STAMPIN' UP!'S AUTUMN-WINTER MINI CATALOGUE

Sadly, there's only a week to go until the Autumn-Winter mini catalogue from Stampin' Up! is no longer current.  I am hopeful that a number of the beautiful  products from the mini will carry over into our new Idea Book & Catalogue coming out in September, but at this stage there are no guarantees.

This past week I taught a couple of classes, using products from the Autumn-Winter mini.  I thought, that since my blog posts are a bit few and far between these days, I'd share with you a few of the cards we made.

First up is a little card made using Stampin' Up!'s fabulous notecards (only $9.50 for 20 notecards and envelopes - very sweet, and great value).  The butterfly from Strength & Hope is the focal point:

Stamps: Strength & Hope, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink textured, Whisper White notecard

DSP: Pretty in Pink Patterns Designer Series Paper

Ink: Early Espresso and Pretty in Pink stampin' pads

Other: Pretty in Pink 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 1 3/4" circle punch, 2 3/8" Scallop circle punch, Circles #2 die, Word Window punch, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

When I first saw the Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper in the mini catalogue, it didn't appeal to me at all.  However, one look at it in real life, and it won me over - it is really beautiful.  The next card I have to share is a card in autumnal colours, inspired entirely by this card that my friend Sue made.  I hadn't used my Build-A-Brads for a while, and they were a bit of a hit.

Stamps: French Foliage, Sincere Salutations

Card: More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze

DSP: Autumn Spice Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: More Mustard and Early Espresso stampin' pads

Other: Wide Oval punch, Decorative Label punch, Early Espresso 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, Build-A-Brad, 1/2" circle punch, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, 1 3/8" square punch

Lastly, I have a card to show you using some of the very sweet stamps from the Clearly For You stamp set.    Rich Razzleberry is such a gorgeous colour; I must use it more.

Stamps: Clearly For You, En Francais, Very Vintage jumbo stampin' around wheel

Card: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry

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

Other: Scallop Edge border punch, 1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, 2 x 1 3/8" Oval punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Basic Black 3/8" taffeta ribbon, sponge dauber, Stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots

FINALLY, A CARD!

Since returning from our holiday in the sun, I have really struggled to feel creative.  However, after sharing some time with friends, in my first class I've taught this month, I am ready and raring to go with my stamping again.  Oh, how I've missed it!

July is a very busy birthday month in my circle of family and friends.  (Truth be told, not many months aren't busy!)  It was my pleasure to make a birthday card for my very special friend, Chris, this week. 

Here is the card, which unfortunately I've had to photograph at night, as I had to get it posted the next morning.  The base card has been stamped with En Francais, and I'm not sure if you can see on the main panel the pale stamped images (from my Funky Four and Apple Blossoms stamp sets) in Blushing Bride.  I'm very happy with the 'soft' look of the card.  I was tempted to add lots more pearls, but decided against it so I could post the card and be confident it'd arrive in one piece.

Stamps: En Francais, Clearly For You, Funky Four, Apple Blossoms, Afterthoughts

Card: Blushing Bride, Shimmery White

Ink: Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake stampin' pads

Other: Blushing Bride ribbon, Decorative Label punch, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, mini glue dots, butterfly punch and border punch (not SU!)

JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU KNOW I'M STILL ALIVE!!

Hello my friends (if any of you are still checking my blog)!  I disappeared for a little while, thanks to a rather hastily-arranged trip to Hawaii, but am now back home.  No cards as yet to share ...... I am hoping my mojo returns when I've caught up with all the mountains of washing, and managed to prepare for my upcoming classes.

Just so I share something pictorial in this post, here are a few photos from our lovely warm break away from Melbourne's winter.  My parents-in-law made it possible for our whole family to go to Hawaii with them (a few nights in Honolulu, and a 7-night cruise around the islands).

First stop was Waikiki for a couple of nights:

We then embarked on a cruise around a few of the islands.

Jack (my 15-year-old) was very happy to get the chance to sun himself on Wailea Beach:

One of the touristy things we did was visit a Macadamia nut processing plant:

Saw some awesome sights in Volcanoes National Park:

Here's my littlest buddy, Ethan, in Kona (one of our day stops).  Our cruise ship is in the background:

 My two boys one night on the ship (aren't they handsome?!):

..... and a parting shot, of Waikiki Beach at night:

It's good to be home, and I hope to settle into a crafting routine this coming week.  I'll be back when I have something to share :)

JAI #72 - JUST ADD COLOURING IN

My love of stamping stemmed from my life-long love of  "colouring in", so I HAD to take part in Just Add Ink's challenge this week.

I love the look of a stamped image white-embossed on Crumb Cake card, then coloured using Stampin' Up! markers.  I hadn't done this for a while, so it was time to have a play with this technique.

At the card-making class I held on Saturday, we were talking of how much we love Bella Toile (which, sadly, is retiring from the US Stampin' Up! catalogue ..... an indicator that we, too, may lose it soon).  I decided to use that stamp for my card.  I first stamped Bella Toile in Rich Razzleberry ink on the card base, then I stamped it again on Crumb Cake card, using Versamark ink and white embossing powder.  I love how 'rich' the image looks:

Stamps: Bella Toile, Bring On The Cake

Card: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Rich Razzleberry stampin' pad and marker, Rose Red marker, Old Olive marker, Crumb Cake stampin' pad

Other: Whisper White 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Decorative Label punch, sponge daubers, White embossing powder, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

Just a quick post today, as I'm off to Kathmandu (the shop, not the place!) in search of a super-warm lightweight jacket for our end-of-year holiday.  We're heading back to New York, and the jacket I have been using takes up about half my suitcase and weighs around 5kg.  (Not very practical, especially since I NEED suitcase space for my shopping over there!).  I'll be having lunch with my Mum, and enjoying a quiet spot in the middle of the day before all the manic running-around for my boys tonight ..... we leave home around 4.00pm for the first cricket lesson, and will get home around 9.00pm.  Makes me exhausted just thinking about what's ahead! 

I hope you're having a happy Monday, whatever you are doing.

JUST ADD INK #71 ..... JUST ADD BLACK & WHITE

Boy, I was challenged this week by Paula's choice to make the Just Add Ink challenge "black and white" only.  I'm not sure that I've ever made a black and white card, and throughout the whole process I was itching to add a dash of red!  However, I persisted, and managed to make a card, that I am quite happy with.

I found this colour (or are black and white technically 'tones'?) scheme rather formal, so to lighten it up a bit I added a few lightly crumpled flowers here and there.  Here's the end result:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Sincere Salutations

Card: Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Whisper White craft stampin' pad, Versamark inkpad, Basic Black stampin' pad

Other: Black embossing powder, Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool, Basic Rhinestones, Neutrals brad, Itty Bitty Shapes flower punch, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, mini glue dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig

STAMPIN' UP!'S "FRENCH FOLIAGE" IN PINK

I would like to share with you a card that is on its way to a friend, who lives too far away, who is in the fight of her life at the moment.  I wanted the card to be a bit soft and girly, but with an earthy feel as well; I like the symbolism of nature, and renewal, and hope.

I've used Stampin' Up!'s French Foliage stamp set (one of my absolute favourites from the current Autumn Winter mini catalogue), but with non-autumnal colours.  I really love how it turned out.  I had to photograph the card inside, because the weather is SO bleak in Melbourne.  It doesn't show clearly, but I used my crimper to add a bit of texture to the sentiment oval. (I've also straightened up that second pearl!)

Stamps: French Foliage, Because I Care (hostess set)

Card: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Confetti White

DSP: Blushing Bride Patterns Designer Series Paper (hostess pack)

Ink: Blushing Bride and Sahara Sand stampin' pads

Other: Basic Pearls, Wide Oval punch, Lots of Tags sizzlits die, Eyelet border punch, sponge daubers, Crimper, paper snips

CQC #88 COLOURS MEET JAC-INKS #10 SKETCH

I was a bit excited when I saw this week's Jac-Inks challenge, as I've just bought Spellbinders Ribbon Banners; perfect!  Here's the sketch:

I simply couldn't pass by the Colour Q challenge, either; these scrumptious colours are just right up my alley:

The splotchy flowers immediately inspired me to use Friends Never Fade.  I inked the flower using a stampin' pad first, then coloured the flower centres with markers. 

Stamps: Friends Never Fade, Thanks for Caring, Friendly Words jumbo Stampin' Around wheel

Card: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler textured, Early Espresso, Soft Suede

Ink: Versamark inkpad, Soft Suede stampin' pad and marker, Cherry Cobbler stampin' pad and marker, Crumb Cake stampin' pad, Early Espresso stampin' pad and marker

Other: Circles #2 die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Itty Bitty Shapes flower punch, Basic Pearls, sponge daubers, Nestabilities circle die, Spellbinders Ribbon Banner die