Greenhouse Garden stamp set.  Love, love, LOVE this set, and I've been hankering after it for a long time; I finally treated myself recently, and think the flowers (gerberas?) look fabulous stamped in So Saffron, with More Mustard detail.  What do you think?

Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler

DSP: More Mustard Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, So Saffron, More Mustard and Cherry Cobbler stampin' pads

Other: Word Window punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Cherry Cobbler and More Mustard brads (from Regals assortment), So Saffron brad (from Subtles assortment), Mat pack and paper piercing tool, sponge dauber

RETIRED STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS FOR SALE!!

I have a few stamp sets, and 6" x 6" paper packs, for sale.  Please click on the tab at the top of my blog, to see what's available!

SO HAPPY FOR YOU

I have made a few simple cards using the "So Happy For You" stamp set, that's one of the gorgeous FREE Sale-A-Bration sets available from Stampin' Up! until the end of March.  I love the variety of sentiments in this set, and the little images are perfect to use as accents, or to create your own stamped backgrounds. 


My first card is made using a colour combination that is suggested in Stampin' Up!'s Colour Coach - Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Tangerine Tango.  I took a piece of Whisper White card, and stamped the flower, heart and star images from "So Happy For You", in these three colours.  I think this makes for a bright and cheery card, that might be suitable for a teenager, perhaps sitting an exam ... what do you think?

Stamps: So Happy For You

Card: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Real Red textured, Basic Black

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Tangerine Tango and Basic Black stampin' pads, Basic Black stampin' write marker, Versamark inkpad

Other: Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, Scallop Edge border punch, paper snips, stampin' dimensionals

Next up is a card using three of Stampin' Up!'s blue colours.  I've mentioned before that blue is not one of my 'go to' colours when I create cards, but every time I use blues, I love the results.  The sentiment, and the gorgeous little butterfly next to it, are from "So Happy For You", as is the little heart stamp that was used along the bottom of the card.

Stamps: Daisy Dash jumbo Stampin' Around wheel, So Happy For You

Card: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist

Ink: Baja Breeze, Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy stampin' pads, Whisper White craft stampin' pad

Other: Birds and Blooms sizzlits die, Fleurettes II crochet flower, Marina Mist brad, Marina Mist 1/8" taffeta ribbon, sponge daubers, Stamp-a-ma-jig, mini glue dots

The starting point for the last card I have to share with you today, was the colours from Stampin' Up!'s Celebrations Designer Series Papers.  I love the bold Real Red and Pacific Point, but the touch of Pear Pizzazz is the highlight for me.  Hope you like it!

Stamps: So Happy For You, Party This Way

Card: Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White

DSP: Celebrations Designer Series Paper

Ink: Real Red stampin' pad and marker, Pacific Point stampin' pad, Pear Pizzazz stampin' pad

Other: Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool, Top Note die, stampin' dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I'll be back in coming days (or weeks ... you know how it is, best laid plans, and all!) with more cards made using the other Sale-A-Bration stamp sets.