Lace Ribbon Border card

 I love this "Lace Ribbon Border" punch - Dare I say it is one of my favourites?

This card features it so beautifully.

I first saw this card design at Angela Sargeant's "Elite Stampers" Team Training day.

I couldn't wait to get home and try it.

So simple really, and hardly more than a two layer card, or perhaps less since it has so many holes in it.

Card Recipe:
Cardstock: Early espresso, Melon Mambo, whisper white.
Ink: Melon Mambo
Designer Series paper: Cheerful Treat.
Ribbon: Melon Mambo Scallop dot ribbon.
Tools: Lace Ribbon Border, Eyelet Border punch, Large oval, scalloped oval, Boho Blossom punch.
Stampset: "with love" stamp from Field Flowers.

Team challenge

Each month the Inksomniac's team post a stamping, photo inspiration or colour challenge.
This month's challenge was a bowl of curly pasta using the colours: yellow, orange and pink.

 I chose the colours: Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo and Rose Red.
These colours in cardstock are very bright... which gave me pause for thought.

My card uses the "Summer Solstice" flower stamp with markers direct to rubber. I love the detailed texture in this flower and thought it would brighten up the first edition specialty paper without overpowering the background.

 My daughter brought home this gorgeous pink and yellow camelia .... which inspired me to use the big blossom punch as my focal point on the bottom third of the card. Can you pick the centre shape?
It is cut from the Large lace ribbon border punch and I've used the yellow brad from the Square Fire Rhinestones pack.
In the top right hand corner I used the small boho blossom punch flowers scrunched and layered with a yellow brad.

Enjoy!!!

Framelits, Attic Boutique and a Poppy Parade Blossom

 When you have new toys - it is time to play!
This is one of the first cards I made with the new Framelits and "Attic boutique" papers. I particularly love the soft Pool Party blue with the Bold Poppy Parade flower on whisper white.

 You have probably been seing these pretty crumpled flowers around everywhere in all different sizes.

So easy to dampen the cardstock with water or rubbing alcohol, then crumple and shape the cardstock before it dries.

With a red brad in the centre it takes centre stage on any pastel coloured card.

My "Thanks" stamp is also in Poppy parade ink and I have used a small "Framelit" to frame the word from "Rue de Fleurs" stampset.

The pretty pattern in the oval is also from this stampset, just love it as a feature in Soft Suede.

I love how the next size up framelit die, perfectly embraces the "Designer frames embossing folder".

Those little white dots are definitely braile for gorgeous and stylish!!!

And I have tied the linen thread around the framelit with Island indigo Baker's twine for a little more texture.

Scrapbooking the days of Summer

During the holidays we managed to get out into the bush a couple of times for walks, even though it threatened rain with overcast skies. One of the days we visited Girrakool National Park. We walked as far as the caves, crossing stepping stones over rain-filled creeks and had some good conversations along the way.

I really like this stampset: "Kindness matters" because it has butterflies designed to go with vintage style pages. It seems to match a lot of my stampsets at the moment. 

 For a small 6 x 6" page there is a lot going on starting with some

 "flower garden" embossing on the Elegant Eggplant cardstock.

Distressed edges on the patterned paper

Punched flowers from the Boho Blossom punch with added PEARLS

Embossed vellum butterflies (Beautiful wings embosslit)

 and of course the photo that has been cut out with the Beautiful butterflies die.
And the corner has been sprayed with shimmer paint mist for added sparkle.

Its appropriate that I have used the kindness matters stampset from Shelli Gardner's collection as the layout was inspired by one of her gorgeous vintage cards.

A real red Thank you gift.

 I have a brand new embossing folder .... the hounds tooth pattern. It is very special on Real Red card stock and I can't wait to try it out on a few more colours... like black and white, soft suede, Early espresso.
I have teamed it with the Fun Flower die and the Boho Blossoms punched flowers for the centre.

It opens up as a gift folder that has 4 pockets inside.
For Christmas I have added some Christmas tags, a magnetic book mark and post it notes.
It fits anything you really like: chocolate, T-bags, chocolate, a gift card, or even a piece of jewellery too.

If you are looking at buying the big shot for Christmas, this is the month to buy it !
The Big shot bundle is 10% off and so are many of the big shot dies, embossing folders and Embosslits.
So what will be under the tree for you on Christmas day?

Circle circus in amethyst, eggplant and orchid

A simple card today, using the circle circus stampset and metal tag hanging from some elegant eggplant and white ribbon. A touch of velum on the small cut out flower and a silver brad.

The sentiment is from the hostess stampset: Best yet.

Recipe:

Stampsets: Best yet, circle circus, one of a kind.

Cardstock: Orchid opulence, almost amethyst, velum and whisper white.

Ink: Elegant eggplant, orchd opulence.

Accessories and tools: Silver edged metal tag, silver brad, eggplant and white ribbons, twine, Large oval punch, wide oval punch, boho blossom punch.

Riding Hood Red does the tango with Sahara Sand challenge

Another late night, burning the candle at both ends...

A challenge to complete and here it is!

These were the colours I decided to challenge myself to use: Riding hood red, tangerine tango and sahara sand.

I have largely ignored the sahara sand in my neutral colour palette, but I have decided that it will tone down those wild bright colours in the new Catalogue.

This sketch challenge (I will come back and edit when i remember where I found this sketch) was one I found recently and thought it gave me a good excuse to experiment with my background stamping.

Three separate panels and a circular medallion to decorate: just screams Boho backgrounds and now that the One of a kind Boho blossoms and punch are back in the new catalogue I intended to give them a whirl together.

I Love how you can layer the circle punches on this design. The first panel was done with the little flowers from Boho backgrounds, and the middle (red panel) with the Boho background circle stamp and the third panel I have used my Baroque wheel for a swirly effect.The last embellishment is my "faux" brads - that is french for fake brads! now brads are cheap but you never seem to have the right colour for the card you are making ... unless you plan it that way. And brads, unfortunately, do not come in the new in-colours, so apart from buying a build a brad kit ... you can fake it with card stock, crystal effects and dimensionals.

These little flower "brads" are made from a punched out circle of pink cardstock.

The dimensional lifts the brad off the card surface to make it look real.

I have tried to take a photo close enough, in this low grey rainy overcast light, to show you the shine on the flower centre.
Want a real demonstration of this effect? Give me a call and book a party with some friends ...

Floral and Linen backgrounds I am going to miss you.

After yesterday's card, I thought I would go for a more subtle approach on this one.

The soft subtles of Perfect Plum, pale plum, Certainly Celery and a little Old Olive.

And it is Autumn, so falling leaves and flowers are quite fitting for this month. I will be sending it to my Wonderful friend ... we write letters to each other (the snail mail variety).

So, I try to include a card each letter I write to her ...

I don't know how I could ever think of saying goodbye to these background stamps ... I haven't had the linen stamp for long, it gives a gorgous texture to any cardstock. You can see I have even used it on the word stamp to soften the white with a little of the certainly celery. The words are from the Boho Background stampset. I just ink up the line I want to use with a marker and stamp just the part that I want to use. The Old Olive frame is cut with the square scallop punch (top and bottom scallops cut off).

And I have sponged Perfect plum around the outside of the card edge to soften the background edges to give some shadow and depth.

Materials Used:

Stampsets: Floral background, Linen background, Boho backgrounds, Lovely as a tree. Cardstock: Perfect plum, Pale plum, whisper white, old olive. Punch: scallop-square. Ribbon: Elegant eggplant grosgrain.

An Elite Challenge : SC18 "You make me happy Fine lace ..."

I do love a challenge!
This Sketch challenge was just what I needed (an excuse to try out my new crimping tool).
The layout (sketch) is from page 17 of the 2008-09 Idea Book and Catalogue.
Thats why it is called an idea book every page has several sketch layouts and colour ideas to copy and share.
I used some of my current favourite colours: Old olive, Rose red and pumpkin pie. I am also using the gorgous Fine Lace background stamp (which is sadly retiring from the catalogue this month)... I have used the pumpkin and rose red markers to color the rubber stamp with ink so that I could just blend the colours on the petals.
Stampset: "Live your dream" and the words are from the "Boho background" stampset.
Tools: Crimper, mat pack (to make the dots in the corner of the card), Cutter kit (to distress the whisper white edges)

One of a kind - Post it note holder and pencil.

What do you do when you have a stamping project disaster?

Put another layer on ... if that doesn't quite work? Then, add an accessory or two...

So, next time you're thinking wow so many layers - just think - mmm, what is hiding behind that ribbon?

That's what happened here. If I am to be honest.

Firstly it is a post it note holder, a little longer than first intended, so I added a pencil holder.

My daughter saw me eyeing off her miniature gel pens and promptly hid them. She knows me too well. So I had to settle for one of her cast off pink pencils.

The metal ring goes through the two layers of cardstock and the post it note. Made with the oh so humble Cropadile tool. That will go through a post it note without so much as a yawn at the many layers. You are only limited by the depth of the paper pad that you can fit between the cropadile's jaws. The hole is reinforced with a large metal "Jumbo" eyelet and held together with a closed ring and silk pomegranate coloured ribbon.

The stampset is from our current spring mini and is called "one of a kind" and the flowers are punched out with the Boho Blossoms flower punch, so easy.

The central flower was matted on pomegranate cardstock punched with the one inch (2.5cm) circle. Then matted again with a scallop punched circle, cut in half and joined to another scallop in contrasting artichoke cardstock.

Don't you just love this shiny pomegranate silk ribbon? This might work as an extra part of a Christmas present don't you think?

A pair of blue eyes - the heart of stamping joy!

Her eyes can make the hardest commuter smile ...

or the tiredest mother's heart melt.

Tonight my husband dropped our daughter to me at work and she and i caught the train from chatswood to Gosford home together.

We sat on a wide seat that held 4 adults comfortably - there were 4 adults seated and my daughter squeezed in beside me and the look she received from a tired commuting woman was withering to say the least. I asked my daughter to sit on my lap and the woman squeezed into the spot she had just vacated, seconds later a man stood up and offered her his seat. My daughter smiled at the man and the woman equally and both smiled back. It's the innocense in their hearts that finds joy in ours.

This scrap book page begun with a photo and a piece of scrap watercolour paper. I stamped the petal print flower on the water colour paper in stazon and pushed some ink around the petals in lavender lace ink and orchid opulence ink. Less is more in watercolouring i believe.

Then matted it on egglplant and ballet blue. (Next to purple this is one of my favourite colours) I think it looks purple in some light conditions.

The rest of the elements arose from boho backgrounds and big deal alphabet using every blue in the rich regals colour range. I used the ink spots ( a great idea if you cant decide which colour inks you want to buy ...) to stamp the "blue eyes" of the heading and the " a pair of " is embossed with white ink and white embossing powder it really stands out on a textured cardstock scrap book page.

And the background is stamped with the baroque motif large stamp in ballet blue.

The bow is made from taffeta ribbon.