Stamps Paper Happiness

2015-08-08T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's Dare to Get Dirty time as Splitcoaststampers, our little online card making community who rewards members with a special week filled with challenges that are just for them!

And this card resulted from a little promise to be a sample maker for LMcAree's challenge this year, which inspired me to get out one of my much love Phyllis Harris Stamps. I used both the negative and positive elements of an MFT Frame die, colouring the image so that it sat consistently across the frame and the inner square, then raising the square on foam tape to give lift to the centre of the image, and more texture to the card.

I even pulled out some once purchased and never used beads to add a little beachy girl trim to this little card... enjoy!

DTGD15 Squiggle It Just a Little Bit

2015-08-06T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's Dare to Get Dirty time as Splitcoaststampers, our little online card making community who rewards members with a special week filled with challenges that are just for them!

Another combined set of challenges this time from stampmomma and rainy, which allowed me to add some hand drawn touches to my card elements and get these very beautiful papers put into use as long last, not normally a fan of navy but I am loving it with all the pinks, yellow and sage in this DSP.

And I drew the outline on the little butterfly which is a precut die from my stash made with a Verve Butterfly Die... gotta love using things you have lying around!

DTGD15 Zoo Baby

2015-08-05T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's Dare to Get Dirty time as Splitcoaststampers, our little online card making community who rewards members with a special week filled with challenges that are just for them!

This little creation was inspired by a challenge hosted by va.sunshine and it is everything you would expect of this papercrafter and did put me a little out of my comfort zone, head on over to the forum to understand the challenge task and why it went honk honk before it came together for me!

May I just say that I finally broke out my SU Zoo Babies that I purchased last year, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!!

DTGD15 Mandarin and Pomegranate with a Dash of Lime

2015-08-04T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's Dare to Get Dirty time as Splitcoaststampers, our little online card making community who rewards members with a special week filled with challenges that are just for them!

This card combined two challenges from Dini and Understandblue, and got me to apply ink directly to paper in place of my usual wet it down before applying it approach, and also got me to reconnect with FRUIT, of all things! Head on over to the forum to check out all the fun and pin down the exact challenges that inspired this VERY bright card... enjoy!

DTGD15: Quatro Quatro Challenge

2015-08-03T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's Dare to Get Dirty time as Splitcoaststampers, our little online card making community who rewards members with a special week filled with challenges that are just for them!

This year I am hosting a challenge that resulted in this card, but to find out what was needed to meet the challenge rules you will need to be a SCS Fan Club member and head on over to the forum to check out all the festivities and prizes happening this week....

I simply LOVE Paper Artsy stamps and especially the sets that allow you to mix and match stamps to make up little floral scenes, for this card I also broke out my bought a while ago and not yet used Prima Watercolour Pencils, these are lovely to use, but I am having trouble finding a good yellow in the set, I have four sets, so I wonder if there is another set with a bright yellow in it?

Anyway I managed without and got the pinks and aqua to work OK together... I haven't stopped using the pencils since their seal was broken and I have also made another card with these stamps, but that can come out of the closet another day... for now enjoy!

X-Press It: Pop & Shine with Tapes and Markers

2015-04-08T09:00:00.000+10:00

Today I have a little tutorial on the X-Press It Blog that celebrates your simple creative supplies, relying on simple foam and double sided tape to add POP to your projects, and glue markers for SHINE. Check out the tutorial on the X-Press It Blog, or ogle the eye candy here…. enjoy!

In Review: Stamping on Calico--The Nutcracker Sweet

2015-03-30T09:00:00.000+10:00

And this is #10 and the last in my chosen selection of publications from the last little while. To be honest I don't think these cards photographed as well as they look IRL… nothing to do with the staging which I thought was rather glorious… more to do with the chosen stamping technique which was to stamp the outline stamps on calico… the brown ink shows up nicely on the actual samples of these cards, but lost a little in translation so hopefully you can see the intent! Thankfully the mag showed close ups of the stamping on an accompanying page…

I don't make Christmas cards very often, and certainly not months in advance… but when approached I took the challenge, building little shadow boxes out of card stock and then recessing the Nutcracker Sweet stamps… one of my favourite little rodent stamp sets… rodent stamp sets often come with a little swag of little accompaniment stamps, in this case, little bits and pieces to build present stacks, baubles, wreaths, and of course trees, I enjoyed making these and it is good to see outline stamps used without any need to colour them in… bringing them to life in different ways than traditional colouring is challenging in this era of colouring tools, but great all the same!

In saying that, three cheers for the eternal success I have when I need chipboard to be coloured in a hurry and I turn to my trusty Copics… instant rich colour, no dry time, no paint mess to clean up… and a matt finish… better than a vintage Moet really!!

In Review: Custom Embellishments--Sweet Friends

2015-03-29T09:00:00.000+10:00

Well this double card feature was actually published in the same magazine as the Love Birds card from yesterday, two items in the same mag, both featuring bird stamps, who would have figured that coming from me…… just about everyone I suppose!

The card at the top of this feature I started to put together for a submission call for cards that featured sequins, with the thought that I would build a fully covered sequin panel behind the branch scene, but it didn't ever grown legs with me and I ended up with a scattering of sequins and then featuring sequins in the tail of the bows on the flower element… I still sent it in at the time but ended up being asked to turn it into a feature by making another card… and it was so hard to purchase another stamp to make this happen…. NOT!! I really do love the Wryn series by Tiddly Inks, very sweet indeed!

So I continued the hand made embellishment theme this time pairing the stacked sequins with some fancy pins and beads, great way to jazz up simple rolled flower embellishments I think… and I was happy I stuck with my principles and made the grey leaves work, I love grey, nearly as much as I love black… I haven't shown these stamps to my niece yet, not because I don't think she will like them, primarily because she will bat her eyelashes and ask for them to go home with her… not just yet Dear Miss G!

In Review: Designing with Sketches--Love Birds

2015-03-28T09:00:00.000+10:00

Another submission for a sketch challenge, and when this one came along it was not long after I had received a little order from over the shores that a friend gifted me for my Birthday… and it was spent entirely on Paper Artsy Stamps… I love love LOVE the line work on this stamp range/line, and have some fabby flowers that have seen ink but not air time too!

The scattering of circles in the background was perfect for the circles background stamps, and I took the Copic Colouring from the top layer of birds all the way through to the circles in the background stamping… I even used the primary green Copic to make sure the layering card matched the stamping, a sure fire way to make things match when you have already introduced patterned paper but it doesn't have the perfect shade, of green in this case…. I based the colour of the fabby and much cherished heart embellishment which is by Webster's Pages, love these!

So any stamp with a bird has me before the first hello, tweet or beak, and these little lovelies are no exception, so much fun with the jazzy tails and different belly features, I was very happy with this little card!

In Review: Guest Tutor--Multi Media

2015-03-27T09:00:00.000+10:00

This year Australian Cardmaking Stamping & Papercraft introduced a Guest Tutor feature in the Annual and I contributed a piece that featured Multi Media or Mixed Media. It was good to be able to show case a multilayered background and how it is brought to life with paint and washi tape and simple old circles and such… and I got to use my much love Hazel & Ruby Chevron Masks, I was ever so pleased when masks made a little come back to the market last year and these over sized chevrons are great for mixed media techniques as you can cover up good patches of them and still see the chevron pattern.

I was also more that a little happy to put my new at the time delusions stamp to use, the head and crazy hair are there in duplicate, no lazy day when you cut that hair out multiple times let me tell you, but fussy cutting is cool when the hair is crazy if you KWIM?!!

And a little shout out to my Molotow paint pens… they really came to my rescue with this piece as they had enough depth of colour that the little squishes of paint and splatters of dots held their own amongst the other bold colour blends… gotta love that!

In Review: Cover Girl--Woven Wonders!

2015-03-26T09:00:00.000+10:00

You never know how your cards are going to be staged, or when they will make the index pages, or the cover page, so when it happens it is always a little bit of a buzz… sometimes someone else has already let you know that you made the cover before your copy arrives, however, this was not the case this time, I remember getting to the post office right as the morning sorters arrive (6AM) and happily collecting my mag, and as the normal morning banter was occurring I looked down to my surprise… funnily enough it was my least favourite card of this feature, but it must have fit with the editor for the cover, because there it was!

I love incorporating techniques into feature sets, and weaving has been a go to for me for a number of years… I really liked the black elements in the Anna Marie paper collection by Prima, so I conjured up 5 different weaves and paired the detailed background with 5 of my very much loved Unity Stamp Company Angie Girls… these were some of the first I added to my collection, I have many more these days!

The washi tape flowers hold fond memories for me too as I took them to the hospital with me one day and made them a project for Mum and I to complete, she cut up all the little bits of confetti to make the centres for each of the flowers, which mounded up really nicely thanks to my trusty X-Press It Clear Gel Glue… I love these cards, and will find it difficult to part with them… a couple have found good homes, still some special ladies to find for the remainder… and yes there was a lot of happy sighing with the staging for these cards, a rustic french style table, and fun shutter/potted daisy combo, perfect!

In Review: Designing with Sketches--What You Make It!

2015-03-25T09:00:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time I would have definitely stepped left at the mention of a sketch challenge, but I cured myself of all barriers when I spent time on the Waltzingmouse Stamps Sketch Team… my problem was that I was too literal, when a sketch is really just meant to be a starting point… in saying that I stayed pretty true to the sketch for this Designing with Sketches feature… although there was probably some thought that the submission would be a tag, but I opted for a circle card…

I just found this card in my "must add to my shop" stash the other day, it's not very big at all, so given that it certainly packs in some features… I worked with orange and blue too, rather unusual for me I would say…. but the flowers in triplicate sealed the deal and it was really just about dressing from that point forward… in the form of die cut after die cut after another die cut!!

In Review: Polaroid Feature--Lucky to Have You!

2015-03-24T09:00:00.000+10:00

Polaroids were a big part of my teenage years, they were always so much fun and I remember the miniature polaroids that became really popular in the early 90s, lots of good memories, some of which I find in a places I least expect them from time to time…. so when the call came out for cards featuring polaroids it wasn't hard to work out that I wanted to see if I could make a couple of girls stamps work… because that is what most of my polaroids contain… vintage style selfless, polaroid style!

The Wendy Burns' Stylish Friends stamps release by MFT have also had a lot of use in my creative space, I like that they are long stamps, with fine lines…. sweet! The fabric polaroid is where I started once I had the stamps in mind… these frames are part of the Maggie Holmes Flea Market collection by Crate Paper, and came with the fancy sewn banners, so this little submission came together is a super flash!

See the classic style lolly-pops in the tea cup in the background, love that!

In Review: Mother's Day Feature--You're the Bees Knees

2015-03-23T09:00:00.000+10:00

Here is my third selection from past publication work and this time the card was for a Mother's Day Feature. I never have any trouble making cards with a Mother theme as my own Mother gives me so much inspiration to drawer from… bright and busy is obviously what came about the day I put this card together!

I do remember that when I originally bought these MME Cut and Paste papers that I was pushing my not too colourful, and not floral boundaries… but they jumped out at me and I used them A LOT! In this card teaming them with a FabScraps frame which was coated in white paint and then sprayed aqua thanks to my trusty Copics and airbrush system. The Prima Flowers were actually where this card started way back then… and perhaps the purchase of these flowers was the start of my little love of yellow which has developed over the last couple of years…

Not quite sure about the purple toned cupcake in the background, but if I could get my hands on the little glass plate and heart topped cover I would be more than a little excited!

In Review: Chalkboard Feature--Good Day Chalkboard

2015-03-22T09:00:00.000+10:00

I made this busy little card in answer to a publication call for chalkboard style cards, this sentiment stamp from MFT was the first of the modern day chalkboard style stamps that I purchased, and have used it many many times!

I thought it might be nice to emulate an actual old schools chalkboard, so framed the stamped sentiment with X-Press It Sticky Barc (coloured with a Copic Marker), and then went all out with an abundance of embellishments… if I remember correctly I had a rather large stash from Greatest View (Etsy Shop), including the little doilies I halved for the banner, and the rolled flower, and I was also quite chuffed with myself that I used that little row of resin circles, had those in my stash for a VERY long time!

Important that I also give a shout out to the fabby sky/cloud paper the I used in the background, Crate Paper be still my heart!

In Review: Valentine's Day Feature--My Kind of Guy

2015-03-21T09:00:00.000+10:00

It's been a very long time since I had all of my magazines in one place, catalogued and flagged… and an even longer time since I shared some of the publications I have made here on the blog… there have been quite a few over the last couple of years, I have chosen 10 of my favourites to share with you over the coming days… and just because the mags are now all neat and tidy I will post these in order as well…

This card was for a Valentine's Day Feature and I chose to go masculine… I am not quite sure why the large majority of Valentine's Day Cards in magazines and such are of the feminine variety, I would have thought the large majority of card makers were women who would share cards of this nature with men… saving what I suppose is more of an American tradition to share V-Cards with friends… but for whatever reason I made a masculine themed card… also likely because at the time these little rodent stamps were new to the market… I love the graphic yet old worldly feel of Waltzingmouse Stamps My Kind of Guy stamps, and they teamed nicely with some Teresa Collins paper and my much loved Studio Calico wood veneer!

I must confess that I got a fuzz-buzz when I opened this mag to see how they staged the photo, this is always the best part to having a card published… seeing how the set maker sees your card, and I thought the James Bond Martini, flash watch and glasses totally nailed it… so thanks ACSPC for accepting this card for publication!

New Beginnings

2015-03-20T21:00:00.000+10:00

When the Brother-in-Law asks for a card it must have a purpose, this time for a friend who moved across the globe for a new beginning with a his love… the genuine kind where there was a relationship built over time, not the hooked up last week, England sounds like fun kinda move…

So I immediately thought of a little rodent stamp that is still close to my heart, and it has the English feel about it this little cottage… team with a good dash of kraft, and for some reason a red and green colour pop combination… red was always in the picture and green infiltrated when I decided to use the foliage stamp as a bit of background interest… one of those things where I started with the initial stamp and let it build naturally…. happy also with the letters I incorporated, "new" die cut, and "beginnings a little packet of kaiser letters that have been sitting on my new and must use pin board for like 3 years….

So here is to new beginnings, whatever form they are taking at the moment for you!

X-Press It: Tiny Envelopes

2015-03-11T08:00:00.000+10:00

Today I have whipped up a little set of tiny envelopes and note cards using X-Press It Double Sided Tape, check it out on the X-Press It Blog!

X-Press It Journal Cover

2015-02-25T08:00:00.000+10:00

Today I get to walk through a little tutorial that brought my newest X-Press It Mixed Media Journal to life… check it out on the X-Press It Blog… I used bits and pieces I had on hand and made it all come together with X-Press It TripleTac and Clear Gel Glues, easy!

My Lament Continues

2015-02-05T09:00:00.000+10:00

The thing that would really make 2015, the year of my favourite number, really a stand out is if my favourite little illustrator would release a new harem of beauties, alas my lament over the lack of new Leanne Ellis images continues…

Rest assured I still continue to use my much loved ladies, and especially this one who still captures every 12th beat of my heart!

This is a little box with a card front that was made to house a series of farewell messages, I have made a card very similar to this in the past, but totally different colours this time, and a cleaner style of finishes… whimsy works in many ways, I am still loving that!

Products of Note:
Stamps: Sugar Nellie: Leanne Ellis--Faraway Thoughts; Verve: Sentiment.
Extras: Special Buttons gifted to me by Deb, who always thinks of me when buttons are up for grabs!

X-Press It: Stencil Sheets

2015-01-28T08:00:00.000+10:00

Today I have a little demonstration using X-Press It Stencil Sheets with your Dies to build stencils and masks… check it out over at the X-Press It Blog…. enjoy getting colourful!

15 Days of Unity--Heart Unity 4EVER: Day 15--R is for Respectfully Mine

2015-01-15T10:00:00.000+10:00

Welcome to 15 Days of Unity, my Ode to Unity Stamp Company where I am on a little escapade to share why it is that I will Heart Unity 4EVER, if you missed the introductory post you can catch up here. This is Day 15 of 15, where each day I have shared a card inspired by one of the 15 letters in this "true to me" title…today is R and declares that all is Respectfully Mine in the images that are all that are Unity Stamps...

When I look across my Unity Stamp Company Library the thing I can most resolutely say is that each of the stamp purchases is absolutely about me and what I like. Often when buying stamps you hear yourself say "oh, that'll be good for making cards for this person or that...." and the like, this is not the case with ME and UNITY... there is a wide variety, but they are not stamps that I buy with someone else in mind, they are all about me and they are Respectfully Mine!

So thanks Unity for producing red rubber that speaks to me, I shall truly Heart Unity 4EVER:

Day 1: H is for Honoured Relationships
Day 2: E is for Everyday Utilitarian
Day 3: A is for Anchored Sentiment
Day 4: R is for Red Rubber
Day 5: T is for Thought Provoking
Day 6: U is for Uber Cute
Day 7: N is for Nexus Divine
Day 8: I is for Instant Twitch
Day 9: T is for Tiny Wonders
Day 10: Y is for Yodel Worthy
Day 11: 4 is for Numerically Blessed
Day 12: E is for Entrenched Creativity
Day 13: V is for Variety Show
Day 14: E is for Eternal Flame
Day 15: R is for Respectfully Mine

I hope you have enjoyed this Unity Escapade, 15 is certainly a fabulous number isn't it…. have a great year!

PS: This one HAD to have a BIRDIE!!

What's in it?
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company: Lilli Girl, Wonderful
Paper: Crate Paper: Oh Darling
Ink: Memento: Tuxedo Black; Stazon: Jet Black

Extras: Kaiser: Rhinestones; May Arts: Black Twine.

15 Days of Unity--Heart Unity 4EVER: Day 14--E is for Eternal Frame

2015-01-14T10:00:00.000+10:00

Welcome to 15 Days of Unity, my Ode to Unity Stamp Company where I am on a little escapade to share why it is that I will Heart Unity 4EVER, if you missed the introductory post you can catch up here. This is Day 14 of 15, where each day I will share a card inspired by one of the 15 letters in this "true to me" title…today is E and celebrates the Eternal Flame that burns when you make the very sensible decision to purchase a Unity Stamp...

No matter how long ago I bought a Unity Stamp it always has a place in my heart, I have never let one go, they continue to be used and useful, loved and cared for, their beauty shared with many. Today on this day of love, I pay respect to something I have loved for many years, the very first thing I put in my very first Unity Shopping Basket... and who doesn't love a good Butter!

I remember vividly waiting for the release time, hurrying to fill my cart and press send! And… then the wait while they crossed the shores to Australia… at the time I was babysitting my friends children whilst she went on a holiday to America, and I was so soooo pleased when the MASSIVE box arrived, I crossed suburbs back to my local PO to pick up the box as soon as I knew it was waiting…. and that feeling lives on, although the packages are a little different these days!

What's in it?
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company: Butterfly Beauty, Gratitude = Joy
Paper: Watercolour Paper
Ink: Memento: Tuxedo Black; Peerless Watercolours; Copic Markers; Distress: Picket Fence Stain
Extras: Kaiser: Bubbles Stencil, which just happens to have just been gifted to me by the friend whose children were in my care all the way back then!

15 Days of Unity--Heart Unity 4EVER: Day 13--V is for Variety Show

2015-01-13T10:00:00.000+10:00

Welcome to 15 Days of Unity, my Ode to Unity Stamp Company where I am on a little escapade to share why it is that I will Heart Unity 4EVER, if you missed the introductory post you can catch up here. This is Day 13 of 15, where each day I will share a card inspired by one of the 15 letters in this "true to me" title… today is V and celebrates the Variety Show you will definitely be able to put on if you build up a little library of Unity Stamps...

What Unity Stamp Company is to me is one single stamp company that feeds the widest plethora of my needs: mixed media, colouring, direct stamping, collage, sentiments, images, cute, thought provoking, inspirational, for the girls, for the boys, for me!

This particular card is a little of most of these things, definitely a good swag of some of my favourite stamps put to good use in this one…. a simply case of turning plain old card stock into colourful and textured card elements with simple black ink and a good dash of red rubber! Flowers always WOW, so why not use some "sitting in the scrap pile" card to build up a little garden for a very important message!

Thanks Unity for producing red rubber that celebrates allows you to choose from a wide variety of styles, and also use one stamp in a variety of ways, good value all around!

What's in it?
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company: Distressed Quilt, Tattered Chicken Wire, Plump Polka Dots, Wood Grain Script, Reversed Punchinella, Distressed Grid, Best Things Just Happen
Paper: Paper Scraps
Ink: Memento: Tuxedo Black; Mr Huey's: Sunshine Mist; Stampin' Up!: Gumball Green Ink; Copic Markers
Extras: Clear Buttons; May Arts: Black Twine.

15 Days of Unity--Heart Unity 4EVER: Day 12--E is for Entrenched Creativity

2015-01-12T10:00:00.000+10:00

Welcome to 15 Days of Unity, my Ode to Unity Stamp Company where I am on a little escapade to share why it is that I will Heart Unity 4EVER, if you missed the introductory post you can catch up here. This is Day 12 of 15, where each day I will share a card inspired by one of the 15 letters in this "true to me" title…today is E and celebrates the Entrenched Creativity that Unity inspires through their stamp images...

Deep-rooted and engrained in the soul and purpose of all things creative is my need to pay-forward, help others, celebrate special days and magnificent achievements. Image stamps say many things, sometimes it is words that bring about the most abundant amount of creative thought. What they mean to others cannot be underestimated, how they are interpreted, how they are received... one of the things I most love about Unity Stamps is that so many of them set about to inspire others to achieve, or in some cases just to hang in there!

Today's card was a birthday card that set about to inspire the recipient to dream big, start new, be bold, embrace the preciousness of life but allow a wild path to be taken. I gave a BIG cheer when I first started to see the Stephanie Ackerman phrase stamps, how much fun a few words can behold!

Thanks Unity for producing red rubber that evokes thought and provides encouragement through the simplicity of the written word, and through thi simplicity provide a deeply entrenched seed of creativity….. which surfaces as courage!

What's in it?
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company: Wild & Precious Life
Paper: I don't know but I liked it when I bought it!; X-Press It: Blending Card
Ink: Memento: Tuxedo Black; Copic Markers
Extras: A VERY Fancy Button, thanks Janelle!