Bloodsplatter Valentine!

Just a quick post today - I made the decision on Monday to join in with Less Is More and Friday Mashup Challenges.  Unfortunately the mashup is from the week before (where does time go?)!!! The mashup was to use hearts and arrows and combine it with colour combo of Real Red, Coastal Cabana and Crumb Cake.

Here is my card, I realised as I finished it off and looked at all the elements together that the background Gorgeous Grunge stamp does look a little like blood splatter!  However my daughter loves it and will use it for her Valentine this year!  We decided the best thing to write on the inside is "I love you to death"!  

Happy Stamping

ESAD SAB Blog Hop - Banner Punch

It's that exciting time of year again, Sale-A-Bration (SAB) is about to begin! For those new to SAB it is a wonderful time of year when you can earn beautiful Stampin' Up! products for FREE!  In Australia just spend $90 on anything from the main or occasional catalogue and you can chose something from the range of SAB products.  To get you in the spirit the Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators have made some great creations with the free items.  You may have hopped on over from Little Scraps of Paper and Delys's lovely creations, or you might be starting here - it doesn't matter, just follow the links at the bottom of each post until you have hopped around all of the blogs!

Now onto my creations ... I chose to showcase the cute little Banner Punch. I love a product that has more than one use and so I got to work looking at alternative uses for this cute little punch. 

Firstly I wanted to use it in a fairly traditional way, by making three little flags down the side of the sentiment panel. This is great if you have a bit of spare space on a card.  The background DSP, Sweet Sorbet, is also from the SAB free products and is so pretty, matching with the 2013-2015 In-colours. 

This next card I have used the Banner Punch to make longer flags for my sentiments, to do this cut strips of cardstock 1.5cm wide and insert one end into the punch, line up and then punch.  By stamping the sentiments first you can get the length of the banner just right.

The little flowers are punched from Sweet Sorbet DSP using the Petite Petals punch, which is a sneak peek from the new Occasions Catalogue also going live on 28th January.

Finally I have used the Banner Punch to make a faux banner on the front of this card.  By cutting a strip of card stock 1.5cm wide, adding a sentiment, then laying it over two banners punched from the same colour cardstock it provides some added interest to the front of a card.  I used dimensionals to pop it up slightly to add to the effect. In this card I have also used the Banner Blast stamp set to create a border along the top and bottom edges of the card, I stamped using the flat edge of the banner alternating two of the patterns.  The DSP on this card is also from Sweet Sorbet, this paper has such a lot of different looks and you will get lots of use out of it.  The centre butterfly and sentiment banner are stamped on Brushed Gold.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed my creations. Now it is time to hop on over to the next blog:

Creating Cards With Andrea 

If you get lost along the way there is a full list of all the blogs at the bottom of this post, don't forget we all love it when you leave comments to let us know what you think of the things we have created - happy hopping!

What is ESAD?

 ESAD stands for "Extra Special Australasian Demonstrators" and it is an on-line group just for Australian and New Zealand Stampin' Up! demonstrators. We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends, and wonderful blog visitors, but we share our love for what we do with each other as demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know-how, and cyberstamps, and we are always there to help and support each other when it is needed. So if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand, then please feel free to contact me for an invitation to this wonderful group.

Narelle Hoggard
Kathryn Ruddick
Nikki Sadler
Emily Campbell
Keryn Campbell
Leonie Schroder
Chloe Evans
Amity Knight 
Alisha Watson
Ann Gerlach
Delys Cram
ME - Monique Fielder
Andrea Buckland
Paula Reid
Pauline Bennetts
Dianne Dunk
Tamsin Adams
Corina Beyer
Richelle Fletcher
Mel Sharp
Christie Kunkel
Nerida Carter
Gail Kirby
Michelle Grech
Sally Williams

Happy Stamping

60th Birthday

I was asked recently to make a 60th birthday card, and of course this is where Memorable Moments stamp set comes into its own, as you can add whatever numbers you like.  I chose Apothecary Art because of the beautiful soft flowers that look so great when coloured.  Embossed in gold, layered with brushed gold cardstock, and embellished with fabric roses it worked perfectly for the occasion.

Happy Stamping

Asymmetric

 Asymmetrical things are not usually my thing, actually they are the opposite of my thing!  So this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches really has been a challenge, I decided to pair it with another challenge, this one from Colour Q.  The colour challenge provided a different sort of challenge, I don't have any Poppy Parade left in my stash - not to be put off by that I decided to substitute Real Red instead.

Isn't it great that we now have three different sized flower stamp sets and matching punches?  I have used all three on this card because they go so well together, and layer beautifully. I wasn't initially sure of the colour combination, but I like the bright feeling it gives this card.  It is a bit hard to see, but I have curled each of the flower's petals with my bone folder to add some dimension to the card.

Happy Stamping

Golden Hearts

I love combing challenges, and so to have a challenge blog like Fusion Card Challenge that gives you the option to do just that is a great find for me.  This challenge gave me the opportunity to use some new toys that I have not yet had chance to play with, so that was even better.

The photo opened up the opportunity for me to use my new Woodgrain background stamp.  For the sketch I cut this image in half and sponged the edges.  The other new products are the beautiful Gold Embossed Vellum and the Gold Baker's Twine, the photo doesn't show them at their best, but trust me they look so rich and beautiful in person.  The final new product is the cute little stamped heart from Language of Love, punched with the Heart Punch and backed by a Gold Glimmer Paper heart cut using the scalloped heart Framelit from the Hearts A Flutter collection.  

Happy Stamping

Pirate Christmas

I made this card at the request of a friend from work.  Her partner loves pirates and she wanted a pirate themed Christmas card for him. I don't have any Pirate stamps so had to put my thinking cap on and, along with an internet search, decided the Owl Punch was my best option. I took inspiration from a particular card where the pirate was standing on the bow of a ship, although I made mine a little more Christmassy with a red jacket.  

This is the card I made for her, the sentiment I printed out on the computer before punching out.  The bag of presents is one of the Ornament Keepsakes framelits, and of course the pirate is made with the owl punch. I cut the bow of the boat free hand and then did some score marks for planks of wood, then dragged my stamp pad across it to give a wood grain effect.  The ocean was embossed then cut with framelits, layering vellum between the two card stock layers.

Having had so much fun with the card, I decided to add a couple of gift tags. Along with loving pirates, my friend's parter's favourite colour is orange! She loved them when I showed her, and reported that her partner loved them too, taking the owls off the gift tags to keep on his computer screen!

Happy Stamping

Dad's Birthday Gift

Another pic from my archive!  This time it is a picture of the gift box I decorated for my father's birthday. 

Now my dad is not the easiest person to get a gift for, he is a bargain hunter like you wouldn't believe and doesn't like to see money wasted.  This means that while he loves reading, he doesn't like it when I buy him a book as he is happier hunting 2nd hand book shops or garage sales to find one!  In many ways I wish I was more like him in this aspect (we are similar in so many others).  So what's in the box?  A selection of spice mixes for some of his favourite curries!  They looked a bit boring on their own so to make it extra special I decorated one of the lovely large boxes from the Holiday Catalogue and popped them inside. These boxes are just great for gifts as you can decorate them any way you like.  This one of course has a more masculine feel.

The best part was that mum was visiting and could take this home with her.  Because the box stores flat she packed the box and contents separately and just slipped on the ribbon belly band when she got home - so no damage to the package!   

Happy Stamping

Watercolour Fun

Isn't it exciting when you find a new challenge blog?  Even more so when you know it is a Stampin' Up! one too!  That is how I felt when I found Around the World challenge, I like it too because it has a design team from around the world, so you don't just get a style of what is trending in one country.

I have been enjoying a play with some more of my new sneak peek products, this time from the Occasions Catalogue. The whole card was really inspired by the DSP Watercolour Wonder I love the random splotches of colour on the background DSP and so decided to really give my flowers a watercolour feel not really caring if I coloured outside the lines, or if it looked too perfect.  I then dropped splotches of water coloured with ink onto my stamped image to give smaller versions of the background blotches.  Heavy handed sponging around the flag also gives it the rougher less perfect feel I was going with.  

At the end of the day, I am not sure if this is really my style but it was fun to do something a bit different.  Be honest, let me know what you think.

Happy Stamping

Mashed Up Sneak Peek

It's Friday Mashup time again - this time the challenge was to create a birthday card and/or use twine on your card.  I chose the mashed up option and used twine on a birthday card.  Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator gives me the opportunity to pre-order new items, usually a month before they are available. It is currently an exciting time in the Stampin' Up! world - we are about to have Sale-A-Bration, where you can earn free products with purchases of $90, and this year at the same time the new Occasions Catalogue goes live!

Apart from cardstock this card has all new items on it - a mix of SAB and Occasions ones.  The Decorative Dots Embossing Folder was used on the So Saffron over layer, I love the gentle, random texture of this folder. 

Next is a combination of a cute stamp set called Just Sayin' a selection of speech bubbles that wonderfully come with a matching set of Word Bubbles Framelits. To get the layers just right I first used the framelit on the top layer getting the speech bubble where I wanted it.  Then I placed this over the base card (without sticking down) and used a pencil to trace the outline of the shape.  Once the top layer was lifted off I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to get the stamp exactly where I wanted it, on this occasion I used Versamark and Gold embossing powder.  Erase the light pencil line and adhere the top layer with dimensionals.  I plan to complete the inside with another speech bubble with the person's age in it once I have a recipient!

Rather than try and describe how I made the flags, I thought I would take a picture. I grabbed a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and used the new Retro Fresh Washi Tape to cover it then used the SAB Banner Punch to punch out my little flags using different parts of the Washi Tape.  This is a great way to have flags that are different but also match a theme, and I didn't use much Washi Tape either. The Banner Punch also has a cute set of matching stamps that you can also earn for free.

The final new product is the very cute Gold Baker's Twine - this is so lovely in person, it has a thin thread of very shiny gold through it.  It also comes in Silver and both are just wonderful and I can see me using them a lot in the future.

Happy Stamping

Tag Topper Punch

There are some great new products about to become available on 28th January, and I think one of my favourites is going to be the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch.  I can't show you the punch until it becomes available for purchase, but basically it cuts a cute scallop tag top into the top of a strip of DSP or cardstock that is up to 5cm wide.  I can see me using this lots to make tags, book marks and even 3D items!

For now I wanted to share something I made with it today.  I am finding that my stash of Washi Tape is growing and I love to just pick up a product and immediately know what colours in the Stampin' Up! range match it - so I decided to make myself a Washi Tape Sampler. 

 For this I cut strips of Whisper White cardstock 5cm x 10.5cm then punched the top with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch before adding strips of Washi Tape to the bottom and adding the name of the Washi Tape as well as the colours it contains on the main part of the tag.  Because the tag topper punch also punches a the hole in the tag I could easily put these on a ring and have them handily at my desk.

There is a second Tag Topper Punch that gives the tags a more traditional top with straight angled corners.  I have managed to resist this one so far, but I don't think it will be long before my resolve crumbles and I get this one as well J

Happy Stamping

Flowery Sketch

Isn't this a cute sketch from Create With Connie and Mary?  I just had to play as it let me use some of the new products available soon in the Australian/New Zealand market with both Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Catalogues, both go live on 28th January and are just bursting with great products, some you can get for free!

Onto my card, I have used a combination of new products and some existing products on this one.  The cute little flowers come from Petite Petals that have a matching Petite Petals Punch, I stamped some of the flowers on the top layer of the card and punched others out to let the Sweet Sorbet DSP show through.  I also used the little flowers from Betsy's Blossoms.  The banner is from another new stamp set Perfect Pennants which also has matching Banners Framelits which I love because I can never get the flag end of a pennant or banner to look just right, and this set has 6 different sized banners!

Happy Stamping

Lost Card

I have been going through my "To Blog" folder, a folder I keep with pictures that I want to pop up here, and I came across this card.  This one comes with a bit of a funny story ...

At the end of 2012 my brother and his wife had their first baby, young Henry. My daughter was due to be visiting around the time of the birth so I made a version of this card for her to take with her, made in neutral colours with two picture panels (one pink and one blue), so that she could attach the correct one when the baby was born.  Well chance would have it that somehow after writing on the card, it got lost and never made it to Henry!  So when she came back home I made another one, the one pictured here, only this time I knew it could be blue.  

The really funny part comes because somehow this card too became lost and I never got it sent off!  I am sure one day it will turn up, probably when I do a complete craft space re-shuffle! At least I managed to take a photo before I lost it.

Happy Stamping

18th Birthday Card

Back in September our beautiful daughter turned 18, a big milestone.  It is hard to believe that the baby I held in my arms is now an adult!  When sitting down to make her birthday card I wanted it to be very special so it took a good deal of planning.  

I started with knowing I wanted to use the retired Fifth Avenue Floral rose as it is her favourite ever stamp.  I had bought some black and white wrapping paper for her gifts so thought I would carry that theme to the card. Then to make it extra special I did a tri-fold card.  Here is a picture of the card closed. 

And another of it open.  I have to say that this is the most embellished card I have ever made, and I couldn't consult with my usual blingologist as the card was for her!  It took a while to get the balance of flowers, butterflies and ribbons just right, but I am really happy with the end result.  I am also happy to say that the birthday girl was very happy with it too! 

Happy Stamping

Desk Upgrade - Stage One

I have been thinking about updating my crafting space for some time. I have searched high and low for a desk and storage system that will meet my needs and I am yet to find one.  Ikea have a great bookshelf system and I will likely use that along the back wall of my craft space, but for now I want to focus on the actual desk.

When you can't find what you need the only solutions are to make do with something that doesn't meet your needs, do without, or build it yourself.  Well, you know me, I chose to build it myself.  I have been doing some planning, measuring, sketching and have finally come up with a shelving system for under the desk and down the right side of my workspace that meet my specific storage needs. 

Now the cost of making this is reasonably high, not to mention the amount of work it is going to take!  So I have decided to break it down into stages. I thought I would share the progress by blogging as I go, I will add this as an amendment to the "My Creative Space" tab as well so it will eventually all be in one place.

 This first picture is how my craft desk has looked recently (Ok it is a lot clearer than it usually is lol).  It has been really functional and I still love the hutches I have made for the top but I'm sure you can also see why I have wanted to upgrade it.

First job was to remove the hutches and the old door and put in place a lovely piece of pine that we routed the edges of and stained with a combination stain and varnish.  The colour is great and I have to give a bit shout out to my lovely husband who did the painting over the last couple of days.  The hammer lock shelves from the shed are still doing their duty under the desk, but that's ok you can't see them much.

The next, and for me most time consuming, task was to re-arrange the items on the top of the desk.  The new desk top is bigger 2100cm x 90cm x 3cm, and so things go on it slightly differently.  The great thing about my hutches is that they are able to be arranged in a variety of ways, so I played what I now call "Desk Tetris" to get things where I want them.  I do reserve the right to change this over time but for now I am really happy with the new look.  

Next task is to make new hutches out of pine and stained to match the desk, then I think it will be the side section next, with the under desk shelves to be done last.

Happy Stamping

Christmas Gifts 2

Do you remember a couple of days ago I said I would post a picture of the gifts I made for the nurses working Christmas Day on the ward where I work?  Well here they are, one for each shift - you might have to click on the photo to get a better look at them.

I found these jars in my office when I did a clean out shortly after I took over the position. They were lovely plain glass with smooth silver lids and I knew then that I would decorate them and fill with chocolates for Christmas gifts for the nurses, it just took me a while to work out exactly how.  The Bow Die was perfect and after choosing the DSP for each jar I matched it with either silver or gold glimmer paper and a sentiment from Christmas Messages.  I added some matching glimmer paper stars to the sides of the jars and top of the bow for some added bling.  I hope they liked them!

Happy Stamping

Christmas Gifts 1

Each year I try and make a Christmas treat for the people I work with.  This year was a bit more difficult as I now work in an inpatient unit at the hospital and there are about 80 staff!  

Unfortunately I didn't have the time in the lead up to Christmas to make everyone something, so I compromised by making some little Christmas Bon Bons for the senior nurses and admin staff.  Each contains two Ferrero Rocher chocolates (although I did think about making a couple with lumps of coal and ticking the naughty box!).  They were so cute and very well received.

These follow the basic instructions you can find on my previous post HERE.  The dimensions for these were figured out by my friend Cathy and are:

• DSP 6"x6"
• Score every 1-3/8" along one side
• Punch on the fold at 1-1/4" from each end

I made something for the nurses working on Christmas Day and will post a pick of that soon.

Happy Stamping