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)

Bookmarks anonymous

Hi my name is ... and I have an obsession with bookmarking cards.

I am thinking of changing my blogspot to Bookmark Joy!

Truly I promise this is the last bookmark card I will make ( in the near future) I may find a niche market and go into selling these to book stores globally sometime soon ...

Actually, this one is not new at all. It is a direct CASE (copy and share everything) of a Linda Higgins card on her blogspot (you can visit her blog using the link on my side bar). I liked it so much I didn't change it at all, same stampset, same colours almost... mine are purely pomegranate,very vanilla and always artichoke.

My ribbon on this one is wild wasabi because I had just used the last of my purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon on the bookmark (on the right hand side) shown here below.

The stamping technique (on the second bookmark) I have used is 3D stamping with white and purely pomegranate ink and a well used stamp a ma jig. Ask me when you see me, how it is done and I can show you!

Wild Wasabi Dreams

This is a bookmark card that I made with a group of ladies on the weekend.

I have used the Mini Rotary-perforating tool on the Cutter kit. It allows you to make any kind of curve you like and your recipient can tear off the "bookmark" when they receive the card and voila! you have a card and a gift bookmark all in one.

Materials:
Cutter kit: We used the perforating tool, there is also a cutting blade and scoring blade and the distressing tool (pictured above).

"Live your dream" stampset, and matching Afternoon Tea Designer series double sided paper.

Wild wasabi and Soft sky blue ink pads.

Wild wasabi cardstock

Punches: Scallop circle, 1 1/4" circle, 1" circle, large oval and 1/2" circle, horizontal slot.

Ribbon: I used the white tafetta ribbon, on second and third versions I have used the double stitched wasabi and also the Striped wasabi grosgrain ribbon.

I love that little butterfly and the flowers, and the little bird ...

Here is another version using the wild wasabi butterfly side of the Afternoon Tea Paper.

I teamed it with Chocolate chip textured cardstock, Wide 1" choc chip double stitched ribbon and the tab punch for a dangly bit on the book mark side.

Stampin' Up Specials to aid Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal

Since the news of the Bushfires in Victoria, Australian Demonstrators have appealed to Stampin' Up! to help us find a way to support our fellow Australians who have been affected by the fires.
Today Stampin' Up! have announced that from now until then end of March Stampin' Up! will be donating 50% of the retail value of ten stamp sets to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal.

Join Australian and New Zealand Stampin' Up! demonstrators help those victims of the Victorian bushfires.
From 12 February through 31 March 2009, when you purchase any of a select group of 10 stamp sets, Stampin' Up! will donate 50 percent of the sales of these sets to the

Australia Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal.

Stampset: page: Retail price:

Live Your Dream pg3 (Summer Mini) $55.95

Priceless pg105 $48.95

Seeing Spots pg89 $29.95

Baroque Motifs pg98 $39.95

Looks Like Spring* pg76 $58.95

The Snowflake Spot* pg27 $39.95

Bodacious Bouquet* pg80 $58.95

Polka Dots & Paisley* pg46 $35.95

G'day Mate* pg115 $35.95

Be Happy* pg51 $39.95

* These sets will appear on the upcoming list of retiring products, so they will only be available for the Bushfire Appeal--while supplies last.

This is a bit of a sneak peak of the Retirement List, and these sets will go quickly! If you would like to order any of these sets please email me and I will also donate an additional 20%, for this very worthy cause.

If you feel deeply about the situation in Victoria and want to do something then why not buy a stamp set today to help raise money for a cause that has touched so many of us.

http://www3.stampinup.com/au/documents/BushFire_flyer_0209.pdf

Afternoon Tea and Chocolate dreams!

This is my favourite of the six double sided papers in the Afternoon Tea Paper pack.

I am not really a fan of the soft sky blues but this patterned paper is just pretty. The little bird image and the flowers are perfectly coordinated with the Live your dream stampset. It is almost minty in colour.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed I just adore punches.

The tag punch is a new one for me - I love how you can punch out parts of the Designer series paper to make a feature of a small part of the pattern.

The other punch I am enjoying is the scallop-edge punch. It gives such a quick patterned edge, easy to line up because of the marks on the punch and you can turn it over and see exactly what you are punching. I have used the choc chip and whisper white craft ink for the stamping on the choc Chip cardstock and added a bow in choc chip grosgrain ribbon.

Live your dream ... words of wisdom from my mum

Are you living your dream? Do you have one?

Its never too late, to have a dream .... you might just like to say: "yes, I am living a dream-life"!

Being December it is always a good time to reflect - My wise old mum used to tell me that she used to review her life every year and ask:

" Is this the best work I could be doing?

Is this the best place I could be at? Am I happy how things are going at work, at home? And am I treating people the way I like to be treated?

If no, well then you know what to do about it ... change what you are doing, saying, thinking and do something about it."

She lived by that and lived a successful and fulfilling life, she had hardships like everyone, but she was always practical and considerate of others ... and on that I think she lived very well.

My mum always had birds and animals: Bantam chickens when we were young (in the backyard), miniature dogs (in the house), canaries (in the garage and then they moved into the laundry), budgies, ducks (only once - they were too noisy), she had 40 canaries at one stage ... she always started out small and built her collections very gradually... with thought and patience and care.

Materials:

Live your dream stampset

Wild wasabi, confetti white and soft sky textured blue cardstock

Choc chip wide grosgrain ribbon

Inks: Wild wasabi for the butterflies, choc chip for the bird and greeting.

White gel pen (for faux stitching), Mat pack for making holes for faux stitching.

Designer series paper: Afternoon Tea from the Summer mini catalogue.

Rose red and pumpkin pie on a Bali Breeze

I am not alone am I in loving these colours together?

I must be very conservative with my colours but I never think of putting Teal, turquoise, orange and red together with Olive green .... Thank you for a beautifully refreshing new paper pack in the Designer series for opening up my colour palette!!!

Here is another matchbox-fold card in rose red cardstock, this time. Using my favourite scallop edge punch and the large oval punch.

I've mixed my stampsets using the Embrace Life flower and the Live your dream "Thanks".

Mixed my ribbons too: Rose red double stitched ribbon, underneath the regal rose wide grosgrain ribbon.

And the centre of the pumpkin pie flower is a sparkly clear Rhinestone brad from the pretties kit.

Please leave me a comment, don't be shy ... this is a dialogue, e-correspondence, you can remain anonymous ... share your thoughts - tell me what you like so I can give you more of it.

What can you do with one stampset?

The projects in the photo above are all created using just one stampset:

"Live your dream" and this years "in-colours" range.

It comes as a set of 8 separate stamps including a big dotted line stamp for journalling on to, two large long stemmed flowers, 3 single flowers, a floral branch, a butterfly, a bird, "Thanks" word stamp and the quote mentioned in my previous post using this stampset . If you scrapbook you can get a lot of use out of this and do cards aswell.

The stampset coordinates with the Afternoon tea DS Paper, beautifully (it was designed that way) You can see it in the 6x6 inch scrapbook page that I made using Wild wasabi textured cardstock and choc chip to mount the photo. The patterned paper was trimmed using the scallop edged punch which I love using (no more corner rounding disasters and aching fingers ...)

I have stamped the butterfly in groovy guava (it kind of grows on you this colour in small amounts though) cut them out and attached them to the layout to go with the little square punch of guava overalpping the photo and the small snip of guava ribbon attached with a silver brad. I don't do many 6x6 scrap book pages so I am going to extend the layout with a title and second photo as I have below. Its not stuck down yet, as I haven't decided where to put the journalling stamp. This is my daughter when she was about 2 years old on Christmas day 2004 ...

It was one of the only photos I had that matched the groovy guava cardstock. havent quite decided on that layout yet ... must share some of the ideas from the catalogue again.