Stamping With Susan

Baby Blanket

2012-02-03T15:22:00.001+13:00

My sister, brother-in-law and new nephew left NZ this week to go back home to Tanzania. My Aunty and I spent the week frantically getting our nephew/grand-nephew's winter blanket finished! If I look overwhelmingly happy in the first photo it's because I'm glad this ambitious project is over! I spent seven or eight hours just sewing squares together last Saturday. Whew!

My gorgeous newphew snoozing in the park with his new blanket. That's satisfaction right there.

I Love You!

2012-01-18T21:40:00.001+13:00

I've been longing to make a card like this for quite some time. It's based on the 'I Love You!' card in the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue page 150. (It's not called an Idea Book for nothing!) I gave it to a very special lady for her birthday - my Mum.

JAI Scrapbooking Challenge #1

2012-01-18T21:28:00.001+13:00

It is so exciting that Just Add Ink has brought out it's first monthy scrapping challenge. This month you have to add a 'first' or 'one' to your title. Here's my entry...

These photos were taken on our last wee holiday before we became a family of four. I really treasure those special memories we made on our getaway. And I'm also really glad I finally used one of the retired sets I couldn't bear to sell or give away.

Wow, so chuffed to win the challenge! Thanks JAI!

Holiday Time

2012-01-18T20:33:00.000+13:00

My sister-in-law had plenty of spare time to herself over the holidays (lucky her!) and my kiddies were at the receiving end. Check out these AMAZING A5 pop-up cards. And check out Olivia's blog here.

Something Beautiful

2012-01-11T15:36:00.000+13:00

Back in October I had the privilage of being involved with the creative side of my wonderful friends' wedding. The bride put in a lot of hours with concepts and creating and I got to help with the overall feel of the reception hall and some of the finer details. Take a look...

A complete table awaiting its guests!

The Koha Cage - purchased by the bride, decorated by me!

Some of the million pom poms the bridal party made. Some of the white lanterns were left from my wedding!

These lolly jars looked really cute on the food tables! Purchased from Miss Bon Bon, filled with fruit balls and embellished by me!

Close up of one of the vases which were the table centrepieces.

The beautiful couple.

Photography by Keri-Anne Dilworth at Dilworth Photography.

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-02T10:44:00.001+13:00

Now that my birthday has been, December is here and I've finished a wreath for the front door, Christmas is definitely feeling a lot closer! I'm not as prepared as I usually am this year. For instance, I have no idea what we're acutally doing for Christmas. For now, I'm happy to leave it at 'just something' and enjoy each day as it comes.

So here's my 'poinsettia' wreath. Find Ronda's tutorial here. I just did mine on a flat piece of chipboard and boy was it a great way of using up some designer paper scraps (Stampin' Up! Letters to Santa papers in this case)!

Hope your Christmas preparations are going well.
x

Christmas Tags

2011-11-26T15:29:00.001+13:00

Christmas is just around the corner! Bit of a cliche, I know, but it's true. Here's something to get you in the festive mood if you missed out on seeing these in real life on Thursday.

It's a little hard to photograph (being nearly 80cm long) but click on the image to see it bigger.

Now since I don't have a mantlepiece, all I have to do is figure out where to display them; the kitchen windowsill is looking good right now.

Props to Sharon Johnson for this one ;)

Butterfly Birthday

2011-11-25T15:49:00.001+13:00

Last week we celebrated my daughter's first birthday. It was so fun to do something a bit girly and with Stampin Up! dies and colours, it was easy too! I did the decorations with longevity in mind and have now put the mobile and 3D art in her room. She loves to blow the mobile with us and points enthusiastically when asked 'Where are the butterflies?'

Before and...

After!

I wish you could see the framed butterflies better - they're more 3D in real life!

My cousin, who did all the catering (THANK YOU!), did so well matching her icing to our theme colours.

Me with the birthday girl. The M&Ms went down a treat!

'Til next time!

Go Confidently

2011-11-11T16:01:00.001+13:00

My little (well, not-so-little, really) brother in law has just finished year 13 at school. I remember the sense of great accomplishment and how grown up I felt at the time so I wanted to share in that moment with him. Is it just me or does school still feel like it was just a couple of years ago?

I've actually been planning this card for a while. Now my Cupcake Builder punch has finally been used to make the clouds on this brayered background. And then I embossed it with the Stripes Embossing Folder. It's a really easy way to make something pop.

I'm really enjoying my new 'Word Play' stamp set. One of the wee perks with being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is they send you a 15% off card in your birthday month (on top of your normal discount). Happy almost Birthday to me :)

Christmas Cupcakes

2011-11-11T15:24:00.001+13:00

Ok, so this post isn't really about stamping but I had to share a couple of cupcakes I made at a Christmas-themed cupcake class last night at Miss Bon Bon.

This one was my favourite. It was shared four ways at lunch today - the 'fewer calories' way to eat cupcakes! Needless to say I bought myself some glitter.

And, while everyone tried to get their snowmen standing just so, I went for the low-risk-of-toppling approach and took a bit of inspiration from our little friends Calvin & Hobbes... (If you're not familiar with Calvin & Hobbes, see some of Calvin's snow antics here.)

Hope your taste buds are tingling. xx

One Beautiful Baby Shower

2011-10-26T15:32:00.000+13:00

I had the great privilege of organising my sister's baby shower recently. It was such a fabulous morning and I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make it special. We started with a colour theme (Elegant Eggplant, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limade and Whisper White) and the feel we wanted for the day and rolled on from there...

The food table

Flowers (courtesy of a friend)


My first piped cupcakes - thanks very much to my special friend for teaching me (you know who you are)!

Mini-bunting using Perfect Pennants Die

Yummy fruit with Greek Yoghurt (courtesy of my Mum)

Scrumptious bircher muesli (courtesy of a friend)

The bunting and favour table

Special thanks to my husband and the mum-to-be for helping me out with 30 favours!

Special treats inside each favour... yum yum

Just one of the many gorgeous single stems (courtesy of a friend)

The radiant mum-to-be (with her Tanzanian Kanga tied and holding the balloon baby at the back - one of the great African-flavoured games. Such fun!!)

Christmas Blues (in a good way)

2011-10-20T14:14:00.000+13:00

With Christmas just around the corner I did a bit of the old 'use-up-what-you-have-on-hand' and made a stocking out of scraps of blue Stampin' Up! ribbons, white felt and assorted buttons (which originated from my Mum's collection). Next time I think I'd just do all of it on the sewing machine as the blanket stitch edging, while effective, took white a long time. And if you know me well, you'll know I like things quick and easy! Anyhow, here's my prototype for our upcoming Christmas Craft night with the gals...

Hawaiian Notebook

2011-10-13T14:16:00.002+13:00

I recently made up a little notebook for guests at a friend's bridal shower to write encouraging words in. Since I didn't have any notebooks to cover I did this one from scratch! It was a bit of a challenge having never done any tropical-themed creations before but I had a lot of fun.

The flowers are stamped on watercolour paper and coloured in with Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight and a touch of Early Espresso. Blender pens make a novice look like a pro don't you think! Ahh, so deceptive! I also added some shimmer paint to give it a bit of glow.

I didn't photograph the inside but the pages are made of Naturals Ivory cardstock with a layer of stamped Calypso Coral at the front and back. And apologies for not-so-good photos taken inside at night...

Needless to say I had wonderful feedback from the bride-to-be and the book (well, the words in it really) has already become something very special to her. In a little while I'll be able to post some of the photos of decorations I've been doing for her wedding. In case you're wondering about my lack of posts, there are many celebrations coming up and you'll get to see everything before Christmas! Hmm, Christmas, just 10 weeks away.

Just Add Ink #83

2011-09-05T14:10:00.002+12:00

With my husband away over much of the weekend, I took the opportunity to do a little scrapping and thoroughly enjoyed it! Bron at Just Add Ink has challenged us with a sketch this week which I especially wanted to see if I could do in a layout. Here is the result:

The fabric yo-yo below is the one that Penny is wearing on her clip in the photos. It was made by a friend of mine and I have dressed it up with an antique brad.

Perhaps my favourite part of the layout is this: a peekaboo feature that lies behind the journalling...

...which turned into a great game when I showed the layout to Felix. Twins!

Oh, and if you're wondering, the striped background is straight inkpad to textured cardstock.
'Til next time
x

Sneak Peek Butterfly

2011-08-19T14:14:00.001+12:00

Can someone please tell me how it has been an entire month since my last post? Life sure has been busy with sick kiddies and starting to plan for several events for the coming season...
(Children all better now, in case you're concerned!)

With the coming of Spring, Stampin' Up! is releasing their new Idea Book & Catalogue and, naturally, I'm very excited!!! While new products aren't for sale until September 1st, I am allowed to give you sneak peeks of things I have been making so here goes...

These little butterfly cards have been doing the rounds lately (and for good reason!) but doesn't it look exquisite in one of the new 2011-2013 In Colours? I might just have to feature these at my daughter's first birthday in November. They're just perfect for Spring and Summer parties. I'm sure warmer weather has been on the minds of many in the middle of this cold snap.

Want to learn how to make these? Book a workshop with me from September and start collecting some really great Hostess Rewards from the new catalogue.

Birthday Boy

2011-07-17T20:29:00.001+12:00

Amongst all the baby cards in the previous post, I also did up a bunch of birthday ones. These two are my favourites for boys.

This one was modeled off a cool masculine card we did at a training day recently. The Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder really is perfect for many things! And it was fun to do something a bit different. I haven't done a buckle card in such a long time!

I reckon bright is the way to go when it comes to boys (I'm a bit over earthy colours for masculine cards). The outstanding numbers from the Celebrations papers were the perfect countdown for this wee rocket.

Oh Baby Baby

2011-07-17T20:19:00.000+12:00

I recently did my first markets (child-focused products only) and wanted to show you some of the baby cards I made. I didn't sell much on the day but I still consider it a great experience and, to be sure, none of these cards will go to waste! Is it just me or are there heaps of beautiful pregnant ladies at the moment?!
$5 each if you're interested. Haha.

This one is modeled off the explosion box lid we did at a class recently.

Don't you just love the bird punch? Love this vintage-feel colour combo of white, Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake with a hint of Pear Pizazz.

One for a girl or a boy...

This card and the one below are a Mother/Baby set. I adore the beautiful Love&Care Hostess set in the Autumn/Winter Mini.

Spot the new Big Shot machine fan!

Just Add Ink #73

2011-06-25T13:10:00.002+12:00

This week at Just Add Ink it's a sketch challenge. And to celebrate their 500th follower there are prizes involved! So why not get going and enter something yourself! Here's my interpretation of the sketch.

I haven't done a layout for a little while so it was nice to throw one together. There's a lot of 'white space' on this layout so I used the large stamp from the Fresh Cuts set to create a bit of texture. It's done up in clear embossing powder with the Night of Navy ink pad stamped straight over it.

To get this effect with your ribbon, double the length you'd normally need, sew down the centre of the ribbon with needle and thread and gather until it looks right. I've heat sealed the ribbon ends with a lighter and then stuck the whole thing on the layout with sticky strip.

The blues, Night of Navy ribbon, circular embellishments and a bit of bling gave the page a bit of a modern nautical look which I'm very pleased with, even if I say so myself. Haha. Hope you like!

Explosion Box

2011-06-05T23:01:00.001+12:00

Ok so here's my first ever video blog (or vlog, if you're getting technical). I felt like this kind of project didn't really work well in photos so tried video instead!

We're making these at my class on Thursday 23rd June; except, we'll be using the oh-so-cute Nursery Suite Specialty Papers. Email me for more details if you'd like to come along - it'd be my pleasure to see you!

With Love

2011-05-15T14:33:00.000+12:00

I received this gorgeous card from my sister-in-law, Olivia, and had to share. She's so beautifully used the Level 2 Hostess Set 'Love & Care' in the current Autumn-Winter Mini.

Also, may I mention how proud I am of Olivia for receiving a 'Rising Star' award at the Stampin' Up! convention in Melbourne this weekend. Congrats on being 2nd place in all of Australia for your first year of being a Demonstrator. You so deserve the recognition for all your hard work and I'm sure your team and adoring customers would agree!
x

Just Add Ink #67

2011-05-15T14:22:00.001+12:00

Check out the sketch challenge at Just Add Ink this week and have a go! Here's my little interpretation: A thank you card for the copious amounts of work our Landlords have done for us lately to make our house a better place to live. I've been wanting to try white on white for a while and enjoyed how it turned out but I seem to have picked all the difficult things to photograph - white, glitter and rhinestones! Anyway, hope you like...

Deals of the Week - every week in May!

2011-05-01T19:26:00.000+12:00

May is an exciting month! All you need a little pocket money to pick up some great products going cheap. Check out the Stampin' Up! website evey Wednesday in May for the week's deals...

Email me if you'd like to place an order or would like a free catalogue (RRP $15.95).

Bumbled Birthday

2011-04-26T16:20:00.000+12:00

Slightly stupid moment: So I sat down over Easter to make a birthday card for my cousin who is currently in France. I thought it would be nice to send something since it's his first birthday away from home and in a foreign country. I wrote in it, put it in an envelope and had it addressed ready to post only to realise I'd confused his birthday (October) for his brother's (May). Duuuuh, I thought something was awry. Anyway, thought you might enjoy seeing it. I'll make something else closer to the time...

Don't you just love this cake? It's from the new Level 1 hostess set in the Stampin' Up! Autumn-Winter mini catalogue, 'A Slice of Life'. It comes to life with the Blender Pens. You can get this set for free (along with other free products of your choice) when you host a workshop between now and the end of July. A workshop is a great opportunity to hang out at your place with a few of your mates on a cold Winter day/evening and experience for yourself how great the Stampin' Up! products are! Email me for a booking today.

Chocolate...mmm

2011-04-18T11:30:00.002+12:00

This week at Just Add Ink we're having a little chocolate fun in the lead up to Easter. The challenge is to use a colour combo from your favourite chocolate bar. I've chosen the ever-so-sweet Black Forest! Mmmm. This means my colour combo is made up of - Perfect Plum, Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White.

I haven't done much scrapping lately and I've been dying to do something with these photos taken in the early weeks of number two's arrival. Of course I remember how tired I was and how each of us was adjusting to life as a family of four. But what I love remembering the most are precious moments like these...

By the way, I had a hot glue gun available this week and so enjoyed making some ribbon flowers with buttons! The Stampin' Up! Organza ribbon worked a treat.

Panagbenga! JAI#63

2011-04-11T10:43:00.003+12:00

This week at Just Add Ink the challenge is to take inspiration from this photo...

Isn't it fab?! In case you're wondering, the photo was taken at the Panagbenga Flower Festival in Baguio, Philippines. Notice the guys dressed as flowers behind the girls? Good sports I reckon!

And here's my card. It's quite a literal inspiration this time and I had heaps of fun doing something quite different to normal. Wish you could tell from the photo how great the Crystal Effects is on the collar!

Till next time :)

Edit 14/04. Wow thanks for choosing my creation as a Top Pick! I'm thrilled - it was such fun to make.

Bunny Houses

2011-04-09T16:20:00.002+12:00

I taught a class making these little birdhouses recently and they went down a treat.

Jenny, one of the gals, sent me some pics of her own variation: A fabulous Bunny Favour box which she'll be filling with fake straw and Easter eggs. She said it took several hours to make all 12 but weren't they worth it?! Bet you'd like to be at her Easter dinner table...

Thanks so much for sharing, Jenny!!

Party Poppies and Puns

2011-03-21T14:41:00.002+13:00

We went to a 'no presents, just your presence' party on the weekend. But, me being me, I had to at least make a card which we filled with nice words. And here it is... (inspired by the talented Vicky Hayes).

Recognise the poppies? They're from the middle of the scalloped 'for you' circle in the Sale-A-Bration set Punch Bunch. This is not a card I recommend if you're in a hurry as using the markers took a while, but it was fun to put together.

And here are the cards I made for our babysitters (all three of them) and the people we stayed with. What a fabulous night away we had!

You can tell I'm really into the little tag thing eh?

I heart...

2011-03-15T20:44:00.000+13:00

Not sure if you've noticed but lately I totally heart blender pens and crystal effects...... Yet another example of this below. This card inspired my Just Add Ink entry this week. Since the colour combo was so retro (anyone remember brown and orange Tupperware?) I felt I had to curve all the corners too. Haha.

Also, I have a little tag fetish too. More examples of this in posts to come...

Like this set? It's only available until the end of March. Order $120 worth of product and it's yours FREE. Email me now :)

Vintage Bliss

2011-03-15T20:36:00.001+13:00

One of the wonderful things about scrapping is you can dig out a photo from a while ago and have fun re-living the memory. This particular page reminds me of many happy memories at our old house...

As you can see, I tried my hand at a bit of vintage style, which of course was inspired by the flower on my hat that Felix is wearing. I'm usually a clean and fresh person so this was quite a style challenge! I do love how the tissue paper flowers brought in the softness I was going for but I'm not totally convinced about the page as a whole. Anyway - hope YOU like it...

JAI #59

2011-03-13T16:15:00.001+13:00

Just a quick post today. Here's my entry into the Just Add Ink challenge 59. It may be a bit too grown up for a one-year-old's birthday card but every girl likes flowers right?

Handmade for Christchurch

2011-03-05T17:02:00.000+13:00

This is the set of cards I'm donating to the Handmade for Christchurch cause. Hope that the proceeds help someone in need even if it's only by a smidgen.
Check out the Handmade for Christchurch group on Facebook here. You've got till Sunday to submit your creations. Then, start bidding on some gorgeous hand-made items here (on Trade Me).

Explosion Baby Box

2011-03-03T22:44:00.001+13:00

A friend has just given birth to a baby girl so I decided to make something a little special for her; a mini scrapbook in the form of an explosion box. A lot of work put into it but a lot of fun too! These make great baby gifts because you can fill them with treats for Mummy or baby and then they can proceed to house little keepsakes - hospital bands, cord clips, locks of hair...

Breeding Thankfulness

2011-03-03T22:35:00.001+13:00

I often have a long list of cards that need to be made. The list usually includes upcoming birthdays and weddings but most importantly, thank you cards. I like to breed a feeling of thankfulness in our family so a simple hand-made thank you card is a great way of letting people know you appreciate what they've done for you eh! Here's one I did recently:

I picked a neat tip up recently (not sure where from now) that said if you've got a busy background, create an area of white (or light) space around your image to help draw the eye to it. So I gave it a go! This cute little image is from the 'A Flower for All Season' set.

Christchurch Earthquake

2011-03-03T22:11:00.000+13:00

Many of you will have already heard about the earthquakes in Christchurch. Watching the devastation on the TV seems quite surreal but we are beginning to hear more and more personal accounts of what it's like down there. Of course our thoughts are constantly on Christchurch and her people. A couple of things you can do to help:

If you know people who are relocating to Auckland and need a place to stay (rent free), food, resources and other support including counseling - get them to contact the Christchurch Earthquake Response Team. The team also welcome any donations of both $$ and resources. More details here: http://www.christchurchemergencyrelief.org.nz/

If you're crafty and want to use your talents for good, the ladies at 'Handmade for Christchurch' are doing a great job of coordinating the sale of hand-made items on Trade Me. You too can donate your hand-made items and all proceeds from the auctions go to the Salvation Army and Women's Refuge. Check out their Facebook Page for more information or simply email a photo, description and RRP to handmade.for.christchurch@gmail.com

Change the look...

2011-02-14T21:09:00.000+13:00

Same design, two different looks. Here are a couple of masculine cards I've made lately. One thing I find with making cards for men is that you don't have to have anything overwhelmingly male about it. While I love a girly stamp set, a few wise choices in the purchasing department mean most of my sets are generic enough to use for masculine and feminine cards. All it takes is the right colours, and usually omitting things like flowers... haha. One of these is inspired by a male I know who has quite a vast shell collection! This shell set is retired now but I still love its sketched look.

Absolute Bliss

2011-02-14T20:57:00.001+13:00

When I was away on the weekend, I took just one small box of stamping supplies with me. I find it really refreshing to give myself limited resources and see how much I can come up with. It saves a lot of time choosing what set and colours to use. Love it! Here are some baby cards I made for our church. The cards had to be generic so they can be sent to parents of both girls and boys...

Peach Parfait, Concord Crush and Crumb Cake - a winning colour combination don't you think? And let me just say, I am loving the Bliss set more and more every time I use it! It's yours free during Sale-A-Bration when you spend $120.

Floral Thoughts

2011-02-14T20:48:00.001+13:00

Here's a little card I made lately. Look familiar? I used my own squash book as inspiration! The great thing about craft is that you can use the same idea over and over to get you going and then let it form a life of it's own as you go along. Also, big ups to Stampin' Up! for making gorgeous products that transition well between card-making and scrap-booking.

Quick tip - photograph your cards before you give them away! If you're ever in a rut and need ideas to get you going, you've got a file of pictures you're sure to love because you made them yourself!

By the way - loved using the Naturals Ivory card stock (the base of the card). It's got a nice gritty feeling to it without having to be textured.

Just Add Ink #55

2011-02-14T20:35:00.002+13:00

This week at JAI, the theme is love. Since it's wedding season, this suited me perfectly! Here's my entry...

Don't you just love this stamp set? It's very aptly named 'Bliss' and it's yours free when you spend $120 until the end of March. Watch my upcoming posts (going to bombard you this evening) for more of this gorgeous set.

Props to my lovely sister-in-law, Olivia, for providing the inspiration for this card.

Edit 17/02/11:
Thanks for choosing my entry as a top pick! What a pleasure :)

View top picks here

Just Add Ink #51

2011-01-17T16:59:00.006+13:00

I think my many shades of red may have been a bit of a liberal approach to the 'Just Add Monochrome' challenge this week but I thought I'd enter my layout anyway just to share the love... (Click on pic for larger image.)

This layout celebrates being pregnant with our beautiful number two. In case you're wondering, I was inspired by a tree that always makes me think of Spring and new life: the Sakura/Cherry Blossom tree. In fact, we were originally thinking of naming her Sakura but decided a Japanese first name and Chinese last name might be a bit much. Haha. Enjoy.

Blushing Congrats

2011-01-16T19:42:00.000+13:00

My beautiful sister got married to her wonderful man yesterday in Tanzania. Unfortunately I couldn't go (just not practical with a newborn and a toddler) but of course I am SO thrilled for her. Here's the card I sent over attached to a special sisterly gift...

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Friends Never Fade (embossed flowers), Baroque Motifs, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Colours: Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Others: Basic Pearls, Chocolate Chip Taffeta, In Colour DSP Pack (level 1 Hostess reward)

Just Add Ink #50 - A colour Challenge

2011-01-09T22:06:00.001+13:00

It has been a busy week here sleep training the baby and toilet training the toddler (his initiative - I was happy to wait). So can you tell I'm really enjoying my time for myself by getting into the JAI challenges? This week it's a colour challenge and here's my entry...

I've had the Designer Buttons Tutorial in the back of my mind for ages and have finally done it! I love the way the colours from the challenge work together here to make the layout young and fun.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Schoolbook Serif Alphabet
Colours: Pear Pizazz, Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White
Others: So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread

Just Add Summer (#49)

2010-12-31T21:05:00.001+13:00

At JAI this week it's 'Just Add Summer'. Here's my entry...

I really enjoyed doing another scrapping page. It's been a while coming; probably because I only just got some more photos printed a couple weeks ago. I think this photo captures perfectly my son's love for the outdoors. He's lapping up the sunshine that summer brings. Anyway, I loved the way the Crumb Cake softened the brightness of the other colours I used. Everything came out looking warm and summery without having to be too earthy.

Want to know how to make these cute little dandelions? Check out Inna's blog. I stumbled across her blog today and was amazed at her talent with quilling!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Basic Phrases
Colours: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Whisper White
Others: Twill Tape, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Celebrations DSP

Wishing you a Happy New Year.
x

Edit 06/01/11:
Thanks for choosing my entry as a top pick! I'm blown away!

View top picks here

Just Add Ink #48

2010-12-29T13:47:00.003+13:00

This week at JAI it's a sketch challenge which is just what I needed to get me going with this card for a special someone. The best thing was I finally cracked open my bottle of Crystal Effects and I'm chuffed with how easy it was to use and how it totally took my card to the next level of coolness - even if I do say so myself.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Birthday Bakery (hostess set)
Colours: Basic Grey, Concord Crush, Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade, Bashful Blue, Going Grey, Basic Black, Whisper White.
Others: Lap of Luxury DSP, Basic Pearls, Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

A two year old's masterpeice...

2010-12-24T13:50:00.001+13:00

This is the first year that my son has really been able to get involved with Christmas. Today I got him to make some special Christmas cards for his grandparents. He loves stamping just like Mummy! Of course, being only two, he had a little help, but you're never too young to get in touch with your creative side eh? Excuse the photo quality.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

Baby Love

2010-12-19T21:33:00.000+13:00

Feel like a wee break from all the Christmas crafts you're seeing around at the moment? Here's a little doozy I made for my cousin who is only a week or so away from giving birth. She's one of five girls and is having a boy so I imagine my uncle will be a very happy grandfather! A boy at long last! I love baby colours that aren't the traditional pinks and blues so here I've taken the chance to use some of our great Stampin' Up! In Colours.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Pun Fun
Colours: Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Crumb Cake and a smidgen of Pear Pizazz
Others: Basic Rhinestones, Concord Crush ribbon, In Colour Designer Series Paper Pack (level 1 hostess reward)

Christmas Treat Cones

2010-12-06T14:10:00.000+13:00

Thought I'd share this wee Christmas decoration idea that I cased off Vicky Hayes. Such a cute way of hanging little gifts or chocolates on the Christmas tree (which we have yet to put up...)

Supplies Used:
Jolly Holiday DSP, Gold brads, Rhinestone Brads, Modern Label Punch, 5-petal Flower Punch, Linen Thread.

{And for those of you who haven't heard. Our lovely girl, Penelope Ruth was born on November 17th. We're enjoying having her around.}

December Frenzy!!

2010-12-01T15:30:00.000+13:00

December is a great month at Stampin' Up! Not only do we have the release of the Summer Mini but check out the items on sale below (some up to 50% off)...

Item	Page	Description	Retail Price	Sale Price
119181	39	A Little Treat Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$26.95	$13.48
120018	39	A Little Treat Clear-Mount Stamp Set	$21.95	$10.98
119189	40	Tote-Ally Tess Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$45.95	$32.17
111255	43	Daisy Dash Jumbo Stampin’ Around Wheel	$19.50	$11.70
121482	56	Baby Bundle Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$59.95	$41.97
119161	72	Autumn Days Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$46.95	$23.48
120012	77	Pendant Park Clear-Mount Stamp Set	$36.95	$18.48
113031	88	Tart & Tangy Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$26.95	$18.87
115806	91	Fresh Cuts Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$46.95	$32.87
115946	102	Wonderful Favorites Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$47.95	$28.77
119167	104	Heard from the Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$46.95	$28.17
119185	105	Teeny Tiny Sentiments Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$75.95	$37.98
105115	118	Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.87
105106	119	Certainly Celery Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
100045	119	Pretty in Pink Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
105114	119	So Saffron Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
105111	119	Bashful Blue Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
105108	119	Regal Rose Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
105109	120	Bravo Burgundy Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
100069	120	Night of Navy Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.87
100082	121	Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker	$6.95	$4.17
103104	122	Small Cello Bags	$9.25	$5.55
111325	140	Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware	$70.50	$35.25
112530	140	Circle Scissor Plus	$67.95	$40.77
116681	161	Kind Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set	$14.50	$7.25

Just Add Ink #41

2010-11-03T21:35:00.001+13:00

It has been a while since I entered a JAI challenge but today I, quite miraculously, had a bit of time to myself for fun! I needed a masculine design in preparation for my brother's birthday next week (I'm assuming he doesn't read my blog). Part of the challenge was to think outside the norm - so I tipped out my tin of old school buttons and here's what I came up with...

Supplies used:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Colours: Crumb Cake, Old Olive (textured), Chocolate Chip, Naturals Ivory, Pumpkin Pie
Others: Buttons from my stash, Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Christmas Card DIY Kits

2010-11-02T12:49:00.000+13:00

Want to make your own Christmas Cards this year but don’t know where to start? I’ve made it easy for you! I’m happy to be offering Christmas Card DIY Kits. Each kit comes with comprehensive instructions and enough pre-cut and scored materials to make ten cards. The cards feature the Jolly Holiday papers with a lovely mix of Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla.

Check out the cards...
(please note, each card will be slightly different due to the use of different papers within the Jolly Holiday pack).

Card kit - $35.00 for 10 cards

Kit includes:

Pre-cut card and designer papers

Ribbon

Very Vanilla Envelopes

Instructions

Optional Extras:

Contempo Christmas Stamp Set - $31.95 (woodmount) or $25.95 (clearmount)

Old Olive Stampin’ Pad - $14.25

Corner Rounder Punch - $16.95

If you purchase a Full DIY Kit (Card Kit and all three of the Optional Extras as above) you can get approx 15% off!

Full DIY kit (woodmount stamp set) - $85.00 – RRP approx $101.00

Full DIY kit (clearmount stamp set) - $80.00 – RRP approx $95.00

Orders for the kits need to be in and paid for by Friday 12^th November. Email me to place your order...

November Classes

2010-10-27T11:22:00.000+13:00

Info for my November classes is now below for those of you not on my mailing list yet...

We will be making this fun gift box decked out in retro curves (plus 8x 3”x3” gift cards and envelopes). It’s something a little unique that’s great as a wee pressie for someone special or for yourself. We will be using the lovely Greenhouse Gala papers which co-ordinate with Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Real Red. You will also come away with a template so that you can make the box over and over…

Dates:

Saturday 6^th November 10am-12noon

AND

Thursday 11^th November 7.15-9.15pm

Location:

Te Atatu Peninsula

Cost:

$20 per person

RSVP:

Wednesday 3^rd November (email me)

Celebrations Thank Yous

2010-10-27T11:15:00.000+13:00

On the weekend we had a party to celebrate - well, quite a number of events happening in our little family. And what better way to say thank you for everyone's generosity than with the Celebrations Designer Papers?! I'm sure you can appreciate how simple these are. I say there's never an excuse to buy cards when you can whip them up in a matter of minutes, especially if you're doing them en masse and can cut two or three of the same card in one go.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Basic Phrases, Greetings Eight (retired)
Colours: Pear Pizazz, Read Red, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Others: Pear Pizazz Ribbon, Sponge Daubers

Not Necessarily 'Out With the Old'

2010-10-22T13:02:00.001+13:00

When I'm not preparing for a Demonstrator-related activity, I like to have a play with my retired stamping gear. Sometimes it helps you gain a little perspective and plan for the future better when you know which items you still love and use. Thought I'd share this little cutie with you... A card I gave to my other sister-in-law who recently got engaged.

Dress Up Christmas Promotion

2010-10-17T21:03:00.000+13:00

From 16 October to 30 November you can get FREE ribbon! Check out the link for more details...

The Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP is not in our current catalogue so I have included a picture for your information. It features Real Red and Soft Suede and has a metallic touch to it as the papers are flocked.

Blog Award

2010-10-13T12:30:00.000+13:00

Thanks Deb for awarding me with the following...
You're too kind!

Why not pop across and check out Deb's wonderful creations at Deb's Stamping Corner

Hearts for You

2010-10-11T13:26:00.000+13:00

My lovely sister-in-law and her husband celebrated 10 years of marriage last week. I thought I'd share the love and celebrations and show you the card I sent them...

I wish the photo did it more justice as the new Poppy Parade In Colour is fast becoming a favourite of mine. It's a warmer red than Real Red so it gives off a slightly softer look. Teamed with the Chocolate Chip, it made for a stunning combination.

The hearts in the background are white embossed and I have sponged over the top. You'll notice a few darker patches in the red because I haven't sponged in a while and got careless! But sometimes we just have to work with our mistakes as that's what creativity is all about right?!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Always, Basic Phrases
Colours: Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Others: White Embossing Powder, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon (now retired)

Handy Hint

2010-09-30T14:16:00.000+13:00

When you find a card layout that you like and you're making one already, cut a few extras for future use. You'll see from a couple of posts below that this layout looks familiar. I'd prepared the basic design earlier and finished it off later with a sentiment and picture appropriate for the person I was giving to. If you're pressed for time, try out this handy hint next time you sit down to do some crafting!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Upsy Daisy
Colours: Pear Pizazz, Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait, Chocolate Chip
Others: Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Greenhouse Gala DSP

Squash Book

2010-09-25T12:56:00.001+12:00

These squash books are so easy and versatile. By no means are these my original design but that's the beauty of them - you can personalise them by making practically any size with any embellishments you choose. Here's a wee example of a 3x3 one I've done. Come along to my class on October 2nd if you'd like to learn how to make your own...

Class details:
Squash Books (various designer paper options available on first come best dressed basis)
Saturday 2nd October
10am - 12noon
$15
Te Atatu Peninsula
BYO adhesive and scoring tool if possible.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Short and Sweet
Colours: Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Others: Rhinestone Brad, Greenhouse Gala DSP

Greenhouse Gala

2010-09-07T13:22:00.002+12:00

As I sit here drinking my ice lemon tea in anticipation of warmer Spring weather I thought I'd share something else that makes me think of Spring - the gorgeous new Greenhouse Gala designer series papers and coordinating stamp set - Friends Never Fade. I love it when a piece of designer paper can really hold itself well even in the simplest of designs. Check it out...

Greenhouse Gala papers feature a blend of Pear Pizzaz, Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze. $20.50 on IBC page 125.

Friends Never Fade, set of four, IBC page 71, $38.95 woodmount & $30.95 clearmount.

Swing Card

2010-09-01T19:51:00.000+12:00

Wahoo! Welcome to the new Stampin' Up! year! The new catalogue is now available for viewing online, or get in touch with me to order your copy today. If you're joining me at my Catalogue Release Party on the 11th you can get a catalogue for FREE with a qualifying purchase. Email me for more info or check out my Facebook page events.

Now onto the creative stuff...
I've been having a play with my new products (oh so fun!) and thought I'd share today's creation with you. I've seen this swing card done a lot recently and because it's my Dad's birthday tomorrow, it was the perfect excuse to try it out. Don't you love the new Friends Never Fade set featured? I was surprised how well it adapted for a male card.

Love the swing card technique? Share it with your friends by booking a workshop with me - it's a great time of year to get into stamping!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Friends Never Fade, Happy Moments (now retired)
Colours: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
Others: Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Papers - one which is fast becoming a new favourite, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon (now retired).

Scrapping Update

2010-08-31T13:46:00.001+12:00

At the beginning of the year I printed a whole lot of photos of my son's first year of life convinced that I'd scrapbook them all... I still have about half of them sitting in the box. It's a good thing I don't put a timeframe on my scrap-booking achievements! However, when I took holidays in July I did feel the need to do his first year in review so that I could print out another batch and get going on those. Might I add, now that I have a bit more continual-scrapping experience (as opposed to single event albums), I will be more selective with my photo printing!

Simple yeah? Let me tell you, a lot of photos get culled when you limit yourself to two pages! Some fabulous news, by the way: the Animal Stories set featured in this layout (from the Summer 2009/2010 mini) will now be available again in the new Idea Book and Catalogue which starts tomorrow! I'm so glad!

While I was at it, I scrapped my all-time favourite photo of Felix (bottom one). As a new mum, that funny little waking up face gave me some real joy...

Till next time :)

Purple Lover

2010-08-17T19:47:00.000+12:00

I recently made a 'congrats on your engagement' card for my purple-loving friend. It was the perfect opportunity to use up some Pale Plum (retiring soon, get in quick) which I haven't used often but I really enjoyed doing something with a softer look. I wanted it to be clean and simple, which is admittedly my usual take on things, but a little bit special as well. Here I've embossed the background and sponged over it in the corresponding ink colour to make it pop.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Baroque Motifs, Basic Phrases
Colours: Pale Plum, Going Grey, Whisper White
Others: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (died with a Stampin' Spot), White Embossing Powder

Fifth Avenue Floral Gift Set

2010-08-13T13:47:00.001+12:00

I'm back in the land of the living! Hope you like the blog's new look. I now that's taken care of I feel ready to post some stuff for your viewing pleasure. Over the next few weeks I hope to share some of the fun projects I had time to do in between unpacking boxes at our new house and on holiday (with my lovely stamping buddy, Olivia).

I've been dwindling down my Designer Series Paper collection in the lead up to the new catalogue release so I can spend my money on new stuff! If you have lots of DSP scraps lying around like I do, this design (adapted from a card by Hannah Plews - fellow team member) is a fantastic way to use them up! Get in quick and email me with your order if you would like to stock up on any of the retiring papers. Also, check out the One Last Chance list link on my Speicals & Promotions page.

Till next time!

Moving House

2010-07-07T19:21:00.003+12:00

So it has been a busy couple of weeks since I posted last; the result of which is that we've found another place to live that will accommodate our growing family. In the rental world it all moves pretty fast so we're moving in just two weeks time and I thought I better sit down and make some cards for our friendly neighbours to say thanks for having us in their little community.

Sale-A-Bration seems like YONKS ago and today I used the Good Neighbours set for the first time. It took rather a lot of time to make four cards when each individual image required the use of the stamp-a-ma-jig. It's not something I'd have the patience for every day but they turned out really cute, especially in the Soft Subtles.

Never used the stamp-a-ma-jig or don't know what it is? Let me demonstrate it for you at a Workshop in your home or mine. I'm now taking bookings for August.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Good Neighbours (now retired), Short and Sweet
Colours: Soft Subtles Stampin' Spots, Whisper White, Kraft
Others: Certainly Celery Ribbon

Little Man Layout

2010-06-21T12:25:00.002+12:00

On Saturday I attended our All Hands Team Training, hosted by the lovely Jacque. We spent the day making, listening and having fun. The very talented Delys Cram coached us through an awesome layout and I wanted to share how mine ended up. Check out the original on Delys's blog here. I was pleased with the way an essentially feminine layout could still be used for a boy. Photos of a grown man may have taken a bit more creativity, but a seven month old wasn't such a stretch.

And here's my now 18-month old checking out the 'low-lows' in the bottom corner and managing to be very gentle.

If you're a scrap booker, I'd highly recommend the On Board elements (Main Catalogue pp146-147). I've been wanting to try them for ages and now that I have, I'm definitely getting some! You can leave them as is, colour them, gloss them with Crystal Effects and much more...

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue (current Autumn-Winter Mini), Weathered Background Stamp ($39.95), Flower Fancy ($77.95)
Colours: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Kraft, Whisper White
Others: Hodgepodge Hardware, On Board Timeless Type, Extra-Large Two-Step Bird Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Aquabrush (to weather the edges), Basic Black Journaller.

Me & Mum Layout

2010-06-15T14:14:00.001+12:00

So I finally got time to do that scrapbook page that's been brewing in my mind for ages. Of course, it never turns out as planned but that's what paper craft is all about right? I'm definitely happy with how it turned out.

This is a faux bow (pictured). It's done by sticking a loop of ribbon down on the main ribbon via another piece going around vertically. I hope that makes sense.

I've put journalling on the back of this layout because I didn't want to upset its clean simplicity on the front.

Tip for scrap bookers - get an alphabet set! They're so worth it.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Priceless (versamark in background) $57.95, Schoolbook Serif Alphabet $91.95
Colours: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Real Red
Others: Real Red Grosgrain 5/8" Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Marker

Baroque Thank You

2010-05-31T13:27:00.000+12:00

My Aunty did me a HUGE favour recently so at my Craft Day on Saturday I made her a special thank you card.

Tip of the day: If you're like me, you'll find your colour preferences change fairly often. Sometimes a stamp set that you were a bit sick of a while back can look absolutely amazing with your current colour obsession. It lends a great amount of freshness to the situation! Try it out...

Supplies used:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Fresh Cuts
Colours: Night of Navy, Going Grey, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Others: Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Whisper White 1/2 pearl from the Pretties Kit.

Craft Day!

2010-05-12T13:52:00.000+12:00

There's nothing like a group atmosphere to get the creative juices flowing... So it's time to get in the groove! Bring along any card or scrapbook project you're working on and share ideas and techniques with others.

I'll have supplies on hand for purchase if you're lacking that special something or need some extra cardstock etc. Also, come hear the news about the upcoming Stamp Club and all its benefits!

Date:	Saturday, 29 May 2010
Time:	13:00 - 17:00

Email me to let me know if you're coming and for address details.

Newborn Feet...

2010-05-05T15:14:00.003+12:00

There's nothing like the cute little toes of a newborn right? This week at Just Add Ink it's a sketch challenge and this is the photo I chose to use. My son is 16 months old today (Where did the time go?) so you can tell this one has been sitting around a while just waiting for the right time...

Supplies used:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Colours: Kraft, So Saffron
Others: Bella Bleu Designer Papers, Very Vanilla Jumbo Brads, So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon, Vellum Card Stock

Photos Galore!

2010-04-20T15:28:00.000+12:00

Ok, so at the risk of totally over-doing it I have managed to squeeze LOTS of photos onto this layout. I had so many and I wanted to use them all! Thinking about my scrapbook as a whole, it's ok to have some busy pages and some that are more about the journey of creating a feature piece. Of course with this many photos there's not much room for embellishment, so I've kept it simple and used the colours from this week's Just Add Ink challenge as accents.

By the bye, notice the wee fingers at the side of the first photo? I was going to crop it but he was doing such a good job of 'don't touch' that I had to shout it out.

The second picture shows the hidden journalling under the main photo. Where else was I going to put it right?

Supplies used:
Colours: Chocolate Chip, Barely Banana, Kiwi Kiss
Others: Kiwi Kiss Grosgrain Ribbon, Jumbo Brad

Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue Launch

2010-04-13T13:47:00.000+12:00

It's an exciting time of year to get crafty! The Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue has been released and it's jam-packed full of awesome new products like clear mount stamps, new colours, the Big Shot Machine and new punches. Plus, some great new stamp sets and accessories.

Come along to see a showcase of these new products and have a play! We'll be making a great card together (just in time for Mother's day).

They'll be lots to see and do, food and prizes! Looking forward to having you along :)

Email me for launch class details or to book your place.

Baby Thank Yous

2010-04-07T12:55:00.001+12:00

The challenge at Just Add Ink this week is to make ANYTHING. But of course I had to have some sort of perimeters to work within so I set them for myself...

A friend of mine is pregnant and I thought it would be a neat idea to make some mini thank you cards for all the baby gifts she receives. These are made using the Love Notes (p.131 IBC) which come with their own wee envelopes. They're so cute. I wanted to experiment with matting white on white (and vanilla on vanilla). I used a touch of sponging to give it the dimension that matting in different colours usually would.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Animal Stories (from Summer Mini - now retired), Short & Sweet ($35.95)
Colours: Going Grey, Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Kraft (woah!)
Others: Non-SU! Buttons, Jumbo Eyelets, Love Notes, Linen Thread

Three Little Thank Yous

2010-03-31T12:50:00.001+13:00

A few of my friends and family have been very generous with making freezer meals for a couple who are expecting their first baby any day now. These people deserve a bit of appreciation so I've whipped up a few little cards with the help this week's Just Add Ink challenge for colour inspiration.

The colour combo felt quite earthy to me so I chose a stamp set that reflected nature. Teamed up with some half pearls from the Pretties Kit and some taffeta ribbon, it has made for a simple tri-fold card that's easy to put together. The inside was a bit boring to photograph but it has a layer of the blush blossom card stock stamped with the shells to match the front.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Seaside ($53.95), Upsy Daisy ($39.95)
Colours: as above
Others: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Very Vanilla Half Pearls, Slit Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch

xx

Everything To Me

2010-03-24T13:35:00.003+13:00

Here I am squeezing my entry in at the last minute for challenge #9 at Just Add Ink. It's been a busy week and it's such a shame the sun isn't out to aid my photography today! I've wanted to Scrap Book this 8x10 photo for ages but found it hard to work around it because it takes up most of the page! I decided in the end that simple was best as I really wanted the photo to be the main focus here. Hope you like it as much as I do :-)

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Always ($66.95)
Colours: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Other: Hodgepodge Hardware, Chocolate Chip Marker, Rock-a-Bye Boy Simply Scrappin' Kit

Happy Stamping!
Susan

Easter Treats

2010-03-15T16:04:00.001+13:00

Ok so Easter is coming up very soon! In my 26th March class we'll be making a cute little Easter box (mini chocolate eggs supplied...shhh). Neither the box or the bunny are my original ideas but teaming them up has worked a treat and I look forward to making these with you!
Email me for more class details and to book your place.

This also fits in with the Just Add Ink Challenge #8. Pop over and have a look at some of the other lovely creations and why not enter the challenge yourself!

Supplies used:
Colours: Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip (marker)
Others: Various Punches, Sweet Always DSP, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Love is in the air...

2010-03-08T10:58:00.002+13:00

A good friend of mine is marrying her wonderful man today. They've been engaged and planning today for more than a year so we're all attending with much excitement and anticipation!!

I thought I'd share the wedding card and presentation of the gift with you!

And here's close up of the features... The white heart is flat on the card, the red heart is one dimensional high and the Always medallion is two dimensionals high. You can't go wrong with a bit of 3D action!

And here's a photo of the gift itself. Double-ended oven mits (something every kitchen needs) and a set of thank you cards tucked into one of the ends (which I didn't photograph because they're all sealed up but I used the same stamp set on them).

Supplies used:
Stamps: Always ($66.95)
Colours: Real Red, Whisper White, Kraft
Others: Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, White Embossing Powder, VersaMark, Various Punches

Right, better start thinking about getting out of my trackies and into my dress. Thankfully my boy is having a morning nap (a very rare occurrence) so he'll be able to get through the day.

Happy Stamping!
Susan

Sketch Challenge - JAI#6

2010-03-02T09:49:00.010+13:00

This week at Just Add Ink it's a sketch challenge. Here's my entry...

Don't you just love the Urban Garden DSP? I was down to my last 12x12 sheet of it and have finally found a use for those big flowers. I always found it hard to incorporate them in a card without over-powering everything else but a scrap book page is big enough to contain their vivaciousness! Here I've scrunched them up by hand to give them a bit of texture.

Supplies used:

Stamps: Schoolbook Serif Alphabet ($91.95)

Colours: Night of Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey

Other: Circle Scissor Plus, Baja Breeze Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Urban Garden Designer Series Papers

TTFN!
Susan

PS: Wow, I'm so honoured to be a Top 5 Pick at Just Add Ink this week with the entry above. Thanks to the Just Add Ink Design Team for continuing to inspire us! 04/03/10

Double Slider with Pastels

2010-02-28T12:24:00.002+13:00

Here's what we made at the February class: A double slider card featuring the Stampin' Pastels on the front. For those of you who couldn't make it, here's some eye candy for you!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Happy Moments (FREE with $120 purchase)
Colours: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Others: Jumbo Brads, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Pastels

Stay tuned for info on next month's class (including special Easter treats).
Happy stamping!
Susan

Dimension...

2010-02-22T13:47:00.003+13:00

The challenge at Just Add Ink this week is to add dimension to a card, scrap book layout or 3D project. I've combined creative with practical here and teamed up with a friend to make babysitting affordable for each other. Being a hobby jewelery maker means I have excess beads sitting around but you could use dried kidney beans, old 5c coins, acorns or some other small objects.

And then comes the task of actually planning date nights and following through with them. Still practicing on that one...

Supplies used:
Colours: Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Others: Washington Apple Designer Series Paper, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (a favourite - can you tell?), Linen Thread, Various Punches

xox

Colour Challenge!

2010-02-15T10:04:00.005+13:00

At Just Add Ink they put up weekly challenges so we can get creative and share with each other. This week's challenge was to use the following colour selection (neutrals are allowed too) --- it proved quite difficult for me as I don't think I've ever successfully used More Mustard!

So here's the result...

You can see I picked my two preferred colours to use lots. The other two are used as accents to mount the photos. My friend conveniently had a Sage Shadow/Mellow Moss top and the More Mustard toned in with the dry summer grass. The roses are made by white embossing on Vellum Card Stock and dabbing ink on with a sponge dauber.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral $53.95
Colours: More Mustard, Sage Shadow, Rose Red, Kraft, Whisper White
Others: Chocolate Chip Marker, Vellum Card Stock, White Embossing Powder, Jumbo Eyelets, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper, Eyelet Border Punch

Why not try the challenge yourself?
Happy stamping...

Fashionable Flowers

2010-02-11T17:32:00.001+13:00

Some friends of mine won an auction on a house today so I wanted to make a card that was just a little bit more special than normal. After some playing around, this is what I finally came up with...

And it fits perfectly with the NZSU challenge this week too! Thanks to Megan McDonald for her lovely flower tutorial.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs $46.95, Basic Phrases $68.95
Colours: Sahara Sand, Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Others: Baja Breeze 1" Grosgrain Ribbon, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Urban Garden Designer Series Papers, Jumbo Eyelets, Versamark Ink

PS: Doesn't it make you feel so good when you get a comment like "wow, this is the best card I've ever received"? - thanks Ruthie.

'Til next time!
x

Stampin' Pastels

2010-02-10T15:37:00.000+13:00

Come along to the February class to learn different techniques with Stampin' Pastels. We'll be making a great wee card together.

- Friday 26th February
- 7-9pm
- $10 per person or $8 each if you bring a friend who's never been before.

Email me before Tues 23rd Feb to book your place.

Gift Sets

2010-02-08T16:22:00.001+13:00

Making a set of cards is an inexpensive, yet personal approach to gift giving. A set is a great gift because it's easy to post and can be made in a relatively short amount of time (especially if you're working close to a birthday deadline, ahem...)

Tips for making sets:

1) Keep them simple. Simple cards take less time to duplicate and look great en masse.

2) Make them versatile. Whoever you're giving to probably doesn't want 10-15 birthday cards so keep your greetings varied and broad - or leave the card blank if you're brave! In this case, I've used the Upsy Daisy set which includes: "Birthday Celebrations", "You're on my mind", and "Thank You for your friendship".

3) Try a variation on a theme. Here I've used colour and ribbon and greeting placements as my variations. The rest of the card is exactly the same.

4) Apply Stampin' Pastels to a Versamarked image with sponge daubers to give you more colour options if you don't have all the inks. This pastels technique works best on bold images and gives them a very home-made feel too (pastels on Versamark aren't as clean as stamped images).

5) Make envelopes to match. It only take an extra two minutes! With this set I Versamarked some Whisper White envelopes with the Upsy Daisy image. This gives a pretty subtle outcome but it's all it needed.

Supplies used:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy $39.95
Colours: Most of the Bold Brights, Whisper White, Kraft
Others: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Whisper White envelopes

Go on, make someone you love a set of cards!
Susan

Haitian Relief Update

2010-02-06T21:49:00.000+13:00

Under my Specials & Promotions page, you will see the info on Stampin' Up! efforts to help those in Haiti. $2 from every 'I {Heart} Hearts' set doesn't sound like much but just to give you an update straight from Stampin' Up!...

Stampin′ Up! demonstrators are working hard to make a difference in the lives of those who continue to be affected by the 12 January earthquake in Haiti. In just fifteen days, demonstrators around the world have already sold 7524 of the stamp sets.

That's getting to be a pretty great donation!

This appeal is continuing till the end of February so you have until the 28th to add this stamp set to your collection and make your contribution to a worthwhile cause. Email me for details.

Haere Mai - Welcome

2010-02-04T21:23:00.000+13:00

So I've finally set up my stamping blog and here you are, reading my first post. Welcome! Glad you could stop by.
I thought I would start by sharing a particular wee box that we did at a workshop recently. I've been loving the kraft card stock lately and have used it for all manner of projects. Also, I rewarded myself with the Upsy Daisy stamp set just before Christmas and have found it to be much more versatile than expected. Not bad for a set with only one main image!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy $39.95, Best Yet - Level 1 hostess set
Colours: Kraft, Brilliant Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Others: Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread

Till next time,
Susan