Circle Scissors and Designer button playground

How much do I love a new tool? A new stamp and new buttons!!!

Just open up your Summer mini to page 7 and check out those button colours - sigh - Old olive, real red, more mustard and tempting turquoise in the playground pack.

Then turn to page 14 and you have the Retro wheel: a sparkling swirl of leaves, hearts, flowers and starbursts for borders and background patterns.

Do you love circles?

Turn to page 22 of the Summer mini and see how I cut this large circle from patterned paper.

This is an excellent tool for cardmaking and scrapbooking any size circle from 2.5cm to 15cm (1" - 6" wide).

This tool takes a couple of goes to get your confidence... or follow the instructions carefully!!!

Hint: use a temporary adhesive to hold the cardstock firmly in place, and hold the rubber edge down firmly so that the tool doesn't slip and is laying central on the glass mat.

You will get perfect circles every time!

What I love best about Stampin up products is how everything colour matches perfectly. That old olive button matches the Old olive patterned paper perfectly. And the old olive ribbon, ink and the cardstock too.

For an added bit of gloss I have used crystal effects to hi-light the little flowers and dots in the patterned paper. The buttons are attached with mini glue dots ... my favourite adhesive that will stay put no matter where you use it - no fumes, no drying time.

Christmas layout ... I wish

Do you have a pile of Christmas photos just waiting to be scrapped or displayed in a frame? I always take a heap of digital photos and wait months before scrapping just a few of them. So this year I have got in early and becaused this I wish scrap kit makes it so easy, I finished this page in double quick time.

The Title is simply "Christmas" ... embossed in gold and paper pieced in Old Olive Cardstock.

Might add 2009 when I dig my numbers out.

I have wrapped the whole page like a present with the Old Olive grosgrain ribbon and tied a bow.

The rest of the embellishments are stickers. Very quick to choose because they all are colour coordinated and the style goes perfectly with the Snow swirled stampset.

Above shows a detail of the scalloped edge stickers for borders and edging

 with "I wish ..."  "Joy, because I love you!" stickers.

Scrapbook page Recipe:
Stampset: Jumbo outline alphabet.

Cardstock: chocolate chip textured cardstock, Old olive cardstock,

 Ink: versamark. Old olive ribbon.

Tools: gold embossing powder, heat tool.

I wish scrapbook kit. 

January Elite Challenge - SC29.

Ten more days to go until Sale-a-bration! I just had to mention that.
The January challenges over at the Elite Challenges Team site have started for another month. This sketch comes from a card design on page 17 of the Summer mini.
I have replaced the dragonfly image with the Bird in a cage from Happy moments stampset (available Free from 25 January during Saleabration).
As soon as I saw this stampset with the bird in a cage and happy birthday words I knew what I wanted to do with it. . . 
Embossing .... not surprised?

The cage image has been stamped in versamark and gold embossed.

I liked the idea of the golden cage hanging from something like a tree or the verander. The Frames with a flourish stampset have lots of curly wrought iron like frames, so imagine this little song bird singing on the front verander.

Now that I have used these Basic Jumbo Grommets with ribbon I find it hard to just tie a bow anymore ... another of those accessories you wondered how you ever got by with out.

Card Recipe:
Stampsets: Frames with a Flourish, Happy Moments.
Cardstock: Orchid Opulence, Elegant Eggplant, whisper white.
Ink: Orchid Opulence, Versamark.
Accessories and Tools:
Gold embossing Powder, heat tool, Certainly celery Ribbon, Basic Jumbo Grommet, Word window punch.

A dozen things to do with a Versamark inkpad!

 "What can you do with VersaMark ink?" I have been asked this question recently by a few customers so, following is a list of some of my favourite uses of this unique ink pad.

As its name suggests, VersaMark is a very versatile ink!
1. Embossing: I mainly use the VersaMark pad for heat embossing projects. Because VersaMark is a clear ink, you can use the embossing powder colour of your choice without the colour of the pigment pad showing through the embossed powder.

2. Embossing with Classic Ink pads: First, ink up the stamp image with VersaMark, then ink it with a Classic Stampin' Pad colour of your choice.  Apply clear embossing powder and heat with embossing tool. You get a very glossy raised image in the colour of the ink you chose.

3. Watermark: Create a great tone-on-tone effect by stamping on a piece of coloured card stock. The image appears a deeper shade than the card stock and is perfect for subtle backgrounds.

4. Discreet Journaling Lines: Looking for a way to create subtle journaling lines? Ink one of our journaling stamps with the VersaMark pad and stamp on a piece of coloured card stock. Once the ink is dry, journal with a Stampin' Write journaler or marker. VersaMark is an acid-free ink and safe for scrapbook pages.

5. Embossing on Metal or Glass: Prior to stamping, rub the Embossing Buddy over the surface. Stamp the image on a metal or glass container with the VersaMark pad, and then emboss with clear, gold or silver powder for an elegant touch to any piece of glassware. Note: This technique is recommended for decorative purposes only. Embossed images may scratch off or come off when washed.

6. Poppin' Pastels: Stamp the image with the VersaMark ink pad on a piece of neutral-coloured card stock (Whisper White, Very Vanilla). Apply Stampin' Pastels with sponge daubers, stamping sponge, or pastel applicator directly to the ink.

7. Versamark Resist: Stamp on Glossy White card stock with the VersaMark pad. Ink the rubber brayer with a Classic pad, and roll over the card stock. Wherever the VersaMark ink was stamped, the card stock resists the coloured ink from the brayer. If you dont have a brayer you can sponge or daub the ink over the versamark image.

8. Emboss Resist: For a more defined resist image. Stamp an image with VersaMark ink and emboss with  Clear embossing powder. When the image is cool, sponge one or more colours of Classic ink over and around embossed image. The stamped image will resist the ink.

9. Reverse Pastels: Apply Stampin' Pastels (bright colours work best) to a dark-coloured card stock (Basic Black, Night of Navy, Close to Cocoa) and then stamp over the chalked area. The ink pulls off the colour of the chalk, revealing the paper beneath. Be sure to clean the stamp before re-inking, as the chalk you removed is now on your stamp and will dirty your VersaMark pad.

10. Two Step Stampin': Stamp the first image with VersaMark and then the second with white craft ink (or with an Encore metallic pad ).  This technique looks best on darker, richer tone card stocks (e.g. Elegant eggplant, Bravo Burgundy, Not quite Navy). The image appears to be embossed, the versamark creates a shadow line, it works best if you use a stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the two images.

 11.  Use versamark with Heat and stick powder and your heat gun to hold your glitter firmly on your cardstock without messy glues. Stamp an image with versamark, sprinkle liberally with heat and stick powder, heat very quickly, just till it melts, then put your glitter on top.

Heat a second time (very quickly) to set the glitter onto the image.

12. Easy watercolouring: Stamp an image with versamark, use white embossing powder, and then watercolour with classic ink on a brush between the lines.

Take a look on my side bar under Versamark for some tutorials and samples of cards I have made.

And, If you would like a demonstration of how to do this, just send me an email at nerida_carter@hotmail.com and we can arrange a class for you and some friends.

Black and white with dazzling diamonds

I guess by now most or, atleast some of you, will have in your hands a copy of the Sale-a-bration catalogue and be planning how you will earn your saleabration free stampset(s). Stampin' Up have set it to start on 25 January this year, to get us over the Christmas, new year rush and I guess our little ones will be back at school by then too. I wanted to show you what I have been doing with my pre-order set and give you a sneak peak.

My favourite of the 6 stamps in this set has to be the little bird in the cage. I have stamped it in black stazon, added orchid opulence with my aquapainter and dazzling diamonds to the cage.

The punch used is the large tag punch. Just the right size for these three images.

Flowers - just as gorgous I think with their simple shapes -A tulip, a something and a rose?

And my most used stamp so far - the presents: I like the patterns just simple but decorative enough to watercolour and glam up with glitter on.

The wheel at the top is Bella's Border in Black Stazon ink. It gives a nice crisp image on what ever stamp you use it on.

No prizes for guessing the border punch?  Its the eyelet scallop punch on Basic Black cardstock.

Would you like to host a Sale-a-bration workshop at your place? Contact me to lock in your date between 25 Jan and 31 March.

Noisy Minah scrapbook page

These photos were taken during the School holidays in October - this little bird became the focus of my  daughters holiday for about 2-3 weeks until it grew flight feathers and eventually flew away. The people at WIRES were great, told us about the habits of noisy minah families, feeding, and how to gradually release him (or her) back to the wild. It was a few weeks of intensive feeding, cleaning, flight training and observation but it paid off in the end when he made his own way in the local community of noisy minahs.

I have used the outline alphabet on this page for the title. I am so glad this alphabet is on special at the moment, a perfect set for scrapbookers.

I have used the Parisian breeze cover weight DS Paper for both the background and the title which I have paper pieced (which means: stamped from a separate piece then, cut out).

The date is also stamped (and handwritten using markers) onto the Designer series paper, matted in close to cocoa and a designer button (Playground) attached with a Mini glue dot.

 Ive used the double stitched chocolate chip ribbon. Now the journalling because I am a very messy writer, is done on discreetly stamped journalling lines ... I first stamp the lines in versamark ink on the close to cocoa cardstock then write my words in chocolate chip marker following the lines as a guide.

You can hardly see them once you punch out the circle with the 1 3/4" circle punch.

I mounted the central photo on close to cocoa cardstock to emphasise it and kept the colours close to those in the photos : baja breeze to match his grey plumage, brown to match my daughters hair and cardboard box and more mustard to match the birdie's beak, which was nearly always open unless he was a sleep.Enjoy!!!

A Sweet cup 7th birthday challenge!

Are you making me a birthday card? Asks my almost 7 year old on the eve of her birthday...

Can it have yellow jelly beans and white in the centre and purple petals?

That was the challenge and in very quick time, between dinner and wrapping presents after sweet almost 7 year old went to bed I whipped this one up. Wish I had had more time but thats how it goes sometimes.

The Card base is in Elegant eggplant and More mustard, and the petals are orchid opulence punched out with the 5 petal punch. I have stamped the happy birthday and stem of the flower with stem sayings ... she loved it especially the yellow and white lollies in the centre.

I made her a nice butter cake though and iced it with a Tinkerbell Decal (her new favourite character) and made the lolly boxes usng the 7cm box template.

I used two punches to open the box up to show the lollies and treats inside: My new butterfly punch (for the top and the thank you tag) and the five petal punch on the front.

The cardstock is Orchid opulence and Elegant eggplant for the Oval and Ribbon too.

Inks used are: Elegant eggplant and Orchid opulence.

Stampsets used: Butterfly prints, Flight of the butterfly and hostess set Sweet little sentiments.

We were fully intending to have a picnic for her birthday but then when the weather predicted rain all week we decided to go ice-scating.

Here is the girl herself  finding her scating feet on the ice.

Journey ... scrapbook page

Do you remember I posted this 6"x6" scrapbook page that I completed at the Regional Training Day? Well I thought I would show you the finished scrapbook page after I added a few more photos and ribbon.

When I added my photo of my daughter playing at the edge of the water I decided I would need to add some of the colours from her swimming costume to make it suit the page. The kraft cardstock matched the sand OK, so the pink corner scallops and scalloped edge brought the colour elements together.

I liked the idea of the three scallop squares down the side for the felt flower, button and the wheeled pattern with the heart. The last one is just big enough to add a few journalling details like the date and place.

I have wheeled the retro wheel down the left hand side beside a piece of Old Olive grosgrain ribbon.

I like how it has a scattering of starbursts, hearts and leaves with dotted swirls between them.

And in my opinion a scrapbooking page can never have too many butterflies so I stamped some butterflies, cut them out and added them on to flowers, hearts and a dotted white line for decorative effect.

Stampsets used: Hello again, Retro wheel, Life Definitions, alphabet.

Inks: Chocolate chip, Rose red, Old Olive.

Cardstock: Old Olive (textured), chocolate chip, pink passion, rose red, whisper white.

Tools: Square scallop, scallop edge, white singo gel pen, Designer series buttons, silver brads, Felt fusion flowers and Old Olive grosgrain ribbon.

Enjoy!!

A birthday card and gift in black and white.

What kind of card do you make for a princess on her 21st birthday?
I guess every princess likes pink, but  turning twenty one calls for some dignity and formality... someone who plays the piano beautifully, as every princess should ...

This is what I came up with to match a butterfly printed glass vase and, a crystal encrusted picture frame for that special 21st birthday photo.

A Simple card with a little bit of fun.

If you have read my earlier posts on using white stazon ink you will know how I stamped this vase.

The butterfly image is from the new summer mini catalogue: I cant decide if I like the houndstooth butterfly best.

or the swirly flowery butterfly ...

So I used both in a fluttery pattern. It can either be a flower vase or a candle holder, however the mood or need takes her.

Products used:

For the card: Basic Black cardstock, whisper white cardstock, velum and stazon black ink, corner rounder, Silver brads, square scallop punch. Stampset: Happy Everything.

For the Candle vase: Stazon Cotton white ink. Stampset: Butterfly prints.