Forever Flowers and a Sketch Challenge

We have had a few days of rain and overcast skies, so you will see why my photos and colours are a little duller than usual ...But I am still card making, at night, because I can enjoy the quiet of the house and seem to get a lot more stamping done when all else are in bed.
I have used a wheel to stamp the flowers. Firstly inking up the wheel in pale plum, then rolling the edge of the wheel over the darker Perfect plum ink pad, then diagonally stamping it across the whisper white cardstock. You dont have to worry about whether the wheel is running straight that way and you get less of a linear effect. Then, I put some crystal effects on each of the flower centres (You can only just see it in the photo?) and dusted them with dazzling diamonds glitter. This is my response to a challenge called mojomonday.blogspot.com (week78).
It is inspired by http://www.makeeshabyl.com.au/ ... who puts one up every Monday (0r thereabouts). Its a great idea for cardmakers and scrapbookers to make a project when their creativity is a bit low, or they are feeling overwelmed by their own busy life, or just because we like a challenge that is Not of our own making.

The materials I used:

Cardstock - perfect Plum, pale Plum, whisper white.

Stampsets: En Francais Background, Forever Flowers, So many sayings.

Ink: Perfect plum, Pale plum.

tools and accessories: Styled silver hodgepodge flower brad, scallop edge punch, word window punch and corner rounder. I crimped the pale plum cardstock with my Crimper tool. Added some crystal effects to the flower centres and dusted it with dazzling diamonds glitter.

crop-a-dile Pencil tin tutorial

What you will need:
Patterned Paper, Sticky strip, scrap of whisper white cardstock, crop a dile, Silver hodgepodge, silver brads, ribbon, scissors, cutter, scissors, pen.1. Firstly, you need a tin for the pencil holder. Select a tin with a ring pull tab so that it has no sharp edges at the top to cut little fingers.
2. Remove the label of the can and keep for measuring the size of your paper.

3. Use the label to measure the size and shape of your patterned paper.
4. Add sticky strip to both ends of the Patterned Paper (on the side that will not be showing). Then wrap and secure the paper to the tin with the sticky strip adhesive.
5. Take a piece of Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and bend it slightly around the shape of the can.
Use it as a template to mark where the holes will go on the can. 6. Slide the smaller (1 1/8") hole punch side of the crop-a-dile into the tin can and make a hole where the pen dot was drawn.7. Squeeze gently, the crop a dile cuts through aluminium cans like butter.8. Here is the can with the two holes made in the can.

9. Now attach the hodgepodge label holder with the silver brads onto the can to check the fit.

10. Stamp a word to fit the hodgepodge frame: I have used Enjoy stamp from the Lovely Labels stampset in Stazon black ink. The ribbon is Old Olive wide grosgrain.

This is the basic model - you can decorate it however you like.

Using larger flower brads and a bow on the ribbon as I have at the top of this post.

Materials :

Aluminium can with ring pull top removed.

Brocade Background DS patterned paper, Silver styled hodgpodge and silver brads, Old Olive ribbon. Whisper white cardstock, black stazon ink.

Stampset: Lovely Labels.

Tools: Crop-a-dile, paper trimmer, scissors, Pen.

Surprise Box in Brocade Background paper

My love of patterned papers has blossomed into something beautiful!
There are so many beautiful gifts and boxes and projects that can be made with patterned papers and there are so many colours and patterns and styles - something to please everyone.
This is from the Brocade Backgrounds pack of Designer Series Paper. In river rock (a retiring colour from the 2008-09 catalogue) but elegant for sure with this white swirly pattern on it. And it teams beautifully with the Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon.

Like it?

What do you think is the surprise inside the box?

We will be making a variation of these gorgous surprise inside boxes at the catalogue launch party on the 9th April .....

Toothfairy and butterflies ....

It is one of the first milestones for your child that you just have to photograph and scrapbook: their cute little smile with the missing tooth, what they say, what they think about the whole wobbly and lost tooth event. I have another 3, (maybe 5) photos to scrap on a second page ... but this will do for now.
I have used elegant eggplant and Old olive textured cardstock and the gorgous Ginger Blossom Designer series paper (this one is mostly river rock coloured with white) It goes with everything, a kind of karki colour that reads as grey with most other colours ... so enjoy it while it lasts this colour is going by the end of March. And a piece of bali breeze paper behind the journalling.
Anyway the basics of this card was the 6"x 6" scrap page in the centre and then I added the title using the big deal alphabet stamps and the journalling block and a few butterflies in chocolate chip ink on Old olive cardstock.
The ribbons used are chocolate chip double stitched wide ribbon and along the bottom Old Olive grosgrain ribbon.
Stampsets used: Lovely labels, Cause for celebration, big deal alphabet.
Punches used: Scallop edge, Scallop square, Scallop circle, corner rounder.
Any questions about this page? Add a comment ...

Whimsical Waterfall card

I do love an interactive card.

I like to flip and flap, pull ribbons and slide slides ... really I just love to read children's books with their bright and attractive colours and things that engage you with their movement and a fun surprise element.

I have had this template on my cards-to-do list for a loooooooooooooong time. I always thought it would be extremely time consuming or tricky to assemble.

Well, last Sunday afternoon, I proved myself wrong once again. I broke out the cutter and the cardstock to give this a go.

It was very simple - the instructions are the hardest part to follow, usually because it is written by someone who uses imperial measurements and often (too often in my opinion) there is a bit left over ... or a step left out, or perhaps I just can't follow simple instructions, more than likely.

Here is the finished project: A white card with an interactive waterfall of stamped panels on the front.

You pull the ribbon attached to the tab at the bottom.

And the butterfly flips up, disappears ... and reveals another image.

The tulips are stamped in Baja blue and Pacific point inkpads and surrounded by some kiwi kiss bugs.

Pull the ribbon a bit further and you reveal another panel of ....

Tangerine tango and riding hood red lady beetles!

I love how these two colours go so well together and they are a nice contrast to the lavender lace cardstock and perfect plum butterflies on the background card.

Finally, you know what to do -

Pull the ribbon and

The kiwi kiss and pacific point snail appears on the final panel!

I havent yet stamped the greeting.

It can be stamped on the long grey piece that is now revealed at the bottom.

Something along the lines of Happy Birthday!

Kids and adults love this style of card and it is really just a matter of:

Stamping four square pieces of white or vanilla cardstock (4.7cm x 4.7cm), mounting them on four coloured squares (5.1cm x 5.1cm).

A white cardfront (13cm x 20cm) folded in half.

A long piece of any colour cardstock (23cm x 5.1cm) I used going grey.

A strip of cardstock (10cm x 2cm) to be attached to the cardfront with eyelets to hold the grey pull down piece in place (I used lavender lace and background stamped it with floral background for texture).

A piece of ribbon threaded through another eyelet on a round tab punch attached to the grey pull down piece.

This is not a tutorial, I am not supplying pictures of how to put it together, nor the measurements for the scoring so I have attached a link here to a tutorial on the Splitcoast website, it is the best explanation I found for this type of card.

http://splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/waterfall_card/

They've arrived ...

The long awaited day! My box of catalogues arrived and I have been stealing moments from when and where I can to go through each page and see what was new and what has been included and how it has been used with the new in-colours and

all those beautiful new ribbons, buttons, new designer series papers, border punches and clear rhinestone and silver filigree brads.

There are many new stamps in new styles that will inspire me to come up with a few different styles of cards and new ideas with punches and boxes and scrapbook pages.

The style watch pages at the front have some gorgous colour combination suggestions.

I've tried to give you a glimpse of the pocket silhouettes and ...

.... the fresh cuts stampset (I have featured in my cards here) And, above is just a peak for you to see the butterfly and new flower stamps and you know how happy I am that embrace life made it into the new catty ... and a favourite but definitley underused stamp (for me) is the heartfelt thanks. There are big bold flower stamps too.
So enough of the teasing! If you would like to play with the new tools, accessories, papers and stampsets contact me soon, to reserve your place at the Idea book and catalogue launch night.

When: 7.30pm on the 9th April,

Thats the Thursday before the Easter long weekend and the school holidays.
Where: The hall behind the Baptist church at Narara.

Email nerida_carter@hotmail.com
or phone me for more of the details or check my earlier posts.

Waratah Bloom!

I can't wait any longer, we only have 8 days left of the old catalogue (2008-09 Idea book and Catalogue) and the current summer mini. I am expecting delivery of the new 2009-10 IB&C's this week or atleast my free demonstator's copy.
If you are coming to the catalogue launch on Thursday, 9th of April at 7.30pm you will get your very own free catalogue!
You will get to make three (3) projects with the new stampsets and in-colours!
Win prizes ... and have a fun night out !
Bring along a friend -you will both have the chance of winning a $50 gift voucher of products from the new Stampin' Up catalogue.
If you are not able to attend you can still grab a copy of the new catalogue - they're $10, (pick up from me) or $15 to be mailed out to you.
Or, host a workshop at your home and get a free catalogue, earn free stampsets and free products through sales.
Here is a sneak peak at one of the new stampsets using the in-colours from the new catalogue.
It is a very different stampset to what we have had before... a botanical style drawing of Australian flowers - it is one to try out your watercolouring and aquapainter techniques.

This one uses the in-colours: Riding hood red and tangerine Tango on the flower, with kiwi kiss and tangerine tango for the leaves.I've done the leaves on this one (above) with certainly celery to better match the Pacific point blue mount. And Gum blossoms ... I will have to have a look at a native plant book to see what colours they really should be. I dont think there are any gum trees flowering in my local area ... not mid summer at the moment. I am thinking these will be great for overseas relatives and friends, even those living in the bush or country Australia ? Or Australia day scrapbook pages ... the sentiment is from Fresh cuts (another new stampset available from 1st of April).

Polka Dots and Petals in Perfect plum and Elegant Eggplant

I am saying goodbye to this excellent set of 8 stamps called Polka Dots and petals. This card features only one of the stamps in the set, the daisy which lends it self to embossing and background patterns for cards and scrapbook pages.
A do like a quick simple card, this took no time to whip up: with a strip of black grosgrain ribbon and some Old Olive and whisper white cardstock stamped with lavender lace behind the sentiment.

Can you see them?

Materials:
Stampset: Polka Dots and Petals Ink: white craft and lavender lace. Cardstock: Whisper white, old Olive, Elegant eggplant, perfect Plum. Ribbon: black grosgrain.

You are invited - to the 2009-10 Stampin' Up catalogue launch Party!

When: Thursday 9th April 2009
Where: Narara Baptist Church Hall
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: $15
What's included: A free Idea Book and Catalogue (normally $10),
3 make and take projects,
Lucky door prize, plus regular prize patrol draws through out the night.
Light supper, Tea and Coffee.

Please contact me by email to reserve your place at my table.
Places are limited.
Bring a friend and make it a girl's night out.

Last two weeks to purchase in-colour ribbons and paper ...

Are any of these ribbons on your wish list?

Including that lovely pretty in pink gingham ribbon at the top!!! ($9.71 per roll).

These ribbons come on a roll of 13.7 metres, they are usually $16.95.

But for the last two weeks of March they are $12.70 per roll. That is only 92 cents per metre for double stitched quality ribbon (instead of the usual $1.30).

Don't need a whole roll? Contact me and I will arrange a half share for you!

These are the last two weeks to buy products from the 2008-09 Ideas book and catalogue.

If you have loved these ribbons and colours (or the river rock colour - not pictured) then get in quick before they are gone forever.

The card below has double sided paper available from the current mini catalogue, that will never be seen again (0r atleast not for the current price for papers). It's a fact of life that many products will be going up in price in the next catalogue -designer series papers especially!

Send me an email with your order request before 30th March if there is anything you need from the retired stamps and products list or from the Summer mini catalogue at nerida_carter@hotmail.com.

Bodacious Bouquet gets the Kiss Off technique!

Bodacious Bouquet is another of the gorgous stamps to be farewelled and celebrated this month. I have used the kiss off technique to give the flat stamps some depth and texture. What is the kiss-off technique?
Firstly I ink up a flat stamp shape with white craft ink, then I took a smaller flower stamp and stamped it dry onto the wet stamp surface, it takes off a bit of ink.
I clean the small stamp and stamp off another flower impression from the wet stamp surface. Then I "huff" (that's a technical term for breathe heavily) on to the wet stamp and stamp it on to the black cardstock. This card is a little out there even for me ... I started by have an idea involving white ink and black cardstock - adding a bit of Purely Pomegranate ink, some Ballet blue and purple ... It didn't quite look like what was first in my head, so -
I cut out all the pieces and arranged them on Old Olive cardstock, which was stamped with the Fine Lace background stamp, layered some more black and pomegranate cardstock with crimping and the stem sayings "Happy birthday" and then ,I sat back and said: Not quite sure about this one???

You be the judge - leave me a comment and tell me did it work?

Materials:

Cardstock: Basic Black, Old Olive, purely pomegranate, ballet blue, lavender lace. Ink: White craft (as well as Matching coloured ink pads).

Ribbon: Old Olive wide grosgrain.

Tools: crimper and dimensional adhesives.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star...Do you know how loved you are?

This idea sketch (layout) is from the Elite Challenges Sketch challenge 19.

I made it with lots of purples: almost amethyst, lavender lace, elegant eggplant

and a small scrap of white cardstock to stamp the baby star image on.

I made it last night at the Tuesday night get together (Hi !).

This is a very easy sketch to use. Only 3 layers (you have to love that).

A circle punch to punch out the Twinkle Twinkle sentiment, a stampset, plus ribbon and buttons. Materials:

Stampset: In the stars. (the baby safety pin is from the short and sweet stampset), I weakened, I wanted it to look a bit more baby-boyish ;)

Cardstock: Elegant eggplant, lavender lace, almost amethyst, whisper white.

Ink: Elegant eggplant, almost amethyst.

Assorted rich regal, soft subtle buttons.

Elegant eggplant ribbon, Dimensional adhesive.

A Fond farewell ... to some of our favourite stampsets

A photo slide show to say Fare well to some of last years stampsets.