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

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

ESAD Annual Catalogue Blog Hop

Welcome to the ESAD Annual Catalogue Blog Hop to celebrate the start of the new Annual Catalogue released on 1st September. Whether you are starting with my blog or have come over from visiting Kylie at Stampin with Kylie, it doesn't matter, just follow the links at the bottom of each post to hop to the next blog. 

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 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, product know-how, and cyber-stamps 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 click here to join our wonderful group.

Now onto the cards I have created to showcase the Daydream Medallions stamp set and the Floral Frames Framelits to show three different ways to use them incorporating them with some of the other products in the new catalogue.  I just love this set, the way the images neatly fits inside each other makes them great to use as a group, but equally the images are great on their own to either subtly enhance or bring focus to a project.

This one uses the new Floral District DSP, the more solid background sheet is primarily Rose Red, the other sheet, that I cut out using Apothecary Accents Framelits, has images printed all over it that match the Betsy's Blossom stamp set on a background of Lucky Limeade.  I added a flower made with images stamped with Daydream Medallions and then cut out with the Floral Frames Framelits. I cut two of them out and on the top one made some small cuts at each petal and then folded them in to give dimension. I added another layer of vellum stamped with the smaller image of Daydream Medallion and topped this with one of the lovely Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons. 

For this next card I used the Daydream Medallions to create a second layer of 'DSP'. The bottom piece of DSP is also from the Floral District set, I love the vesatility of this set of DSP as it has beautiful floral images, images to match stamp sets, and then some sheets with subtle images in monochromatic colours. I have taken the Baja Breeze and Rich Razzleberry out of the DSP colours and used them in my two cut out 'flower' images.  I think these make a great back ground to bring the focus to the butterfly.   

This one is punched using the Elegant Butterfly Punch after spritzing the card stock with Champaign Shimmer Mist.  I added some Rhinestones to the body for some extra bling and curled the wings to add dimension.

My last card today is again using the Daydream Medallions stamp set, this time I stamped the largest image directly onto the card stock using Raspberry Ripple.  I then stamped the descending images onto Vellum and cut out free hand, layering each one onto the card and again topping with the largest of the Vintage Faceted Buttons. You know how I like to add bling, well I decided to add some with small Rhinestones around the petals of the large image.  I just love these images stamped onto Vellum, it gives such a lovely soft feel to a card.

Thank you for visiting my blog, please hop on over to Karen at Viva La Stamping! to see what she has created. I hope you enjoy the remainder of the hop, if you started here just keep hopping around the circle until you come back to my blog.

Hoppy Stamping

Beautiful Blue Butterflies

I am happy to say I have made my first card with my new toys, it took me a bit to get going as I kept finding new toys on my desk and wanting to play with them all - I felt a bit like a 3 year old!  I decided the thing to do was clear off the desk, put the new toys away and focus on the one at hand, which worked a treat.

This card is made completely with new products (apart from adhesives lol).  The DSP is from Comfort Cafe, which I think is going to become my new favourite DSP, it is so pretty, if you look closely behind the main pattern the paper is printed in such a way it looks like it is fabric, which gives such a lovely feel to the card. The butterfly images are from Papillon Potpourri and are punched out with a matching punch (my new favourite punch), no more fussy cutting of butterflies!  I stamped the butterflies once onto Very Vanilla card stock after cutting it out with the Apothecary Accents Framelits, then again onto Vellum, when adhering the vellum butterflies onto the card I used used a strip of TomBow glue along the body of the butterfly, that way the wings can sit up off the card.  

I used some of the new Dazzling Details on the bodies of the butterflies and on the Happy Birthday banner.  You will notice a very neat row of paper piercing around the main Framelit image, this isn't from a steady hand (I wish) but rather is with a new set of paper piercing tools called the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack. The pack has three sheets of templates for use with a variety of dies and punches as well as some straight rows.  The best part is that it measures 15.2cm x 15.2cm so there is now no longer a need to re-position the smaller guide that SU used to stock. 

I am loving the new products, and when I have hung out a load of washing I will be back at my desk creating something else to show you.

Happy Stamping

Sunny Flowers

Sunny Challenges Blog has a sketch challenge this week, there were a few new toys I wanted to use making my card to play along.

 There are some new, roll over and retired products on this card, such a shame they are not all current products, but I am sure I will find alternatives.  New products include the Raspberry Ripple card stock, Daydream Medallions stamps and matching Floral Frames Framelits and Itty Bitty Framelits.  I used Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine because in such small amounts it matches the Raspberry Ripple well enough.  I framed the Itty Bitty Banners using the Word Window punch with the ends snipped off - I was really happy to see how well it fit the little banner.

I have arranged to have the remainder of the week off work, and have a new box of Stampin' Up! toys due to arrive any day now, so I am hoping to get some serious creating done over the next week.

Happy Stamping

Merry Mojo

Just a short post tonight as I can't wait to get back to actually creating with my new items from the Holiday catalogue that is to be released on Saturday.  This card I have made to enter in the Mojo Monday challenge this week.

I kept it fairly simple, wanting the cute little gingerbread man to be the focal point.  I was pondering how to add a sentiment and decided it would be cute to make him a little flag to hold.

I used the Tiny Tags for the sentiment, needing something fairly small to fit into the flag that I cut with the Bitty Banners Framelits dies.  This is the smallest of the banners and so cute, I cut off one end and adhered to a tooth pick that I coloured with Early Espresso and chopped down to size.  A few rhinestones and a spray of shimmer mist adds a little bling.

Happy Stamping