Feature: Elements of Style stampset

This is just one of my all time favourite stampsets.
I love that you can watercolour the roses, background stamp with the swirly flower, hilight the bird (perhaps with embossing) and it comes with two sentiments: "for you" and "Life is a matter of moments".
At $39.95 Clear, or $49.95 Wood mounted it is reasonably priced for 5 useable stamps.
You will possibly need the Clear Block E (when you choose clear) because the roses are larger than the usual stamp size. But you will use the block for many other sets aswell.

 The roses stamp is a beautiful stamp to watercolour.
I have used my Wonder watercolour crayons for this card.
Black Stazon Ink is the best ink to stamp it in, when you want to watercolour as it doesn't smudge if it gets wet by the brush or aquapainter that you use.
The crayons are very simple to use, just touch your aquapainter brush to the crayon and lift off some colour and paint the flowers.
I usually try to leave some white sections to show through and add a darker colour for depth.

The background swirls are also inked with my watercolour crayons. Using the aquapainter brush I added the paint direct to the rubber and then stamped the swirl onto the cardstock. Its quite a soft wet look that I like.

As it was late at night, and the light wasn't very good, I thought it needed a little bit of shimmer paint.

So I picked up some of that and painted it on some petals... perhaps I over did it,

more white less paint next time I think.

A single layer card  needs a ribbon and a punched label.

I have recently discovered the "Four Frames" stampset and this one has roses that work well with a little watercolouring too.

Card Recipe:

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Old olive, Black stazon.

Cardstock: Whisper white and Confetti white (page.125 of the catalogue, might be retiring at the end August and its great to water colour on).

Ribbon: organza

Stampset: Elements of Style p.94 $39.95

 Four Frames. p.95 $32.95

Watercolour Wonder Crayons (Bold Brights) $37.95 (10 crayons).

Aquapainter brushes 2 for $19.95

January Scrapbook page

 In January we went to the Japanese gardens. Jessica's dress is in blue and white with a pale pink necklace.
I do like how these colours go with soft suede and white.

 More stickers, with a piece of torn scrapbookng paper in blue
 and a pretty in pink tafetta ribbon ... tied in a bow with pearls.

Technique Team swap

Our local Stampin' Up team is called the "Inksomniacs" and yes, we stamp day and night !!!
This month we had a team swap that challenged us to use a  technique that we had seen at Convention 2011. Our group of six shared the following cards:

 My card used the mixed embossing technique (using clear embossing powder mixed with Dazzling Diamonds glitter). The stampset is Strength and Hope from the Winter mini catalogue. (Ends 31 July)!

 I have also embossed the Curly Cute Congratulations in gold embossing powder and sponged with Soft suede ink to bring out the vintage wallpaper texture on the top note.

 Denielle B showcased the technique of Bleaching ... using the ever elegant stampset: Elements of style.
Isn't it amazing how the colour lightens and you get yellow roses out of Soft suede cardstock!

 Felicity Hawkins showed us masking - I love how the Eiffel tower floats above the En Francais script and how gorgeous does her matching tag look? She has masked the sentiment on the tag and spritzed it too.

This technique is very "distressing" by Tracy Farmer and she has used the pretty cup cake punch from the Winter mini catalogue ... Love the library clip and the rhinestones.

 Michelle Dyson has used the torn window technique that we saw at Convention. She has used the Decorative label punch through two layers of cardstock to start her tearing and it looks great (a sneak peek of a stampset we got free at Convention and coming out in the next Idea Book and Catalogue).

Ellen Woodbridge ... Christmas already! you can't see it in the photo but the embossed vanilla  layer is spritzed with Early espresso ink and sprayed with shimmer mist... it sparkles!

Elements of style Baja Breeze Thank you

 Such a simple way to say thank you...
A single layer card with sponging for depth.

Just a quick post today, I have shadow stamped the flower swirls with Concord crush and Rich Razzleberry. It gives the design a sense of movement.
I haven't used the bird stamp from this stampset nearly enough. It is a lovely humming bird elegant and decorative.

Enjoy!!!

Water colouring in Rich Razzleberry

If there is one thing I like to do is to sit on my own on a cool day and water colour some pretty flowers.

Time just disappears.

All the stressors of the day just melt away and creating layers of colour and light on paper is all that matters.

Indulgent perhaps but then you can put it in an envelope and give it to someone to say thank you for the time and care they have given to others.

It's worth it!

Perhaps I wasn't making any money today - But somebody's day will be a lttle bit happier because there was a thank you card in their mail box that they weren't expecting.

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This is a one layer card.

One layer of Sahara sand cardstock with sponging and stamping...

I really like this stampset: Elements of Style.

I have used three ink colours: Black, Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.

A sponge and an aquapainter.

A CASE of Teneale Williams - The "Secret Slider Card"

Tenealle Williams presented a Workshop WOW card at Regional training.
I love cards that DO something! And this one is very clever ...
The front has a punched out shape so that you can see an image through the window and when you open it a completely different image is in the window!

 My card uses Concord Crush and Marina Mist cardstock and inks. From the front of the card you can see the circle flower from "Just Believe" through the scallop circle.

 The card is designed that when you open it, the words appear in the window from a secret sliding panel in the back... its so clever!

 The card is made with only 3 layers (true).

 Don't you love that Marina Mist satin ribbon? I have recently found a ribbon tying tutorial using a piece of plastic template that gives you a neat bow like this one every time.
Teneale showed us up on stage a way to tie one 'round your fingers (a magic trick no less).

I think I've got it figured out...

Embosslit butterflies with Beautiful vellum Wings

I haven't used much vellum lately, so I pulled out a piece and got busy with making embellishments for the gift box I showed you yesterday and some beautiful butterflies, numbers and frames.
I love how vellum is both opaque and semi transparent. Perfect for wings and and flimsy things!

I needed an elegant birthday card for a friend who was turning fifty.
It needed to be: elegant and pretty but not overly so.
Not sure if it met it's mark but I was careful to keep it monotone and with lots of feminine elements.

 The butterflies are two layers: one of whisper white cardstock, stamped with the elements of style flowers (watercoloured in Rich razzleberry and a touch of pear pizazz ink).
The second layer is my embosslit "beautiful wings" butterfly ... sigh... how clever is this Big shot machine to both cut and emboss at the same time.

The edges of the wings and the indented embossing is touched with white shimmer paint.
The card base is of course: Rich Razzleberry cardstock put through the ever handy and useful Big shot machine to give that textured swirly background. The embossing folder is called Elegant lines.

I ummed and arrred about the fifty!!! put it on, no take it off, too much, too old...
Then decided you only get to give a fifty card ocasionally so, why not?
I did the numbers in soft vellum using the Timeless type alphabet and numbers and softened it further with some rhinestone stick on jewells, some shimmer paint, a piece of organza ribbon and the eyelet border punch.
Movie watched today: The Notebook.

Faux Suede Decorative Ornament flower

Have you seen these Faux- suede textured flowers around?
When I saw a flower like this that Erin made I was most impressed and then I saw one made with the ornament punch on Jayne's site. That was it I had to try my hand at faux suede flowers.
Here is my first attempt on a card. Its coming up to Melbourne Cup day you could see these on a hat or lapel ... quick and easy decorating I say.

The actual flower can be made with as few as three punched out ornaments. I made this one with melon mambo cardstock.

When you distress the paper it de-laminates and becomes two pieces.

When you pull them apart the insides are all furry and look like Suede. (hence the faux-suede reference).

In the centre I have attached (with a mini glue dot) a cardstock button and then a Rich Razzleberry button on top.  The "thread" through the centre is a thin piece of cardstock tied through the button holes.

Also on this card I have used the Elements of style stamp, water coloured it, then covered it with a piece of vellum that is embossed with my Big shot machine.

The Ribbon is Rich Razzleberry Satin!

A no knot silk ribbon bow

Nearly everyone I speak to has trouble with tying bows... just when you have the trick down perfect, you stand up proud to show a few friends and the skill eludes you once more... I know not how to tie the perfect bow, you say.

Well, not now, I have the no Knot bow at my finger tips ready to share.

It takes only a few moments to do (with only the aid of a rhinestone brad to hold it in place).

Here it is:

Take a piece of ribbon (Old Olive Satin ribbon looks so lovely in a bow) twice as wide as the bow you want to create. Fold it into equal thirds.

Then pinch it in the centre and wrap the tines (or the legs of) a brad around the pinched bit of ribbon.

Tease out the ends and trim them neatly with your scissors,

and stick it on to a card with a mini glue dot, or two.

Here it is from a different angle and tucked beneath a delightful decoration stamp.

With out a knot in sight.

Enjoy!!!

Delightful Decorations

 I think I took this photo before the glitter fell on it ... plain and simple.
So here is the stack of cards I managed to finish: 8 cards have to be a record for me.

Enjoy!!!

We stamped a stack on Tuesday...

Here is one of the cards I made on Tuesday night: the base is Concord Crush and the ink is Old Olive.
The stampsets are Elements of Style (for the branches) and Delightful Decorations plus Heard from the Heart for the sentiment across the bottom.
I made a very basic card to start, tried to repeat it, failed dismally and made a stack of various variations on the same design... I stuck to the same colour ink and cardstock for continuity...

Soon the dazzling diamonds filled the air, the tabletop and floor...
....a bit fell on the cards too.
Card Recipe:
Stampsets: Heard from the heart, delightful decorations, Elements of Style
Ink: Old Olive
Cardstock: Old Olive, whisper white, Concord crush.
Accessories: 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter,

Dasher in Old Olive and Early Espresso

The card above is so simple. Just two pieces of cardstock and three stamps.

It looks fairly simple this way.

If you wish you can dress it up with dazzling diamonds and rhinestones to step it up and get the wow factor.

Dasher has been "rock and rolled" in the old olive and Early espresso ink (but only lightly).

The stamps are:

 Dasher

Heard from the heart

and Elements of Style.

This card uses just two stamps:

Dasher and Curly cute with a background of wheeled swirls and some polka dot patterned paper.

The variations for Dasher are endless...

expect to see a lot more of him between now and December!

Elements of Dasher, Joy and Heard from the heart.

I am well into Christmas cards now, I was beginning to worry I wouldn't ever start on them then along came this little dasher stamp into my crafting space and now he is leading the Christmas stampede with a whole host of other stamps heading for December 25th. 

 This card teams him up with the Elements of style stamp, and Season of Joy, and Heard from the heart stampsets.
He has been "rock and rolled" in Poppy Parade (the new in colour red) and Early Espresso (my favourite charcoal coloured brown) and has a tafetta bow to accent the split between sentiment and picture.

 He's been dipping his nose a little heavily in the early espresso and is up to his knees in it too.
The snowflake-bauble hangs from the elements of style swirl and is cut out with my 1 1/4" circle punch.
With a Clear rhinestone in the centre for an added bit of bling.

Here's a closer look at the rhinestone jewels. Stampin up do 150 of these for $9.50 in three different sizes.
Enjoy!!!

Elements of Style

It is the beginning of the School holidays here and I woke up early for some reason at 5.30am and made this card while I waited for the day to awake.

It is very simple, just a layer of white on an Early Espresso card base.

All these stamps are from the Elements of Style stampset: Bird, words and  roses.

Mostly I love the beautifully swirled flowerstem and I quite like the humming bird too.

Here is a close up of the ribbon detail and the "for you" circle punched out and raised on dimensionals.

It is my style definitely!

Card Recipe:
Stampset: Elements of Style
Ink: Early Espresso, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Whisper WhiteTools and Accessories: 1" circle punch, tafetta ribbon, dimensionals, mini glue dots.