Stampin' Up!®

SC 027/12...

2012-02-12T06:21:00.001+10:00

The sketch over at Sunny Challenges & Creations this week brought to us by Kris. Along with the sketch, we had to use the colours of Black, White plus 1 other colour. I choose to go with Old Olive. I wanted to do a colour that you don't often seen with Black & White, but am still deciding if I like the card yet or not.

Measurements -

Base Card - Old Olive - 11 3/4" x 4 1/8" or 30cm x 10.5cm - scored in the middle & folded in half

Layer 1 - Whisper White - 4 5/8" x 4" or 11.5cm x 10cm

Layer 2 - DSP - 4 1/4" x 3 7/8" or 11cm x 9.5cm

Layer 3 x 2 - Basic Black - 2 5/8" x 1 5/8" or 6.5cm x 4cm

Layer 4 x 2 - Whisper White - 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" or 6cm x 3.5cm

Layer 5 - Old Olive - 3 1/2" x 2 1/4" or 9cm x 5.5cm

Layer 6 - Basic Black - 3 3/8" x 2 1/8" or 8.5cm x 5cm

Layer 7 - Whisper White - 3 1/4" x 2" or 8cm x 4.5cm

Envelope & Inside Card...

On both pieces of the smaller Whisper White Cardstock, I stamped random images using Old Olive & Basic Black Inks. Both pieces were then adhered to the matching Basic Black pieces using Snail Adhesive.

I stamped the "F" image & the sentiment onto the larger piece of Whisper White Cardstock with Basic Black Ink. I then stamped the vine image around the outside of the Whisper White with Old Olive Ink. This piece was adhered to the piece of Basic Black & then to Old Olive using Snail Adhesive.

I adhered the DSP to the largest piece of Whisper White Cardstock with Snail Adhesive & then to the Base Card - Old Olive. I adhered the randomly stamped images to the base card as per the sketch. With the larger piece, I adhered this to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

To finish the card & to tie it altogether, I applied 5 Rhinestones into each of the top & bottom corners.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Pocket Silhouettes, Vintage Vogue

Ink - Basic Black, Old Olive

Cardstock - Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White

DSP - Neutrals Designers Series

Accessories - Rhinestones, Snail Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals

Don't forget to head over to Sunny Challenges & Creations & check out what both Kris & Shirley have created. Better still, why not join us? You have 1 week to create your project & link back to Mr linky.

Until next time, Happy Stampin'

LNS 159...

2012-02-10T18:21:00.000+10:00

This card was created for my cousin who has requested a number of Misc Cards for her shop. It is also the card we did this arvo at the Community Centre. Mind you, I did have a number of boys cards for them to select from, as not all the ladies have granddaughters. In fact, most of them have grandsons.

Envelope & Inside Card...

After seeing this week's challenge at Late Night Stampers, this is the perfect card for that too. "It is to create a Girly Girl card,srapbook page, project, or 3D item. Make your creation as feminine as you can. Lots of frilly, ruffly, and anything else you can think of items on your card. We want these creations to ooze Girly Girl!"

To me, this sort of card screams Pink, Pink, Pink & more Pink! I kept to a very simple layout & a clean card on purpose!

Measurements -
Base Card - Pretty in Pink - 11 3/4" x 4 1/8" or 30cm x 10.5cm - Scored in the middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 3/4" x 4" or 14.5cm x 10cm
Layer 2 - DSP - 5 5/8" x 3 7/8" or 14cm x 9.5cm
Layer 3 - Whisper White - 3" x 2" or 7.5cm x 5cm
Layer 4 - Pretty in Pink - 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" or 7cm x 4.5cm
Layer 5 - Whisper White - 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" or 6.5cm x 4cm

I layered the DSP onto the larger piece of Whisper White using Snail Adhesive, adhered a piece of Ribbon across the middle, tucked the ends under & tied a knot to the left hand side. The whole piece was then adhered to the Base Card - Whisper White using Snail Adhesive.

Close up of Ballerina....

I stamped my image onto the smallest piece of Whisper White using Staz-On Ink & again onto a scrap of Whisper White Cardstock. I coloured the image using my Blender Pen, SU! Markers - Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo & So Saffron. I repeated the same for the 2nd image, except just colouring the little skirt. I cut around this skirt, added Dazzling Diamonds with a 2-Way Glue Pen & adhered to the main image with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This whole piece was then adhered to the piece of Pretty in Pink, then to the larger piece of Whisper White & finally to the Base Card using Snail Adhesive.

I stamped the sentiment onto another piece of scrap Whisper White Cardstock with Staz-On, punched with the Modern Label & adhered to a piece of Pretty in Pink, which I had punched using the Modern Label, cut down the middle & adhered to the Whisper White, so that I had a little piece of Pretty in Pink showing at both ends.

I adhered 2 Rhinestones to either end. These were coloured with a permanent marker.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Under the Big Top, Happy Moments (Retired)

Ink - Staz-On

Cardstock - Whisper White, Pretty in Pink

DSP - Pretty in Pink - 2009-2010

Punches - Modern Label

Ribbon - 1/2" Satin - Pretty in Pink

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, 2-Way Glue Pen, Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blender Pen,

SU! Markers - Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron

Until next time, Enjoy!

SSC 241...

2012-02-07T06:04:00.001+10:00

This is the card I created fo rthe new challenge over at Stamping 411. As soon as I saw this sketch, I knew what I wanted to use & how it should look when I finished. I wanted to try & create a shabby chic/vintage type card. I think I have succeeded in getting the results I had in my head.

As usual the operators have provided us with all the basic measurements - all the hard work has been done for us -

Measurements -
Base: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half at 4 1/4" - Very Vanilla
Layer 2: 4 x 5 1/4" - Soft Suede
Layer 3: 4" x 1 1/2" - DSP
Layer 4: 2 1/2" x 2 1/4" - DSP
Layer 5: 2 3/8" x 2 1/8" - Very Vanilla

I Heat Embossed my image onto the piece of Soft Suede using Versamark & Clear Embossing Powder.

Envelope & Inside Card...

I adhered the DSP to a piece of Pink Pirouette so that I didn't have the DSP straight onto the Soft Suede & to break the colours up a little. I think it looks pretty with the little bit of Pink Pirouette showing as a small edge. I then adhered this piece to the embossed piece using Snail Adhesive.

The Ribbon was adhered across the top part of the DSP & ends tucked under. The whole piece was then adhered to the Base Card - Very Vanilla using Snail Adhesive.

Stamping the image onto the small piece using Versamark & Soft Suede Inks, I Heat Embossed it. Using my Aqua Painter, I gently coloured the images with Pink Pirouette & Wild Wasabi Inks. I nearly left the leaves clear, but after looking at it for a little time, decided to go ahead & colour them. I like the little bit of green in the card!

Close Up of Clear Embossing & Flowers...

I applied Pearls to the centres of some of the flowers & adhered both pieces to the card as per the sketch. I found a couple of small Butterflies that were in my packet of Pink Pirouette already cut out, so I used them on the card. The large Butterfly was adhered with Multipurpose Glue & 2 small Pearls applied to the centre. The Butterflies had been cut using the Beatuiful Wings Embosslits Dies.

I stamped my sentiment direct onto a piece of Very Vanilla using my SU Marker - Soft Suede, punched with the Modern Label Punch, dabbed a little Pink Pirouette around the edges, adhered to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals & adhered the small butterfly to the sentiment. I applied 3 small Pearls to the punched piece - 1 in the centre of the Butterfly & 2 to replace the "o" in the words.

Lastly, I tied a bow & applied to the card with Mini Glue Dots.

When I saw this sketch, it is very similar to a scrapbook layout I have completed for a class I have this month, which I will post once the class is finished.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Elements of Style, A Word for You

Ink - Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede, Versamark, Wild Wasabi

Cardstock - Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

DSP - Beau Chateau

Embosslits Dies - Beautiful Wings

Punches - Modern Label

Ribbon - 1/2" Seam Binding - Very Vanilla

Accessories - Aqua Painter, Snail Adhesive, Heat Tool,

Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, SU Marker - Soft Suede

Until next time, Enjoy!

MC 94...

2012-02-06T21:00:00.000+10:00

I am in the middle of creating a couple of cards for my cousin, but as usual got a bit side tracked. Sometimes it is good to be do this, or so I tell myself, as it refreshes your mind.

I went in search of a challenge & thought I would have a go at the one over at A La Carte Monkey, one which I've never done before. Anyhow, this week it is all about Birthdays. We can never have enough Birthday Cards in our stash!

Measurements -

Base Card - Whisper White - 11 3/4" x 4 1/4" or 30cm x 10.5cn - Scored in the middle & folded in half

Layer 1 - Night of Navy - 5 3/4" x 4" or 14.5cm x 10cm

Layer 2 - DSP - 5 5/8" x 3 7/8" or 14cm x 9.5cm

Layer 3 - Night of Navy - 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" or 11.5cm x 9cm

Layer 4 - Whisper White - 4 3/8" x 3 3/8" or 11cm x 8.5cm

Envelope & Inside...

Using Staz-On Ink, I stamped my image 3 times onto the piece of Whisper White Cardstock. I wanted to fill the white space while at the same time, keep the white space, if that makes any sense.

Grabbing my Blender Pen & SU! Marker - Poppy Parade, I coloured parts of the sails, along with a small part of the boat. I drew a couple of birds with my Stampin' Write Journaler.

I adhered this piece to the smaller piece of Night of Navy, then to the DSP & finally to the larger piece of Night of Navy with Snail Adhesive. I adhered a piece of Ribbon down the Left Hand Side of the card, tied a knot & adhered the whole lot to the Base Card, again with Snail Adhesive.

My greeting was stamped onto a scrap of Whisper White using the Night of Navy SU! Marker and cut into the shape of a flag. I threaded a piece of Linen Thread through a button prior to adhering to the banner & finally to the card.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Seaworthy, Under the Big Top

Ink - Staz-On

Cardstock - Whisper White, Night of Navy

DSP - Poppy Parade

Ribbon - 1/4" Grosgrain - Night of Navy, Linen Thread

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Blender Pen, Stampin' Write Journaler

Non-SU - Button

Until next time, Happy Stampin'

TSSC206...

2012-02-05T12:34:00.001+10:00

...and for something totally different, but you will have to scroll down to the end to see that.......

Today I have sat myself down & created a coupl eof cards for different things..... I will post them over the next couple of days, so be sure to return to check them out.

This card was for the sketch over on Mary-Jo's blog. In fact a really easy sketch, but I will admit I did have a hard time with the 3 little boxes on the top of the sketch, so in the end I switched them to suit my card. I hope she doesn't mind, but one good thing about sketches is you can play with them to suit yourself, while at the same time not go too far outside the square, so to speak.

This was not the stamp set I had intended on using, but am happy with the result. I will put a senitment on when I go to use the card.

Measurements -
Base Card - Lucky Limeade - 8 1/4" x 4 1/8" or 21cm x 10.5cm - Scored in the middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 3/4" x 4" or 14.5cm x 10cm
Layer 2 - Calyspo Coral - 5 1/4" x 3 5/8" or 13.35cm x 9cm
Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 1/8" x 3 1/2" or 13cm x 8.5cm

Inside Card & Envelope...

I started my card by stamping random images onto the saller piece of Whisper White using Versamark Ink, poured Clear Embossing Powder over the whole lot, tapped off & Heat Embossed it. Once it was cool, I then grabbed some of the new "IN Colours" Inks of Lucky Limeade, Calyspo Coral & Pool Party, a sponge & sponged the inks randomly around the card until I thought it looked ok. I lightly wiped the excess ink off with a tissue.

This piece was layerd onto Calyspo Coral & a Ribbon tied across the centre, tucked the ends under, adhered to the 2nd piece of Whisper White & then finally to the Base Card - Lucky Limeade. I tied a bow which was adhered to the card with Mini Glue Dots.

Close Up of Embossed Leaves & Background...

For my 3 leaves up the top of the card, I stamped Versamark onto Calypso Coral & Lucky Limeade Cardstock, Heat Embossed using Clear Embossing Powder, cut around images & adhered to the card using Snail Adhesive & Stampin' Dimensionals.

Gosh, when I read the above, this card should of took me all of about 5 minutes, but in fact it took me about 2 hours, as I kept chopping & changing my mind.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - French Foliage

Inks - Versamark, Lucky Limeade, Calyspo Coral, Pool Party

Cardstock - Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Calyspo Coral

Ribbon - 3/8" Ruffled - Pool Party

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Heat Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals,

Sponge, Clear Embossing Powder

Now for that something different - THE MESS............................. I don't know about anyone esle, but for some reason I always find myself with this..... I suppose it would help to put things away after each card, but hey, that is way tooooooooooo easy!!!! Mind you, this is only AFTER 2 cards!!!!

Can you see the card I posted sitting on top, with another just poking out ????

Unti next time, Enjoy!

SC 026/12...

2012-02-05T07:39:00.001+10:00

I hope you will join us in this week's challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations. Along with the sketch we had to create a card with a Wedding Theme. Both Kiris & Shirley (who bought us the challenge this week) would love for you to pop over to see what they have created this week.

Now this worked perfectly for me, as I have a wedding to do in a couple of weeks, so I've created my card using their colours.

It is a very CAS (Clean & Simple) one, but i am happy with the final result!

Measurements -

Base Card - Not Quiet Navy - 11 3/4" x 4 1/8" or 30cm x 10.5cm - scored in the middle & folded in half

Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 3/8" x 3 7/8" or 13.5cm x 10cm

Layer 2 - Not Quiet Navy - 4 1/2" x 1 3/4" or 11.5cm x 4.5cm

The Not Quiet Navy piece was cut to a point in the middle of one end, about 3/4" or 2cm.

This piece & the Whisper White were run through the Bigshot using the Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots. Not Quiet Navy was adhered to the embossed piece of Whisper White prior to adhering to the Base Card - Not Quiet Navy using Multipurpose Glue.

I stamped my sentiment onto a scrap of Whisper White in Not Quiet Navy Ink, punched with the Oval Punch & adhered to a piece of Not Quiet Navy which had been punch using the Scallop Oval Punch. I adhered this to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

To add a bit of bling, I adhered a Pearl to the middle of the greeting.

Actually, this card would make a great Make & Take for a Beginners Class!

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Oval All

Ink - Not Quiet Navy

Cardstock - Not Quiet Navy, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots

Punches - Oval, Scallop Oval

Accessories - Bigshot, Multipurpose Glue, Basic Jewels - Pearls

Don't forget to create your card using the sketch provided, along with a Wedding Theme, post to your blog or on-line group or forum, add your link to Mr Linky & you could be our next Ray of Sunshine when it is announced on Saturday arvo.

Until next time, Enjoy!

Scrappy Saturday...

2012-02-04T12:08:00.000+10:00

Where does the time go? It only seems like yesterday that I was posting for last Saturday.

Today's topic is Storing Your DSP. I know everyone has their own way of storing their Cardstock, but this is the way that works best for me & hopefully will help you in sorting your DSP & storage issues, if you have any.

People store their DSP & Cardstock in a lot of different ways. I think it is best to do it the way you are most comfortable with & what suits you

As my space is limited, my A4 Cardstock is stored lying flat & in SU Colour Family. I have a couple of drawers that are made for A4 Cardstock & about 3 colours of each from the one family are stored in each drawer. On the front I have a small colour sample of each with the name written each colour. I know exactly what colour/s each drawer has & because this has been my system for years, I don’t even read the front any longer, just open.

12" x 12" Cardstock Drawers - LHS

My 12” x 12” Cardstock is stored in drawers where each drawer holds a Colour Family, including IN Colours. The Cardstock is not taken out of the plastic bag it comes in, but stays in there so that when I need a colour, I just pick up the whole pack & select the colour I want.

Nothing too fancy, but it does suit me & I have had this system for years.

I love my SU! DSP, although it does take me a little time to purchase some of it! It is stored completely different.

When I purchase a packet of DSP, I open it from the top & leave it in the plastic packet until such time as it there is none of it left. I find this works best for me as I am able to store my scraps inside, AND contain them… Who can toss out a scrap of DSP – NOT ME!!!!!. I also find that there aren’t any bent corners to contend with. Doing it this way, there is NO labelling involved!

Information Form...

When my DSP order has arrived & as I love to co-ordinate, I fill in all the information pertaining to the DSP onto a small form I have created & place in front of each pack of DSP. This way, I find I don’t have to keep going to the Idea Book & Catalogue to see what colours go with the DSP, what stamp sets match, dies, etc. It is all there for me….

It did take me some time to work this system out, but now that it has been refined to suit me, I love it!!!! I could easily just write the information on the back, but I sometimes take the thin piece of white card & use it on my projects.

This is especially helpful once the DSP has retired. All the information is there for you & stays with the pack when filed away for the new range of DSP, including the Catalogue, Year & Mini too!!!!!

All current DSP sits on top of the boxes that hold my retired DSP.

Retired DSP in their boxes with currect DSP sitting on top...

Retired DSP on the other hand is something entirely different.

Once a DSP has been retired, I grab the whole lot & store in 12” x 12” boxes for that year. I mark the boxes with the year & the matching Catalogue.

Storing DSP & Cardstock as above works for me and is taken me years to refine it. Believe me when I say I have just about tried everything, as has most of us. If there is a specific idea that I have seen & works for me, I will give credit where credit is due.

I hope this helps you a little on trying to sort out the way you store your papers & cardstock.

Okey Dokey, on with today's sketch & layout!

I took this sketch from a very old layout I had completed about 5 years ago. I love the simple, clean looks of the sketch, although it is open for a lot more. It is entirely up to yourself.

After seeing my photos, you will understand the reason for leaving my pages the way they are. Mind you, if I come across something that I think will suit the page, I will add them at a later stage. That is the great thing about scrapbooking, you can add later on!

Because I didn't want to change the colour of the photos, I decided to stick with the oh so very bright colours & try & work them into the pages, finally deciding to work with the colours of Avatar's costume - Bonnie! Please ignore the creases in the DSP. Since taking the photo, I managed to get the creases out by placing a pillow case over the page & ironing over the top of the creases.

The photos are of my nephew's 21st birthday last October. It was a Fancy Dress with the Theme being "Come as your favourite Hollywood Character or Star". Jess dressed as Peter Parker, ailais "Spiderman".

Once I created the first page, I thought it only proper that I do another page with a photo of his family.

As I stated above, the photos are so very bright that I left them blank intentionally & just embellished with a little bit of Ribbon & DSP.....

I really love the costumes my brother & sister-in-law wore - Mr & Mrs Potato Head. If only you knew Michael - it suits him to a "T"!!!!! Love It!!!!

Supplies -

Cardstock - Textured Pacific Point, Basic Black, Whisper White

DSP - Pink Flamingo 2009-2010

Ribbon - 1/4" Grosgrain - Pumpkin Pie, Real Red

Accessories - Snail Adhesive

Remember, Scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!!!

At Last....

2012-02-03T15:17:00.002+10:00

Where does the time go????? I have realised it is nearly a week since my last post !!!!

For our card this arvo, we used the Techinque - Crayon Resist. It doesn't matter how often I see this technique, I never seem to tire of it.

It is not my usual card, but I thought I would try & start using some of the colours that I don't usually go for & this being one of the combinations that just happened. The tutorial may be found on this post. The layout of the card has been around for sometime, but I wanted something easy to start off the new year!

Measurements -
Base Card - Tempting Turquoise Cardstock - 8 1/4" x 5 7/8" or 21cm x 15cm - Scored in middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Early Expresso Cardstock - 5 7/8" x 2 3/4" or 7cm x 15cm
Layer 2 - Glossy Cardstock - 5 7/8" x 2 1/2" or 7cm x 6cm

Inside...

I randomly stamped my images onto the Glossy Cardstock using Staz-On Ink & allowed to dry.

Using a White Wax Crayon, I randomly coloured around stamped areas that I wanted to keep white. I then grabbed my sponge, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Yellow & Regal Rose Inks, & sponged all over the card until such time I had all the white coloured & I was happy with the result. Once it was all dry, I buffed using a tissue.
I adhered the Glossy Card to the piece of Early Expresso Cardstock & tied a piece of Ribbon around the end. I stamped my greeting onto a scrap piece of Whisper White Cardstock in Early Expresso Ink, punched it out with my Decorative Label Punch. As I wanted to add a small border around the white, I punched 2 pieces of Early Expresso Cardstock with the same punch & cut both these pieces in half, one crossway & the other downways. I adhered 3 of the 4 pieces to the greeting piece.

I then adhered the top of the greeting to the back of the stamped flower piece prior to adhering to the card. I applied 3 Rhinestones to the bottom of the card.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - 5th Avenue Floral, Sincere Salutations

Ink - Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Early Expresso, Regal Rose, Staz-On

Cardstock - Tempting Turquoise, Early Expresso, Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight

Punches - Decorative Label

Ribbon - Organza - Whisper White

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Rhinestones, Sponge, Wax Crayons

Until next time, Enjoy!

SC 025/12...

2012-01-29T06:35:00.000+10:00

Sunday morning brings the start of a new challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations, so we hope you will join us this week.

It was my turn to bring the challenge this week & boy, did I have a hard time creating my card.... Along with the sketch, we have to use the colours of Pink Pirouette & Early Expresso.

Measurements -
Base Card - Early Expresso - 8 1/4" x 4 1/8" or 21cm x 10.5cm - Scored in the middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Pink Pirouette - 4" x 1 1/2" or 10cm x 3.5cm
Layer 2 3 4 - Pink Pirouette - 2 3/8" x 1 7/8" or 6cm x 4.8cm

I inked my wheel in Early Expresso Ink & run it down the long strip of Pink Pirouette before adhering to the Base Card - Early Expresso with Snail Adhesive.

I run 2 pieces of Pink Pirouette through the Bigshot using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder & adhered 1 piece to the bottom & 1 piece to the top of the Base Card.

For the middle piece, I inked another wheel in Early Expresso Ink & run it over the 3rd piece of Pink Pirouette & adhered to the Base Card with Snail Adhesive.

I stamped my stentiment onto Whisper White using Early Expresso Ink, run it through the Bigshot using the Ovals Die, sponged Early Expresso around the edge, stamped the flower image over the top before adhering to the Base Card with Stampin' Dimensionals. I am not sure if I like the effect of the oval edge, but I suppose it will grow on me!

I stamped 1 large flower & 1 small flower onto Whisper White with Early Expresso Ink, cut around both flowers, adhered the small to the large flower with Stampin Dimensionals & then to the Card, again with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I appied a Basic Pearl to the centre of the flower

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Vintage Vogue, Well Scripted

Ink - Pink Pirouette, Early Expresso

Cardstock - Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Early Expresso

Dies - Ovals

Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots

Wheels - Very Vintage, Friendly Words

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearls, Bigshot

Don't forget to visit Sunny Challenges & Creationsto check out the cards Kris & Shirley have created.

Until next time, Enjoy!

Scrappy Saturday....

2012-01-28T08:35:00.000+10:00

Today we are going to talk about Scrapbooking with Stamps.

Most of us love how stamps & love stamping. So why not combine the 2? Using your stamps on your scrapbook pages to complete your layouts – gives you a much wider range of choice & options.

Backgrounds –
By using a single stamp or multiple stamps from a set or coordinating sets, you will be surprised by the totally different look to your page. Don’t stop there! Use colored inks, Versa-mark, same ink as your cardstock which will give you a soft muted background.

Borders -
By using a single stamp or multiple stamps from a set, you can create a border for your whole page or as an embellishment on its own.

Embellishments –
I love to use my stamps for single images. I often cut them out, emboss & adhere to the page individually or by grouping them. Add Brads, Buttons, Ribbon, etc to your page or to your cut out images. It will not only create more interest, but add dimension to your page.

Journaling –
I am always using my Stampin’ Write Marker – I would be lost without it! Some people love to write their feelings, memories, etc with the photo they have scrapped, while others will only add the place, date, year. It is up to the individual, but just think of those looking through your album in future years. It is entirely up to you, but use a good Marker. Another way is to type the story on your pc print out & add to your layout.

Theme Pages –
Stampin’ UP! have the best combination of products I have ever come across. All the guess work has been taken of for you. By using their DSP, matching stamp sets, embellishments, you will have a themed page finished before you know it. As previously mentioned last week, some people like to do a complete themed album. This is the perfect way to create that sort of album!

Titles, Captions & Letters -
For my Titles, etc I like to make use of a whole lot different embellishments, stamps, etc. It gives your layout another element, as well as creating something truly unique for your layout. Use of alphabet stamps, buttons, punches, phrases, etc are just some of the embellishments you can use. Give it a go! I guarantee you will love it! Use of Monograms is another option you may want to go. Highlight the first letter of the word to convey the message, eg Smile… Don’t stop there, highlight different letters in the word.

Wheels –

These are fantastic to complete your page, but an item which is sometimes forgotten. Next time you want to complete a page, dig out that dusty box which has all your wheels in it & put them to your page. Great for a background or to create DSP! Match the stamp set with your wheel your page is nearly done for you even before you put anything on paper! Ink your wheels with colored inks, Versa-mark, same ink as your cardstock which will give you a soft muted background.

Have fun experimenting & playing. You will surprise yourself as to how your pagr will turn out!

Now onto today's page.

I played with these photos of my niece, Bonnie & her cousin Brooke. As I really like the effect of the photos, I created the pages so as not to take away from the photos.

For both pages, I have pretty much stuck to the sketch.

I did add a little bit of Pink Pirouette ss a colour & at first I was a little hesitant as to whether I liked it & if it would stay, but after looking at it for awhile, I have come to like it. In fact, the lights on the ceiling are a little pink, which is where I got the colour from in the first place - am not sure if you can see them!

So, me being me, I had to create the 2nd page to match the 1st, but I did rotate the sketch.

My journalling I typed using my PC & printed onto Very Vanilla Cardstock before punching out with the Decorative Label Punch. I also did one in label in Basic Black, cut down the middle & used for both captions.

The "Girls Night Out" & "Best Friends" was also created on the PC & printed direct onto the Cardstock. I used different fonts...

Supplies -

Cardstock - Textured Pink Pirouette, Textured Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Basic Black

DSP - Timeless Portrait

Ribbon - 5/8" Satin - Basic Black

Punches - Decorative Label

Accessories - Snail Adhesive

Non-SU - Pearls

Remember, Scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!!!!!

Sailing Away....

2012-01-27T14:41:00.004+10:00

With the rainy weather we are having in South East Queensland & the Sunshine Coast, this card is very appropriate, as we will all soon need the boats out to get around. I love it as it keeps the humidity down!

Inside...

Our class today at Crafty Creations was to create a male card. These cards can sometimes prove the most difficult to make, but this one come together quiet easy. In fact, I was really surprised at how it all came together. I love the final result!

Measurements -

Base Card - Night of Navy - 8 1/4" x 5 7/8" or 21cm x 15cm - Scored in the middle & folded in half

Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 3/4" x 4" or 14.5cm x 10cm

Layer 2 - Riding Hood Red - 3" x 4" or 7.5cm x 10cm

Layer 3 - DSP - 2 7/8" x 4" or 7cm x 10cm

Layer 4 - Riding Hood Red - 3 5/8" x 3 1/8" or 9cm x 8cm

Layer 5 - Whisper White - 3 1/2" x 3" or 8.5cm x 7.5cm

I wanted the card to be Navy & White mostly, with just a touch of Red showing.

I adhered the DSP to the piece of Riding Hood Red leaving just a small amount of the red showing at the top. This was then adhered to the piece of Whisper White prior to adhering to the Base Card - Night of Navy using Snail Adhesive.

Envelope...

I stamped the image onto Whisper White using Staz-On, allowed to dry & using my Blender Pen & SU Marker - Riding Hood Red, I coloured a little of the sails. This piece was then adhered to Riding Hood Red using Snail Adhesive, before adhering to the Base Card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I stamped my sentiment onto Whisper White using Night of Navy Ink, punched with the small Oval Punch, adhered to a punched piece of Riding Hood Red which had been punched with the Large Oval Punch & then adhered to the bottom of the card with Snail Adhesive.

I love the whole look of this card!

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Short & Sweet, Sail Away (Retired)

Ink - Staz-On, Night of Navy

Cardstock - Whisper White, Night of Navy, Riding Hood Red

DSP - 2010-2011 In Colours

Punches - Oval, Large Oval

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Blender Pen,

SU Markers - Riding Hood Red, Stampin' Dimensionals

Until next time, Enjoy!

Page 7...

2012-01-25T13:45:00.000+10:00

Wow! It seems such a long way to go before I hit 150 pages, but I am determined to get there.

With having an hour or so spare this morning & taking a small break between jobs, thought I would scrap these 2 photos of my nieces.

Tip -
When scrapping your photos, don't forget there is nothing to say that you can't use the same photo on the one page. I haven't done this on this page, but the photos are so similar that you would think they are.

I thought about changing these photos to back & white, but decided to give myself a bit of a challenge & went with the colours in Dannielle's dress to complete my page.

I tore down 2 sides of the Pumpkin Pie Cardstock & along the top of the DSP prior to adhering both pieces to the Basic Black Cardstock. To match the embossed DSP, I decided to emboss all my flowers. The larger ones were adhered to the page with Stampin' Dimensionals, while the 3 smaller flowers were heat embossed direct onto the DSP. Don't be scared to try different things when scrappin'. I oloured a couple of Rhinestones using a Black & Orange Permanent Markers. The smaller Rhinestones I used Clear Rhinestones.

The stamp set I used had the word "Cherish" in it, so I typed the dictionary meaning onto a scrap of Whisper White, printed it out & adhered to the page sideways.

The same word was stamped onto another scrap of Whisper White, heat embossed, punched & layered onto a punched pieced of Basic Black. I adhered it over the top of the ribbon with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Baroque Motifs

Ink - Versamark, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black

Cardstock - Textured Basic Black, Textured Punpkin Pie, Whisper White

DSP - Sweet & Sour Speciality (Retired)

Ribbon - 1/2" Stitched Poly - Pear Pizzazz

Punches - Large Oval, Scallop Oval

Accessories - Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive,

Heat Tool, Embossing Powder - Clear

Remember, Scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!!!!

SC 024/12...

2012-01-22T07:20:00.007+10:00

What a great challenge Kris has provided us with this week. Along with the sketch, we had to use the stamp set "Under the Big Top". For those of us that attended Regionals, this is the set we received FREE!!!!!

I decided to make the card for my little cousin, Kate, who is in hospital having her tonsils out & is very angry at the Doctors for what they did to her. All she wanted was her "Mummy" & poor ol' "Pappy" was so upset that Kate didn't want anything to do with him!!!! Isn't that always the way????

I used a lot of pretty colours which I thought a 4 year old would like, including colours that I have not used for so long.

Measurements -
Base Card - Whisper White - 8 1/4" x 4 1/8" or 21cm x 10.5cm - Scored in the middled & folded in half
Layer 1 - Pretty in Pink - 5 3/8" x 3 1/2" or 13.5cm x 9cm
Layer 2 - Whisper White - 3 1/2" x 1 1/2" or 9cm x 4cm
Layer 3 - Bashful Blue - 3 3/8" x 1 3/8" or 8.5cm x 3.5cm
Layer 4 - Whisper White - 3 3/4" x 1 1/2" or 9.5cm x 4cm
Layer 5 - Certainly Celery - 3 5/8" x 1 3/8" or 9cm x 3.5cm

I run Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue & Certainly Celery pieces of Cardstock through the Bigshot using the Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots. Pretty in Pink was adhered to the Base Card - Whisper White, Bashful Blue & Certainly Celery were both adhered to the corresponding pieces of Whisper White & adhered to Pretty in Pink using Multipurpose Glue.

I stamped the image with Staz-On onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock twice, allowed to dry, before colouring using my Stampin' Up! Markers & Blender Pen. I repeated again for the second image except colouring the skirt only, cut out & put aside.

I punched the image using the 1 3/4" Circle Punch, adhered to a piece of Melon Mambo Cardstock which had been punched with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch & adhered to the Base Card.

I adhered the second skirt to the top of the image with Stampin' Dimensionals & added little dots to the scallops of the Scallop Punch with my White Gel Pen. Since the photo was taken, I also added Dazzling Diamonds to the top of the sirt with 2-Way Glue Pen. What little girl doesn't love a bit of glitter? What big girl doesn't????

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Under the Big Top, So Happy for You

Ink - Staz-On, Certainly Celery

Cardstock - Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue

Punches - 1 3/8" Circle, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle

Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots

Accessories - Dazzling Diamonds - Stampin' Markers - Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Basic Gray,

So Saffron, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Glue, 2-Way Glue, Blender Pen, White Gel Pen

Pop on over to Sunny Challenges & Creations to check out what Kris & Shirley have created. Why not play along, you could be the next Ray of Sunshine

Until next time, have fun Stampin'

Scrappy Saturday....

2012-01-21T08:19:00.000+10:00

Great news - I am actually posting this on time & the right day!!!!

Today, we will discuss tips on how to organise your photos. These are my tips & how I like to organise my photos - everyone is different & you have to find the right system which suit you.

Organising your Photos –

The experts will always tell you to start from the most current event. This way it will be much easier & you will not feel so overwhelmed with all the photos in front of you. I am no expert by a longshot, but do agree with this.

I have what I call “A Working Album”. This is an album where I have my photos, papers, embellishments, etc altogether in a 12” x 12” plastic sleeve, including a rough sketch layout, so that when I am ready to scrap this page, it is all there for me. If I am using stamps to complete my page, I just scribble the name of the stamp set on the sketch page. Once this page is completed, I then transfer it to my current album in order that the event occurred.
It may sound like a lot of work & double handling, but this system works great for me. Everyone is different & eventually you will have a system which works for you.

I also keep a photo album & put ALL my photos in this album. It is in date order. I do not have separate albums for separate events, etc, although a lot of scrappers do this. I often go through my albums & select a couple of good ones that I think would look nice scrapped. I either enlarge these photos or play with them until I am happy with the size I want to use on a page. These are the photos that go onto a scrapbook pages & then into Scrapbook Albums.

Another way I have heard & seen people do is to sort photos into groups & store them in envelopes. I would then write on the front of the envelope everything about the photos & may even include a start of a layout if you wanted. I would then put these envelopes into a box & mark the box “Photos ready to be scrapped”. I used to do this with my negatives, when we had negatives.

Mind you, after not doing any for a couple of years, it was great to go back to my photos & find them all sorted with either all the information I needed to complete the page or even bits of what was ideas forming. All I have to do is follow through on my ideas.

I even found layouts completed just waiting to have the right photo added to the page. I don't do it this way very often as I like to scrap to suit my photos. In saying that, I do know of a lot of friends who scrap pages they have seen or have done in a class, but I am always wondering if they ever do complete their pages with their photos or are they just sitting in their albums never to be used!!!!

Beginners –
If you are just beginning, I would pick a few photos of a recent event, eg birthday party, wedding, picnic, beach, fishing, kids, etc. The photos you select should be enough to finish 1 or 2 pages. Please remember that you do not have to scrap ALL the photos, only the ones that you want. You can always rearrange your pages at a later date. Don’t feel overwhelmed, take it slow until such time as you feel you can do more.

Special Occasion –
If you have decided that you are going to do an album for a milestone or gift, eg 50th birthday, 25th wedding anniversary, etc collect a group of photos to start with. For this sort of album, they would be best in order, although again you don’t have to scrap them in order. A good starting point is about 30-40 photos remembering that the album will be double-sided.

My introduction into scrapbooking was a 50th Birthday present & boy did I dive in the deep end! Even though I had only selected a couple of photos from what I thought were important events in the person’s life, it didn’t help that the person had done so much in the 50 years. What started as 1 album turned into 2 & then 3. I stopped at 3!!!!!! That was having 1 or 2 photos of each big event! I must say at the end of the 18 months, yep 18 months, & after presenting it to the person, I was very happy with the albums, received a lot of lovely comments, but more importantly the person was over the moon with it.

That began my scrapbooking journey!

Since then, I have completed another album for a 50th Wedding Anniversary, numerous albums for different people, including many for myself.

I hope the above information is of help in some way to you.

Now on with today's sketch & page......

I found a lot of old sketches I had drawn up in an old torn, ripped notedbook which had been packed in a box & out of sight. I don't even remember doing any of them but thought they would be great to use before being tossed out.

Don't forget, when looking for inspiration, go back through your albums, dig out a layout you really like & reuse, reuse, reuse!!!! You will be amazed at the difference between the 2 when using new papers, embellishments, stamps, ribbon, etc.

Again this sketch is fairly basic, but it is a good place to start. Once you know your basic layout & where your photos will go, then it is just a matter of selecting colours, DSP & embellishments to finish your page.

For my page, I went with all the colours in the photos, even though maybe just hints of the colours. I didn't even consider the colour of the dog - which I just realised but palyed a major factor in the "white" - haha. For my embellishments, I took the vase of shells on the table that can be seen in one of the photos.

For my journaling, I just typed it on my PC & printed out!

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Seaside (Retired)

Ink - Crumb Cake

Cardstock - Textured Garden Green, Pear Pizzazz, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

DSP - Afternoon Tea (Retired)

Accessories - Snail Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Chalks

Remember, Scrapbooking is mean to be FUN!!!!!

Just Believe....

2012-01-17T17:47:00.001+10:00

...is such a great stamp set & I find myself going to it constantly that I sometimes have to stop & grab another.

It is so long since I created a card for a challenge that I thought I would try the challenge over at Stampin' Up! Only. This site is where you have to use SU! products only on your creations. This week the challenge is to use a Technique that you use infrequently. I don't do nearly enough techniques on my cards, so this is the perfect opportunity to try!

Knowing what I had to create on my card, I then went in search of a sketch. What better place to start than Mary Jo's. This is the first of her sketches for the year.

For my card I choose the Technique - Faux Silk!

Measurements -
Base Card - Calyspo Coral - 11 5/8" x 4 1/8" or 30cm x 10.5cm - Scored & Folded in the middle
Layer 1 - Whisper White - 5 5/8" x 4" or 14.5cm x 10cm
Layer 2 - DSP - 5 1/2" x 3 7/8" or 14cm x 9.5cm
Layer 3 x 2 - Calyspo Coral - 3 1/2" x 2" or 9cm x 5cm
Layer 4 x 2 - Whisper White - 3 3/8" x 1 7/8" or 8.5cm x 4.5cm
Layer 5 - Calyspo Coral - 5 3/4" x 3/4" or 14.5cm x 2cm
Layer 6 - Whisper White - 5 5/8" x 5/8" or 14cm x 1.5cm

I adhered the DSP to the piece of Whisper White Cardstock & then to the Base Card - Calyspo Coral using Snail Adhesive.

Envelope & Inside...

After stamping my image onto Tissue Paper using Pear Pizzazz Ink, let dry & scrunched the tissue, adhered it to a piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Anywhere Glue. I adhered this piece to the 2 pieces of Calyspo Coral Cardstock before adhering to the Base Card.

I stamped my sentiment onto the piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Pear Pizzazz Ink and adhered to the long piece of Calyspo Coral prior to adhering to the card.

I punched 3 flowers in Calyspo Coral Cardstock using the Boho Punch & adhered to the card. Pearls were applied to the centre as well as to some of the images.

I tied a bow & adhered to the card.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Just Believe, A Word for You

Ink - Pear Pizzazz

Cardstock - Calyspo Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

DSP - In Colours

Punches - Boho

Ribbon - 3/8" Ruffled - Lucky Limeade

Accessories - Anywhere Glue, Snail Adhesive, Pearls

Non-SU - Tissue Paper

Until next time Enjoy!

Pages 4 & 5...

2012-01-15T08:08:00.002+10:00

One of the pages is using the layout sketch from yesterday.

The great thing about layouts is you are able to use them as a base & then give your take on it.

My photos are of my niece & her finace getting their Engagement Photos taken. I have previously completed a couple of pages of the same day, but instead of doing them all the same, I wanted to create different layouts using different colours, DSP & Embellishments. I think it gives each page an individual look. Everyone is different as some would prefer them to be all the same as it was the same event & same location, etc.....

I have tried to pick up the blue in the poles, the colour of the cement & the coloured panel in the building.

As the photos have been taken in sequence, I thought it a good idea to have a couple of the photos on the same page. This way you are able to see them in order!!!!

I think they are great photos & show them having a lot of fun. I don't know about the look on Dannielle's face as I am sure she would be letting Chris know not to drop her or else!!!!!

Again, I've used no stamps, although I am going to have to amend this, as I like my stamps to be involved in my scrapbooking.

Supplies -

Cardstock - Textured Baja Blue, Riding Hood Red

DSP - Timeless Portrait, Designer Series Paper Stacks - Neutrals Collection

Punches - Eyelet Border

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Basic Pearls, Flowers

Non-SU - Flowers

Remember, Scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!!!!!!

SC 023/12....

2012-01-15T06:12:00.001+10:00

Our challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations this week is to create a card, scrapbook page, 3-D Item, etc with a "Love" or "Valentine" Theme. Be sure to head over to see what both Kris & Shirley - who is our Guest Designer fo rthe next couple of weeks, while Gwen takes a little time off.

It seems like forever since I created a card as I have been enjoying my scrapbooking. I hope you have too!

This proved more difficult than I thought it would for me, but I think I got there in the end. I elected to go with non-traditional colours, although in the end I did throw a bit of red (Riding Hood Red) into the card. I wanted to create a card which would maybe suit a male without being too "pretty"!

Measurements -
Base Card - Early Expresso Cardstock - 8 1/4" x 4 1/8" or 21cm x 10.5cm Scored in middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Vanilla Vanilla Cardstock - 5 5/8" x 4" or 14cm x 10cm
Layer 2 - Early Expresso Cardstock - 4" x 3 1/2" or 10cm x 9cm
Layer 3 - Very Vanilla Cardstock - 3 7/8" x 3 3/8"

I layered my piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock onto my Base Card - Early Expresso, using Snail Adhesive.

I run the smaller piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock through the Bigshot using Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots & adhered to the piece of Early Expresso Cardstock.

I stamped 2 images onto a scrap piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock using Riding Hood Red, adhered one to the embossed piece with Multipurpose Glue, while the top heart was "popped" with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I tied a piece of Ribbon across the bottom of the 2 pieces prior to adhering to the Base Card with Snail Adhesive.

I stamped my sentiment direct onto the Base Card with Riding Hood Ink.

Supplies -
Stamp Set - I {Heart} Hearts, Well Scripted
Ink - Riding Hood Red
Cardstock - Early Expresso, Very Vanilla
Ribbon - 3/8" Taffeta - Riding Hood Red
Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots
Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Bigshot, Multipurpose Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Until next time, Enjoy!

Scrappy Saturday...

2012-01-14T20:38:00.000+10:00

This is today's scketch - another easy one!!!!! As it is now too dark for a photo to be taken of the page I did, it will be posted tomorrow. So be sure to head on back to check it out!

Today I am going to share with you the Tools that I find are a Must Have to do any sort of craft, whether it be for Scrapbooking or Cardmaking.

So you haven't done any scrapbooking before?
How do I start?
What do I need?
It is too expensive to purchase all the products & supplies

Yes, it can be overwhelming....  Over the next couple of weeks, I will try to answer a few of the questions people ask all the time & are always shocked by the answers.

I've coplied a little bit of a list to help you along your way. Mind you, if you are a crafter, cardmaker, etc, you will find that you have most of the "Must Have" stuff anyhow. In fact, you will be surprised at how much "stuff" you will have & then forgotten about!

Basics -
Paper Trimmer - A great investment & a necessry "must have". Scissors are grea, BUT over time, you will discover that Paper Trimmers will save you heaps of time, cut much straighter AND faster. Always ensure your Trimmer has an extendable arm as this is great for 12" x 12" Cardstock or DSP (Designer Series Paper).   I always say to my customers, invest in good quality tools & you will have them for life!!!!

Adhesives/Glues - Ensure they are salways "Acid Free". This means that your photos will not discolour over time. A great example are the old albums we all had when we were kids with the plastic film over the photos. Remember how the film peeled & how your photos turned yellow over time. If you use "Acid Free" adhesives & glues, this will not happen.   You will find so many different adhesives, glues, etc out there that it can sometimes be confusing. I know I get confused by choice we have, but I tend to stick to a couple of different ones that I use time & time again.

Snail Adhesive - Glides over the page, just like White Out! They come in Disposable or Refillble. Stampin' Up! have a fantastic one, which is refillable.

Multipurpose Liquid Glue - Temporary or Permanent. Dual Tipped - small amounts using the small tip or larger amounts using the larger tip. Excellent for adhering DSP to Chipboard, Stampin' Glitter to surfaces, Flowers, Buttons, etc.

Stampin' Dimensionals - Double-sided, self-adhesive foam mounts. These little things are excellent for layering or giving that 3-D effect, eg making greetings stand out, attaching Bow, Tags, etc.

Scissors - A great pair of scissors is a necessity. Please do not skimp on this or you will be cursing every time you use them. Fine tip is a good idea, especially for detailed cutting. I have 1 pair for paper only, 1 for stamps, adhesives, etc while my Ribbon Scissors is just that - Ribbon Only!!!!

Embellishments - Ribbons, Flowers, Brads, Stickers, Rub-Ons, etc. Please remember to use all your embellishments before purchasing more. You will be surprised at how much you have in your "stuff".

Journaling Pen - Ensure your pen is always Acid Free. There are all sorts around on the market & come in so many different colours that it is mind-blowing..... If I don't type my journaling on the computer, I use my Stampin' Write Journaler.

Albums - Come in 12" x 12", 8 1/2" x 11", 8" x 8" or 6" x 6". Majority of DSP come in 12" x 12". The size you like to scrap is a personal choice. I like to do the 12" x 12", although I have done & do do
8 1/2" x 11". Best bet is to think how many photos you have to scrap & then make the decision based on that. Do you like to have multiple photos on one page? Maybe you only have a few to scrap? Then a smaller size would suit you better.   Remember, most scrapbooks are expandable, with refills pages available. There are also different types of albums, most popular being Post Bound & Ring Bound. Post Bound are held together with screw posts. When purchasing refills, the post extenders do come with the refills. Ring Bound are 3 ring bider style albums. I must admit I use both, but much prefer the Ring Bound.
Cardstock - Comes in Cardstock & DSP. Cardstock is your single colour card & is thicker than DSP, Textured or Smooth. DSP is just that - Pattern Paper. It is either single or double sided. SU! DSP is all double-sided - better value for money!
Please remember this information is purely my opinion. Everyone is different & I am sure there are people out there thinking I have left items off the list or put too much on, but it is only the basic tools which I find helpful & which I use every time.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow to check out how I created my page using the sketch provided. Why not have a go yourself! Not into scrapbooking, then create a card using the same sketch.

Remember, scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!!!!

Sydney Trip....

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000+10:00

I've decided that one my main goals this year is to scrap 150 pages..... I know, it does sound like a heap of pages, but I think with a bit of determination & planning it is achieveable. When you break it down it is about 2 a week, maybe 3 some weeks, so I should be able to reach it!!!!

Anyhow, on with Scrappy Saturday which is not happening on a Saturday..... Will have to fix that this week!

I took my layout for this sketch from a past mini-catalogue - see they are still good for lots of ideas once they promotion has finished. I've also created a sketch for you to have a try.

I decided to pick up the little bit of red in the photo - you can just see it in the dress & the light above Bonnie's head. The rest of the layout, I kept it with the colours in the photo - black & white.

I printed the little bit of journalling onto Whisper White Cardstock, printed it out & run it through the Bigshot with the Embossing Folder - Framed Tulips. Now this folder I was not too keen on before I used it, so it has sat in my box since my purchasing it. I have completely changed my mind now & you will be seeing a lot more of this folder!!!!

After printing my photo, I kept a small white border before matting it onto Real Red Textured Cardstock. I stamped my image direct onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock using Basic Black Ink. This image was meant to be embossed, but completed forgot about it until I finished the layout. Oh well, next time hey.

I adhered both pieces of Whisper White - stamped image & the journalling piece onto the Real Red Cardstock, cut a small piece of DSP, tore the edges & adhered between the 2 pieces of Whisper White.

I adhered the Ribbon down the middle, tucked the ends under, tied a knot & adhered to Basic Black Textured Cardstock.

I stamped 5 small flowers using the Flower Punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, 2 in Whisper White, 3 in DSP. These were randomly adhered to the page & Pearls adhered to the middle, as well as to the stamped images.

Another easy layout for you to try.

Tip -
Don't be afraid to tear your DSP for cards or scrapbooking. It gives such a lovely look to your creation
Use your retired DSP for your scrapbook pages

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Just Believe

Ink - Basic Black

Cardstock - Whisper White, Real Red Textured, Basic Black Textured

DSP - Retired

Embossing Folder - Framed Tulips

Ribbon - 3/8" Taffeta - Basic Black

Punches - Itty Bitty Shapes

Accessories - 2-Way Glue, Snail Adhesive, Pearls

Non-SU - Black Pearls

Until next time, Enjoy!

SC 022/12...

2012-01-08T09:54:00.000+10:00

My brother's brithday card has turned into a female card!!!!! When selecting my stamps, I accidently picked the stamp set on my desk. This will teach me to put my stuff away after I finish using them..... Ummmm back to the drawing board for him.

The card is for the current challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations, so why not hop over & see what Kris & Gwen have created using the current sketch & Theme "Celebrations". Yep, this is really easy - all sorts of celebrations pop into my head, including weddings, birthdays, engagements, christenings, the list goes on. We would love for you to join us this year.....

Now only did I select the wrong stamp set, but after completing my card, I discovered I had done it upside down & back to front..... Yep, always check the direction of your card PRIOR to adhering your layers.... Anyhow, not to be beaten, I cut the Very Vanilla Cardstock around the edge so that only Riding Hood Red was showing & created another base!!!!!!

As for the colours, you ask...... I grabbed my trusty Colour Coach for this sketch, starting with what was Riding Hood Red & the combinations for that. I have just finished creating the card & looked at the Colour Coach again, only to discover I had been going by Riding Hood Red AND Cherry Cobbler.....

You know the olnly saying - "things come in 3's"............

Measurements -
Base Card - Very Vanilla Cardstock - 11 7/8" x 4 1/4" or 30cm x 10.5cm - Scored in the middle & folded in half
Layer 1 - Riding Hood Red Cardstock - 5 5/8" x 3 7/8" or 14cm x 10cm
Layer 2 - Soft Suede Cardstock - 5 3/8" x 3 3/4" or 13.5cm x 9.5cm

The Riding Hood Red Cardstock was adhered to the Base Card - Very Vanilla using Snail Adhesive.

Inside & Envelope...

I run the piece of Soft Suede Cardstock through the Bigshot using Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots. I cut a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock about 5 3/8" long x 3/8" wide, adhered it to the top of the embossed piece & adhered the piece of Riding Hood Red Ribbon along the middle, tucking ends under prior to adhering to the Base Card.

For my Ribbon, I dyed a piece of Whisper White Grosgrain using Riding Hood Red Ink & Sponge. This was set aside to dry prior to adhering to the thing piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock.

For the larger circle, I run the Circles #2 Die through the Bigshot & again using the Embossing Folder - Square Lattice. This was adhered to the card with Multipurpose Glue.

I cut a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock from the Circles #2 Die, stamped one image in Soft Sude Ink, one in Early Expresso Ink, while the last in Basic Gray, which was stamped off prior to stamping onto the Very Vanilla Cardstock. This is where I couldn't understand why I was using Basic Gray all of a sudden. Answer - I was on the colour selection of Cherry Cobbler!!!!

I stamped an extra image onto a scrap of Very Vanilla Cardstock using Riding Hood Red & Early Expresso SU Marker. Dazzling Diamonds was applied to the centre with 2-Way Glue prior to adhering over top of one of the images with Stampin' Dimensionals. The whole piece was adhered to the embossed circle with Multipurpose Glue.

My sentiment was stamped onto a scrap piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock with Riding Hood Red & punched using the Modern Label Punch. Don't you love it when all the stamps match the punches????

Now for a card full of errors & mistakes, I think it come up ok!!!! Miracles do happen!!!!

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Friends Never Fade

Ink - Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Early Expresso, Basic Gray

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede

Ribbon - 1/4: Grosgrain - Whisper White

Punches - Modern Label

Dies - Circles # 2

Embossing Folders - Perfect Polka Dots, Square Lattice

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue,

Multipurpose Liquid Glue, SU Markers, Sponge

Until next time, Enjoy!

Another Niece....

2012-01-05T00:49:00.003+10:00

Are you sick of my scrapbooking yet???? As I previously stated, I am loving getting back into my photos... so many that I had forgotten, so many that bring back memories - happy & sad!!!!!

For this layout, I went into my albums to find inspiration. It is always a great source of inspiration to go looking at your old pages for ideas. All you have to do is revamp with newer papers, cardstock & embellishments. Believe me, you will think they are completely different layouts!

I do a lot of colour-blocking for my pages and for this one I used retired DSP, although it is from the same pack. After SU retires its papers, you think that they could not possibly bring out nicer DSP, but how wrong you are. Each year, the DSP is just as great or better than the previous year.

I wanted to keep with the greys, as in Bonnie's cardigan while at the same time pick up the little bit of cream/yellow/lemon on the temple walls. I think I succeeded without going over the top! This is of Bon on her big school trip to Sydney!!!!!

With colour-blocking, you don't have to use a lot of embellishments. I kept this page to a minimum, only going with ribbon & the metal tag....

For what looks like a 5 minute page, it did actually take me about an hour.... I know, I like to play with this & that, try my papers this way & that until I feel that I have captured the photo.

Supplies -

Cardstock - Textured Riding Hood Red, Whisper White

DSP - Walk in the Park

Ribbon - 3/8" Taffeta - Riding Hood Red

Accessories - Snail Adhesive, Sticky Strip, SU Marker - Basic Black

Non-SU - Metal Tag

Until next time, Enjoy!

Happy New Year...

2012-01-02T10:05:00.000+10:00

I hope you all had a great new year & didn't celebrate too much!!!! I had a very quiet one & didn't even see the new year in!

After some thinking, toing & froing, I have decided to start "Scrappy Saturday" once again. I do realise I am a little late in posting this one. I have been busy doing their wedding invitations.

It has been so long since I did this, that I thought it would be a great way for me to get into my scraping again & who knows may even give you some incentive to start your journey too......

Along with a sketch each Saturday & my take on it, I will be offering some tips, techniques, storage ideas both for albums, photos, etc along the way. Hey, every little bit helps!!!!!!

Again I've used a photo of my niece & her finance.... I have so many lovely photos of their pre-engagement that it just seems a waste not to put them into a lovely album. You will probably be sick of looking at them by the time I am through, but I will try & mix them up a little.

I used Crumb Cake Textured Cardstock for my base, layered a piece of DSP to the top half with a piece of Riding Hood Ribbon across the join.

I matted a piece of DSP onto a piece Garden Green Cardtsock, then to a piece of Riding Hood Red Cardstock before adhering to the Layout.

I decided not to matt the photo, but left a small trim of the photo paper around to make a small edge. In real life, it looks like it has been matted onto Whisper White. It gives a little bit of a different look & also introduces a little white into the layout as Dannii has her white dress.

I cut 2 long thin strips of DSP, adhered them to the layout.

I stamped the images onto Watercolour Paper with Staz-On & using my Aqua Painter, coloured one with Pretty in Pink & Regal Rose, while the other is So Saffron. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds with 2-Way Glue to both centres. These images were cut out & adhered to the page with Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the leaf, I again coloured with my Aqua Painter & Garden Green Ink, before cutting around the image & adhering to the layout with Multipurpose Glue.

The wording is from from stash before Stampin' Up!

While cleaning up, I have come across albums of "Stuff" which I have not used in years, so this will be a great opportunity to use it. You will also be seeing some retired DSP - I thought it a good way to use it up, as I don't use it for classes or workshops.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Growing Green

Ink - Staz-On, Garden Green, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink

Cardstock - Textured Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Riding Hood Red, Watercolour Paper

DSP - Woodland Park (Retired)

Ribbon - 5/8" Grosgrain Striped - Riding Hood Red (Retired)

Accessories - 2-Way Glue, Multipurpose Glue, Snail Adhesive,

Dazzling Diamonds, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals

Non-SU - Rub-On

This layout also fits the current challenge over at Sunny Challenges & Creations.... to create anything but a Christmas Theme. Why not give it a try. You have until Saturday arvo!

Until next time, Enjoy!

Amber...

2011-12-31T01:43:00.002+10:00

I hope you are not getting tired of my scrapbook pages, but I am really enjoying getting back into it again. It certainly helps when you have been supplied with beautiful photos to work with.

This photo was taken by my niece, Dannielle. It is of her twin sister "Amber". It is such a beautiful photo which captures her to a "T", that I had to put it to paper!

I don't usually copy layouts, but liked this one so much that I did copy the majority of it, but then started doing my own thing to finish it off. I've taken the layout from the current Catalogue 2011-2012, Page 102. That is the great thing about Stampin' Up! Catalogues. Not only are they full of products, but brilliant ideas as well! Stuck for ideas, head straight for any of the catalogues.

I cut the piece of DSP prior to layering it onto Marina Mist Textured Cardstock. The larger piece of DSP was then adhered over the top.

I punched a piece of Soft Suede Cardstock using my Bigshot & the Circles #2 Die. I punched a piece of Marina Mist Cardstock using my 2 3/8" Scallop Circle & adhered the 2 together prior to adhering onto the DSP. I didn't mat my photo this time & it is taking some time for me to get use to, as I always do this. It gives a different look anyhow.

I grabbed 3 different size flowers - could be Stampin' Up! but am not sure, adhered together prior to adhering to the top of the Scallop Circle. The photo was then adhered to the page. I found a couple of coloured Rhinestones laying around in a bottom drawer & stuck one to the middle of the top flower. These things pop up everywhere! I have even found a couple attached to the dog from time to time!

A piece of Marina Mist Cardstock was punched along one side with the Scallop Edge Border Punch, adhered to the edge of the photo before a piece of Soft Suede Cardstock was adhered over th etop.

I punched a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock using my Modern Label Punch, wrote Amber's name & year with the Basic Black SU Marker & adhered to the piece of Soft Suede Cardstock. I applied 2 of the Rhinestones to either side of the label.

I then adhered a piece of Crocheted Trim across the bottom of the photo, tied a bow, attached a Rhinestone Brad to the centre & adhered using a Mini Glue Dot.

Tip - Don't be afraid to adhere "stuff" to your photos. You will be pleasantly surprised of the result!

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Nil

Ink - Nil

Cardstock - Textured Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

DSP - Beau Chateau

Punches - 2 3/8: Scallop Circle, Modern Label

Dies - Circles # 2

Ribbon - Crochet Trim - Victoria

Accessories - Rhinestone Brad - Light Blue, Flowers, SU Marker - Basic Black,

Snail Adhesive, Mini Glue Dots

Non-SU - Flowers, Blue Rhinestones

Until next time, Enjoy!

Xmas Scrapbook Page...

2011-12-29T06:35:00.000+10:00

I wasn't going to scrap the photos I took on Christmas Day this year, but looking at them, I suddenly realised I had a photo of 4 generations...... It doesn't happen very often, although Jill has 6 great grand kids...... the oldest being 16! She is often babysitting 3 of them, 2 of whom are twins, so they keep her on her toes.

Mind you, she will not & has never given up her social life to babysit. She has always said to her grandkids, she would only look after them if she has nothing on. Well, in Jill's social calendar that is not very often. I can't wait to retire!!!!!!!!!!!

The photo was layered onto a piece of Riding Hood Cardstock, leaving 1/8" border prior to adhering to the Whisper White Textured Cardstock. For some reason I always like to use Textured Cardstock as my main page .

I incorporated the flower that I wore in my hair on Christmas Day - made from a couple of flowers I had lying around, added Rhinestones to the middle & bamo, you have an ornament for your hair! I then hot-glued a clip on the back. The clip was removed as I adhered a couple of Stampin' Dimensionals to the back. I also sponged a bit of Riding Hood Red Ink to the flower to make it pop a little.

I stamped the tree with Garden Green Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock before adhering to a layer of Basic Black Cardstock & then to the page.

For the Scallop Circles, I used one of the images from Circle Circus - have been wanting to use this set for something Christmas for so long - with Garden Green Ink, while the wording is in Tempting Turquoise Ink.... They were both punched using the Scallop Circle Punch.

The journalling was typed & printed onto Whisper White Cardstock, before laying onto a piece of Basic Black Cardstock & then to the page.

I used a couple of pieces of Basic Black Ribbon to look like the journalling & embellishments were hanging from the top.

I basically wanted to keep the page simple & clean - my style of scrapbooking, while just picking up the suttle colours in the photo - Riding Hood Red, Tempting Turquoise, Garden Green, Black & White.

Supplies -

Stamp Set - Circle Circus, Perfect Punches, Lovely as a Tree

Ink - Tempting Turquoise, Riding Hood Red, Garden Green

Cardstock - Whisper White Textured, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red

Ribbon - 3/8" Taffeta - Basic Black

Punches - Scallop Circle

Accesories - Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Sponge

Until next time, when I will show you the 2nd page!

Winner...

2011-12-28T00:05:00.002+10:00

Opened my email mid-morning to find an email from Holly over at Rubber Redneck STAMPede to say I had been chosen as her winner of Challenge TRRSS6! What an honour! Thank you so very much Holly! I have added your Badge to the side of my blog.

This is the layout which may also be seen in here

Thank you again Holly!