Take Two

Remember my Being Brave card? Well, this was my attempt to improve on it, taking on board the suggestions some of you made....I've used darker ribbon, put brads in the top corners, switched Real Red for Rose Red (I told you I can never leave Real Red there!), taken out the black altogether, and stamped on Whisper White instead of Very Vanilla.
I'm still not terribly happy with the result, and I was happy to post it off to someone special who might like it more than me!
This is called the Spotlight Technique, where you highlight an area of your card. I've used the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches to do it, but you could make it a square spotlight, or any shape you fancy, really. It looks great when you do the are not spotlighted in black and white, and colour the area that's in the spotlight. Just stamp your background image/s, and then on a scrap piece of cardstock, stamp the area that you want to highlight. Punch it out, and position over the background.
The set I've used here is a Level 2 Hostess set called Both Way Blossoms. It's such a pretty set! I've coloured using my Inkpad lids and Blender pens.
So, let me know if you think it's an improvement!
Colours: Whisper White, Old Olive, Rose Red

Looks Like Spring Wreath

Colours: Real Red, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory

Colours: Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Bravo Burgundy, Naturals Ivory

I've been wanting to have a go at this for a while...turning the Looks Like Sring Stamp Set and Co-ordinating Punch into a wreath. It was the perfect excuse when I heard about Stampin' Up's October Promo. I've seen a few of these around, so it's not my original idea, but I've no idea whose it is! It was another chance to use the Faux Bow too ;-)
I made the Real Red/ Garden Green version first, and didn't like it (why do I always feel a compulsion to re-make cards with Real Red on them??), so then I made the Cranberry Crisp/ True Thyme version.
Which do you prefer??
In the Real Red one, I also stamped the Looks Like Spring flowers under the punched flowers, and I think I like that effect better. It was a bit more work (masking off the area around it), but I think the wreath looks fuller and rounder. I also made the word "Noel" (from Many Merry Messages) peak through the Garden Green piece by cutting an "x", and rolling back the edges.
The background on the Cranberry piece is just a Bravo Burgundy inkpad tapped all over the Cranberry cardstock (a technique called Direct To Paper). I've also sponged the edges of the ivory piece in Chocolate Chip ink.
The diamond pattern on both cards is also from the Looks Like Spring Set.
Do you see my new All in a Row Stamp on there to do faux zigzag stitching? I totally blame Beate for making me buy that one!

I've been tagged!

By the lovely Michele

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet, current car) Freckle Lantra (I don't think I'd make a very good rock star!)
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream, favorite cookie) Gelato Ginger (ditto on the gangsta!)
3. YOUR FLY “GUY/GIRL” NAME: (first initial first name, first 3 letters last name) M Tay
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Blue Dog
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Glenys Wollongong (Now that's just silly!)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters last name, first 2 letters first name) Tay Ma
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink and add” the”) The Green Tea LOL
8. NASCAR NAME: (first names of your grandfathers) William Barry (hey, that sounds quite legit!)
9. STRIPPER NAME: (favorite perfume, favorite candy) Amarige Caramel hmmmm.....I was going to write "hard caramel", but maybe better not!
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s and father’s middle names) Sheryl Henry

That was fun! (and even better, I didn't have to think too much) Now, who to tag?
Carol
Cass
Joanna

Faux Bow Tutorial

Ask, and ye shall receive...My first ever Tutorial. Let me know if the directions aren't clear enough!

Use the Double Rectangle punch to make two holes in the place where you would like your “bow”. Thread your ribbon through your holes so that both ends are at the back of your cardstock:

Cross the ends over at the back, and thread a loop of ribbon through to the front of your cardstock. Do one hole first:

And then the other hole:
Now cross the ends over at the back again, and thread the tails through to the front of your cardstock. One tail:

Then the other tail:
At this stage, you can adjust your bow until you are happy with the lengths of the loops and tails. This is what your bow should look like at the back:

You can make this bow with any kind of ribbon. A thin, soft ribbon like the Organdy is the easiest! It sits flat, is attached to your card, and even the most bow-challenged person should be able to make this one look good!

Mr & Mrs

A good friend and customer of mine got married on the weekend, and this is the card I made her. The base card is Cranberry Crisp and then I stamped Paisley on it in Bravo Burgundy. This is a great compromise when you can't decide between 2 colours! The flowers from Both way Blossoms (level 2 Hostess set - what an elegant set this is!) have been stamped in Black Stazon ink on Watercolour Paper, and coloured in with my Crayons and Aquapainter. The nifty little bow is a "faux bow", made using the double rectangle punch. These are so easy, you get a perfect bow every time, and it's attached to your card, so you don't have to work out how to stick it on. I've matted by flowers on a piece of Always Artichoke. "Mr & Mrs" (says it all really!) is from Tagger's Dozen, and has been stamped on Watercolour paper and punched out with the Large Oval punch. I then used a dauber to sponge the edges in Bravo Burgundy.
Hope you had a really special day, and everything went really smoothly Lorna! I was thinking of you!

Thanks Doggie Rescue!

This is the Thankyou card I made for Doggie Rescue. It was the perfect excuse to buy the "tailgating" wheel! That's one of the things I love about wheels...once you have a handle and a couple of cartridges, it's not much of an outlay to buy a new wheel every so often. It's amazing how often a new wheel finds it's way into my order...now how does that happen?
Coco has settled in beautifully. You'd think he had always been part of our family. He's very much an inside dog, and loves nothing more than a lap to sleep on! He's great with the kids and has been dressed up in rabbit ears, carried around like a baby and generally been cuddled to pieces! I'd highly recommend a rescue dog for anyone thinking about getting a pet. The thought of Coco on death row makes me shudder. How could someone not want this beautiful little dog??
Oh, hang on, this is a Stamping blog, and you came here to look at cards, not hear about dogs
This is a pretty simple one, and I've based the size of the card on one full revolution of the wheel (I couldn't bear to chop off any doggies!). I've stamped Fresh Fillers in Versamark on the Close to Cocoa piece. I've watercoloured the dogs using markers and Blender Pens, punched out the sentiment (from All Year Cheer I) with the large Oval punch and used a dauber to sponge the edges in Close to Cocoa. A piece of Ribbon from Rustic Retreat Ribbon Originals finishes it off.
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Naturals Ivory

Busy!

I know I haven't posted much this week...I have 4 classes over 3 days, plus today I'm making a start on the 1000 Christmas cards for the Haemophilia Foundation of NSW. I use the word "I" very loosely though....I have had lots of help from some very generous people (too numerous to name here, but you know who you are and you have my heartfelt thanks!)
This is one of the cards that we'll be making, plus it's doing double-duty as a Stamp-a-Stack card! It's a nice easy one to mass-produce (just what you need when time is scarce at Christmas!).

The colours are Cranberry Crisp, Chocolate Chip and Naturals Ivory. The Stamp Sets are Holiday Spirit, Many Merry Messages and Star Studded (wheel). I watercoloured the tree using my Blender Pen and True Thyme Inkpad lid. I've also used the beautiful Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon, and the oval punch to punch out the sentiment. Cranberry Crisp is getting a workout for Christmas!

World Cardmaking Day!

Did you even know there was such a thing as World Cardmaking Day?? It's the first Saturday in October, and is a chance to celebrate the creativity of handmade cards and the personal connection that they create between friends and family and also kick off (and get a head start on) the holiday card-making season.

You're Invited to attend my World Cardmaking Day Event and you can come and Help Stamp Out Haemophilia. We'll be making Christmas cards for the Haemophilia Foundation of NSW, plus you'll get to make a couple of cards for yourself too! Beginners are most welcome!

When: Saturday, 6th October
Time: 2pm-5pm (come when you can, leave when you need to)
Where: 27 Ryan St, Dundas NSW 2117
Cost: nothing!
Bring: Yourself and feel free to bring a friend
RSVP: to me by email, by 30th September

You can drop in for half an hour, or stay for the whole time. There will be nibblies and drinks provided and lots of special offers and prizes on the day, including 20% off some selected items!
Hope to see you there!

This card has been made using the "A Wish for You" Simply Sent Kit. Instead of making the cards that you have instructions for in the kit, I've made my own by turning the present bow into a flower, the candle into stems and leaves and the square into a pot.

And in tribute of World Card Making Day, you can take advantage of a special promotion: 20% off any Simply Sent Kit purchased 4 - 8 October, so if you want to get your Christmas shopping done early, that will be an opportunity not to be missed!

Being Brave!

It's really easy to post pics of cards that I'm happy with, but it takes a big dose of bravery to show you ones that didn't turn out the way I wanted at all! This is one of those. I had a picture in my head, and this wasn't it! I'm sure I'm not the only one who has days like that??
Go on, tell me what you think....

5x5 Journal

This is the cover of my 5x5 Stamping Techniques Journal. When people come along to one of my Techniques Classes, they get technique notes, and they can make a little sample to go along with it. I've put all mine together in this little journal (you can get it in the Mini Catalogue). It stands up on your desk while your stamping so you can follow the directions.
I've decorated the cover with some Petals Paper and some self-adhesive die-cuts from the cute little Accents and Elements tin in the Mini Catalogue (I'm such a sucker for anything in a tin!). Because they're all self-adhesive, it was really quick and easy to make. I punched the holes for the spiral binding with the Spiral punch. "Stamping Techniques" has been stamped in Pretty in Pink with Classic Alphabet.

The Final Faux

Sorry, the weekend somehow got away from me, but I'm here now to show you the third "faux" card that we made at my class last week. This card has faux linen, a faux button, some faux bleaching and some faux stitching on it. You can read about faux linen in this post here. Faux buttons are easy-peasy...just punch out a couple of layers of cardstock or Designer Paper and stick them together, and punch a couple of holes in them. You can then thread some cord or thread through the holes, or use Crystal Effects to give your buttons some gloss. Faux Bleaching is another easy one. I hate working with bleach due to the smell and the risk of ruining your stamps/clothes/carpet. Faux bleaching is simply a matter of stamping in Whisper White or Very Vanilla Craft ink and blotting with a tissue before it dries. Faux stitching you've probably seen a million times. Here I've used the fine end of my Chocolate Chip marker rather than the white gel pen, to give a more subtle effect.
That's the end of my Faux cards..hope you enjoyed them, and maybe learnt something new!
colours used here: Buckaroo Blue, Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy

More Faking It!

Well Baby Jarod is a natural...at lying on his Mummy's lap and sleeping so she could stamp! What an angel....He's just adorable and sooo tiny.
This is one of the cards we made last night, along with this one here, and another one that I'll show you tomorrow.
This card uses the Faux Shaving Cream/Marbling technique, plus a faux bow and some faux stitching. I stepped out of my comfort zone and used some *bright* colours (Orchid Opulence and Pixie Pink). The stamp set is Dream Come True, which is one of the sets we received at Convention (love those stripes!).
It was a jam-packed class with 9 Faux techniques in it, but they all took home technique notes so they don't forget everything they learnt!

Welcome Baby Jarod!

A good friend and customer had a beautiful baby boy a couple of weeks ago, and as soon as I heard the news, I sat down to make a card for her. Baby cards are about the only cards that I never make in advance...I always like to personalise them. I used Chipboard stars (from On Board Accents) and Spring Showers Designer Paper for the feature of this card. Big Deal Alphabet has been getting a workout lately! I substituted the 'o' on Jarod with the "welcome little one" circle from the Riveting set (this stamp always seems to make it's way onto my baby cards!) Lots of shades of blue here: Buckaroo, Bashful and Bordering.
I get to meet baby Jarod for the first time tomorrow night...he's coming along to his first stamping class. We'll have him addicted in no time ;-)

Edited to add: That's faux stitching there, done with the Paper Piercing Mat and White Gel pen...looks real doesn't it?!

Who likes Hodgepodge?

Well, who doesn't?!?
In case you hadn't already heard, I thought I should let you all know about the fantastic Stampin’ Up! promotion this month.
During September only, if you join Stampin’ Up! as an Independent Demonstrator, you will receive a free box of Hodgepodge Hardware valued at $52.95 - you can choose from Pewter, Antique Brass or Aged Copper. This is a fantastic deal in addition to an already heavily discounted Starter Kit. If you have ever thought about joining Stampin’ Up! then e-mail me for more information. I will be more than happy to mail you a free information pack. And, just to get you in the Hodgepodge mood, here's an example of how it can turn an 'ordinary' card into something a bit special:

Colours: Not Quite Navy, Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green

Stamps: Crazy for Christmas, Fresh Fillers

Other: Watercolour Paper, Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, White Organdy ribbon, Slit punch

Dad's Day

This is the Father's Day card I gave to my Dad. Masculine and Minimalist...just like him!
I stamped up some 'Artfully Asian' images last time I was at Jayne's place, and this was the perfect opportunity to use one of them! I've watercoloured the leaves using my Blender pen and True Thyme and Old Olive Inkpads. I've added a 'shadow' of Sahara Sand around the edges of the images. 'Dad' has been stamped using Classic Alphabet, and I've added some dimension to the letters using my Basic Black marker. I wanted some Old Olive Grosgrain, so I made my own by dyeing a piece of Certainly Celery ribbon and my markers....I find it works much better to dye a lighter shade of the coloured ribbon, rather than the White ribbon. The White Ribbon has been bleached, which eventually turns your ribbon into a murky colour. I dyed this ribbon several months ago, and it has held its colour really well. Antique Brass Hodgepodge makes a simple card feel a bit more special. Happy Father's Day Dad!
Cardstock Colours: True Thyme, Naturals Ivory, Black