Forest friends happy birthday

Is this one a little more feminine? Yes it is - It has pink on it...
This idea has been in my mind since I bought this stampset, using the cutter kit to create curved hills to plant my tree on and the animals into the scene. Very simple treatment.
I think all it needs is ribbon...
I am loving little bambi and Thumper. Children's book characters make me smile... I am thinking now I will have to make a scrap book page for some baby photos... or a page on reading our favourite story books before bed.

Not to mention wise owl in her tree. She is stamped in bravo burgundy. At the moment I am scrapbooking bush walking photos - might get an owl in a tree or a rabbit on a rock.

Next I am off to make some matching wrapping paper to create a coordinated gift. I am hoping little miss L likes her card and gift.Materials:

Stampsets: Forest friends, Happy Everything.

cardstock: kiwi kiss, whisper white.

Ink: kiwi kiss, close to cocoa, pink pirouette, regal rose, Bravo Burgundy.

Tools: Cutter kit. Snail adhesive.

So glad we're friends - Oval flower

Quick easy card today - Featuring the baja breeze set of patterned papers.

Starting with a square card base, made from 1/3 of a A4 piece of cardstock, I have layered a piece of Pacific point cardstock and then a piece of DSP from Urban garden in baja blue tones.This just wasnt enough patterned paper so I have cut out six large ovals from the Patterns designer series paper in baja breeze, using both sides for variety.

The centre circle is a piece of patterned paper overlayed with vellum cardstock.

And, the sentiment is from the hostess stampset: Best yet.

Lastly, the ribbon is Pacific point striped grosgrain, tucked in and adhered behind the pacific point cardstock layer. Enjoy!!!

Film strip cards and scrapbook pages

Do you remember, about a year ago, all the rage was the film strip card that my talented upline, Linda Higgins introduced us to? I think the orginal idea came from splitcoast.We all bought hole punches, and spiral punches ... well, its time to get them out again, if you ever put them away.

This scrapbook layout uses the same concept to feature a row of themed photos like a film strip.I have used the "gallery" stampset from the current spring mini. There are 3 large frame stamps that I like to use for either short journalling onto, or turning into a frame for an accessory or two.This one reminds me of a mirror frame with the curly wrought iron looking swirls top and bottom. Just enough room to write the girl's names and where they are - the Japanese gardens - and the date. This frame reminded me of a large flower frame, so I centred the flower stamp from the always stampset on vellum in elegant eggplant ink (embossed in clear embossing powder to make it permanent) and used my favourite filigree flower with a clear rhinestone brad in the centre. Pretty special huh? I've used my double rectangle punch for the edges of the filmstrip. Trimmed the photos to roughly the same size and shape, (they were already framed on each edge with a white border). I've also kept the colour scheme fairly monochromatic, pale plum and eggplant cardstock, eggplant grosgrain ribbon and elegant eggplant, perfect plum and nothing else for ink. I am loving my gallery stamps ... So many words on this page I kept the Title small: Friends giggle...

The girls took food for the fish in the carp pond, but being winter, they were having their ponds cleaned so we walked around, played in the tea house and had a hot chocolate in the cafe. Look at those happy faces... chocolate fueled smiles or what?

Other Accessories: large oval punch and dimensionals to lift the warm words ovals.

Friends stamp is from the Friends 24/7 stampset.

Three little words... thanks so much

Today's card is a Thank you card.
It is made from 1/3 of a piece of A4 cardstock (Basic grey).

I think you should always have a small stack of thank you cards for those times when someone does something nice and if you have to go home and make a card, it usually gets left till later, and then you forget and the moment is lost. So, seize the moment I say.

In these days especially, no one expects a thank you card, let alone a handmade, hand stamped card to say I appreciated what you did for me.

I think it is a really nice guesture that is often forgotten.

At the top of the card I have made a small strip of velum, which I have stamped the en francais stamp in white stazon ink. Then when dry I stamped the "three little words" in black stazon.

The inside reads "thanks so much" in black stazon ink ... other stamps in this set say: so very sorry, I miss you, I love you, you you you, and Thinking of you.

Materials:

Stampsets: Three little words, en francais background.

Ink: white stazon, Black stazon.

Cardstock: Basic grey, velum.

DSPaper: Urban Oasis

Tools and accessories: Ribbon - black grosgrain, Eyelet border punch, 1 1/4" circle punch.

Take an ordinary note book ...

With a piece of Designer series patterned paper and a strip of ribbon, add a few Stamped images, and you have changed a very ordinary note book into a special gift for a friend.The sentiment is one of my favourites: "The way to know life is to love many things." By Van Gogh. Who can argue with that?

One should have many passions in life, as many as you can fit into your heart.Then there is the Woodrow Wilson quote: We grow great by dreams. But does a caterpillar dream of growing into a butterfly? I have stamped the images on whisper white and mounted them with dimensional adhesive onto square scallops of kiwi kiss cardstock. I have used the crystal effects to add a shiny dimension on top of each image. Notice how it changes the depth of the colour.

Materials:

Stampset: Dreams du Jour.

Cardstock: whisper white

Designer paper: Urban garden

Ink: Kiwi kiss

Ribbon: kiwi kiss and vanilla silk

Other: Crystal effects, square scallop punch, small note book.

Bloom away with Embossing and sponging

White embossing on white cardstock ... Bloom away is one of the stampsets that I havent used much - I like this image best of gumnuts and blossoms - brings back memories of gumnut babies a la May Gibbs. This is a case of a card I saw way back in May at Convention and I have finally had a go at it.

I was a little wild with the colours: Kiwi kiss, Pink pirouette, So saffron, Tangarine tango and Rose Red. So I wasnt really aiming for realism, just bright and pretty spring blossoms.

Materials:

Cardstock: Pink pirouette, whisper white, Rose red.

Stampsets: Bloom away, Upsy daisy (sentiment)

Ink: so saffron, kiwi kiss, rose red, pink pirouette, tangerine tango, Versamark.

Ribbon: pink pirouette wide grosgrain

Tools: Sponges, sponge daubers, white embossing powder.

Punches: large oval punch, scalloped oval punch, eyelet border punch.

Fabulous friend card

Just a quick card today.

Featuring some Bella Rose Designer series paper, the five petal flower punch and the oval all stamp(fabulous friend) with the scalloped oval punch.

Not to mention that cute little flower brad from the new spring mini.

Card Recipe:

Cardstock: Basic grey, kiwi kiss, whisper white

DSP: Bella rose

Ink: Rose red

Accessories: flower brad, 5 petal, large oval, scallop oval punches, dimensionals and snail.

Definitely a male card, or perhaps retirement card...

Here is another male card with the sense of time stampset... I just love the wood blocks and rubber stamping - it is all about a sense of time ... and occasion.

Here I am again, with the same stampset as yesterday, still embossing but on one layer of chocolate chip cardstock, no sponging - I was going for the clean and elegant.
Here is a close up of the clock with silver embossing.

Dont you just love that embossed look? This card is definitely a masculine card.

What says masculine? The Metalic silver embossing, black and kraft coloured patterned paper, with sahara sand, close to cocoa and chocolate chip cardstock. The ribbon is wide double stitched grosgrain with two small silver brads around the sentiment.

The sentiment reads:
"An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth" - I need that kind of wealth.

I was rich with it once, but it tends to elude me ... the last time I remember having that sense of time going slowly and pleasantly, it was quarter to three on a Tuesday afternoon, and I had to leave my half drunk glass of champagne, my waiting cup of coffee and cake and race to pick up my daughter from school...

I have only used the two stamps of the four in this set. Keeping it simple with the patterned monochromatic DSP from the Urban garden paper pack on a close to cocoa background.

Male card - sense of time

This set is just so versatile: male cards, vintage looks, embossing and scrapbooking pages are just waiting to be created all inspired by this one set of stamps and I haven't even used the words and quote on this card. I have embossed the clock face on whisper white cardstock using versamark and clear embossing powder. Stamped the cogs over the top in close to cocoa and sponged with creamy caramel ink. The pumpkin pie coloured layer has been run through the crimper (for that corrugated iron look). I resisted sponging it, but perhaps I should have? The next layer is chocolate chip with white embossing of the cogs stamp and a jumbo pewter eyelet with two ribbons knotted in the corner.Materials:
Stampsets: sense of time, A little birthday cheer.
Cardstock: whisper white, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip, close to cocoa.
Ink: versamark, white craft, creamy caramel, close to cocoa, pumpkin pie.
Tools and accessories: embossing powder clear and white, crimper, pewter jumbo eyelet, crop-a-dile, kraft tafetta ribbon, chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon.

Sense of time - embossing resist

Its wet raining and very grey outside, I had plans of going out, but the traffic and wet roads has put me off the idea.
Well, that means more time to share my latest creations with you...This is the lovely stampset: Sense of time. It lends itself beautifully to experimenting with embossing, sponging, and collage effects. I have stamped all of these clock faces with versamark and clear embossing powder onto whisper white cardstock. then used my sponge daubers in a variety of coloured inks to give a kind of vintage clock face look. On the first ones I used pink pirouette with creamy caramel and close to cocoa ink. The next two have centres of kiwi kiss, with creamy caramel and close to cocoa. These two are a mixture of the above and to blend the colours I spritzed them lightly with water to let the colours blend on the paper, blotting them dry with paper towel. I sponged the edges with choc chip ink for some extra definition. Once finished I over stamped with the background stamp Tres Chic. It gives a collage effect and I like how the word family and inspiration runs across each face ... creating family time.

Russian Doll - Tutorial

Did you ever make clothes for your dress up dolls? I really enjoyed making these two Russian doll cards. Thought I would share the process with you ...
You will need:
Scrap cardstock to make your template.
Half an A4 piece of cardstock, the size you want your doll card to be.
Some patterned paper - for the headscalf, the skirt, shoes, hair and baby wrap.
White cardstock - for face and shirt.
Flower stamp - oval all stampset.
20 cm of ribbon.
Circle punches: 1.3cm, 2.5 cm, 3.5cm.
Scallop oval punch (for shoes). Eyelet border punch (for edge of skirt).
1x Brad.
Markers: pretty in pink, regal rose, rose red and close to cocoa.
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Step 1. Create a template from scrap cardstock.
Step 2. Fold a piece of cardstock in half and place your doll template over the front cover and trace it out, pushing it over to the left hand side and leaving atleast a 2 cm edge that is not cut. Step 3. Using your template - Cut out a head scalf and skirt from patterned paper. I've used Raspberry tart designer series paper from stampin' up. Then punch out a circle for the face to show through, mine is 1 3/4", but it could be smaller for a more petite faced doll.

Step 4. If you are using a dark coloured cardstock for the body you will need to punch a white 1 3/8" circle for the face. Then cut two half circles for the "hair". I have used the 1" circle punch to cut out close to cocoa coloured Urban Oasis patterned paper.

Step 5. Draw a face (with coloured markers) onto the white cardstock. And I have cut a scalloped edge to the skirt with the eyelet border punch.Step 6. Assemble your doll's face, hair and head scalf then stick together with either snail or 2 way glue pen for the fiddly bits.

Step 7. Cut out two fluffy slippers - I have used the scallop oval punch but you could use two

small half circles in patterned paper to match the headscalf or skirt.

Step 8. Next cut a small rectangle of white cardstock (approx. 3x4cm.) for the doll's shirt.

Step 9. Stamp the cardstock with a pretty floral pattern. I have used markers in pretty in pink, regal rose and rose red. As you can see I have just inked up the flower image from the oval all stampset and used it repeatedly to make a floral pattern.

Step 10. Place all the pieces onto your cardstock doll. Add a piece of ribbon around the neck of the headscalf to cover the join.

Step 11. Cut out a baby doll from cardstock using your doll template.

Step 12. cover your baby in matching DSP (designer series paper), and punch out a small circle (1.3 cm) for the face to show through. Draw a face on the cardstock with the close to cocoa marker.

Step 13. Make a hole in the base for the pink brad to attach your baby to it's mother. (It doesn't hurt very much, not as much as the heel prick in the hospital. )
Push the brad through the baby's wrapping onto mother doll's stomach. That way her baby can launch itself either left or right depending which side she's ready to feed from next. ;)

Step 14. Take mother and baby out for some visiting and support from other mum's in her local community.