Masculine birthday card with 'Nature Walk'

I made this vintagey-looking card for my dad for his birthday last year, and had thought I'd posted about it already, but no?
It uses the beautiful "Nature Walk" stamp set, which has a great selection of images for layering and collage work, although I think it is versatile enough to make a clean and simple style card as well.  It's priced from $41.95 in clear (121997) or $51.95 in woodmount (123559) for a set of 7 stamps, which I think is pretty good value.
OK - card layers"
The base is Crumb Cake, stamped with Woodgrain background, $33.95 (121588)
Next layer is First Edition Specialty Designer series paper $24.95 for 24 double sided sheets  - extra big pack, slightly lighter weigh paper (121878)
Next layer is crumpled Early Espresso cardstock, sprayed with Shimmer Paint DIY glimmer spray in Champagne mist.  You can visit the tutorial on making the spray here, the paint is $11.50 (116806)
Next layer - must have been channelling the amazing Teneale Williams here) - um, where are we up to? Old Olive!
Image layer - Confetti Cream - I love this cardstock ($17.25 for 40 sheets, 106558) because of it's heavy weight, antique style fleck, and handmade paper surface.  It suits watercolouring and vintage style very well.

I've used every stamp in the set, along with the small script background  and water splash from French Foliage, (a set that co-ordinates perfectly with Nature Walk - $39.95 in wood, 123557).  Colours used included several browns, olive, mustard, and a touch of Cajun Craze for a bit of autumnal brightness.  The birdy is stamped twice, once onto the base layer and again onto a scrap, where I could cut him out and pop him up on Stampin' Dimensionals.  I did the same with the little bee behind the Bevelled Window Pane ($16.95 for 12 assorted sizes, 121881), and I've attached that with Old Olive narrow taffeta ribbon and some linen thread.  Before attaching birdy layer #2, I sponged the area around him with some Early Espresso ink, to make him pop even more.

What do you think?  Really, really going to work on that assignment now...

June Deal of the Week - Four - ribbon and bling!

Week 4 of the June Deal of the Week promotion is all about the pretty things!

Purchase selected ribbons and rhinestone brads for 40 to 45% off their normal price!

Here are the goodies on offer:

Bashful Blue 1" double stitched grosgrain ribbon - 9.1 metres of highest quality ribbon, perfect for adding bands and tabs to your card and scrapping projects.  Was $19.95, now $10.97, save 46%

Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon - 10.9 metres of 16mm wide ribbon, was $14.95, now $8.97, save 40%

Rhinestone Brads -choose from Circle Ice, Square Ice and Square Fire colour/shape assortments, each reusable container includes approximately 80 brads, in four colours per pack.  Were $19.95, now $11.97, save 40%

Can't choose?  Why not stock up at these great prices - think ahead for Christmas cards!  Or, treat a friend with an affordable surprise.

These deals are available only until next Wednesday 30th June, so check out pages 149 to 151 in your catalogue or click the cover image at right to view online.  Please get your orders to me by 8pm on Wed 30/6 to ensure I have time to place them.  I can have orders delivered anywhere in Australia, postage cost is just $5.95 for up to $119 product total, or 5% thereafter.

Melon Medallion

I love the "Medallion" stamp in the Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue, it's been on my 'drool list' since it made it's debut in the US Stampin' Up! catalogue.  And now it's here!!  Woo hoo!!  I've seen it used for quite a number of techniques, including emerging colour, emboss resist, layering and more.  It's such a bold and large image that it makes for a really quick card. 

For this card, I decided to try a thumping/multicoloured image technique.  I inked up the stamp in Melon Mambo ink all over.  Next, I took a wedge of clean, dry sponge and 'twisted' off patches of ink, leaving bare rubber underneath.  I then daubered on Kiwi Kiss ink into the spaces and stamped onto Whisper White.  And, the bonus is that by cutting the image in half I could make two cards with one impression! 

Instead of leaving it onto the white background, I cut around the image with papersnips and mounted it on a Kiwi Kiss piece, and trimmed again.  The base card is Melon Mambo, stamped with "Polka Dot" background.

To embellish, I used a yummy filigree designer brad, with a Rhinestone brad through the centre.  The Kiwi Kiss double sided satin ribbon was the perfect match for the bright, blingy look, and I used a diecut label shape to stamp a greeting from "Short and Sweet".  All done!

It's Melon Mambo 6 and 7/8ths!

Sorry, everytime I write Melon Mambo at the moment I am reminded of a line in the Bob the Builder CD currently playing in my car... It's a very catchy version of the Lou Bega Mambo No. 5. But being a builder, Bob's more accustomed to fractions of an inch, as are we as papercrafters! LOL, it probably sounds like I'm having a crazy moment...

So, what is Melon Mambo anyway?? Well, it's one of the THREE new 'In Colors' in the Autumn/Winter Mini! It's a lovely bright pink, but with a more reddish tone, so not so 'bubblegum' pink as Pink Passion and Pixie Pink. It seems to go so well with Kiwi Kiss and many other colours, and I'm looking forward to using it lots!

This is the first card I made with Melon Mambo, and it also uses one of my favourite stamps in the Mini, the Medallion background. I've seen so many different uses for this large bold stamp, and I'm loving it! So, how did I achieve the effect in the image above? I inked up the Medallion stamp with Melon Mambo, and then used a clean sponge dauber to 'twist' off some patches of ink. I then used a sponge wedge to dab on Kiwi Kiss ink in those patches, and there is a bit of natural blending where the two colours overlap. Stamp! Voila! A multi-coloured, almost tie-dyed effect. Then I cut the stamped image in half , so from one impression I could make two cards. I used the Scallop border punch on one long edge, so I could see more of the Melon Mambo background. I sponged the edges of the scallop edge with Kiwi Kiss, and matted the panel onto a card base of Melon Mambo. To finish, I stamped the 'thanks' sentiment from "Thank You Kindly" in Melon Mambo, and added a filligree brad and rhinestone brad for the centre of the Medallion. I hope you like it, bright and cheerful!

A very special Wedding Card with "Always"

In my family, the first 6 of 9 cousins were girls, with me being the second eldest. The last three were boys, all in one family, and they lagged behind us in age by a few years. Us girls have been and done the getting married thing, some of us quite a number of years ago (Ruth - it must be 20 years??!!) but the boys are just getting around to it now, with Glen marrying his gorgeous girl Adele a week or two back. Glen's older brother, Trent, will be tying the knot with beautiful Bree later this year. Carl - he's still working on it, but he's the baby of the cousins so he's allowed to be last.

The wedding was lovely, held in the Southern Highlands of NSW where all of our families are from and some still live now.

Here is the card I made, and it was inspired by a card I found on Splitcoast made by Diamondangelfish . I had saved it in my CASE file for such an occasion as this, where elegance by the bucket load was required!

I changed it around just a little. The card base is 6 inches square, and then there is a layer of Parisian Breeze Specialty paper (now retired), sponged with Baja Breeze ink. Next up is a thin mat of Whisper White that I have punched the bottom end with the Eyelet Border punch. Over this there is a heavily sponged layer of Baja Breeze, popped up on some Stampin' Dimensionals. The lace is from the Dress Up Ribbon originals pack, and I was really pleased with how well it went with the lovely textured Parisian Breeze paper.

The hearts were stamped and embossed with Versamark ink and a silver pearl embossing powder, using the "Always" stamp set. Then I trimmed one pair to layer over the base pair with more Dimensionals. The finishing touch was made with embellishments from the Pretties Kit - I love using this! - Half back pearls in white and a couple of silk flowers layered and attached with mini glue dots. I hope they like it, and are enjoying their honeymoon in Thailand!

Hello Again! My Blogs are now linked!

I've been working on my Demonstrator Business Website (DBWS)!

There are some very exciting features there that will be great for hostesses to keep track of their workshop RSVP's, sales goals and other details, as well as a blog. I have even been able to link this blog to my DBWS via the RSS feed. I don't really know what I'm talking about with this stuff, but I did manage to figure it out for myself - aint technology grand? (well, mostly...)

That just means that if you are short on time, you can click through to my DBWS and view the latest info on promotions, project ideas and my StampInkPaper blog stuff all on the one site. There's a calendar, similar to the Google calendar at the right hand side, and I'm going to try and make sure that there are lots of events to keep you all interested! In a moment I'll submit this and with a bit of luck it will pop up on the other site as well!

So, how do you find the blog on the DBWS? It doesn't leap out at you, but if you hover over the "About Me" tab on the top left hand side you will see it come up in the drop down menu Ta da! I'll keep you posted with new developments and features as I discover them :)

Now, about the card! It started with a simple scrap piece of Rose Red cardstock, not quite the same size as my usual A5 card base, but I used it as a challenge to play around with slightly different proportions for a change. The set is called "Hello Again" and is a very cute and versatile set from the Summer Mini catalogue. I have used the Polka Dot background with Rose Red ink. For the Whisper White band, I used the matching Retro Remix wheel with Apricot Appeal ink, and put Scallop edged bands of Barely Banana textured cardstock at the top and bottom, sponged with Apricot Appeal ink. I used the Rock n Roll technique to ink up the flowers, and stamped a few versions so I could cut them up and mix and match. I've used Stampin' Dimensionals to give the layers some definition. The little flowerpot I cut by hand, starting with the small tag punch as a base. The "hello" greeting is stamped on the band with Rose Red ink, and the final touch is a Rose Red Felt Fusion flower with a Certainly Celery button from the Sherbet collection and a scrap of So Saffron wide grosgrain ribbon. Oh, and I think I sprinkled a little Dazzling Diamonds over the centres of the flowers using 2 way glue. Cute, no? Now to hit the go button and see what happens in blog land!

Sweet Somethings, Sweet Treats and Fleurettes, mmmmm!

Here's a card that was a collaborative effort between Kim Tonnet and myself at our beach holiday in January. I had a spark of inspiration to put one of the crochet flower embellishments in the Summer Mini, Fleurettes into one of the Sweet Treat cup plastic bubbles.

There is a button from the Sherbet Button collection sewn onto the flower. Kim practiced her new found sewing skills there, very neat it was too!

Kim then selected a perfect colour combo of Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery, as well as Whisper White to complete the card with the Sweet Somethings set.

But it's not a gumball machine I hear you say? Have a closer look at the other stamps in the set and you can see that you can also turn it into a fishbowl or a flower too! Very versatile, particularly with the selection of greetings included.

We also played with the fantastic Circle Scissor to make the nested circles on the card, and the co-ordinating 1 3/4" punch to create the hole in the circle for the cup.

To complete the card, Kim selected some Striped Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon. Noice!! ( I think anyway!)

A card For Everything , including Friendship

This card is another that I made on my beach holiday. It uses the Summer Mini set "For Everything" along with several other bits and bobs from the Mini. The base card is Pretty In Pink, and the upper panel is Whisper White that I have edged with the Scallop border punch and sponged with Pretty in Pink ink.

The colours I have used in the stamped panel were chosen very easily, by looking at the colours in the adorable "Kaleidoscope" designer series paper - Green Galore, Pink Passion, Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise and Pixie Pink.

I stamped the images on the base card, and then stamped again on scrap cardstock before cutting out and layering using Stampin' Dimensionals. The leaves were stamped in Green Galore onto Gable Green cardstock and cut out before sticking against the stem. I also used the Rock n Roll technique to add layers of colour to the flower images.

The bottom panel of Kaleidoscope paper is matted with Tempting Turquoise, and I glued down a thin sliver of Pink Passion cardstock using 2-way glue pen to form a border. I have used a piece of the wide Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon, and made it into a bow by stitching across the centre with sewing thread. I added a beautiful crochet flower from the Fleurettes pack (also in the Summer Mini) and centred it with a button from the Sherbet button collection (again from the mini - so much cool stuff in there hey!) The greeting was done by inking up the Friendship stamp with markers in several colours, and I cut around it so that the large oval punch formed a good mat for the trimmed piece. It was nice to work with really pretty colours for a change!

Hoot Hoot Hooray! Birthday cards with Owl Together Now

Here are a couple of cards I made for two little boy birthdays recently. I started with the same layout and colours, but finished them separately, and changed around the final details just a little, for variety (or, more precisely, because I thought of something a little different AFTER I finished the first one!)

They use the set "Owl Together Now" and boy is it a cute one! Owls have been a bit of a trend for quite a while now, and not just in the stamping and scrapbooking world either - a visit to your local homewares store will be proof of that! Maybe it has something to do with the on-going Harry Potter phenomenon, who knows!

OK, on to the cards...

The card bases are Kiwi Kiss, stamped with the little hearts image from the Owl Together Now set, using Versamark ink, just for a little texture,

Next, there is a large mat of Not Quite Navy, sponged around the edges with NQN ink.

Next, we have a thin mat of distressed Summer Sun cardstock, under the image band of Whisper White.

I stamped the branch and owls with Stazon, my preferred ink for watercolouring, using my indispensible Stamp-a-ma-jig. Do you own one yet? I sense a tutorial about it's merits coming soon...

I used blender pen and marker to colour the owls in shades of Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Summer Sun, a smidge of Pumpkin Pie and Not Quite Navy.

The sentiment "Hoot Hoot Hooray" stamp was inked up line by line using my trusty markers.

Here's where the cards diverge...

One card uses the Curly Label Punch and co-ordinating Cute n Curly Stamp set. I inked up the border with Not Quite Navy ink, omitting the 'thankyou' before stamping on Whisper White. I cut around the edge of the frame, as this allows me to punch a mat using the Curly label punch. I popped it up on dimensionals for depth. There is a tie of Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon at the right to finish , and three Vintage metallic brads.

The other card uses the Scallop circle punch layered onto 1 3/8 and 1 1/4" circles, and to embellish I have used two of the gorgeous "Build a brad" pieces. What is a Build a brad??? It consists of a brad base, available in Antique Brass and Pewter finishes, and a clear epoxy disc that self-adheres to the top. What makes them so great is that you can customise the middle layer any way you like. Here I have simply punched out 1/2" circles from Good Morning Sunshine paper scraps, but you can stamp a co-ordinating image and punch that out instead. Or, make a large glitter brad by filling the centre with Crystal Effects dimensional adhesive mixed with Supernova coloured glitter! A wee scrap of Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain, left over from trimming the first card I suspect, finishes it off. Ta da! Variations on a theme!

Best Wishes and More (it's Christmas after all!)

Here is a card I made back at the team weekend in August. It was made for a colour challenge, and I wanted to use a set that I don't own myself. I have never been quite sure of the success of the final result, but enough people have picked it out of my samples box to comment on, so I guess it must be OK!

The colour challenge was: Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. The set is called "Best Wishes and More" and can be found on page 53 of the Idea Book and Catalogue. I used all the images in the set other than the Snowflake, so you get a fair idea of what you could do with it. The sentiments are great too. I stamped the leaf in Sahara Sand onto a Sahara Sand background, and I laid a sponged piece of Old Olive over the centre. I think if I was making it again I would make a thin mat with a second piece of cardstock behind the Old Olive, in Whisper White, but hey, that's what you get in hindsight!! The flower, heart and birdie are stamped on Whisper White and mounted on nested circles using Stampin' Dimensionals.

At the left I have used a round Flower Designer Brad, and a scrap of Old Olive striped grosgrain. These brads are much larger, heavier and more substantial than I expected, so you can easily get away with using just one of them on a card. The sentiment is stamped in Old Olive , and I added an Eyelet Border punch base. What do you think?????? All products from Stampin' Up!, all available to order through me. Got a question about a Stampin' Up! product? Just send me a note and I'd be happy to help you out!

Upsy Daisy with a citrus and kiwi twist

Lots of people have said they are tired of this stamp set, because they have used it so much! But I think that is the mark of a GREAT stamp set to own! Not least because you are never, ever going to be stuck for ways to use it, there must be about a million google results for it! I like it because it is

* versatile - can be combined with pretty much any sentiment for any occasion

* simple bold image means it is a quick stamp to use

* suitable for lots of different techniques - shadowing, marker to rubber, crayon to rubber, bleaching and more!

This is a card I made for a friend of my uncle, who is visiting from PNG. She wove two fabulous traditional "Bilum" bags for my kids, after they commented on the one she had brought with her. I hope you like it Veronica!

The base of the card is Tangerine Tango, toned down a little by adding a layer of Kiwi Kiss Designer Series paper over the lower half. Over the join is a piece of Kiwi Kiss Striped grosgrain, and I have threaded it through a little treat from the Summer Mini - Designer Hardware Jumbo Grommets. These come in a mixed pack of neutral colours, including silver, white, vanilla and black, and add a great finishing touch.

The Upsy Daisy stamp was inked up using Markers direct to the rubber. I blended lots of different colours together, including Tangerine tango and Kiwi Kiss using a blender pen. I misted the surface of the stamp very lightly with a water spray before stamping onto a piece of Watercolor paper. A distressed Kiwi Kiss mat and a greeting from Sincere Salutations complete the card. It was a lot of fun, and could be adapted to lots of other colour schemes.

Hope you like it!

Corduroy Button Product Share - now open!

These delicious buttons and brads are in the Spring Mini catalogue, which ends on November 30th. They come in three colours, Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss are both In Colors for this catalogue, and then you have Basic Gray as the neutral that looks great with both of them.

Now you can get a selection of each colour as part of my product share, for less than the price of one tub. There are three styles, large and small brads and large flat buttons. I will be dividing a tub of each colour into 4, so you will receive two each of each style, in each of the three colours - a total of 18 pieces, as shown in the photo.

There are four shares available, and each share is $15.35, plus postage to you. They can be sent in their tub in a plain envelope (unpadded) for the letter rate of $1.10, but if you prefer the added protection of a small padded bag, the postage cost would be $4.35. I can also send them with other Stampin' Up! products if you wish to place an order with me.

Want to join in? Please email me with your name and address, and I will contact you with my banking details for a direct deposit.

Ribbon share - places available!

Thanks everyone for your interest in the ribbon share! Group 1 has been filled, but there are still 3 places available in Group 2, so if you've been thinking about it, now's the time to jump on in! You will receive 1/4 roll of each of th 5 ribbons, so for a little more than the cost of one roll, you have 5 times the variety. Group 1 has been ordered and I will hopefully receive it today, and send out the delicious lengths to their new homes! Next up, by request is a share in the delectable Corduroy buttons from the Spring Mini catalogue - more details very soon!