The Elite Challenge Sketch 35

Every month the Elite challengers set a stampset, colour and sketch challenge for the team to play with.
Today is the last day of the month so I have just squeezed this one in for July.
The sketch is from page 34 in the Autumn/Winter mini catalogue:
The small blue and green thank you card with the flower in the left hand corner.
This is my take on it -

I love a sketch challenge. You can choose your own colours and your favourite stampset and interpret the design all yourself. Usually if you choose a gorgous stampset like this Vintage Vogue one, it all falls into place quite simply.

The main flower is rock and rolled in pale plum and Rich Razzleberry ink.

The centre brad is from the circle ice rhinestone pack.

It is actually a pale purple colour, but difficult to see in this pic, I'm afraid.

So what is the Recipe for a card like this?

One stampset: Vintage Vogue

Three colour inks: Rich razzleberry, Pale Plum, and Old Olive.

Three cardstocks: melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and white.

A Rhinestone brad, a white singo gel pen (for the centres of those background flowers) and the distressing tool from the cutter kit. (for the top edge of the razzleberry layer).

I call this Bag Mambo with bling

My friend Sophie came to visit last Friday and we made another of these handbag cards. This one is quite striking in Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberrry, white and green galore.

The bag is made from a Top note die that I cut out with my Big shot machine.

I love how it has the stitching around the edges.

The white layer is textured using the polka dot embossing folder.

The bag handle is a piece of Melon Mambo polka dot ribbon.

And, the clasp is made from two of the Boho Blossom punch flowers with a square fire brad in the centre for just a bit of bling.

We stamped the Vintage vogue flower randomly over the top note  in Rich razzleberry ink.

The sentiment says "Wish Big" and is from the short and sweet stampset.

Enjoy!!!

Joy fold card for stamping joy

The "joy - fold" card - this should be my signature card!
Have you seen these before? You can see several varieties of this card on the splitcoast forum site.
At first you see the front with the scallop circle and your sentiment on top.

Then lift the sentiment up, it was held shut with the scallop circle.

Open it to reveal - patterned paper and stamping with your message inside.

It is a pretty and clever way to show off your Designer series patterned paper and a coordinating stampset like this combination featuring the Fifth Avenue Floral stampset and Urban Oasis patterned papers.

The cardstock colours are kiwi kiss and baja breeze with Whisper white.

Why do they call it a joy fold card?

... Enjoy!!!

Animal stories for a baby card

You know when you find just the right stampset for baby cards ... how cute are these little animals.
A Whale, an elephant and an Owl. I've also used the lion from the Wild about you stampset.

The colours are barely banana, pretty in pink, bashful blue and gable green. These colours are so soft they just whisper baby, baby, baby!!!

The animals were stamped on whisper white cardstock and punched out with the 1 3/8" circle punch and lifted up on dimensionals to sit above the scallop circle in its matching colour.

The sentiment: hello little baby is from the hostess stampset - Sweet little Sentiments punched out with the word window punch.

Another Stem silhouette card ... dressing it up and dressing it down.

I made a stepped up version of our stem silhouettes card ... that I showed you on Tuesday this week.

I've used the same stampset, Stem silhouettes with similar colours (including Melon Mambo) on a Going Grey cardstock base.

I extended the polka dot background down a bit further so I had room to tie my kiwi kiss silk ribbon bow and added the happy birthday on a Lots of tags sponged frame.

This 'tag' is made using a die cut from the BIG SHOT machine.

  ...  and here is a stepped - down version of the same card.

Which means I simply turned it into an almost one layer card (OK it's a two... maybe 3 layer card) but who's counting? It has less layers right?

Just to show what a variety of cards you can get from the same layout, stampset and colours.

I have to give credit for the layout of this card to Elizabeth B a fellow demonstrator who makes some lovely cards. Isn't it just the most simple gorgous card? and you could make it with other stampsets so easily too.

Big shot Card in the mail...

I want to show you a beautiful card that I received in the mail just last week from my friend Felicity:

She has used the BIG SHOT and the Manhattan rose embossing folder. It is beautiful on chocolate chip cardstock and layered on Very vanilla with the scallop edge on the bottom.

In this photo I have tilted it away from the camera toward the light so you can see the raised embossing.

It also has the felt fusion flowers in baja breeze and chocolate with a clear rhinestone brad.

And a strip of chocolate tafetta ribbon!

And it came with it's own Fifth avenue floral stamped envelope.

You can just imagine the excitement I get when I see a handstamped envelope in my letterbox, you just know there will be something special inside.

Glad we're friends is a great sentiment from the Best Yet hostess gift set and it has been punched and sponged onto a scallop oval.

Thanks again Felicity!

Tuesday night = baby cards!

Do you have a few pregnant mums lurking in your midst?

Friends, work colleagues, cousins, relatives about to have a gorgous bundle of love?

On Tuesday night we set ourselves the challenge to make baby birthday cards. Either their actual birth-day or perhaps a first birthday ...

These are the two designs that we came up with:

The first card features the "Wild about you" girraffe. One of my favourite images.
It is in chocolate chip and Regal rose.

The punch we used to make this cute bow is called the double rectangle punch. It cuts two little squares to thread the ribbon through. You can tie a knot or a neat little bow like the one I've done here. The ribbon is Pretty in pink grosgrain.

The sentiment: Welcome baby is so cute and it is punched out with the Word Window punch.
And layered on to a snipped and trimmed Scallop oval punch - clever or what?

I will show you the other in detail tomorrow. Enjoy!!!

Kissed En Francais Medallion

Here is the second workshop card we made last weekend.

It features the wonderful "Medallion" stamp AND the technique of Kissing stamps.

The medallion stamp was inked with baja breeze then "kissed", that means touched lightly, with the en francais stamp that was inked in Old olive ink.

The stamp is now ready to apply to your very vanilla card front.

The sentiment is stamped below the medallion.

We used "Heard from the Heart" stamp that says "May all your wishes come true"!

Lastly we tied a strip of Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon around the whole card and that was it.

Quick and fun!

Here is a similar version in Red with a Christmas spin to it.

Send me an email nerida_carter@hotmail.com if you'd like to have a workshop at your place.

We can make one or two cards, and I can demonstrate the BIG SHOT machine.

Or perhaps you're thinking its time to start on those Christmas cards?

We can do a Stamp A Stack of cards which is where for $15 you can make 6 cards of 2 different designs.

Begin your Christmas cards now to avoid the mad rush later.

Stem Silhouettes - Work shop card

I just have to show you one of the cards we made at a workshop on the weekend.
It is on brocade blue cardstock ... I love this colour, it is rich and soft and has a matching ribbon too.
Then we used the stem silhouettes stampset to stamp 4 different images in four different ink colours.
We used the current in-colours: Rich razzleberry, baja breeze, Tangerine Tango and Kiwi kiss.
Then punched out the white card with the square punch (1 3/8") and the coloured mounts in their corresponding colours with the larger square punch: 1 3/4 ".

The white layer has been rolled through the BIG SHOT machine using the embossed polka dots folder. It is so tactile you can close your eyes and imagine you're reading brail... I don't apologise for being all touchy feely with my card making.

Finally to make it a Happy Birthday card we stamped the greeting in Rich Razzleberry and punched it out with the word window punch.

Now are you wondering what I did to get that black curly mount behind it?

Can you guess what punch I used?

A Lovely Lilac Pony party

I dont have to tell you this is my daughter's favourite set now do I?

This card is quite simple but colourful and uses the little stamps that come with the main pony!

They can be used on their own to make a birthday card which makes the stampset a lot more versatile.

The rainbow stamp is stamped using markers direct to rubber ( bold bright colours of course).

The party hat is stamped in black stazon ink (its waterproof so wont smudge if you use water colour with it)

Then I used the fine tipped end of my markers in tempting turquoise and Pink Passion for the spots on the hat. The third circle is the butterfly stamp and is topped with another 1.3cm circle with flowers just for a little variety ... The markers make colouring your stamped images very quick and easy.

Raised up on dimensional foam and they just pop up off the page.

Party invite anyone?

And just because I know you love to share my daughter's artwork here is one of her glittery watercoloured ponies ...

She's asking for the totally tess stampset next.

 Can she wait till Christmas?

The sun was out for a moment... Two step stamping tags

The second week of school holidays and I am back to show you a better photo of the tiny tag and medallion card I posted about previously. The colours are a bit brighter due to my using my mobile phone camera and a contrasting coloured cardstock behind it.
The tricks of lighting and colour are quite a challenge in low lighting.

Tiny tags are one of the Two step stamping sets that are on sale during the month of July.

What makes it two step stamping you ask?

Well, some of the stamps can be used together in two steps ...

If you look closely at the "hello" tag - I've used two stamps together!!!

First I stamped the hello in orchid opulence and then the dotted outline in pink passion ink.

I love these little tags they are so cute! Check out the little heart, princess crown and the handcrafted tag!
Then, the best part about tiny tags is it goes with the gorgous little jewellery tag punch. (Not $30 but only $20.95!)
Stampsets: Tiny tags ($38.95 wood mounted - on sale during July for:
* Tiny Tags (wood-mount) $31.16 or 
* Tiny Tags (clear-mount) $23.16
Medallion ($33.95), En francais ($33.95).
Tools: Jewellery tag punch $20.95, mat pack.
Accessories: circle ice rhinestone brad, filigree brad.
Cardstock: Lovely Lilac and whisper white.
Ink: White craft ink, Orchid opulence and Pink Passion.
Enjoy!!!!

July Challenge

Well another cold and wintery Saturday in July ... what else is there to do, but make a card.
In between playing "shops" and Monopoly on the lounge room floor (as you do) I answered the challenge though the photos are a bit dull due to the overcast light outside, I did my best with many interuptions.
The challenge (set by Felicity this month) is to use expiring Stampin' Up colours that you will miss once retired and  stampsets you want to see stay in the new catalogue.

I've chosen Lovely Lilac cardstock as a card base. Why doesn't it look so bold and bright in the photos?  Staying with the bold bright colour theme I chose Orchid opulence and Pink passion for my ink colours.

The stampsets are: Tiny Tags and The medallion stamp from the Autumn - Winter mini catalogue, and En francais background stamp from the main Idea book and catalogue.

I think I will cry if these stamps don't continue on. The tiny tag set has its own new style "jewellery tag" punch, so it just has to stay!!!

It was a bit of a chaotic layout - so I saved it with the strings attaching behind the circle ice rhinestone (my favourite colour is the purple) and the gorgous silver filigree brad combination in the centre.

Card Recipe:

Stampsets: Medallion, tiny tags, En francais

Cardstock: Lovely lilac, whisper white.

Ink: Lovely lilac, Orchid Opulence, Pink passion, White craft (for the medallion).

Tools and accessories: Jewellery Tag punch, Circle Ice rhinestone brad, Filigree brad.

Embroidery cotton.

Two step bird punch

The weather is so grey outside that I really can't take any good photos of my cards that I've been making so I will show you one from Mother's day. May seems so long ago, really its only a month gone.

I really just wanted to show you the many things you can do with the two step bird punch.

If you look closely you can see the sponging on the edges of my pale plum cardstock to give it definition from the background.  Or you can punch it crisp and clean as a silhouette.

When we were at the last Market we had a make and take using the two step bird punch and the tiny tags stampset (which is on sale until the end of July 20% off).

My fellow demonstrator Lisa was playing around and made these two cards:

...and this one was made by one of the other lovely craft stall holders showing how you can make flowers of all different shapes and patterns with the wings and tail of the bird punch:

And this one was one I made before with the wings in the shape of a flower:

So what do you make with your punches?

Top note handbag on a card

This is another of the workshop cards we made only a week or so ago... its a top note handbag.

It is so easy to make this card with patterned paper (for the background layer) and stamping for the bag pattern.
We started with a top note cut with the Big shot machine in whisper white and then Folded it in half to make the purse. To make the purse stand out from the background we sponged the edges in rich razzleberry ink.

The fun part is always the stamping! And for this bag we stamped the vintage vogue flowers in a range of purples: rich razzleberry, pale plum, and orchid opulence. We varied the colours of the flowers using a technique of rock and rolling the rubbber in two inks. The greenery is also from Vintage Vogue and is stamped in Old Olive ink, it would look just as nice in mellow moss (a little softer green).

The clasp on the purse flap is made with a punched flower with a rhinestone brad in the centre.

We used the Boho Blossoms punch for the purple flower. 

The purse can be made without the patterned paper of course... thats the whole idea of stamping, you can make your own patterned paper just by using a selection of matching stamps on cardstock.

The handle is simply a piece of ribbon tucked in under the top of the bag.

With a sentiment punched out using the word window punch.

Wouldn't any girlfriend love a topnote handbag card?

2 Steps to Fabulous stamping - July Sale

It certainly is winter now, so to warm us up Stampin' Up have a July Sale offer:

From 1-31 July, you’ll get 20% off these select Two-Step Stampin’ sets from our current catalogues – 
Choose from any of the stamp sets listed below:

116386 p.39 Loads of Love $31.96
116342 p.42 Big Bold Birthday**  $43.16
115860 p78 A Rose is a Rose** $53.56
116332 p86 Playful Petals**  $42.36
115770 p98 Cheep Talk  $38.36
115946 p115 Wonderful Favourites $31.96

119187 p14* Tiny Tags (wood-mount)  $31.16

118592 p14* Tiny Tags (clear-mount) $23.16

119163 p31* Cottage Garden (wood-mount  $26.36

120003 p31* Cottage Garden (clear-mount)  $19.96
*From 2010 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue
**Retiring stamp sets!
Stampin’ Up!’s Two-Step Stampin’ sets allow you to quickly and easily take your creativity to the next level.

Two step stamping set: Happy Everything