Wild About Blogging!!!

Here is a card I made for Bella's little friend Dan, aka "lil dog".

I've used the Wild About You set, using my Bold Brights markers to ink up the lion. Just remember to use the lightest colour first so the darker colour doesn't bleed into tip of lighter marker.
I've used colours from the Bold Brights family (glorious green, yoyo yellow, real red) - I find these are great for boys cards. I've punched two window word shapes using Brilliant Blue textured card stock for the 'hangers'. The words 'Happy Birthday' are from the Cheery Chat set.

Apologies!!

Thought I'd jump on quickly to apologise for my absence in blogging! We had issues with our old computer (it was old and didn't cope too well with uploads and photos in the end!). Our new computer is up and running but in the meantime my Photoshop Installation CD has gone missing, so my photos are too large to upload to blogger!
I will continue to hunt out the CD-fingers crossed it shows up soon!

Nursery Necessities Baby Shower

I made this card and journal for my friends baby shower a few weeks ago. I had the photos all ready to go for my blog-just needed to find time & energy to post them!
I copied the idea of the card from an old Stamping & Papercraft magazine, the ribbon unties to open up to the middle of the card. I've used the new baby set-Nursery Necessities, using my Soft Subtle markers to ink up the separate parts of the boat. Below is a photo of the card with the Journal:
I've used some Flavia paper to decorate the cover of this Journal, then paper pieced the boat-copying the boat stamp used in the card. I just need to put Bub's name on the Journal now he's arrived safe and sound!
Charlie arrived Sunday 17th August. He's such an adorable little boy! Congratulations Kirstie & Dan! I'll be back to post his birth card soon-hopefully!!!!

Apple Cider Cards

Well, here are the cards I promised last week-a bit later than expected. My youngest daughter, Meg, and I have had the tummy bug so I've been out of action! I'm happy to say that we are almost back to full health, just building back up our strength now. Anyway, here they are:

These 3 cards have NO stamping-they all are made using the new 'Apple Cider' Designer Series Papers and many Stampin' Up! punches. Very simple yet stunning cards. I really love the colours in these papers. I've made a few more cards using them today. When they have reached their recipients I'll post them on here. I'd hate to spoil the fun of our card swaps, I love the anticipation and excitement of happy mail!

Happy Birthday Mum!

Here is Mum's birthday card! It took me forever to think of a design for her card, but I opened up my pack of the new 'Apple Cider' Designer Series Paper (in the new Spring Mini) and it came to me!! The only thing I was disappointed about was that I didn't buy the matching stamp set at the time. Will have to add that to the next order!!
Well, the only stamping in this card is the Happy Birthday from the 'Think Happy Thoughts' set. All the rest is using punches and the gorgeous paper. I'm so pleased with how it turned out-just can't wait to get that set now!!!! I made a few more cards using these papers-I'll post them soon!
Hope you had a wonderful day Mum-you deserve it!xox

Recipe: STAMPS: Think Happy Thoughts INK: Choc Chip, Wild Wasabi CARD STOCK: Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Choc Chip, River Rock ACCESSORIES: Apple Cider DSP, Scallop Punch, Round Tab Punch, 1- 1/4 inch circle punch, 1 inch circle punch, 3/4inch circle punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, 1- 3/8 inch circle punch, Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Pastels.

Cherish Illuminations

I'm slowly filtering through all my photos, trying to find all my cards so I can put them into a separate folder ready to post here! I came across this one the other day, so thought I'd get put it up for you to see!
These were made for one of my weekly card swaps. Funny though, this was a set I didn't overly like when the new catalogue came out-don't really know what I was thinking there!!!!!! Once I got it I couldn't wait to use it. It's one of those sets that can make quick, simple and effective cards-or if you put a bit more time and effort you can create some gorgeous cards too!
I decided to 'bling' it up-it was around the same time I finally bought myself a Heat Tool. So what better way to bling than with Dazzling Diamonds! Below is a close up of the cherish image:

A very messy exercise though, but I had so much fun making these cards-really happy with the final product!

RECIPE STAMPS: Illuminations, Illuminated Roller INK: Blue Bayou, Versa Mark CARD STOCK: Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White ACCESSORIES: Dazzling Diamonds, Heat & Stick Powder, Silver Organdy Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Heat Tool
ALL PRODUCTS USED STAMPIN' UP! UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.

Mixed Bouquet Thank You

I made this card for my next door neighbour to give to a friend of hers. She wanted it to match the wrapping paper she had, which was white with pink flowers. So finally, I got around to using my Mixed Bouquet set which retired at the end of March. I based the idea around a sketch challenge I found on the Elite Challenges Blog, and used my Colour Coach Wheel to help me choose the colours. I stamped the circle images onto Pretty In Pink using Versa Mark, then embossed with clear embossing powder for a subtle look. I used my Stampin' Pastels to colour the flower and leaves using an eye shadow applicator (I find this gives me more precision when colouring using my chalks). I also added shadow to the Thank You oval using my Stampin' Pastels.
It took awhile to put together but I was pleased with the end result. The matching envelope was the finishing touch! I hope they were both happy with the card!
RECIPE STAMPS Mixed Bouquet, Occasional Greetings CARD STOCK Pretty In Pink, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Whisper White, Always Artichoke, So Saffron INK Pretty In Pink, Always Artichoke, Versa Mark ACCESSORIES Large & Small Oval Punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Moss Organdy Ribbon, Stampin' Pastels, Corner Rounder Punch
ALL PRODUCTS USED STAMPIN' UP!® UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.

ATC Card Swaps

Well, these may look familiar-they are in my new banner! I made these for an ATC Swap with my Upline, Georgina Martin. The technique we had to use was embossing, so I used Versa Mark ink and white embossing powder to emboss the flowers from Boho Backgrounds onto Purely Pomegranate Card Stock. I had grand ideas for these ATC's, but didn't realise how small they were - 3.5inch x 2.5 inches, a lot smaller than cards I'm used to making!! I ended up using these ideas for my weekly card swap-the pictures of them are posted below:

The colours and stamps are the same, just slightly different layouts! These cards came together quite easily, I just didn't realise how fiddly embossing the flowers were (they are quite small and close together!) I'm looking forward to seeing what I get back in my swaps!

Recipe: STAMPS Boho Backgrounds, INK Versa Mark Blue Bayou, CARD STOCK Old Olive Purely Pomegranate Whisper White Blue Bayou ACCESSORIES 1- 1/4 inch circle Clear Rhinestone Brad Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon White Embossing Powder

Guest Stampers-Maj & Tracey

Here is the card I promised in my last post. Take a bow Maj & Tracey!!!!
We were at Stamp Club last week when Maj showed me a pile of cards she'd created. Well, we all fell in love with this one that she made (Tracey made one too, but I only have a photo of Maj's, sorry Tracey!) Well done girls, this is such an effective card! Can't wait to get the new Hostess set-'For a Friend' so I can copy!
Colours used are Bashful Blue and Choc Chip.
Stamps are Simply Said, For a friend-hostess set.

Can't wait for our next Stamp Club, I have such a great time laughing and stamping with my friends!

Isabella's 5th Birthday Card

Well, I've finally got around to posting Isabella's birthday card! Her birthday was at the beginning of June, but life's been so busy I haven't got around to posting it!
I bought the Stampin' Up! Fairy Nice set awhile ago on eBay-I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for! So it sat patiently for a few months! I've stamped the image in Basic Grey to give the image a softer feel, then coloured it using my Stampin' Up! Bold Brights Watercolour crayons and aqua painter. I've chalked the white piece with my chalks and sponge dauber so the white wasn't so stark. I used the 'Happy Birthday' from the Pretty Princess set to stamp the Certainly Celery piece using Versa Mark. I attached the celery piece using the new Ice Rhinestone Brads to add a bit of bling! I used Kindy Glitz on the wings so they were sparkly too!
It is such a pretty card-I had a lot of difficulty choosing colours. I didn't want it too bright or too dull so I've used a combination of Bold Brights & Soft Subtles-the Pixie Pink base card and Orchid Opulence mounting piece are the new textured card stock, although its hard to see in the photo!
My next post will be my guest stampers-special friends from my stamp club who created a magnificent card-I just have to post it!! Now, to charge my camera batteries so I can download the photo!!

Baroque Motifs Card Swap

I've finally got around to posting the other two cards from last weeks card swap! I've been waiting for Ally's to arrive, but it's still 'Missing In Action'. I'll post the photo so at least she can see her card, and hopefully Australia Post will deliver it soon!

Here's Adele's card first:I decided with this one to not use the swirl, so instead I stamped the pattern in Versa Mark then used my Stampin' Up! Pastels to colour. I used an eyeshadow applicator as I find I've got greater control than the ones that came with the Pastels. I've used Old Olive, More Mustard & Brocade Blue card stock and pastels. The brads are More Mustard from the Earth Elements Brad pack-I love the way all their products co-ordinate! It makes it much easier to put a card together! I've also stamped the words 'cherish' and 'kind' from the Baroque Motifs in Versa Mark. I really loved the finished result of this card-it was such a difficult choice deciding who to give which card, so I let Paul choose for me!!!!

Now, for Ally's card-Here it is!!!!

Hope you like it Ally! I think it looked even better in real life, so fingers crossed it still turns up! I've used the swirl again on this one, using the sponging technique to soften the edges! I've used Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow and Whisper White card stock, and Choc Chip grosgrain ribbon for the corners. I was hoping to add a word like in Mum's card, but it made the card look too busy, so I used the ribbon instead to give it something extra. Baroque Motifs is such a simple, versatile & effective set. I've got the roller too - so I'll try and give that a go soon!

Baroque Motifs

Mum rang to say this card arrived today, so I thought I'd post it for everyone else to see! I got Baroque Motifs for Mothers' Day and was keen to try it out-so I thought I'd use it for this weeks card swaps! I'm very happy with how all three turned out-I'll post the others soon!

This card actually ended up bigger than the usual 10.5cm x 14.9cm. I stamped the image first, then decided to create the tile effect using my 1 - 3/8inch square punch-but didn't take into consideration how it all slightly expands with tiling! Oops!

I've used Sage Shadow, Perfect Plum and Whisper White Card stock, with Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip ink for the images and word. I used Close to Cocoa to sponge ink around the outside to soften the tile effect! For my first attempt at sponging with ink, I'm really pleased with the result! Lots more practise involved though if I'm ever to sponge as effectively as Alisa Tilsner. I love her blog and her amazing cards!

I'll be back to post the other two cards using the Baroque Motifs set soon!

Whale Wishes Birthday

Well, it's been a few weeks since I posted! I can't believe how quick the year is going-it's already mid May! Anyway, I'll try and be more efficient and upload a few more photos! We made this card at Stamp Club on Friday. Most people I talk to find it difficult to create boy or masculine cards, so I thought I'd tackle the boy one first! The Whale Wishes set is new in this years catalogue-it's such a cute little set. I've set myself the challenge to create a girl card with it too, so I can see how versatile it is! Here's the recipe:

* STAMPS: Whale Wishes, It's Your Birthday, On The Spot (background stamp)

* CARD STOCK: Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Whisper White, Yo yo Yellow

* INK: Brilliant Blue, Real Red, Green Galore

* ACCESSORIES: Word Window Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Glitter Glue (non SU!), Sanding Blocks

I punched out the first window for the Happy Birthday in the middle, then carefully slid it along to make the window longer. I used a sanding block to smooth away any rough edges. I find the Bold Brights colour family is great for little boy cards-they are so vibrant! I've used the glitter glue to enhance the bubbles above the fish, however, the camera hasn't really shown this up. I'll be back later to post some other cards, and also try a girl variation using this set!

Dad's Birthday Card

I bought this set off eBay awhile ago and kept it in waiting for Dad's birthday! It's an old Stampin' Up! set called Definitely Decorative Leapfrogs. I stamped the frog in Versa Mark, then embossed him in green, with a bit of gold embossing powder! Yet again I've used my toaster to do this, but I am investing in a Heat Tool! Here's the rest of the recipe:
* STAMPS: Definitely Decorative Leapfrogs, Occasional Greetings
* CARD STOCK: Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, River Rock, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou
* INK: Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Versa Mark
* ACCESSORIES: Green & Gold Embossing Powder (from Spotlight), Stampin' Dimensionals
Its such a cute card-I've used the Stampin Dimensionals on the frog's eyes and the tops of its legs to give it a 3D effect! I'm really happy with how this turned out! And I think Dad liked it too!!!

Nursery Necessities

We found out on Saturday night that we'll have new little niece/nephew around the 29th October! We're so excited for Scott & Belinda! I thought I'd make them a card to congratulate them as this is their first little bundle of joy!

I've been waiting for an occasion like this so I can use my new Nursery Necessities set! It's so cute! It'll be a good one too when I finally get around to starting Meg's scrapbook!

Here's the recipe:

* STAMPS: Nursery Necessities

* CARD STOCK: Barely Banana, Sage Shadow, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

* INK: Barely Banana, Sage Shadow

* ACCESSORIES: Scallop Punch, 1 -3/8inch circle punch, 1 -1/4 circle punch, Paper Piercer, Stampin' Dimensionals

Think I'll need to invest in the new Star punch, it'll make it easier to do the star!

So Swirly & Priceless

Here's Adele's card for this weeks card swap! Again I've used Priceless, but teamed it with the new So Swirly Jumbo Roller! This is a great roller for creating a simple and effective background. I've inked it with Purely Pomegranate ink to match the Card Stock, rolled it down one side, then turned paper around 180 degrees to roller the other side. It creates a gorgeous effect!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Priceless, So Swirly Jumbo Roller
* CARD STOCK: Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Whisper White
* INK: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Wild Wasabi
* ACCESSORIES: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, 1 - 3/8inch Square Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

I've stamped the flower in a circle in River Rock, then stamped it again on scrap Whisper White in Wild Wasabi so I could cut out inner flower to mount.
All products used are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated.

Priceless In Colour

Here is a card using the new In Colours and a new set - Priceless. The Priceless sets was one of my favourites from word go, same with the new In Colour 'Wild Wasabi'. I didn't realise how much I would love the new range of In Colours, I even like Soft Sky (big call seeing I'm such a Cool Caribbean fan!) This card was one of this weeks card swap with Ally-I'll post Adele's card later.
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Priceless, So Swirly Jumbo Roller
* CARD STOCK: Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, Whisper White
* INK: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava
* ACCESSORIES: 1-3/8 inch Square Punch, Vintage Brads (from 2007-2008 catalogue), Stampin' Dimensions, SNAIL.

Wonderful Paisley

Another card from the vault-and I've finally worked out how to reduce size of file so I can add watermark! Thanks for that Georgina!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Paisley Background, Warm Words,
* CARD STOCK: Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss, Blue Bazzil Card stock
* INK: Cranberry Crisp, Basic Black
* ACCESSORIES: Paper Piercer, Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon
I think Warm Words is one of the most used and versatile sets I own! It seems to suit most cards I make!

Birthday Whimsy

I made this card for Noah's 2nd birthday! It was a while ago now, but I just found it while playing around on the computer! The birthday whimsy set was one of the free sets during the Sale-a-bration. It's a wonderful set to use for birthdays-it has enough stamps to create a card using ONLY this set! I love sets like this!

Here's the recipe:

* STAMPS: Birthday Whimsy

* CARD STOCK: Brilliant Blue, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Confetti White

* INK: Real Red, Basic Black

* ACCESSORIES: Red Grosgrain ribbon, Paper piercer, foam dots

I really loved the way it turned out! Great for a little boy!

I'll be posting some cards with new Stampin' Up! products over the next few days! The new In Colours are gorgeous!

Time Well Spent

Well, this card was by request from my 4yr old, Isabella. She asked me yesterday if I'd make her a card-so I told her I'd make one today while she was at pre-school! However, I did get a few rules from her before she left!! Her card had to include pink, purple and blue paper, ribbon("Surprise me with that Mummy" - !!!!!!), butterflies & flowers. Think I've covered all of those!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Time Well Spent, Warm Words
* CARD STOCK: Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst
* INK: Basic Black, VersaMark
* ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Up! Flirty Ribbon Originals, Silver Embossing Powder, Stampin' Up! Bold Brights Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Up! Large Oval Punch, Stampin' Up! Soft Subtle Brads, Silver Cord, Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects.
My wish list now includes a heat gun-I embossed the flowers using my toaster!! It did the trick but probably not as conveniently as a heat gun!
It will be interesting to see her reaction when she gets it!

Love Without End

Another card I made for mum! I love our weekly card swaps-I'm especially proud of mum and her wonderful card making ability! I absolutely love to open the letter box and see mum's handwriting on an envelope! It makes my day!
I must thank Adele for introducing me to this stamp set-it was the feature of one of her fantastic cards! Being a retired set I hadn't seen it before. But as soon as I did I knew I wanted it! (I think that applies to all Stampin' Up! products-past and present!) Luckily for me someone was selling it on eBay!!!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Love Without End
* CARD STOCK: Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Pretty In Pink, Tempting Turquoise
* INK: Lovely Lilac, Pretty In Pink, Tempting Turquoise
* ACCESSORIES: Stampin Up! 1- 3/8 inch & 1- 1/4inch square punch, Stampin' Up! Crystal Effects (on butterflies), Stampin' Up! Light Pink Organdy Ribbon, Stampin' Up! 1/2 inch circle punch.
It turned out to be such a pretty card! Very happy with the final product!

Card for Adele

Here is Adele's card for this weeks swap-such a cute little card! I wanted to try something different, so this is a little tri-fold card with a band that slips on and off to help keep it closed! the whole card roughly measures 9.9cm x 9.9cm. I saw the idea for the envelope on Marelle Taylor's website a few months ago-I punched a circle in bottom left hand corner, then glued a piece of card stock inside to stop the card slipping around in the envelope. Just prettied up the circle with flower stamp from Big Pieces Set!

Here's the recipe:

* STAMPS: Big Pieces, Twinkle Roller

* CARD STOCK: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise

* INK: Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink

* ACCESSORIES: Silver Cord, 1- 3/8 inch circle punch, 1- 1/4 inch circle punch, Pink Bella Accentz, Stampin' Up! Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper for band.

Here's the card without the envelope and band.

All in the Family

This was a quick card for my mum, I can't believe how well it turned out! Just goes to show a great card doesn't require hours of effort (nothing wrong with those either!) I've used 'All in the family' set to create my two beautiful daughters-thought I'd try without the Stamp-a-ma-jig , then re-stamp if it didn't look any good-but I was happy with first attempt so left it at that! I've paper pieced the girls dresses by stamping image onto patterned paper, then cutting out and attaching!
Here's the rest of the recipe!
* STAMPS: All in the Family, All Year Cheer II
* CARD STOCK: Orchid Opulence, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, So Saffron
* INK: Basic Black
* ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Up!Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper (so glad this made a re-apperance in new catalogue!) Blender Pen, Stampin' Up! Pastels, 1- 1/4 inch circle punch, 1 inch circle punch, corner rounder.
To be a bit different I made the spine of the card down the left hand side instead of along the top, which I usually do with horizontal cards. Its a bit uncanny to see that the stamped images of my girls look so much like them! 'All in the family' is going to be such a versatile and effective set-can't wait to purchase the 2 co-ordinating sets! I will have to add them to my ever growing wish list!

Heart Speak

I'm slowly going through my folder of Stampin' Up! cards so I can post them for you! I made this one for mum awhile ago now, but just stumbled across it. It's such a pretty card, just have to share it with you!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Heartspeak, Warm Words
* CARD STOCK: Certainly Celery, Brocade Blue, Morning Marigold, Confetti White
* INK: Basic Black
* ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Up! Pastels, Blender Pen, Stampin' Up! Large Oval Punch, Sponge Daubers, Gold Brads, Blue Ric-Rac Ribbon (Bella brand), Green felt-tip pen for stems of flowers, Stampin' Up! Slit punch
In hindsight it may have been better to stamp and colour on Watercolour Paper, or even Whisper White Card Stock-I find Confetti White does not always stamp as evenly as I like, or absorb colour evenly either.
I'm so glad Warm Words continued into the new catalogue. Its one of my favourites!

Carte Postale

I made these set of cards to submit to Stamping & Papercraft, and 1 of the 4 was accepted into the Readers Gallery! I'm pretty happy with that as it was my first submission! I'll keep you posted on when it'll be published! Here are the 3 that were 'rejected'.The first is a post card and envelope set. The insert can be taken out of the little triangle fold envelope. It's roughly 9.5cm by 9.5cm. Its quite a cute little set. I finally found something to use the 'Carte Postale' stamp on!!! It doesn't look quite right on the normal size cards I've made.
* STAMPS: Carte Postale
* CARD STOCK: So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant and Enchante paper
* INK: Always Artichoke
* ACCESSORIES: 3/4 inch circle, Chunky Certainly Celery Grosgrain ribbon

This one is a tri-fold card and uses the same stamp set as well as French Flair (without the birds!!! Sorry Adele!) I just turned over the Enchante paper to get the different pattern.
With this card I used my circle punch to punch out the circles down the side, then attached the flower to the inside of the card so they show 'through' the circles-something different that adds a new dimension to the card. This card also uses Vintage Brads and Olive Organdy Ribbon.

I find it funny that they accepted the one I liked the least!!! Stay tuned, I'll let you know when the magazine is out!!!

Wild Rose

I made this card for my wonderful mum a few months ago! It's such a beautiful set to use, especially with my favourite colour family-Soft Subtles!
Here's the recipe:
* STAMPS: Wild Rose
* INK: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss
* CARD STOCK: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Whisper White
* ACCESSORIES: Olive Organdy Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Foam dots.
This was my first attempt using this two-step stamping technique. It was fairly easy to line up the overlay image without using a Stamp-a-ma-jig! I'm so happy they didn't retire this set!

Small Sayings Card Swap

This card is from my week before last card swap! I had no idea what I was going to do so I did a bit of blog surfing, then started creating. I know I saw a similar design on SplitCoast Stampers, but have no idea who its was or with what sets-sorry!

Here's the recipe:

* STAMPS: Small Sayings (Summer Mini Catalogue)

* CARD STOCK: Choc Chip, Close to Cocoa, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

* INK: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

* ACCESSORIES: Corner Rounder Punch, Large Oval Punch, Bella Ribbons, Stampin' Up! Pastels, Sponge Daubers

I chose the ribbon first, then found colours to match! Luckily most Stampin' Up! colours matched perfectly. The ribbon was just from Reject Shop, in the meantime I have purchased some Stampin' Up! Ribbon Originals-they are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!

Here is the second card, same layout, different colours but the same stamp set. I had to make this for Ally-she is such a cameo coral girl!!!

* CARD STOCK: Cameo Coral, Choc Chip, So Saffron, Cool Caribbean

* INK: Choc Chip

* ACCESSORIES: Slit punch, Corner Rounder, Bella Ribbon

I've been tagged!!!!

I've only just realised that I've been tagged by Rebecca Munro. Thanks for your lovely comment-it made my day!
Apparently, the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Now for my 7 random facts:
* I have recently moved to Gloucester after living on the Central Coast all my life!
* I can't believe I didn't know Stampin' Up! existed until 6months ago - Thanks Ally!
* I am a complete choc-a-holic-can't resist Dark Chocolate
* My youngest daughter, Meg (16mths) slept through all night for the first time last night-yeah!
* I love looking out of the window of our new house and seeing the mountains, cows and horses-it's very peaceful.
* My favourite book is Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy.
* I'm just about to take my 2 beautiful girls to the library. It gives me 25 minutes of peace while they explore, choose books & DVD's and sit quietly and read books to each other!

As to tagging 7 people!!! Do I know that many other bloggers? I'm going to have to tag those whose blogs I love! Let's see- Ally, Adele, Georgina, Marelle, Alisa, Jayne & Angela. If these links don't work they are all located on the right hand side of my blog!
Happy Stamping!

Scribble Wheel Birthday

This is the early birthday card for my brothers girlfriend. It turned out nothing like I intended (not quite sure what I intended!) but I'm pretty happy with the end result!
* STAMPS: Scribble Wheel, Birthday Whimsy
* CARD STOCK: Certainly Celery, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White
* INK: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black
* ACCESSORIES: Turquoise & Light Orchid Grosgrain ribbon, Silver Cord, Large Oval Punch
I really hope Scribble This comes back in the new catalogue-I love it, plus I want the matching alphabet stamps!!!!!!

Little Pieces Birthday Card

I made this card for my brothers birthday last week-I find it hard sometimes to create male cards, but this one came together fairly easily! Here it is:

* STAMPS: Little Pieces, All Year Cheer II, Background Sampler

* CARD STOCK: Buckaroo Blue, Choc Chip, Sahara Sand

* INK: Cranberry Crisp, Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy

* ACCESSORIES: Twill tape, Paper Piercer.

I found the idea to stamp the twill tape from the At Home Simply Scrappin Kit. The colour combo was inspired by the Travel Journal I made his girlfriend (which she loved!!!!)

From The Heart

This is mum's card for our weekly card swap-I love our card swaps! There's nothing better than opening your letter box and there's a card waiting for you! I love happy mail! I bought this stamp set off eBay a few weeks ago, it's so cute! There's also a cute little boy, dog, cat and a flower-I'll try and make some cards with those soon! I've made the little girl look like Bella seeing she's 'Ma's girl'!!!

*STAMPS: From the heart, Warm Words, Butterflies & Blossoms

* CARD STOCK: Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink, Mellow Moss, Watercolour paper

* INK: Basic Black, Bashful Blue

* ACCESSORIES: Pink & Moss Gingham Ribbon, Bold Brights Watercolour Crayons, Crystal Effects, Watercolour Brush

I totally love the Warm Words set-they seem to fit just about any occasion card-plus they fit perfectly into the large oval punch too! Thanks to Ally who inspired me to use my Butterflies & Blossoms roller after I saw her beautiful card with it! (Her link is on the right hand side of my blog, check it out!)

Tickets & Tokens Travel Journal

My brother and his girlfriend are going on a 3 month holiday so I thought I'd make his girlfriend a travel journal for her birthday (which is while they are away!). I've used the Tickets & Tokens Scrapbook pack and the On Board Art Journal. It was quite fiddly to cover as the cardstock is so thick, and I used the spiral punch so that covers fit perfectly. I love the scrapbook packs-they've got everything in them to create numerous layouts, with left overs which are great for cards. I've also got the At Home scrapbook pack which has lovely colours and great cardstock stickers!

Here is what I've used to create this Journal:

* STAMPS: Little Pieces (as accents on pages throughout the journal)

* CARDSTOCK: Cranberry Crisp, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand

* INK: Cranberry Crisp, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand

* ACCESSORIES: Tickets and Tokens Simply Scrappin Pack, Spiral Punch, SNAIL

Here is a picture of the inside cover! I hope she likes it!

Friendship Blooms

I had to make a sympathy for a good friend of ours who recently lost her mother. I didn't want to use too heavy colours so I thought I'd use Soft Subtle colours. The materials used are:

* STAMPS: Friendship Blooms, Warmest Regards

* CARDSTOCK: Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow, Pale Plum

* INK: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Whisper white, Sage Shadow Stampin Write Marker

* ACCESSORIES: Vintage Brads, Foam Dots

Wild Hearts Postale - Second Card

Here is the second card-its the same as the last one with the following colour changes:
* CARDSTOCK: Taken With Teal, Elegant Eggplant, Regal Rose, Whisper White
* INK: Whisper White, Taken With Teal, Regal Rose
* ACCESSORIES: White Grosgrain Ribbon.

I love the Wild Hearts Background, unfortunately they've discontinued it so it's only available until the end of March! Carte Postale is such a versatile set too! I only wish I'd purchased it earlier!

Wild Hearts Postale

Well, I've switched Blog hosts after having difficulties with the last one-it took 10-15 minutes to upload a photo, and that's if it worked! Anyway, a lot of stampers seems to use this host so fingers crossed this one is more efficient!

Here's the first card. I'm part of a weekly card swap with two wonderful friends, and I challenge myself to create the same card but with different colours! The recipe for the card above is:

* STAMPS: Wild Hearts Background, Carte Postale

* INK: Very Vanilla, Brocade Blue, Bravo Burgundy

* CARDSTOCK: Bravo Burgundy, Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla

* ACCESSORIES: Cream Grosgrain Ribbon, 1-1/4 inch circle punch, 1-3/8inch square punch, foam dots, double sided tape

I'll post the second card in a minute!!!