stampin-style.blogspot.com

new baby

2012-01-29T17:37:00.001+08:00

It's really hot here in Perth. I have been experimenting with alternative adhesives on my pages - if there's any Aussies out there that has a tip or an adhesive that can tolerate this summer heat we typically have please leave a comment. I plan to ask Mr Holtz if he has any bright ideas or products in the meantime.

Here's my layout...

Today's sketch inspiration is from Creative Scrappers - Sketch 192:

and I'm also entering this into Challenge Me Happy, where you need to use the word 'New' in your layout title.

Here's some product eye candy for you... all papers from the 'For the Record' collection

I gave my Silhouette a working out today with the library card (top middle of photo), the jounalling card inside, the arrow and of course the title.

Finally found a use for these Basic Grey pinwheels (that have been in my stash about a year!)...

Hope you're keeping cool, and having a fabby weekend.

Love that smile

2012-01-19T18:07:00.001+08:00

That smile has changed in recent months... if you missed that, see this post for a 'pictures speak louder than words' explanation! lol. I still love it though. It's even more cheeky than before with the window.

I'm playing along with the finale of 'Stetch Your Sketch' over at twopeasinabucket.com. A lot of people ask me where I get my inspiration - well, it's this website. I discovered it when I started scrapbooking back in 2003 and I've been popping in ever since! It has everything from free classes on scrapbooking, photography, card making and everything else you can think of, a gallery, a forum, a shop, video's, tutorials, sketches, you name it. Love it.

So here's my layout followed by the sketch...

... and a few close ups. Don't ask me what I used - this is all random stuff from my stash - it HAS.TO.GO!

Bye for now,

the beach

2012-01-14T18:01:00.000+08:00

Just a quick post today to show my latest entry into the Creative Scrappers sketch 190 ... I'm not a big doily fan, so I made this into a beachy-boy layout using some Jenni Bowlin Studio papers and lots of colourful, random goodness from my stash...

Photo credits go to my wonderful hubby. :)

I flipped the sketch as you can see...

I've decided life is too short and fun for single-photo layouts. haha. Plus, being a photographer I usually have about a gazillion photo's from a half-day trip. I'll never, ever get around to scrapping them all so I'm going to start thinking of creative ways to cram them in. I'm sure there will still be those occasions where a single photo will suffice.

Have you noticed how 'in' bows are? When I first saw them I grimaced, but I actually think they are quite fun and playful on layouts now I've given it a go, I especially love this bright Bo Bunny material.

And I made the banner using my Silhouette SD digital cutter. A little left over cardstock goes a long way in this house, and was the last element to 'finish' my page. I thought this page was going to get shelved until I thought of the nautical banner idea...

Hope you're having a beautiful weekend and keeping cool!

Hey there!

2012-01-06T11:02:00.001+08:00

Happy New Years! I hope you had a pleasant sending off of 2011 and are ready and rearing to go for 2012. I loved the break with my family, and only 6 days into January I'm already hitting the books with study and work but there's always time to relax with some papercrafting...

Speaking of which... how sweet is this stamp from Craft-A-Lot? It's called 'Super Mom' and when I saw it I just fell in love.

And for those of you colouring at home here's a close up with some Copic colour details at the bottom...

Copic Details
Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11, R20 (cheeks), RV14 (lips)
Eyes: B000, B00, B02,
Hair: YR21, YR16, YR07
Dress and Shoes: YG21, YG23, YG25
Apron: YR20, YR21, YR23
Background: B000, Colourless Blender
Shadows: W1, W3, W5

InLinkz.com

Have an awesome weekend!

MFT Sketch 52

2011-12-29T14:02:00.000+08:00

When I opened my inbox this morning there was a cute little sketch from My Favorite Things, and being 'Christmas Holidays' I thought I would take 10 and make a quick card for the challenge...

I've used some scrumptious Websters Winter Celebration papers, some Stampin' Up! pom-pom ribbon (retired?) and stamped an image from Just Rite Stamps Breath of Spring (retired?) and the sentiment is from one of the MFT Pure Innocence sets You Color My World I've added some twine and some 3d foam for some extra colour (as if there was not enough!) and dimension. Colouring with Copics. :)

Here's that sketch I was telling you about... play along if you get a chance!

Bye for now,

jolly

2011-12-23T15:43:00.000+08:00

I've been enjoying my holidays so far, late nights allowed so I've been getting some scrapbooking done. These pics are from Christmas 2009 so I'm so happy to finally have these done. Will add a little journalling later for my two bears.

Here's my layout featuring a tonne of Crate Paper (Peppermint Collection) and a little Christmas joy thrown in. ;)

I get my bakers twine from Ribbon's Galore... lovely, lovely twine...

I've recently discovered a wonderful product called (Suze Weinberg's) Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (aka UTEE), and it's joy! I am delving deeper into the world of Ranger products it seems, that's for sure. This powder melts so thick and glossy - it really is a stand out feature on your projects. So I went to town as you can see, making my own patterned paper by stamping this Darkroom Door background stamp all over my Bazzill cardstock...

... and made some embellishments using my Silhouette SD, Collections chipboard stars and Stampin' Up! All-Purpose-Ink (74 Champagne Mist) ... alpha's from American Crafts.

Ingredients:

Wishing all my lovely readers a very Merry Christmas, and a safe and happy New Year!

Blah Blah Blah

2011-12-22T19:01:00.002+08:00

Sorry I've been MIA - I've been... busy! 'Tis the season. Happy to report that I've got a layout to share today, it's for the Creative Scrappers sketch # 186.
So here's my layout...

What do we have here: Cosmo Cricket PP, Kraft 12x12 base (SU!), date stamp, brown ink, Collections chipboard butterflies with Artiste Acrylic Paint (Storm Cloud) + Ranger Crackle Medium + SU! Shimmer Paints, Silhouette Title, Date tag and ticket, Kaisercraft rhinestone swirl, 3D foam.

Here's the sketch for those of you playing along at home ...

And a little Tim Holtz goodness (crackle paint) and Silhouette bling-o...

Bye for now,

Mrs Claus

2011-12-10T09:49:00.000+08:00

Here's another quick Christmas card I've put together for par avon to the UK- I needed something that is flat, light but still had to be cute! The Greeting Farm Xmas Sweeties was my stamp of choice (available here at Craft-A-Lot) and you can see another example of how I used this stamp set in this post from yesterday.

This December I'm really feeling the Christmas spirit, so much so that I'm scrapbooking Christmas photo's from 2009! I know, I know! I usually find there are just so many photo's that I don't know where to start - so where am I starting I hear you ask - I'm starting in moments. Breaking them down, taking it one page at a time. It might end up being an entire album in itself (each Christmas) but that doesn't matter- it is the most magical time of the year.

Hope you're having a beautiful weekend,

Christmas Showcase

2011-12-09T07:38:00.000+08:00

I have some Christmas pretties to share with you today, all products I've used have come from that gorgeous little shop known as Craft-A-Lot, and I'll provide the direct linky's below.

First up is a close up of the Websters Holiday Silhouette's, I must admit when Colleen sent these I did not have a clue what to do with them - pretty, yes - but completey out of my square. But that's a good thing, right?! So, I played, destroyed a few cards in the process, then teamed this up with a few products from my stash that are also outside of my square...

I can't show this card in its entirety as it's going to someone who reads my blog...(well, I hope they read it!)

Next up I have this gorgeous little Xmas Sweeties stamp set from The Greeting Farm (and I might just have a girly, post friendly version to share later, you never know), and I've coloured him in with Copic markers and used atyou glitter pen around the white parts of his costume for a little magic. Everything I used in this card is available from Craft-A-Lot. Buttons, papers, stamp, copics.

Hope you're geared up to enjoy your last pre-school-holidays weekend!! :)

Bye for now,

A reject...

2011-12-03T11:32:00.000+08:00

Hey there! Happy Saturday!

I thought I'd post a quick little card today that got rejected. *sniff* Poor little reject. lol.

Paper: SU! cardstock, Basic Grey PP; Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark; Stamp: SU! Woodgrain background; Bling: AC thickers, Kaisercraft Rhinestones, sewing machine, clear embossing powder; Felties: Basic Grey; Punches: MM Corner Chomper

Have a groovy weekend,

Vintage Transportation

2011-11-30T13:58:00.001+08:00

I've been playing with a really cute stamp set from Craft-A-Lot this weekend just gone it's by Whimsy Stamps and it's called Vintage Transportation. The stamps themselves were so wise and cute (and vintage, which I LOVE) and I tried to keep the cards fairly simple, krafty with some bright papers and pretty bows thrown in for some *pow*!

For this card I used Early Espresso ink from Stampin' Up! and an atyou Spica pen (full of teeny glass flakes) to colour in the sentiment a little bit, satin bow, PTI vintage button and twine with the super sweet 12 Days of Christmas paper available from Craft-A-Lot.

For this card I kept to the same recipe -- used Early Espresso ink from Stampin' Up! and an atyou Spica pen to colour in the sentiment, random bow from my stash, PTI vintage button and twine with the super sweet 12 Days of Christmas paper available from Craft-A-Lot.

Not bad for 2 cards in under 10 minutes, hey?

Happy shopping and have a fabulous day,

Creative Scrappers Guest Design Gal

2011-11-27T06:32:00.000+08:00

I'm rather stoked to be a Guest Design Girl over at Creative Scrappers this week... I LOVE this site, packed to the rafters with inspiration, amazing scrappers and perfect sketches that get me motivated every time.

So here's the sketch I was given the all-important task to design for...

And here's what I created...

...and a few close ups...

Papers: Stampin' Up! Cardstock, October Afternoon PP; Stamp: Date stamp (stationary store) Title: AC foam Thickers; Chipboard: Collections Stars; Bling: Smooch Spray, Kaisercraft Pearls, sewing machine, twine, misc journalling cards, paperclip; Adhesives: 3d foam, tombow, glue pen; Journalling Font: Old Typewriter

So be sure to have a go at this weeks sketch, I'd love to see you play along!

Have a great weekend,

Naughty

2011-11-25T12:30:00.002+08:00

Today I have another sassy Christmas card to share featuring Mistletoe from the KennyK collection - it seems Craft-A-Lot has sold out but you can get a digi (printable) version by clicking here or check out the huge range of other KennyK stamps in store by clicking here.

I love this 12 days of Christmas paper from MME! So many cute patterns - you can see my other KennyK card here, which also features this cute paper.

Paper: Stampin' Up! cardstock, 12 days of Christmas by MME; Punches: Corner Chomper, Fiskars border punch; Bling: vintage buttons, crumpled seam binding, bakers twine; Adhesives: 3d dots; Colouring: Copic markers.

Copic Details:
Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11; Hair & Boots: E70-74-77; Eyes: E35; Outfit: R32-35-37; Shadow & Highlight greys: C3; Mistletoe: YG25, R35

Have a great day!

Big Shot vs the Silhouette SD

2011-11-23T14:51:00.071+08:00

Firstly, thank you Rebecca W for your excellent question.

I have a Big Shot and a Silhouette SD. And I love them both!

I bought my Big Shot through Stampin' Up! when they first brought the Big Shot to Australia, I'd been using a Cuttlebug for a couple of years but wanted something that cut everything. SU! are probably one of the best places to purchase your machine as you get the 'try-before-you-buy' option, and if your demonstrator is awesome they should be just a phone call or email away if you have any questions while you're still on your L-plates.

Big Shot purchase and essential ongoing costs:
Around $150 to your door (correct me if I'm wrong?) for the machine and 'sandwich' plates. From there you'll need to buy the dies or embossing folders you want and you're ready to go - dies can range from $10 a set to upwards of $40 so... pick carefully. They last forever, and like a new car, lose half their value if you want to re-sell. And you will probably want more than one set of dies. So it adds up quickly.

One of the great things about it is you can take the Big Shot to crops - you don't need a computer and cables to operate it like you do with the Silhouette SD. Then again, you can always prepare for your crop ahead of time with either machine, right?

You can also cut just about anything with the 'Bigz' dies - chipboard, cork, cardstock, tin, felt, material, you get the idea. But you also need to understand what dies can cut through which materials - a little research goes a long way.

A big plus to getting a Big Shot as your die-cutting machine is you can use any brand of die (to my knowledge) with the machine with basic cardstock. SU! (Australia) haven't followed through with all the wonderful die options you can get for the Big Shot - unless you are content with buttons, trees, leaves, birds and butterflies. The good news is, is that there are plenty of places on the web that let you shop in your pj's for that wonderful die to finish your layout, card or make your own embellishments.

You'll find me wandering the virtual isles of these shops for awesome dies that are compatible with my Big Shot - and I don't buy a die unless I know I will use it to death on both my cards and scrapbooking. Here's some great stores I couldn't craft without:

Papertrey Ink (they have stamps to match their dies too, and gorgeous, subtle impression plates)
Nestabilities (lots of retailers all over Australia, not many have a fantastic one-stop range)
My Favorite Things Die-Namics (postage from America is just as quick as the average postage service within Australia - and the exchange rate at the moment is awesome!)

The Big Shot also cuts differently to the Silhouette. And this is pedantic little me talking here, but you get this very (very) subtle curve to your cut image - if that makes sense? Check out how the clouds are 'curved' and the date tag is 'cut'. Minor detail to some...

When I make an investment as big as this it usually comes down to money, and what I intend to use 'the machine of choice' for?

Could you use it for almost EVERYTHING you create? Is it for layouts and cards, or do you want to eventually branch out to headbands, rhinestone patterns on t-shirts and wall decor? Are you prepared to invest more into the accessories after the initial big purchase? Or do you just want a few things here and there (a good border die, a couple of flower sets?). There's a lot to consider and prepare for. And with both machines, there's a lot more to purchase after the machine.

You can get a Silhouette SD (or the new 'Cameo') and accessories from Scrapbook Boutique but if you're a big fan of bad customer service I would also recommend Skat Katz. Now that the Cameo is out and about you might be able to pick up the Silhouette SD cheaper on ebay or in your local paper.

Silhouette SD purchase and essential ongoing costs:
$350 to your door (on average) plus 'essentials' like at least one green mat for cutting your average cardstock (comes with one white mat, for what I like to call 'printer paper').

You do need to regularly replace your Silhouette blade if you give your machine a half-decent workout, which will set you back about $24.95 every 4-6 months. *Silhouette has a new design of blade out for all their machines - there's a really good discussion on it here at twopeasinabucket.com for the Silhouette users out there.
The green 'sticky' mats that you stick your medium to - $40 for 2 mats (2-3 months per mat, if used and cared for properly)
Subscription to the Silhouette store ($30 per month, 150 images of your choice to download FREE each month), or 99c per image.

Optional Silhouette items you can purchase:
Vinyl, totes, fabric interfacing, fabric ink, rhinestone kit, pens, cardstock, etching cream, additional software if you want to start making YOUR OWN designs all available from the Silhouette America store - the sky is the limit in purchasing extras, same as with the Big Shot.

SD Overall Verdict: You need one of these if you plan to embellish everything in your sight from glass, to walls, to your crafts to your kids upper arm (it makes temporary tattoo's too!).

The Silhouette is a very clever little machine for those of us that can get into the guts of the Silhouette SD software (it's easy!), those of us with a little time to spare, or those of us with a good imagination.
And for 99c a pattern, you'll soon have more images than you will ever use if you opt for the subscription. Worth it's weight.

And to prove my point, look at what these clever people did...

CUTTING MATERIAL
Picture Source: The Silhouette Blog

CUTTING VINYL
Picture Source: Making It Lovely

(Great review there too!)

CUTTING CARDSTOCK
Picture Source: baking = love

CUTTING VINYL
Picture Source: Little Birdie Secrets

ETCHING GLASS

Picture Source: Portfoli

TEMPORARY TATTOO

Picture Source: Room To Inspire

Big Shot Overall Verdict: You need one of these if you are going to stick with cards and/or layouts and the occasional off-the-page project. While the machine cost is smaller than the SD outlay, you will pay big bucks for your (eventual) collection of dies, accessories and replacement parts (the clear plates are the only bits you need to replace - mine have lasted 2 years so far!), and the dies will last forever if you look after them right.

Picture Source: Stamping with Donna

Picture Source: Stamping with Donna

Overall verdict? It's up to you. Flip a coin for your purchase, then ask Santa for the other one. :)

Have a goodie,

An excellent class

2011-11-22T19:40:00.001+08:00

I went to an amazing Metal Etching class today at Scraptivate staring the legendary Jen Crossley - oh.em.gee, it was beyond AWESOME!

First things first, I have to show you what I learnt today... and before you ask... yes! I had no idea how to use a Crop-O-Dile before today! lol. And I used Tim Holtz distress inks today for the first time, too! Now I know what all the fuss is about.

And here's another view of what I made today...

I have since finished sewing the binding, and have a few charms and chain coming from Jen's store A Mark In Time to embellish my book. Can't wait for her next lot of classes in 2012!

A few pics from the day...

The class' metal plates... melting away in solution. These were my metal plates before they went into the acid... and one went walkies! :( Thank you to Jen for coming to my rescue and offering to make a replacement - you rock!

The legend herself at work, instructing the class...

Ready for more eye candy? Here's a few Jen prepared earlier...

Have a happy week,

Nice?

2011-11-22T08:22:00.001+08:00

I received my box of DT goodies from Craft-A-Lot yesterday and am so eager to get crafting! I'll have some fun things to showcase over the next few days so stick around. :)

Meet Mistletoe from Kenny K. Isn't she sassy? I haven't really bought a stamp as 'mature' as this before, but I thought she's a bit of fun, and I've made a few sassy friends this year so ... they'll be getting cards to suit their personality. haha. There's a huge Kenny K range available over at Craft-A-Lot.

Cardstock: Stampin' Up!, Paper: 12 Days of Christmas by MME (available from Craft-A-Lot); Bling: Peal hat pins (Maya Road); Colouring: Copic markers.

Copic Details:

Skin: E000, E00, E21, E11; Hair: YR20, YR21, YR23; Outfit & Boots: YG21, YG23, YG25, Spica Clear; Mistletoe: G07, R35; Eyes: B05; Shadowing: B000, C0

Have a great day!

Something random...

2011-11-21T16:59:00.001+08:00

I had to share this... because I have nowhere else to post GIF's... lol.

Update: If you want to make your own GIF's (up to 10 photos) go to http://gickr.com/, upload your finished series of photo's, get a cuppa, and when you get back to your computer your very own GIF creation will be ready for download! Too easy! :) There are other ways to do it in PSE, but if you're time-poor like me... gickr is a great option!

Happy Monday!

coming soon...

2011-11-17T18:24:00.000+08:00

I have an exciting Guest DT spot coming up soon at one of my fave challenge sites...

I can't wait to tell and show you more!

Thanks for stopping by,

On my doorstep...

2011-11-14T17:09:00.000+08:00

As I returned home today I found one of my treasured layouts (they are for my kids, grandkids and great-grandkids one day, remember) had been returned from submission to a magazine.

Sometimes a picture can speak a thousand words.

And Janet Leigh's blood curdling scream during the 'shower scene' in Psycho also seemed appropriate.

What's your best Australia Post story?

Bye for now,

funny little kids

2011-11-09T08:19:00.002+08:00

I got some scrapbooking done amongst my studies, naughty I know, but I was so burnt out! A little time out for me really got me back in the studying mood. One more week and it will all be finished - I'll be popping some champagne over that one!

I used Creative Scrappers sketch number 181 for my layout...

Cardstock: Bazzill, Stampin' Up!; Papers: Bo Bunny, October Afternoon, Echo Park; Punches & Dies: MFT Cloud dies, SU! Heart punch, Fiskars Apron Lace border punch, MM corner chomper; Lace & Bling: Chip Chop Shop doily, Limetart yellow lace, AC button, SU! twine, sewing; Alphas: Sassafrass, AC; Ink: SU! Soft Suede + sponge; Adhesives: SU! Dimensionals, SNAIL, Tombow

And here's the sketch...

And some compulsory close ups...

And I hope you're as excited as me - I'll have a video of how to make this layout (a replica anyway)in the very near future - watch this space!

Bye for now,

You make me smile...

2011-11-01T20:01:00.002+08:00

... you really do. Thanks to my wonderful bloggy friends for reading my blog, following and leaving the occasional comment. All those little comments really make my day, really make me smile. So thank you, to each and every one of you.

Paper: SU! Kraft cardstock, Nearly Navy (?), Basic Grey PP; Image: Mo's Digital Pencil - End of Summer; Sentiment: PTI; Bling: Prima flowers, Martha Stewart doily, sewing machine, SU! Rhinestones; Extras: Early Espresso ink, sponge; Colouring: Copic Markers

I'm entering this in Mo's Digital Pencil II challenge - Any Holiday or Celebration. Well, I'm celebrating it still being Spring here in Australia, which is what the image reminded me of when I was colouring it in. I love Mo's images, they are certainly magical.

Hope you're having a fabby week so far,

spring digi layout

2011-10-26T17:50:00.000+08:00

I've been playing with digital scrapbooking again - please note this layout is not 100% finished yet, and I'm totally not happy with it. Watch this space. I love the fact that I can just switch the papers with a few clicks of my mouse. And that title has got to go over above the journalling... I'm just sayin'...

Today's big self-learning curve was SHADOWS... *high-five to myself*.... and I'm thinking I might go back and do a refresher at Jessica Sprague for Up and Running - I love that once you've done a class you can go back and refer back to it *anytime*. Yay online learning.

Photography credit to my wonderful hubby. <3

Main bits used (click the picture to get):

FREEBIE

Hop over to The Lilypad for these gorgeous Sahlin Studio buttons...

Jessica Sprague Store

Have a goodie,

kennyk addiction...

2011-10-22T14:07:00.000+08:00

Watch out, there's even more stampy goodness arriving at Craft-A-Lot in the coming weeks - Colleen has ordered in a big, fat box from Whimsy stamps to add to her already booming stamp department, and here's just a few of the cute images from the KennyK that I've had fun playing with this week...

Hope you're having a fabby weekend,

boys will be boys...

2011-10-17T15:37:00.000+08:00

Another gorgeous sketch over at Creative Scrappers has me inspired to do some scrapbooking!

Here's the sketch...

And here's my layout...

With some close ups of little bits and pieces of course...

Materials:
Paper: SU! Cardstock in Kraft, Basic Grey*, Certainly Celery* and Pumpkin Pie*, Kaisercraft (vintage 2009, lol) patterned, paper; Embellishments: FX 'chook wire' chipboard, msc chipboard journalling tag, October Afternoon boy silhouette, misc skeleton brads, scraptivate tabs, twine; Bling: White embossing powder, Artiste acrylic paint in Mocha + toothbrush (for 'flicking' of course); Die Cuts: Frame, Title and 'torn paper' made with my Silhouette SD*.

Have a goodie,

every perfect weekend...

2011-10-17T06:00:00.024+08:00

Went a little tom-boy over the weekend... I've had this layout finished-pending-a-title for ages... so I set up my Silhouette SD and had a good old fashioned play with the gadget.

The font is called Adler and you can download it for free here. For those of you playing along at home I printed the bottom layer in black, the top layer in Crushed Curry from SU!.

Have a great Monday!

a moment...

2011-10-16T09:59:00.002+08:00

I actually stayed up until midnight scrapbooking last night! Yay-me. I am head over heals with Hambly Screen Prints - it's a nostalgic thing for me. I remember when they first came out 4-5 years ago (probably longer than that!) and I was hooked. I was also scared to use them. You know when you buy things and you don't want use them because they are so pretty?! Those days are long gone! haha.

So, here's a little layout using some lovely Hambly's and Sassafrass papers, a little chipboard, lace, SU! antique brads and American Craft letters... I'm submitting this one so wish me luck.

Update 17/10 - Toot, toot!

Have a goodie,

catch my heart

2011-10-15T16:42:00.001+08:00

Quick little card for y'all today... I decided to go through my sketch book and go for something 'simple' yet it still took my 30 minutes to settle on a design. Oh well. My mojo came back for a day then went away on holiday again. Ho-Hum.

Image from Tiddlyinks, available for only $3, and instant download HERE. Sentiment made up by me on the ol' PC. Coloured with Copics and using up some scraps of paper and ribbon. :)

I've just been crowned 'Whimsy Wench' over at Craft-A-Lot (i.e. I will be the DT girl showing off the new Whimsy stamps arriving soon at Craft-A-Lot), very exciting times ahead. Can't wait to show off some Kenny K stamps plus many, many more. Watch this space.

Hope you're having a bright sunshine-y weekend :)

I've been told it rocks...

2011-10-11T22:20:00.004+08:00

If you don't like any of the ingredients listed, this recipe may not be for you. It lasted about 5 minutes at our night-after-the-big-wedding feast at my MIL's and I've had lots of requests for the recipe... so here it is. Right click and save as for those of you playing along at home...

Click on the image to get the hi-res copy.
For The Record recipe cards available from Jessica Sprague or click HERE.

If you have a recipe that everyone in the entire world should know about leave the link below... or even better, leave the recipe!

Have a goodie,

the hulk

2011-09-30T12:25:00.003+08:00

Whatta week! I've been home looking after 3 sick kids this week with alternating gastro, flu and (I believe) a little hayfever thrown in. So between them being very erm... sick (more details another time, perhaps! haha), lethargic and the house being bleach-y clean I've actually managed some 'me' time and got a page done.

I'm playing along with this weeks Creative Scrappers sketch challenge again - I love these sketches, what a way to get inspired!

UPDATE 4/10: REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Australian Scrapbooking Memories has snapped up my layout!
I'll be back with something soon! :)

And here's the sketch I followed:

If I can get my hands on another sheet of this MME Stella and Rose paper this layout will quickly become a double pager... watch this space. :D

Materials:
Paper: Stampin' Up! Kraft, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock, MME Stella and Rose (Gertie "Friends Forever" Petals Paper); Alphas: American Crafts; Buttons: Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink, Vintage; Threads: Twine from thetwinery.com, SU! ribbon, sewing machine; Other: 2-way glue pen, 3D dots, SNAIL adhesive.

You'll notice I've stopped using inlinkz for my materials list... I found it too time consuming - is anyone else finding this? Tools are about the only repetitive thing I ever use, and time is precious - so putting together a recipe that takes longer than the blog post is just... bleh. No, thank you. If anyone has any tips or tricks please let me know! haha. I'm sure I'm missing something.

Anyway, I hope you like my layout and feel inspired to have a go at Sketch 175 too!

Have a goodie!

Alter It

2011-09-29T11:12:00.000+08:00

Here's another little card I've created for Craft-A-Lot, but this time I'm also going to be entering it in The Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog too - their challenge this week is to 'Alter It' - it has to come from a spool so I altered some material (it came from a BIG spool!) and I used the twine to wrap around my main ribbon.

Hope you like...

Materials List:
Stamp: Rachelle Ann Miller - Cuddle Up; Ink: SU! Early Espresso, Memento Jet Black Ink; Colouring: Copic Markers; Paper: SU! Kraft cardstock, SU! pretty in pink textured cardstock; Bling: Maya Road pins, SU! striped ribbon, twine from The Twinery.com, rhinestones; Other: Material mesh from Scraptivate, SU! punch & sentiment, SU! scallop border die, sponges, dimensionals.

Have a super weekend,

Craft A Lot projects

2011-09-29T10:50:00.000+08:00

Hey readers,

I have a couple of cards to share with you today, these have been designed for Craft-A-Lot, a sweet little store you simply must check out if you haven't already.

First up... The Greeting Farm stamps in my stash are quickly becoming a fave, how cute is this little stamp?

and the inside...

InLinkz.com

Have a fab day,

A few little projects

2011-09-24T13:08:00.000+08:00

I made this set of cards up using my last 'project kit' from Limetart, I'm busy working on a heap of new things at the moment so I thought I would just share these quickly in case you were popping in for some inspiration!

Sorry, the old bloggo has been a little bare lately, but I can promise big things coming soon!

Same card, with the tag out:

Same card, with the tag out:

And my fave... just because it has a Papertrey Ink sentiment (these stamps always make me happy!):

Hope you're having a beautiful weekend!

Fergus

2011-09-22T08:21:00.000+08:00

I think I have a new fetish - dragons! You know the cute, cuddly, flower bearing kind? :)

This little guy is called 'Fergus' and he's designed at the Wild Rose studio. I got him from Craft-A-Lot, and have coloured him in with Copic markers and finished him off with some buttons also from CAL, links down the bottom if you feel like a little shopping.

Products used:

InLinkz.com

Have a beautiful day,

inspired

2011-09-10T16:53:00.012+08:00

A boy is truth with dirt on his face,

Beauty with a cut on its finger,

Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and

the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.

UPDATE 12/9: REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION

Australian Scrapbooking Memories has snapped up my layout!
I'll be back with something soon! :)

Click to shop:

InLinkz.com

And I have to say, I wouldn't have known where to start without Sketch #172 from Creative Scrappers, I'm also going to submit this to Kraft It Up who has a challenge to create a layout using Kraft or Kraft Patterned Paper as your base and to use FABRIC & STITCHING.

Hope you're having a super weekend!

First Publication!

2011-09-09T17:20:00.001+08:00

Wow! I got a copy of my fave scrapbooking magazine today, Australian Scrapbooking Memories. While my hubby and I were driving around, running a few errands (and I had the copy stashed in my handbag for one of those 'waiting in the car' moments!) my husband flicks through said issue and casually asks "Aren't you supposed to be in one of these issues, soon? Oh... here you are."

I almost had to pull over and breathe into a paper bag! No biggie, I'm occupying a corner on page 71, but hey - it's my first publication! I'm stoked!! haha. It's more than I could have ever hoped for (crafty-wise!).

Here's the magazine ... gorgeous from cover to cover...

and here's my little corner. Arenchaproudofme? ;) Less blurry photo coming next month when I can re-publish it in full here on the blog.

Have a goodie! This has certainly made my week!

Inspiration Sunday

2011-09-04T12:09:00.000+08:00

I've had a few emails from my gorgeous readers about how I made the background for this card,

So instead of spending hours trying to figure out making a video tutorial, I thought I would show you this video I found today on YouTube, you don't need to watch (or listen) for the entire 8:44 - I'm sure you'll get the idea in the first few minutes! :)

For the above card I only used copic markers in B00, B02 and the colourless blender pen, and spend about 20 minutes 'dotting' - it's a long process but I'm happy with how it turned out!

Have a great weekend,

Brmm brrmmm!

2011-09-02T12:39:00.002+08:00

I can officially, and proudly announce that I'm moving over to the Craft-A-Lot design team as of this month, working with a new group of amazing ladies and one of my best, best, best friends Danielle Daws. Colleen from Craft-A-Lot has a lot planned for the store in the coming months so keep those eyes open! She's already proved to be an awesome 'boss lady' - cracking me up with every email, and the amount of encouragement I've received in such a short time has been wonderful - thank you Colleen.

You can imagine how much my head is swimming at the moment! I'll be playing with a lot of Gorjuss stamps in the near future, plus a lot of Penny Black, Unity, Sarah Kay, Rachelle Anne Miller, Milton & Co, The Greeting Farm... I could list all day, but I'll stop myself there. :)

Here's a little something I've created for CAL with the Bombshell stamps - perfect for fathers day, or any male occasions coming up on the horizon, yes?

Goodies (click to shop):
Hope you're having a lovely Friday, the rain is not going away here in Perth.

August Wrap Up

2011-09-01T14:09:00.000+08:00

Unexpected CHA Goodies!

2011-08-29T20:07:00.000+08:00

I had a surprise parcel on my doorstep today. Not just a pizza box. A big, brown box with a customs declaration on the front...it was addressed to me and everything! lol.

I won a haul of CHA goodness over at twopeasinabucket.com just for being part of the community, leaving 'praise' and ... hanging out and being inspired! How cool is that?!

Here's my winnings - can't wait to play with these goodies from the Crate Paper 'Peppermint' Collection, Unity, Maya Road, Headlines, tonnes of Pebbles goodies (such a cute range!), My Little Shoebox and October Afternoon to drop a few names.

Thank you Two Peas, and thank you Jamie Sorenson for picking out such a gorgeous range of goodies for me to enjoy! I will be uploading to the gallery soon!!

Wooo-hoo!

Witchypoo

2011-08-24T06:01:00.001+08:00

I've decided to play along with the Kraftin' Kimmie Challenge this week which has a Spooky theme! My stamp is of course made by Kraftin' Kimmie, she's called Witchypoo - isn't she sweet?

I was going to do grey for the sky... but it wasn't going to work for me considering I had planned to draw a moon into the background... so I stuck with the safe option of blue. And that, folks, has led to my first official copic running out - my "B00" has run out. What a coincidence.

And of course, here's a little close up of this little lady...

Stamp: Kraftin' Kimmie Witchypoo; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers, Multiliner ; Paper: Kraft card stock, Bo Bunny Whoo-Ligans Grrrr (I kid you not); Bling: vintage button, twine, Fran's Seam binding - Olive Green, sewing machine.

Hope that's as spooky as your day gets! ;)

Days 15 to 21

2011-08-22T09:00:00.002+08:00

Hi folks!

Catching up on my August blog challenge pics again... wow. Really makes you aware how fast the month goes, hey?

Day 15: My shoes. You weren't expecting Jimmy Choo's now, were ya? ;)

Day 16: What I ate. Shield your eyes if you're dieting, girls! Jamie took me and Kira out to Fast Eddy's. Mmm, mmm! We need to make time to do this more than once or twice a year though! It's a time issue thing.

Day 17: On a shelf. Buttons. Like jars full of little treasures...

Day 18: What's in my bag. C'mon, you didn't think I'd show you inside my actual handbag, did you? Sheesh. It's a chaotic mess? And not very interesting. Like this photo. This is my other bag. The one full of assignments I'm working on for my EA and TAA courses, carting wherever I go.

Day 19: Where I slept. Or at least pretended to sleep until the little ones settle down. This is where Friday night movie-matinee's happen. AKA The Toy Room.

Day 20: What I'm reading. I'm reading a lot of stuff (see Day 18) but for relaxation's sake, I read some happy stuff too. I highly recommend this book, I've read it from cover to cover at least 4 times since I got it at Christmas, written by the Shutter Sisters. Nothing quite like breaking all the rules and making some better ones.

Day 21: Pretty Patterns... I have 2 pics for this challenge, courtesty of the Fremantle Markets.

Today's challenge... Trees!

Happy Monday! :)

inspiration sunday

2011-08-21T08:46:00.001+08:00

I love visiting the twopeasinabucket.com website for photography challenges, card inspiration and scrapbooking inspiration. They run lots of free online classes, and I really enjoy watching the Garden Girls in action on their class videos - showing you how it's all done and how it comes beautifully together everytime.

I was watching this video this morning, which is all about emboss resist, just outside the square! Nicole Magouirk is an absolute master when it comes to the Scrapbook Stamping classes, my fave class this year.

It will certainly have you dusting off stamp sets you thought you wouldn't use again, and finding a new way to use them. Enjoy.

TTFN,

so gorjuss

2011-08-20T18:56:00.003+08:00

I've finally been able to colour in a Gorjuss stamp! Here's the story: I've had some images stamped, and waiting in the sidelines for sometime now and I've been wanting to get to my desk for some colouring time with these beautiful images - this image was such a delight to colour, so needless to say I had fun making this! Now I just need to think of someone special to send it to... hmmm.... ;)

Recipe
Stamp: Gorjuss Flower Girl; Colouring: Copics; Paper: Kraft cardstock base, SU! Whisper White, Echo Park: For the Record 6x6 pad (loooove this range!); Ribbon: twine, Websters Trim - Estate Polkas, Fran's Seam Binding - Champagne; Other: sewing machine, vintage button, 3D glue dots.

Hope you're having a super weekend. I know it's not Spring quite yet, but it certainly felt like it today in sunny Perth! Have lots more photo's to share for the August Photo Challenge.

i scream for ice cream

2011-08-18T20:58:00.001+08:00

Here's a cute little card I put together this afternoon while having a colouring session with the kids. We're a funny bunch all sitting around, quietly colouring. Sometimes one of us starts humming. Usually the theme to Beverly Hills Cop.

I dusted off the pencils this afternoon, and as you can tell I started from the top and worked my way to the bottom layers. Do you think my shading gets a little better?

Stamp: Tina Wenke - Mouse Holding Ice Cream; Ink: StazOn Jet Black; Colouring: Prismacolour Pencils; Paper: Stampin' Up! Kraft, Whisper White and Choc Chip cardstock, Echo Park - For The Record 6x6; Punch: SU! scallop border punch; Ribbon: SU! Daffodil Delight striped ribbon; Other: mini glue dots, sewing machine, 3D glue dots

Hope you're gearing up for a wonderful weekend.

stuck?! sketch challenge

2011-08-16T20:21:00.000+08:00

Hello my little night owls!

When I saw this sketch on the Stuck?! website I just had to give it a go - how awesome is it? I've certainly been stuck in a bit of a rut design wise, all my layouts were starting to look the same so I'm really happy with this unusual layout, and having a big chunk of white-space somewhere reminds me of my older scrapbooking style. Welcome back, Amanda. So glad when I find a website so inspiring.

Here's my layout...

And here's the sketch...

And here's a few close ups for your viewing pleasure.

Ingredients
Paper: SU! Whisper White 12x12 cardstock, Sassafrass Lass (2010) PP; Ribbon: Limetart August Half-Tart, Stampin' Up! pom-pom ribbon; Alphas and Calendar months: Limetart.com; Owl brad: Anna's Craft Cupboard

Happy Wednesday,

layouts...

2011-08-16T16:51:00.002+08:00

out for publication

playing catch up (again!)

2011-08-16T06:32:00.005+08:00

So it's not taking the photo's every day that's the problem, it's blogging them!. I should have some more photo's and a tonne of layouts (well, three actually) to share later.

I've been in a bit of a bad routine lately of sleeping, working, sleeping, working so... you get the idea. Hopefully it's my body's way of keeping something horrible and germy at bay. :)

Here's some more pics from the August photo challenge, hope you're playing along there at home.

Day 9: Faceless portrait. This was a tricky one! I wasn't going to take a picture of my feet or... my craft table or anything like that. What would be a good picture of "me", without being a picture of me? Well. My fridge door was staring me right in the face... not quite, but you get the idea.

Day 10: Something I made, well, I prepared it for the kiln, tenderly sanded the joints away and then painted, distressed and chalked this baby up back in 1992-1993-ish. If it wasn't for all the ornaments you need to accomodate I would probably still do ceramics today - it was awesome!

This is Kira's now. You can actually lift the house off the base to reveal a light bulb - it looks magic at night. She's convinced fairies are inside playing cards until the wee hours of the morning...

Day 11: Something fun.

Day 13: From a distance. And now I am doomed to have that Bette Midler song stuck in my head for the rest of the week. God is watching us.

Day 14: Flowers. They might be weeds, but when your entire garden is full of them... they're actually kinda perty. They're not hurting anyone's feelings.

Happy Tuesday,

sneek peek time

2011-08-13T09:25:00.000+08:00

It's almost gallery reveal time over at Lime Tart so I thought I would give you a sneek peeks of a couple of layouts I created with the August half-tart (which is one of my faves so far! So many embellishments!)

I made the butterflies (below) with the kit paper, but cut them out with my Silhouette. 3d_cutout_betterfly_2_C00744_21585
7/26/2011

Hope you're planning to have a fantastic weekend!

day 12 - close up

2011-08-12T13:36:00.002+08:00

Super quick post today.

1. I have some super exciting crafty news to announce ... soon. Can't yet.

2. Here's my day 12 photo for August. "Close Up". We were having a picnic at lunch time in the back yard and found myself talking OVER the bee's. It's a beautiful sunny day in Perth today.

The action I used on this photo is from The Coffeeshop Blog - it's called Lomo. Click here to get it for yourself - it's free and all you need is Photoshop Elements to get started editing your own pics.

Have a great weekend folks!

August Photo Challenge: Day 6

2011-08-07T21:32:00.002+08:00

Childhood Memories...

Well, there was no point driving out to take snaps of my old home where I spend the first 16 years of my life. There's just lots of little houses there now.

But I do have this... and those of you that have/had one too will know exactly why I chose this for my Day 6 subject... (I know Paula understands, boy does she understand.)

This a a My Child.

For some *slaps forehead* silly reason Mattel don't make these anymore. They make Cabbage Patch dolls (of which I had 3) but not My Childs. These little button-nosed, felt-faced beauties are only available these days in collector stores or on evil-bay, and will (sadly) set you back about 10x more than what they cost in the 80's.

Look at that little grubby hand. Yes, this dolly is still very much loved. But hidden from the kids. I've seen how they treat their toys.

What's a photography challenge without a bit of action?

Have a goodie,

Photo Challenge Catch Up

2011-08-06T08:32:00.001+08:00

So late last night while scouring the net I can across a post that led to a beautiful (or should I say "Oh So Lovely") website, which had this challenge posted but it's being hosted at yet another beautiful blog (thatyoujustsimplyhavetovisit!).

Don't you hate those unbelievable blogs that lead you to other amazing blogs?! :)

I love photography, and it's been in my system for over 20 years now. Wow. That's scary. My mum and dad got me a camera when I was eight for my first overseas trip, and I fell in love with this hobby, and as a result I'm a scrapbooker today! So that makes me 28, right? Riiiiight.

I'm playing catch up - these are photo's taken in the last fortnight, but as of today I'm playing along 'for real'. I have something rather nostalgic in mind for day 6.

Day 1: Self Portrait

Day 2: What I wore: Boots ($15 on sale), jacket from Op Shop ($8) and leggings ($7) from K-Mart, dress from Jeanswest ($45 with store discount). New hair cut - priceless.

Day 3: Clouds. <3

Day 4: My fave colour. Teal. I left Stampin' Up! solely because they ditched Taken with Teal. Just kidding.

Day 5: Someone I love. I can only pick one person? Really? Kira.She gives me the most cuddles and grizzles the least. And helps me whip those men who share this home into line.

How awesome! I love photography. Hope you're having a great start to your weekend.

anyone up for a challenge?

2011-08-05T20:54:00.001+08:00

I'm in.

Source: Oh So Lovely blog

Not a happy kid

2011-08-02T17:44:00.000+08:00

Sarcastic-town ahead... watch out for those wise-cracks.

Believe it or not, sometimes, once in a while, there are tears in our Brady-Bunch like household. I know! Shocking, isn't it? And when Cody was younger there were a lot of tears.

But geeeez. This kid cried about eve.ry.thing. You get the idea. He was a shocker. These days - much better. Just the occassional meltdown instead of constant grizzling. Just like mommy. heehee.

And it took me 4 years to ~~stop cringing and~~ get this photo scrapped, and I'm proud to say I took this picture too. That is me on the left and yes, that is me taking the mickey . Arms out-stretched in front of us, he knew it was coming. And as I upload these on the internet he's laughing and saying "Heee. I don't remember doing that!"

You have to laugh. These are the moments, horrible at the time, that we look back (key words: look back!)and treasure.

Hope you've had an awesome Tuesday,

The Great Rescue

2011-07-30T14:40:00.000+08:00

For those of you that haven't seen this little baby made with this Crafts & Me stamp over on the Zest blog ...

I made this for my Design Team blog post over at Limetart.com this week and we've sold out of the stamp! Argh! That happens I guess, it's a very cute stamp. It's called 'The Great Rescue'. I'm not sure what this stamp reminds me of, but it really grabbed me and I couldn't wait to make something with it.

I must admit, in my head I had bigger, more embellished plans for this image ... but like most things crafty what was in my head didn't translate into the real deal and I ended up with something a lot more simple but I'm really happy with how this turned out.

And I know, I know, the colouring isn't perfect but ... it works for me. So there. lol.

I've coloured my image using Copic Markers and have been referencing back to my Copic Club file (also available over at Lime Tart). I thought the idea was crazy when I read it, but I added W3 over various areas to add more dramatic shadowing. Love it.

You'll also see that I've used a pebble effect for the sky. Streaks were the original idea, but it wasn't working, and I wanted to add some movement - I thought a sky would look so much more whimsical if it was a series of dots. I love the end effect for this little trio of characters, travelling away.

Ingredients:
Stamp: The Great Escape (currently sold out); Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Embellishments: Chipboard Top-Note (die from Stampin' Up!), Ribbon from Websters, Rhinestones.

Copic Markers:
Sky: B00, B02, B05
Balloons:YG21, YG23, YG25, Y17, YR21, R32, R35
Boy: E00, E02, E11, C1, C3, C5, R32, R35, W3
Teddy: E31, E33, E35, W3
Bunny: W1, W3, W5

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend,

Rolled Flowers

2011-07-28T17:22:00.000+08:00

Just surfin' the net and came across this awesome video on rolled flowers. I love using these on layouts and cards. Enjoy.

Happy Crafting,

Case Study Winner!

2011-07-21T18:24:00.001+08:00

Just goes to show, when it doubt enter it anyway! lol. Totally doing the happy dance about this little baby...

Make sure you check out CASE Study for yourselves, there's a new challenge up right now...

Have a goodie,

Lime Tart July Layouts

2011-07-18T10:00:00.001+08:00

The gallery over at Limetart.com has just gone up, and I thought I would show you the layouts I made with this months a la Tarte kit and a few items from my stash.

This one (as you probably guessed) is aaaall about the photo's. :) Two of my fave guys.

Materials
Lime Tart a la Tarte kit: Papers, chipboard, flowers, alphas, arrow stickers
Stash: Journal tag die, staples, Tim Holtz stamps + ink (from Limetart.com), brad, dymo tape, star punch, heart punch, thread + needle

And this one of Miss 3 ... omg, she's almost 4! What a precious little puddin'. She's running away from the boys in this pic... mocking ... teasing... laughing... taunting. They're laughing too and playing along in the background. :)

Photo credits to my clever husband who's taken to photography like a duck to water...

Materials
Lime Tarte a la Tarte Kit: Papers, velvet ribbon, chipboard, alphas, rub-ons, flowers, journalling tag,
Stash: Pom-Pom trim, rhinestones, paint, doily, Tim Holtz crackle paint, butterfly die, sewing machine

I hope you're having a wonderful start to the week!

Case Study 48

2011-07-17T13:45:00.002+08:00

Time for a little challenge again! The other night I found myself wanting to create, but hadn't been online for such a long time for a good, new-fashioned net surf. I needed some inspiration. So I hopped over to the CASE Study Challenge blog. Ah, bliss.

And I have a card to share now!

I CASE'd this card by Dawn Woleslagle, isn't it pretty?

I was inspired by the overall design of her card, and I did love her subtle colours BUT (I'll incorporate that into another card, for another occasion) I really wanted a colour combo with either really bright colours or a monochrome card that stick packs a punch. It's for a friend who has one of those light-up-the-room personalities!

But the main thing I loved about Dawn's card was the stamps. I lurve WPlus9 - I've had their stamps for quite a while and they really do deserve a work-out. And they stamp so beautifully, I had forgotten.

Materials
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Stamps: WPlus9 Woodgrain Silhouette's Bundle, Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings
Ink: Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Jet Black StazOn
Bling: Pink Pirouette Ribbon

Hope you're having a splendid weekend!

One more sneek peek...

2011-07-12T17:55:00.001+08:00

Hope your week is treating you well. One more sneek before the gallery reveal over at limetart.com, I can't wait to see what the other girls have created with their kits.

Bye for now,

Sneek Peek time...

2011-07-10T16:07:00.002+08:00

Hi friends!

I've been busy playing with my Lime Tart a la Tarte kit for the month, hence the silence here on my blog. I'll have more to show you later in the week, but here's a couple of sneeks for now...

Have really enjoyed making something completely different, but at the same time returning to a style that I enjoyed before joining Stampin' Up! almost 3 years ago... and leaving 4 months ago... wow. How time flies.

Lots of acrylic paint, crackle paint, chipboard, ribbon of all textures, bling, brads, buttons... you name it. Have loved it. And eager to share.

See you soon!

Happy Birthday - Pure Innocence

2011-07-03T15:19:00.001+08:00

Quick card share for you today! I adore these Pure Innocence stamps! And I've just found out there's five more sets about to be released! How awesome.

Paper: Kraft cardstock, scraps from my desk, Xpress It Blending card
Ink: Baja Breeze, Memento
Stamp: My favorite things - Pure Innocence
Ribbon: Stampin' Up!; Pearls: Flourish with a Bling
Colouring: Copic markers - Hair E31, E33, E35; Skin E00 E21 E11, R20, Cardi RV91 RV93 RV95, Shoes R35, Vase B02, Flowers Y06 Y17, Grass YG03 YG06 G07
Other: Sponge, sewing

I got the inspiration for this card from this weeks Sweet Sunday sketch. This is my first time playing along with Karen's challenge, I've been a fan for a long, long time though! Check it out if you're after some inspiration.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Easel Card

2011-07-03T09:56:00.021+08:00

Hi friends,

I made my first easel card! About time I gave it a go, but I am in no way abandoning my usual style of card sorry! heehe. My card features the lovely sassafrass lass papers, flowers and ribbons from this months a la Tarte kit from Lime Tart.

I'm also entering this card in this weeks Just Add Ink challenge - they are having a blog hop where you can learn a different 'fancy fold' at each stop on the hop. You can start the blog hop here - it's such a great idea. There are so many folds I want to revisit on the hop, the girls have done an amazing job.

Stamps: CC Designs - Cupcake Birgitta, Stampin' Up! sentiment (Crazy for Cupcakes)
Inks: Memento
Paper: Bazzill cardstock, sassafrass lass patterned papers from Lime Tart
Ribbon: Seam Binding from Lime Tart
Cutting: Bigshot and SU! label die
Flowers: Lime Tart
Colouring: Copic Markers
Other: Sewing machine

Bye for now,

New kits over at Lime Tart!

2011-07-01T10:25:00.000+08:00

New kits over at Lime Tart today! Click on the pictures if you want to take a closer look.

I've been posted the a la tarte kit this month for a play, I have just wrapped up my first little project which I will be sharing with you all tomorrow over at the Zest blog... a step-by-step Easel card. Can't wait to share!

Don't they look amazing? Get your hands on Australia's best scrapbooking kits (if I do say so myself), delivered right to your doorstep.

Cheerio,

My Bear

2011-06-27T09:00:00.045+08:00

Hi Friends,

Hope your Monday is treating you well! As you read this I am probably fighting traffic on the wonderfully old-fashioned Perth Freeway. I will be wondering how Collin Barnett gets around. I will be sipping on a coffee and slapping myself in the forehead for getting everyone breakfast this morning except ME. hehe.

Apart from that I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's the third and final layout I made from my Echo Park - Summer Days adventure. You might be wondering why this is my fave, it's the most simple of the three, in fact I put this together in under 10 minutes...

It's the photo. It's those big chocolate eyes, the fact that when I looked at this layout I realised my little "bear" is now a big (ish) boy, he's become such a wise little man this year in big Grade One that ... I'm just floored that time has gone by so fast.

Cody and I have had many highs and lows, we had a difficult pregnancy (together), a traumatic birth and the first year together was testing to say the least! He was the child that never slept, and the loudest cryer - always crying- and yeah... it was hard with a little PND thrown into the mix on my part.

I love him in a special way if that makes sense? I love all my kids of course, but it really is in a different way that I cannot explain. I guess I molly coddle him a little more!

And I feel like saying "Stop growing up so fast!" Oh gosh, I'm getting all teary on y'all. No wonder I got this scrapped so fast. :D

I hope you're having a super day, and you're not anywhere near a Freeway right now!

Have a goodie,

Lime Tart Gallery

2011-06-26T15:29:00.002+08:00

I guess it's about time I showed off what I created with this months Lime Tart kit, and you can also see what the other fabby DT girls made by clicking here to view the June gallery.

I took my Silhouette SD for a spin for this layout, see that paper with all the numbers on it? Love!

How about a layout with lots of concertina flowers? I haven't made these in so long, and loved adding the hat pins and lacy ribbon into the feature strip. I have to say, I love the photo's in this layout - we went down to the park - no one around, because a storm was about to break out, we rugged up, we threw handfuls of leaves in the air, laughed.... a totally magical afternoon with a little scary weather thrown in. And yes, we did get wet and had to run like billy-o to the car! heehee.

Finally a little card featuring more gorgeous buttons and the fun papers from the MME Lime Twist collection. I love that Hero arts stamp too! No wonder the kit sold out in a few days!

By the way, I've just opened my Design Team July kit from Limetart.com to make some cute things with... and I'm so excited, I can't wait to share them with you around the 14th of July!

You can pre-order your own kit by clicking here, there's different sized kits, but if you're like me you'll want to be Queen and grab them all with a 20% discount!

Food for thought! Have a goodie,

Seven

2011-06-26T09:00:00.011+08:00

I'm running low on vowels in my Thickers stash, did you guess that already? :) When all else fails start using those numbers!!

Here's the 2nd of three layouts I've created this week using the super cure Echo Park - Summer Days collection of papers and chippies. So gorgeous, I just can't get enough of these colours mixed together.

Here's EJ's layout... I can't believe he's seven already...

See that big button? It was a freebie when I shopped over at the Chip Chop Shop and boy, I wish Leeann sold these in her shop, they are super cute! I've just ready her Etsy shop is closed until August, she has some sad news over on her blog. :(

I embossed these clouds with the Tim Holtz stamps ... they are just perfect for jazzing up plain embellishments a tad...

I'll be showing off Cody's (and my fave) layout tomorrow... it's all about the photo's!

Hope you're feeling crafty!

Little Miss Sunshine

2011-06-25T17:33:00.001+08:00

I've managed to get three layouts finished this week (yes, I started last Saturday) using papers and chippies from Echo Park - Summer Days collection.

Although it's Winter here in Australia, I really love the colours in this collection and like to incorporate bright, happy colours into my layouts, especially ones of my kids. And, yeah, I'm probably wishing the weather was a little warmer - I'm not missing those hot summer days we've just had though, nope, not one bit!

Here's the first layout I did - I'll share the rest over the next few days! Here's Kira's page...

Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock (Kraft), Echo Park - Summer Days paper and chipboard embellishments, AC thickers, Websters ribbon, Cuttlebug crown die, vintage buttons, twine, sewing machine.

Hope you're having a super weekend!

Cracked Glass Card

2011-06-12T10:32:00.000+08:00

Oooh! I missed a card I've made recently, you might have already seen it over at limetart.com but in case you hadn't I thought I would show it off here too! I love the colour combo of this card, that Lime Twist paper from My Minds Eye is so sweet, I'm working my way through the 6x6 pad from the a la Tarte kit - such a magic pudding product.

You can read the full tutorial on how to make cracked glass cards by clicking here. Have a fantastic Sunday!

Happy Hilda

2011-06-09T19:51:00.001+08:00

Ah, I love this stamp. That little ballerina hippo really melts my heart, you know? :D Here's my reveal ... I loved playing with this months a la Tarte kit from Lime Tart - I can't believe I've already hit the half-way mark into being on the design team!

Almost Friday folks! I hope you're excited about the weekend, I certainly am!

Sneek Peek

2011-06-08T21:19:00.000+08:00

Here's a little sneek peek of what I've made for tomorrow's post over at the Lime Tart blog. Lots of goodies from this months a la Tarte kit (which sold out in the first few days!) And they're a bit like a magic pudding too, I still have yet to use a complete kit up - so many goodies in each one.

So if you're looking for something for your stash, or just a little inspiration you can check out the shop here or the blog here.

Hope to see you there!

New Limetart Kits

2011-06-01T17:04:00.000+08:00

It's the 1st of June, and that means one cool thing to me... new kits over at Limetart.com!

I'm playing with the a la Tarte this month - so much colour, I can't wait to share what I've been making with you! Remember that last months kits sold out pretty quick, so don't waste any time if you want to get your hands on any of these beautifully coordinated kits...

a la Tarte

Full Tart

Half Tart

Have a goodie!

No Patterned Paper Allowed!

2011-05-28T14:46:00.001+08:00

I've been meaning to post this all month! Where has May gone? This is my submission for this months Kraft It Up! challenge - you need to create a layout without patterned paper.

I love, love, LOVE this challenge blog!! It's always full of dreamy inspiration, from the Design Team girls creations to the players - five star talent all around. And if you love Kraft cardstock... well ... do I need to elaborate? The blog title kinda speaks for itself.

Here's my ridiculously CAS and flat layout, this one is going in an album so I didn't want it too ... 'big hair' if you know what I mean. It's all about the photo's and the memories.

To create a little colour on my Kraft cardstock I stamped in Versamark then embossed in different colours, scattering the different colours over the Versamark with a spoon. Want to actually see how that's done? I've embedded a really awesome video from TwoPeasinaBucket.com at the bottom of this post for your viewing pleasure.

The chipboard butterflies have been coloured with Copic markers to match the embossing colours ... the transparency is from the April LimeTart.com kit. And a little twine literally ties it all together.

Like the crisp title? Yeah, me too. My Silhouette SD made that! Ooops, I better paste that 'i' dot on... I just spotted it was missing... let's just pretend it's there. It's actually on my desk. Under about 1000 things...

Tutorial on Embossing in different colours...

Bye for now!

Paper Players Challenge 48

2011-05-28T14:09:00.001+08:00

I found a really cute sketch over at The Paper Players challenge blog this morning and I had a new stamp from Penny Black that I wanted to try out...

Here's my card...

Here's the sketch....

and here's a close up for your viewing pleasure!

Hope you're having an awesome weekend! I'll add a recipe later ... off to enjoy the wintery sunshine!

A little card

2011-05-24T20:09:00.001+08:00

Usually I like to have a few stamps for really pretty backgrounds for the main (character) images. That’s what I had in mind when I got this little fella – Heritage Tree by Stamping Bella, available >here<.

But when I stamped the image (another one of those brands that stamps perfectly every time) I actually paused and thought this tree could be prettied up in so many different ways and colours to suit so many different types of messages: male or female cards, happy or not so happy occasions. I have a friend on the other side of Australia, and I thought I would make a little card to tell her how much I missed her… like I'm a lonely old tree... lol. Or something like that.

Here's a little close up so you can see the Bling that always makes its way into my cards… after colouring my image with Copics I added some lines with my AtyouSpica Glitter Pen, both available from Limetart.com

Recipe
Stamps: Heritage Tree, Woodgrain Background (SU!), Sentiment from MFT
Paper: Kraft cardstock, Crate Paper (Lime Tart May Full kit), Xpress It Blending Card
Ink: Choc Chip, Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics: Leaves/Grass YG00, YG03, Tree E31, E33, E35
Other: Satin Ribbon, wooden button, hemp twine, Spellbinders dies (circle and scallop), sewing machine, MM Corner Chomper

Hope your week is off to a fabulous start. Bye for now!

Case Study 40

2011-05-20T13:39:00.001+08:00

Update 26/5 - this card made Top 3 for this weeks CASE Study challenge!! :)

Today I made a little card for this weeks CASE Study, this months muse is the amazing Sarah Martina Parker, she has such a gorgeous style.

You can see her CASE card below. I skipped the stitching (for once! ha!), but the shabby smudged edges of her card and placement of all the elements really jumped out at me. I love the flower and ribbon placement and the big bling swirls - can't get enough of them!

Instead of using pale colours I felt like making something a little more colourful, I started with a Kraft cardstock base then added paper from the Lime Tart Full Tart Kit (now sold out), otherwise known as Crate Paper Boutique, I ran it through my Silhouette SD to make some little paper flowers and used the B-Side of the same sheet for the main background.

To embellish my card I've used seam binding from Lime Tart, Websters Estate Polka Dot Ribbon and a Sweet Vintage doily from my stash. Bling swirl from Kaisercraft, butterfly from Collections.

For my sentiment I stamped in black and then navy blue to form a shadow (Sentiment from PTI - Signature Greetings) and here it is...

Have a goodie,

CC Designs Stamps

2011-05-19T22:16:00.000+08:00

I love every single stamp in the Lime Tart store. Thought I would just type that "out loud" so you don't feel alone. If you're here, reading this blog, you must have some kind of paper or stamp fetish, right? So I can share those kind of inner thoughts with you, RIGHT!? *crickets chirping*

Here's a little card I drummed up this week using one of the amazing CC Designs stamps Philippa (of Lime Tart fame) oh-so-kindly sent me to ~~get me hooked~~ test run. You can't mess up stamping with these, they stamp be-autifully. And colouring them with Copics is so much fun. Channel that inner 7-year-old!

All goodies are available from LimeTart, full links are HERE.

Paper: Crate Paper Emma’s Shoppe, XPress It Blending Card, Kraft cardstock
Dies: Spellbinders
Stamps: Swiss Pixies Sweetheart Birgitta , Sentiment from PTI
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics: E000, E00, E02, R20, YG00, YG03, E31, E33, E35, YR07
Bling: Prima Cabachons, Rhinestones, Ribbon, Atyou Spica Clear Glitter Pen.

Hope your Friday is fantastic!

M F T Wednesday Sketch Club

2011-05-18T18:23:00.002+08:00

I have lots of special little birthdays coming up so I thought I had better up the stash, and sketch challenges in my inbox are the perfect temptation!

This challenge is from My Favorite Things, and is so versatile. Definitely going into my favorite sketches!

Have a goodie,

Coloring is not just for kids!

2011-05-15T16:40:00.007+08:00

Don't mind my American spelling. :)

Hi Friends!

I hope you've had a fantastic weekend! I can't believe how quickly my weekends are going now, I have to cram as much family time and relaxing time into my 2 days off as possible and it's ca-raaazy!

I managed to get a little crafting done this afternoon - I set out to make some layouts but to be honest I'm still feeling a little deflated, so I thought I would try a card instead. It worked a treat!

Out came my Nestabilities, my Pure Innocence stamps, Copics and Websters ribbon and ... I'm happy with the end result. Another one for the stash. Or a RAK to someone special? ;)

Stamps: Pure Innocence from My Favorite Things (Digi stamps available by clicking here), Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings, Polka Dot Backgrounds;
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze from Stampin' Up!
Papers: Stampin' Up! (Dress), Lime Tart Half-Tart (circle backing), Kraft cardstock, X-Press It Blending card (for Copics)
Dies: Nestabilties Circles Large and Small
Other: Sewing Machine, Websters ribbon (Butter), sponge (for "cloud" background) love and a little patience (just threw that in to be cheesy, lol)
Copics: Skin and cheeks E000, E00, E02, R20, Dress: Patterned paper + BV04, AtyouSpica Clear Pen; Hair: E37, E35, E33; Balloon: BV04, BV02, BV00 all available here.

If you want to find out how to use Copics to colour in your images I highly recommend (and LOVE!) the Lime Tart Copic Club binder available here, if you've ever wondered how to start with Copics or how to improve your skills this little binder is well worth the investment. You can see more of the binder, and my full review by clicking here.

Have a happy, happy week!

A few layouts to share...

2011-05-15T09:16:00.000+08:00

Hi friends!

I have a few layouts to reveal today. I'm determined to sit down today and scrap some really funny pics of the kids, so I hope to share that with you too.

A big box of goodies has just arrived on my doorstep from Anna's Craft Cupboard so I'll have lots of new papers and bling to share soon and it's a big, big week of anticipation as I await the arrival of my Silhouette SD - can't wait to test drive and review it for you!

Onto my most recent layouts. These were all made with this months Half-Tart Kit from Lime Tart which has already sold out! I hope you like them! ;)

And make sure you check out the other Lime Tart DT girls creations too in the Lime Tart May Gallery - so many beautiful things to get your creative cogs turning.

Have a goodie,

Sneeky Peek time!

2011-05-11T19:51:00.002+08:00

It's gallery reveal day tomorrow at Limetart.com for those of you lucky to snatch up one of the beautiful kits for May (which have sadly all sold out!). I highly recommend subscribing if you don't want to miss out. As a Design Team member I've been lucky enough to see what coming next month and trust me - you do not want to miss out! ;)

Here's some sneek peeks on some of the layouts I've made with this months Half Tart kit...

(You might have already seen the 1st one, wink wink!)

I'll show you the full pages soon...

she is ...

2011-05-07T13:41:00.001+08:00

... loving being back in daycare!

Hey friends!

Sorry I've been MIA lately - this week has been really busy. I was enjoying the school holidays when a dear friend rang me out of the blue with a dream job, so I got busy arranging care for the kids for the 2nd week of holiday's (a mission in itself) and getting back into the old work routine. Phew!

As you can see I've also just got my hands on this months Half Tart and today you can find a Step-By-Step tutorial >here< on how I made the above layout.

I've been taking lots and lots and lots of photo's thanks to a new Candice Stringham photography course, working on my 365 project (I have such a backlog!)... and I'm happy to say that I've posted off a few things for publication in Scrapbooking Memories (2 layouts) and Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft (a card set). Fingers and toes crossed!

While I'm on a roll I might as well share that I'm expecting one of these to arrive on my doorstep any day now... *eeeeeeeek!*

...and am super excited about it - well, der!! That's my mothers day *dream* gift. I told the kids to skip the smellies this year, mumma's getting a "special cutting machine". Even hubby's excited because he's got big plans for it.

So yeah, that's all my news for now! Ha! This weekend I hope to make some more papery stuff so I'll be back soon to share.

I hope you're all having a beautiful weekend wherever you are in the world!!

Hugs,

Sneek Peek

2011-04-26T17:34:00.000+08:00

Here's a sneek peek of what I'm playing with from Lime Tart this month - the Half Tart. I'm so excited and have a hundred ideas swimming around in my head.

Make sure you check out the Zest Blog for more eye candy teasers of the Full Tart and A-La Tarte!

Toodles,

Easter Wishes

2011-04-21T17:22:00.002+08:00

I've had this Magnolia stamp about 2 years and this is the first time I've inked it up, isn't that terrible? lol. I've got my money's worth today as I've coloured her three times today - third time is a charm, they say. I tried watercolouring on 2 different papers and for my card below I ended up resorting to my new favorite - Copics. I'm hooked, I really am.

I'm playing along for fun at Magnolia Down Under (challenge #92), which is an Easter theme. Do I pass?

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! So Saffron

Patterned Paper: Crate paper Emma's Shoppe

Ink: Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip + Ink Blending Tool

Stamp: Magnolia Tilda Easter Bunny

Copics: from Limetart.com

Sentiment: Canon MP810 + word; font from Kevin & Amanda
Punch: Fiskars Apron Lace

Other: Flowers, pearl brads and doily from stash, rhinestone swirls by Kaisercraft, Hodgepodge hardware from Stampin' Up!

Adhesives: 3D Dots, tombow adhesive, scor tape

Hope you have a super Easter break with your loved ones, and that menacing Easter bunny brings you lots of chocolate!!

Smiles,

Cute as a Cupcake

2011-04-20T08:12:00.000+08:00

I've been having so much fun playing with my new stamps from Limetart.com - this little lady is currently sold out in the store, but there are still a tonne of other cute CC Designs stamps for you to ooh and aaah over if you want to check them out >here<.

While I've got you here (heehee) I thought I would show you some close ups of new products I've been playing with since joining the Lime Tart Design Team...

Flowers. Oh my, what have I been missing? These come with wires attached typically (as a "bouquet") but I'm snipping the wire off and gluing into place using Tombow adhesive.

Copics. Don't laugh, I'm slowing learning. Baby steps they say. You can stock up on Copics here, or read my review of the Lime Tart Copic Club here - in a nutshell, it is awesome!!

Lace + cute papers. These papers and lace are from the March and April Full Tart kits. Needless to say, I love these kits - they are beautifully colour coordinated and there are so many goodies inside each kit it will take you a long time to use them all up.

Hope you're inspired. Have a fantastic week!

Grubby

2011-04-17T17:05:00.001+08:00

My boys are like chalk and cheese at the best of times - and I mean that in a positive, laughable way. Ethan is clean and tidy, when he gets his own room I won't have to tidy it. Cody on the other hand is a tornado of 'true boy' - messy, a little clumsy, cheeky and mischievous in the most lovable way.

Anyway ... Cody came home from school one day in February (one of those stinking hot days!), half his face covered in dirt dust, hair and shoes full of grey sand, sweat lines around the hairline - get the picture? I had to pull him aside for a quick snap, and I love this photo sooo much. It totally captures who he is, right now.

Sorry, no recipe today - it's all bits and bobs that were in my stash. 100% leftovers.

I'm also going to be entering this in this months Scrap The Boys challenge, which is getting inspiration from an outfit your son or hubby is wearing.

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend!

The Lime Tart April Gallery is up!

2011-04-12T14:42:00.003+08:00

Be sure to check it out at limetart.com, or click the picture above.

Here's what I created with some of the Full Tart for April... and I still have tonnes more beautifully coordinated paper and embellishments to play with so watch this space!

... and the DT girls have made some amazing, gorgeous things to get your inspiration going! Be sure to check out the whole gallery >here<.

See you there!

Sneek Peek - Lime Tart April Full Tart

2011-04-10T14:37:00.003+08:00

Oh. My. Word. You have no idea how much fun I've had playing with my Full Tart kit (there's 3 different kits to chose from) from Lime Tart over the past few days. I've made 4 layouts so far, but I can only give you some sneek peeks for now, all will be revealed soon! *smile*

Here's the Full Kit for April and you can buy it right over >here<.

And here are those sneek peeks I was telling you about...

And I can't wait to see what the other girls have created with their kits.

Hope you've had a super weekend!

Step By Step Saturday

2011-04-09T11:51:00.001+08:00

Hi Friends!

Today was my first post on the wonderful Zest Blog - a fantastic one-stop-shop for inspiration, project ideas and of course plenty of things to add to your wanted list!

I had never thought to make book corners until a friend sent me a hand-made beauty in the mail with a matching card, and since then I've been hooked on making them and have a little shoebox full on them, waiting for the next good read. None of those boring store-bought bookmarks for me! :)

As you'll see, the corners you can make will be anything BUT boring, and are a great way to make use of your scraps too. I used some goodies from the April Kit from limetart.com and a cute image called Ida Lulu from the store, all the links can be found >HERE< on my step-by-step tutorial.

Have a goodie,

hi hilda!

2011-04-03T12:15:00.003+08:00

First off, please be kind about my Copic use here. I'm still on my L-Plates, but thanks to the Copic Club at Limetart.com I am learning, learning, learning and having fun whilst doing so. Isn't the stamped image gorgeous though? She's also a Lime Tart goodie and I've also used the beautifully coordinated March '11 Full Tart to make this card, I'll have all the links in my recipe at the bottom of this post.

I'm entering this card in CASE Study #33, I loved the card made by Julee Tilman this week, and I got inspiration from her feminine spring card, and also added flowers, some subtle stitching, ribbon and a die cut feature like her card.

YUM! Prima Flowers!

Cardstock, Patterned Papers, Flowers, Doily, Ribbon, Sticker Alpha's: Lime Tart March '11 Full Tart (still a few left!)

Stamp: Ballerina Hilda

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pink Pirhouette (SU!)
Copics: (Skin, outline) C1, C3, C5 (Bows, Dress, Shoes, Tongue) RV10, RV13, RV14 (Eyes) B05

Other: Nestabilities die, white gel pen, sponge, tombow adhesive, 3D Dots, SNAIL adhesive

Have a fantastic weekend,

New kits at Lime Tart

2011-04-01T14:32:00.001+08:00

Ready for some serious eye candy, brought to you by Lime Tart? (click on the pic to shop)

April's A La Tarte

April's Full Tart

April's Half-Tart

Want them all? Be a greedy tart or a queen of tarts and get a discount on two or more of these kits. Mmm-mmm!

Have a goodie!

what the worlds needs now ...

2011-03-30T15:54:00.006+08:00

Had a little gap in my busy cleaning schedule today! Seems I'm on a spring-cleanathon and boy, does it feel good to declutter and feel organised!

I've made a layout today for a fun little challenge over at 2Peas - use stitching on your layout. I went for the free-style option.

Paper: Stampin' Up!, October Afternoon

Other: AC Thickers, Jenni Bowlin Studio border stickers, vintage buttons, sewing machine, typewriter

Have a goodie,

one inspiring mama

2011-03-23T20:19:00.003+08:00

When I first jumped on twopeasinabucket.com several years ago one of the first talented scrapbookers that grabbed my attention was Kristina Proffitt of One Happy Mama - I love her girly-girl pages inspired by her daughter, Caylin, who is a little bit older than my daughter, Kira.

Several layouts and years later she is still one of the most inspiring scrapbookers to me (Kristina and Crystal Wilkerson designed my blog!) and I was saddened to find out that Caylin has recently been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

Crystal W has designed some amazing digital kits to help Kristina and her family raise money to cover medical expenses. The kits are available for as little as $1 on Kristina's blog HERE, but you can also adjust the price if you'd like to donate more. Please help spread the word!

Here's the gorgeous kits:

Hope you find your way over to Kristina's blog to donate, every little bit helps.
Have a goodie,

One cute case!

2011-03-22T16:36:00.003+08:00

I saw *this* scrumptious little card over at CASE Study this week, created by the fantabulous Amy Wanford and it was one of those "Gasp - I have to CASE that!" moments, where I had the same stamps but hadn't had any really amazing ideas to use them. (Those phone's are so Mad Men!!)

Hence, this CASE, I twisted the colours around to suit this weeks Just Add Ink challenge (which I'm just playing along for fun by the way, since I didn't come up with this design, Amy did. Them the rules.).

Stamps: Hero Arts - Just Saying Hi, PTI - Polka Dots BackgroundPaper: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Kraft, Rich RazzleberryInks: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Kraft (don't correct me, Danielle! LOL!)Bling: Collections chipboard heart, Kaisercraft pearlsAdhesives: Tombow, dimensionals, SNAILOther: Clear acrylic blocks, WeRMemory Keepers corner chomper (blue)

Have a goodie,

Case Study 31

2011-03-21T17:05:00.001+08:00

I managed to fit in a quick little card this afternoon while the kids enjoyed some home made cake and cartoons after a long day at school. A little bribery goes a long way! heehee.

Honestly, I haven't wanted to make cards in ages. I'm sorry to friends and family that have had birthday in the last month and have received *nothing* from me. Thank goodness for the CASE Study challenge site - where you can just Copy And Steal Everything! Otherwise I'd be lost for ideas's I think. Card block?!?

Anyway, I loved the overall design of Julee's card (this weeks CASE) and the pretty little touches here and there were so sweet. Did I mention the summery colours? That's just some of the inspiration I got from Julee's original card.

Here's my card (using super cute Paper Smooches stamps!)...

Here's Julee's beautiful card ...

And here's a little close up of my card again for your viewing pleasure! lol.

Stamps: Birthday Buddies by Paper Smooches

Ink: StazOn (Jet Black), Stampin' Up! Markers in Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Ruby Red, Baja Breeze

Paper: Stampin' Up! Patterned Paper, watercolour paper from RIOT!

Punches: Stampin' Up! Tag Punches

Bling: Kaisercraft pearl swirls, Stampin' Up! grommet & ribbon, sewing machine

Adhesives: Tombow, SNAIL, Dimensionals

Have a goodie,

dusk

2011-03-20T12:19:00.004+08:00

Hi Friends!

I made up a really quick single-page LO today using a tonne of stuff I discovered I had after a good old fashioned clean out of my craft desk.

I was inspired by this gorgeous sketch from Get Picky:

1) I started with12x12 Kraft cardstock, spritzed it with Smooch Spray and then set the sheet aside to dry.

2) While the sheet was drying I dug out some Collections chipboard frames, stuck them (purposely-wonky, btw!) onto my photo's with Tombow adhesive.

3) Once the 12x12 sheet was dry I placed the photo's + frames on the layout to get a rough idea of where they were going to sit. I cut up some Burnt Orange Magic Mesh and placed it behind where the photo's were going to go, following the sketch. I then stuck everything down when I was happy with how it looked.

4) Next I dug out some vintage buttons in browns, pinks, whites and yellows, sticking them randomly around two corners of my photo collage.

5) Time for the title! I got my American Crafts Thickers out and added the final touch.

I like how the simplicity of the layout background makes the colour photo's pop right out from the page. This was such a cool afternoon, now scrapped. Hope you find some time for a little scrapbooking today!

Have a goodie,

wallpaper

2011-03-18T12:42:00.000+08:00

We've almost finished the house...

The dolls house, that is! Here's an update on one of the random projects we're doing over at our place... Please note we did not have any plans to work from, nor are we professional dolls-house makers! This is just a little DIY job to make a three year old totally happy!! *smile*

Hubby got all the stuff he needed from Bunnings, Stanbridges and recycled lots of things from his shed too...

Drilled the brick detail in with a Dremmel and a lot of patience ...

Within a few weekends it was looking like this on the inside - lots of space for little hands and mini-Blythe parties...

And after I finally put my interior design hat on (after a lot of nagging from Kira) some of the rooms are starting to come together ... thanks to a brayer, some wood glue, scrapbooky wallpaper and MM paints!

Boudoir

Somewhat Empty Kitchen

Lounge

Bedroom

Hallway, ground floor

Bathroom

Still lots to do, and lots of rooms to fill with furniture! Hope you enjoyed the tour! There'll be more updates as we get more done.

Have a great day!

We Interupt This Program...

2011-03-16T10:37:00.003+08:00

Hi Friends!

I have a special - no, understatement - super duper, exciting, special announcement to make... I'm thrilled to be joining the Design Team over at Lime Tart, and exhausted from doing the happy dance since Philippa contacted me with the news. *smile*

www.limetart.com

Here's the Design Team ladies I'm so flattered to be working with:

I'm sending a special Thank You! to my wonderful friend Gardenia P, for giving me a buddy-shove and telling me to give it a shot at applying for the position - I'm my own worst critic and thought I had no chance being accepted when the team was packed to the rafters with talent.

I also would like to say thanks to the girls on the Design Team for being so welcoming! I'm so excited about working with you all - but you already knew that! *smile*

So there you go! Now I have the perfect excuse to scrap more in the evenings! With beautiful kits and products from Lime Tart! Check out the store if you haven't already by clicking on the picture at the top of this post.

Have a fantastic day!!

comedian

2011-03-15T18:02:00.002+08:00

Hi friends!

I've got a burst of colour to share with you today. *smile* I have wrapped up a layout for two twopeasinabucket.com challenges, one is a colour combo challenge, the other is the Scrapbook Stamping March 2011 class.

So this (sneek peek)...

... was inspired by this ...

and this...

I created my own patterned paper by using inks from Stampin' Up! to match my patterned paper colours - Pear Pizazz, Rose Red, Pretty In Pink, So Saffron, Baja Breeze on Whisper White paper - and the lovely Broadsheet Alphabet stamp set. Lots of fun.

Cardstock: Bazill, Stampin' Up!; Patterned Paper: Girl Friday - Cosmo Cricket; Stamps: Broadsheet Alphabet by Stampin' Up!; Ink: Stampin' Up!; Dies: Nestabilities circles (small), Stampin' Up! Beautiful Butterflies, Provocraft Red Tag Sale Alpha dies; Embellies: Sweet Vintage doily, Collections butterflies, vintage buttons, Stampin' Up! ribbon; Other: dimensionals, tombow adhesive, snail adhesive.

Update 18/3: I won a challenge at twopeas for this layouts!

*happy dance!!*

Have a goodie!

Band Aid Love

2011-03-10T08:01:00.001+08:00

This month at twopeasinabucket.com there's more classess and challenges up, ready and waiting for you!

This layout is for February's (it starts late each month) 4x6 Photo Love Class - each month the number of photo's you use on a layout is going UP - cool hey? Can't wait for the 5+ photo challenges. You can see my one-photo-January submission here.

Paper: Bella Blvd, Cosmo Cricket, Stampin' Up! cardstock; Dies: Provocraft 'Red Tag Sale' Alpha dies, male/female dies, heart die, arrow die + Bigshot; Other: Buttons, doodblebug design strips; glimmermist.

And here's the video that shows Shimelle doing what she does best. So if you every wondered about where to start with scrapbooking, or find the whole concept SCARY check out the video, these classes are designed to get you inspired!

Have a fantastic day!

ick

2011-03-09T21:07:00.000+08:00

Hi Friends!

Sugar Free, Fat Free and Flavor Free. Mmmmm.

I haven't been feeling so great the last few days. In all honesty, I chucked my first real "mum-sickie" in seven years last night and left everything to hubs, I was too busy dying to do my usual routine. *I wish* I hadn't been so sick, so I could have enjoyed it. lol.

I have had an awful kindy germ (knee buckling cramps, D's & V's ... all that fun stuff) that must have smuggled itself back into our home, straight to me, through a lunch box or something ... everyone else here is fine. It's just me. *sniff*

Here's a photo of what I'm doing to smoke the germs out, and a heads up that I have some kewl sketch and scrapbooking inspiration for you soon ... give me 24, ok? OK.

Have a goodie,