Some Elebration Fun for Miss Em

I do recall my only older cousin having a very cute stuffed elephant toy when I was little.  I think he may have been a pale blue, possibly pink? - He was a talking Elephant by the name of Horton, for those of you who know the Dr Seuss story.  Anyway, when I saw the A La Carte stamp "Elebration" in the new catty, you can probably guess where abouts it sat on my wish list!!

Here is it's maiden outing, to make a 2nd birthday card for a sweet little girl Miss Em.  It was easy to colour with a few swipes of Watercolor Wonder crayons, and I teamed it with the very pretty "Cheerful Treat" DSP from the Hostess Gallery section of the catalogue - it's probably my fave of all the patterned papers this year!  The colours are Marina Mist, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Concord Crush and Bashful Blue with crisp Whisper White and there is a great assortment of playful patterns to choose from, including this stripe.  I sponged the edges with Melon Mambo, and added a border using the lovely new Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch $30.95, half tucked behind the left side edge.  A few Basics Pearls and a banner greeting using a stamp from another great Hostess Gallery set,  "Happiest Birthday Wishes" and it was all done.    I'm looking forward to making a little boy version soon, this card was so much fun!

French Foliage and some Rock n Roll

Well, not exactly rock n roll for the recipient, he's just turned 80, but I did use the technique on the card here to achieve a multicoloured autumnal effect on the leaves.  I started by pulling out the Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and every shade of brown in the caddy from Sahara Sand to Early Espresso.  Starting with the palest colours of each, I then daubered or rolled the stamps onto the other colours to add highlights.  The base is Crumb Cake with the fantastically useful water splodge stamp, followed by a Confetti Cream layer stamped with the script background.  This is shredded a bit with the Cutter Kit distressing tool.  Next after that there is a scrunched up and shimmer-misted piece of Early Espresso and then a layer of Very Vanilla for the stamped panel.  A bit of hemp twine and Early Espresso grosgrain finish it off, along with a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments on a Modern Label punchie.  Some layers of the stamped panel have been popped up as a second layer with Stampin' Dimensionals and I have also added some drips of Crystal Effects on the leaves to give the effect of water droplets but these are a bit hard to see!

Off to find the other SD card with more pics on it - why do they have to make those things so gosh-darn small !  It's on my desk, somewhere!  I do need to declutter away the research papers on dyslexia and metamemory, having submitted the last of my assignments for the year (woohoo!) - just 2 exams to go and then from the beginning of next year I'll be on prac placement (watch out kids!) so maybe I'll uncover it shortly...

As I have a little time a little free-er than usual, I am hosting a "Get Ready for Christmas" Stamp-a-Stack event at my house on Saturday 22nd October.

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM  (AET)

 Mega Christmas Preparation Event!
A great opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags.
Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.
The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.
The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.
The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on 9484 9447 or 0403 175 790, or email me.

There are one or two spots free, please  ASAP call if you'd like to nab one!

Hair ties with Fun Flowers and Flower Folds Dies + Flirtatious!

These were so much fun to make!!  Another project using our beautiful new fabrics, this time the "Flirtatious" collection that goes with the Delicate Doilies stamp set and Flirtatious specialty Designer Series Paper.  I've used the new Fun Flowers die for the flower in the top photo, simply layering several of the different shapes on the die, cut from each of the three fabrics in the pack.  I've stitched through a Melon Mambo button and onto a thick, snagless hair elastic, so they should last quite well.  I've given them a spray with a fabric stiffener to ensure they don't fray.  Miss 6 and a bit is coveting these, so I'm not sure they'll be mine for long!  The one in the bottom photo was made with the Flower Folds Bigz XL die, in exactly the same way. There are several sizes of flower on this die, and I used the smaller ones - you could make a dramatic race-day statement with the largest if you wanted!  I hope you are inspired to get out your Bigshot dies and discover their versatility.

More motorbikes - Father's Day Card

Another motorbike stamp, another one just retired!!  I hope all of you who liked it managed to order one before the end of the Autumn/Winter mini, because I'll not be parting with mine!

This is a card I made for my dad, who enjoys rebuilding and riding vintage motorcycles.  His favoured bikes are a bit more European in style than this one, but we can make do! His favourite colour is green, so I've used Wild Wasabi as the card base, stamped with the Woodgrain background.  Getting inspiration from the colour combination in the Just add cake DSP, I've paired it with Baja Breeze, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie.  These panels have been run through my crimping tool several times, in both horizontal and vertical directions to get a waffle look, and then torn and the layers separated.  You can see the waffle texture best in the Baja Breeze strip at the bottom, where I have highlighted the bumps with a skimming of ink from a sponge block.

The main image was stamped in Stazon Black, and coloured with markers and some silver Shimmer Paint applied with a Blender Pen.  The halo-like splodgy background was made by scribbling patches of colour onto a damp acetate sheet, masking off the final stamped image, then pressing the acetate over the top to transfer the ink.  I secured the panels with the mini library clips, because they are both cute and blokey!  The sentiment is from the JUST GOTTA HAVE IT set, Teeny Tiny Sentiments  (I use this set so often I've considered setting up a keyboard shortcut :p )

Hope you like - back to assignments! 

On that note, if there is anyone out there with a diagnosis of dyslexia who would like to give me a sentence or comment about what it meant to them as a child at school (or as an adult), I'd love to receive them via email at michelle.dyson@bigpond.com  

You won't be identified, but your quote might make it to my mini movie about Inclusive Education practices.

Thanks!

My sweet boy is.... TEN! (and a little bit)

Another card I made at INKlings team weekend, this one for my firstborn, who turned 10 during September. Yep, he was born September 2001 - a few days after "9/11" and 2 weeks early quite possibly due to the emotionally overwhelming nature of those events - this anniversary is going to follow his every milestone birthday for the rest of his life.  Certainly his birthday newspapers aren't filled with anything much else!  Hard to believe it has been 10 years, but there you have it...

He simply loves orange, always has - and it is a colour I have slowly adapted to using.  Peach Parfait is one of the In Colors that will be leaving us at the end of the current catalogue, so don't forget to add it to your collection if you're a fan.  As oranges go, it's a good one - quite easy to work with.  It's not pastel, or too earthy, or too bright.  Here it's paired with the 'Just add Cake'  DSPs, and the other colours that feature in it  - Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi (and there's even a smidge of Blushing Bride if you are looking for it).

One of the things he was most looking forward to about turning 10, was getting his very own motorcycle helmet (instead of pinching mine!) and being taught to ride my old Honda XR80 trailbike at Grandma and Grandpa's farm.  Hence the card feature stamp!  It's actually one that I borrowed, and was  never released here.  It belonged to the "Extreme" series - we had the surfboard and guitarist, and I'd hoped we'd get the dirtbike and skateboarder this year, but all were unfortunately retired.  I've also used a Spritzing tool and the splodge stamp from French Foliage for some authentic looking mud spray, and a crimper and torn Confetti cardstock to try and give it an edgy look.  The numbers are from the "On Board Merry Medley" set, and I sponged them with ink and coated them with Crystal Effects.  The circles are punched from the Just Add Cake paper to ground the design.  Or make it too fussy.  Whatever you decide, he liked it very much!

Here he is:

Looking pleased as punch with his very trendy trilby, courtesy of his clever Auntie Cherie, and his favourite wombat cake made by daddy.  Happy Birthday mate!

Wisteria Doilies and Butterflies

This card was made for a sketch challenge entry at the INKlings team weekend.  The inspiration card had a flower, but I have substituted a butterfly cut from a scrap of picture framing matboard using the Sizzix Big Shot Beautiful Butterflies die.  I love love LOVE how the steel-rule dies cut this material, it's got all the benefits of chipboard, but is acid free with a white (or coloured) core, which makes decorating a cinch.  I've stamped the butterfly with the Delicate Doilies stamp set in Melon Mambo, and also in Versamark, so I could add some Heat and Stick powder and a generous dose of Dazzling Diamonds glitter - hard to see in the photo, but it gave the butterfly a lovely texture and glimmer.
Behind the butterfly is a torn embossed panel of Melon Mambo, and a strip of Flirtatious Specialty DSP bordered with some Elegant Eggplant Scallop border trim.  The card base is another of the new In Colors for 2011-13, "Wisteria Wonder"  For those of you (and there were many!) who lamented the demise of the purples in the SU colour range, weep no more, this colour is just so pretty!  Finishing touches include some Organza Satin ribbon and a Triple Layer Doily punchie with a rhinestone.  Very girly :)

Christmas Events Galore!

It's a Christmas Countdown - Click on the image below if you dare!  (eeeekkkk!)

I'm determined to be ready this year - really, I am!!  (I think I say this every year but still somehow manage to have it sneak up on me - really, how DID it get to be October already??)

Here's the go - several events for your diaries, feel free to make one or all of them!

STAMPIN' CROP DAY



8 OCT 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Great timing for Christmas Preparation - come along to my Stampin' Crop day NEXT Saturday, 8th October from 10am-5pm (or any time inbetween to suit you!)

Cost is $15 for a day of crafting with great company, lots of tools and stamps and inspiration galore. Includes bottomless tea, coffee and a light snack style lunch.

Pre-order your requirements now, or bring your projects you wish to work on!


 
CHRISTMAS PREPARATION STAMP-A-STACK #1



22 OCT 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Mega Christmas Preparation Event!

A great opportunity to get started on your stash of Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags.

Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.

The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.

The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.

The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat
 
CHRISTMAS PREPARATION STAMP-A-STACK #2



12 NOV 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (AET)

Another Mega Christmas Preparation Event!  Come along for a DIFFERENT set of cards to make!

A great opportunity to make more Christmas cards for the year with much of the hard work done for you. You'll make 12 cards, 6 each in two different designs, and a set of 12 gift tags (different designs from last month's Stamp-a-Stack)

Everything is provided for you - pre-cut cardstock, all materials and embellishments, adhesive and envelopes for the cards.

The class will be set up so you can construct the cards in an assembly-line format, with full instructions to create more later if you wish.

The class runs for the whole day, so you can choose to come in the morning or the afternoon, or stay all day and make more Christmas projects of your choice.

The cost of the class is $25 and places are limited to ensure individual attention. Please give me a call if you'd like to book a seat, on

Free stamps and punch! Book your Christmas Prep workshop NOW!

What a great promotion, and what great timing!
Everyone wins with the latest treats from Stampin' Up!
Firstly, you can purchase the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the co-ordinating Stockin Tag punch, which will be appearing in the upcoming Summer Mini catalogue, EARLY!  Just in time for getting those Christmas cards made!  The Summer Mini doesn't start until December 1st, so don't miss the opportunity!  You can click on the image above to see the PDF of the offer, with prices and codes.  I've already seen quite a few other ideas for this punch, from sock puppets to Hobby Horses and reindeer, and it also makes the quickest and easiest Christmas Gift tags you can imagine!

Or - get the festive season off to a great start with you and your friends at your very own Get Ready for Christmas workshop - and earn the stamp set AND the punch, for FREE!  with workshop sales of just $450.  That's up to $92.30 worth of products, free, in addition to your usual Hostess Benefits of $60 to spend in the catalogue, in the Hostess Gallery or anywhere else you like.

When:  This promo runs from 1st October to 31st October
How:

• Call me to place your order for the punch, stamp set or both     OR

• Place a $450 oder to receive them free!
• Book your workshop to get yourself and your friends all sorted for Christmas
• Host a Catalogue Party by collecting orders from friends to the value of $450

I have selected dates and times available for special "Get Ready for Christmas" themed workshops, please give me a call to book, 

Perfectly Penned, Perfectly Pink

One of my favourite DSPs in the new catalogue is "Beau Chateau" - and it is another design that has a co-ordinating fabric collection.  The colours are shabby-vintage old pinks and browns, Pink Pirouette and Soft Suede, with soft Vanilla and Marina Mist.  The card base here is Soft Suede, then a layer of distressed Pink Pirouette.  Over this, I have placed a panel of Beau Chateau DSP with a stitched border, with linen thread for a rustic look.  The rosette in the centre is made from a simple strip of fabric, stitched into a circle and gathered on stitching thread.  Although retired, the felt Flower Fusion and large flat back pearl from the Pretties Kit called out to be added.  The sentiment is from another new set, Perfectly Penned, which is in a lovely script style, and has a great selection of oft-needed sentiments.  I've punched this out with the Designer Label punch, and used a layering trick with a second punch for a border. The plain reverse of Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain with a tie of Vanilla taffeta finishes it off.  I also made a set of other greetings from the set, so I can always switch out the sentiment as the occasion arises, for an instantly suitable card!