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{Sticky Sweet}

 
 
     My personal challenge here was to use the Sticky Cuts on a layout, which turned out to be a lot of fun.  And the popsicles were the perfect picture trio to put with it!

I stole the layout for this page from an old, old scrapbooking book, one of the millions that I have in my craft room.  (hey, you just never know when you might "need" it).

I like the clean style here, the concentration of colour and the bang of the glitter, but set on the textured white,it's perfect.

The Sticky Cuts are basically a huge sheet of ultra-tacky double sided adhesive that has been die cut into shapes, letters, and numbers. Peel off the backing, adhere to the project, peel off the top "backing" and glam it up!

I chose to use the Latte buttons for additional embellishment so the title really popped out and the embellishments didn't overhwelm either the title nor the photos.

The rest of the layout is layered and torn DSP from the Sweet Always collection and a few stamps here and there from Always and Enjoy Every Moment.  What do you think?

To schedule your scrapbooking layout class, email me or check my calendar.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Always & Enjoy Every Moment

Colours: Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette

Other: Tag punch, ribbons, Latte buttons, Supernova glitter, Sticky Cuts, mat pack, white gel pen, heart to heart punch, word window punch, cropodile

{Punch Pals Window Frame Challenge}

I took up karen's challenge to make another project using the Window Frame technique.

I think this little penguin is a cutie.  I think this is the first set I ordered out of the catalogue when it first came out.

I just did minimal colouring to keep with the black & white penguin-y feel - with Only Orange and Baja Breeze.  I couldn't resist using the chunky glitter again and then used the fine Dazzling Diamonds on the snow.  Have you ever seen black snow before?  I mean, falling from the sky?  (I've seen plenty along the side of the road growing up in Montana).

Now I know you'll ask where I got the 4x4 envelope to fit this.  I made it in about 20 seconds.  Let me show you how!  Tune in for Movie Monday and I'll show you a demonstration of how to do this.  (It might have to be next Monday because my camera man will be in Italy next week . . )

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Punch Pals set of twelve $66.95

Colours: Basic Black, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Only Orange

Other: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, Chunky glitter, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Mono Adhesive, white gel pen

{A few extra Treats - RAK}

One of my customers and a dear lady gave me this Christmas card after she enthusiastically described the technique.  Isn't she sweet?  I had never seen a recessed card before, so she generously made up a sample of it for me.

Ever notice how our styles and preferences evolve?  This is the sort of style I'm going for these days - clean, striking, yet including thoughtful details and techniques.  I like it.

And of course, the Season of Joy stamp set is just always a winner.  Thanks, Narelle! 

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Season of Joy  set of eight  $60.95

Colours: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Basic Black,

Other: dsp from another source, craft knife, dimensionals

The second card is from my dearest friend who is really my sister from a different mothe r (and father), Melinda.  We grew up together, most years joined at the hip. We went to University togehter and for the most part, got into trouble togehter, too.  I miss her dearly; please sign my peittion to get her to come visit me!

She made me this birthday card and the simplicity is quite nice, don't you think?  The idea of a one layer card and then layering on inks instead makes for an easy, quick, and elegant project.  And a great one to showcase a couple of techniques - here making and sponging and the stamping with markers techniques.  Thanks, Melinda!  Love you!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Eastern Blooms set of five  $46.95

Colours: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Really Rust, Ruby Red

Other: Crystal Effects, More Mustard ribbon

{Another Version of the Window Frame Card}

This is a lovely version, shown to me by my downline and friend, Pauline McArdle, in Napier.  (if you are within any reasonable driving, flying, walking, or crawling  distance, her classes are not to be missed!)

A step up from yesterday's version, this one has a window, but layers of the Whisper White cardstock fold around so the window is self contained and does not show through to the inside of the card. 

I've done these up Christmas, but of course, they can be done for any theme.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Season of Joy  $60.95 set of eight, Always set of eleven $66.95, Many Merry Messages (Noel), set of eight $75.95

Colours: Ruby Red, Old olive, Whisper White

Other: 1 1/4 square punch, 1 3/8 square punch, Earth Elements Brads

{A Quick Way to Make a Window Frame}

 
I made this card up as a swap earlier in the month, and I was quite tickled with how cute they turned out.  Actually, I did the cutting and punching and stamping.  Madeleine did all the rest.  I feel guilty not mentioning her when she's done a fair portion of the effort! 

And what a little treasure this image is - such a cutie!  It's found in the Window Dressing Hostess set.  Yes, you have to have a fairly big workshop to get one of those for FREE or use a Purchase Punch Card - email me to send you one.

The chunky glitter is so cool!  It really is clear with a few bits of glitter that refract the light, but I see that in the photo, the camera caught some of the "chunks" and they are showing up coloured.  That's kind of neat, too.

Tomorrow I'll post another, slightly more complex, version of this card.

Watch the video below to see how to make the framed window in the card!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Window Dressing - FREE with qualifying purchases or workshop, Best Yet - FREE with qualifying purchases or workshop

Colours: Soft Subtles, Basic Grey

Other: Soft Subtles Brads, Stampin' Write Markers, Chunky Glitter, Tombow Mono Adhesive, 1 1/4 square punch, 1 3/8 square punch

{Christmas Extravaganzas!}

Four Hours of Christmas and Craft inspiration!    Come along and make five fabulous projects in an afternoon!    Displays, door prizes, promotions, and more!    AUCKLAND: Nov 7th 1-5pm $40 with a $10 voucher   Hamilton:  Nov 1st  10-3pm $40 with a $10 voucher $10 lunch option   Tauranga: Nov 15th  1-5pm $35 with a $10 voucher   Please bring scissors, your Idea Book & Catalogue &  double sided tape (Snail available for $14 with registration)   Pre-registration essential; seats are stricly limited.

{Only Three Kits Left!}

Grab your DIY Kit for october before they're all gone!

Don't have the time to attend class?  Prefer to work on your own?  Live too far away?  Make this Great Friend Altered Tin and Mini Accordian Album

 in your own time!

 

Kit includes all cardstock and paper, the tin, ribbon, and brads..

Kit: $15 including postage and instructions

Great Friend Altered Tin Bundle: Project Kit, Great Friend Stamp set, Riding Hood Red ink pad, Kiwi Kiss ink pad, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker  (colours may be changed) $89

 

Great Friend Altered Tin & Mini Album

Kit $15.00Great Friend Bundle $89.00

 

*Kits only while supplies last

* This offer is only available in New Zealand

{Two Colours Made for Each Other}

This is actually an oldie swap I made for the annual Stampin' Up! training convention in 2008, but wanted to bring it out again while we were looking at Baroque Motifs this week.  Actually, to be honest, I can't really claim that I made this.  I designed it, but truth be known, Tui and her sister, Anne, made these for me while I screwed up a dress I was trying to make at the time.

I recently had a friend and customer ask what green went best with Elegant Eggplant.  Now, it's always hard to say which one is "best" because it depends on the mood you want to evoke and also personal style.

However, my first choice would always be Old Olive.  For those familiar with a colour wheel, yellow and purple are opposite colours, which means put them together for a real eye-popping combination (I learned all this in my fashion design degree . . . who knew it would come to play in my life in this way!  :)  Old Olive has a lot of yellow in it, so set it next to purple and they really look fantastic together!

So the fancy fold part is quite easy, but perhaps a way that would be new to some.  This one folds open like a book. The eggplant card folds around to the front like a book spine and the Very Vanilla stamped portion is adhered to that part like a page in a book.  It's a neat little look acheived with small effort.

And what can I say, I've truly never seen a bad project with this stamp set - it's nearly guaranteed to look great!

Order your set in time for Christmas!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs set of six  $46.95

Colours: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Sahara Sand

Other: cropadile, 3/4 inch circle punch, vanilla 1/4 grosgrain ribbon

{Cherish}

Another great little project using the Baroque Motifs stamp set - this is by far my most well used (and loved) stamp set I own.  This flourish is just SO versatile. Here - it's a focal image.  Tomorrow, see it used as both a focal image and a background.

Nine times out of ten (or more!), I stamp on white or vanilla.  But here, I've gone out on a limb and stamped on a coloured cardstock.  Crazy woman that I am.

I love the look!  I've stamped here in Whisper White and then embossed in White.  You'll need to use detail embossing powder here to catch the fine flourished contained in this image. 

Cherish is stamped in the corner using Blush Blossom ink, creating a soft tone on tone effect for visual texture.

Just a smide of taffeta ribbon in the corner adds a nice frame and also conserves budget dollars by just using a few inches of ribbon.

Click here to order supplies for this project or to schedule a one on one consultation.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs set of six $46.95

Colours: Blush Blossom, Whisper White

Other: White Embossing powder, white taffeta ribbon

{Pam Cregeen}

 
Pam made me laugh with this one because she is a self-declared non-scrapbooker . . . but she told me "scrapbooking page" kept popping into her head with this month's supplies of pretties kits and an assortment of cardstock.  Good for you Pam for pushing yourself out of the comfort zone!

And this fits perfectly with my wedding theme for this week!

And how special Pam made up a page of her own wedding memories.  A very creative, yet neutral background makes a great backdrop for the soft colours and elegant embellishments. The hat pins make such a great 3D accent on projects for a truly decadent finish - perfect for special layouts.

Love the journaling, Pam - what a neat layout!!  And glad to hear that you enjoyed this - we may be on our way to do scrapbooking classes?? Well done! 

Supplies used:

Backing sheet from Design Series Paper pack

Dress Pattern

Pink Pirouette. So Saffron & Sage Shadow Stampin' Up Cardstock

Stampin' Up Pretties Kit

Close to Cocoa Stampin' Pad for sponging edges

Stampin' Up Priceless stamp set

Stampin' Up Scallop Edge Punch

{A Variation on a Theme}

Today's project is a step up from yesterday's - both beautiful and effective, but this version takes just a smidge more time to complete.

  The silver version here uses the Baroque Motifs stamp set as opposed to the So Swirly wheel and also uses a pigment ink (silver) rather than a dye based ink (black).  The silver takes quite a good long time to dry, so I've chosen to emboss it here in clear embossing powder, not only to speed up the process but to give the motif a raised, textured look.

The words are from the Together Forever stamp set and are also embossed.  I also changed up the ribbon from a grosgrain to the lovely taffeta, which gives an elegant finish, like a bit of silk.

The card base is done up with the brushed metallic cardstock in silver, repeating the main motif colour nicely.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs set of six  $46.95, Together Forever $46.95

Other: Encore Silver ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Brushed Metallic card, white taffeta ribbon

{A Beautiful Wedding Project}

I enjoyed meeting so many of you at the Wedding show a few weeks ago here in Auckland.  Thanks for taking the time to stop in and see what Stampin Up has to offer your wedding preparations!  Whether you want to do it yourself or have it custom done for you, rubber stamping has much to offer.  And once you have purchase your stamps and inks, you have the tools to create coordinating decor, table favours, thank you cards, and album pages.

This is a simple project that can be done inexpensively and quickly if you have a lot of invites and/or thank you cards to create.  And, of course, if black and white are not your colours, we have 59 other colours from which to choose!

Check back in tomorrow for a stepped up verison of this project!

Click here to  schedule a consult for your wedding stationery.

supplies used:

Stamps: So Swirly Wheel  $18.95, Sincere Salutations set of eight  $46.95

Other: Basic Black ink, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 1/4 grosgrain black

{Together Forever Standing Card}

 
 
 

 This is a fun little project my dear friend and downline, Anne Dil, taught to me.  Isn't it cute!?

Anne made this up as a child's birthday party invite, but I've changed it up here to be more suitable for a wedding or any sophisticated occasion.  Of course, all colours and images can be changed, but the template is a great little idea.

The main part of the card is folded to create a little stand in the back.  Then the card is basically a big tag that slides inside.

This is a great way to do invites - for weddings or anything - because the card will stand up and serve as a reminder for the big event!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Together Forever, Forever Flowers Wheel

Colours: Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa

Other: Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, 1 1/4 circle punch, 3/4 circle punch, Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon

{Elaine Franklin}

  Sorry this is a day late!  I travelled all day yesterday and missed the boat on getting this out.

Elaine has taken the bits of pretties Kit and the Soft Subtles Card I sent her and made three beautiful cards for us this week!

The first card using Sage Shadow is stamped in  brown and gold and its beauty is in its simplicity. The rose bloom is stamped onto gold paper, cut out and applied over the top of the original image. 

The second card using Pink Pirouette- made like a giant tag and coloured with chalks. Again the rose bloom is stamped onto pink card and this time embossed before chalking, cutting out and applying over the original image. Prettied up with a gold brad, gold thread and crystals from the Pretties Kit.

The third card with So Saffron is stamped in brown and completely embossed. The image and the small flower from the Pretties Kit is painted with Twinkling H2O's. I threaded pearls and silver 'oat' beads onto the eylet pin piercing the card for a nice finishing touch.

Beautiful work, Elaine, and a super example of how varying one theme can yield a great set of cards!

 

{Bride and Groom Boxes}

 

Aren't these just fabulous?!

Made for me to use as a display by my good friend and fellow demonstrator, Janine Pearce.  Is't she great!

And what a neat idea!  Perfect for a gift or for table decor, these are easy enough to make out of an A4 sheet of cardstock.

The bride's dress has been stamped and embossed using the So Swirly wheel, one of the most products in the catalogue.  An elegant clasp and a long display of taffeta ribbon down the back finishes her off beautifully.

Our handsome man is finished off using a little off cut from the dress, a few brads, and a simple knot for a bow tie.

These would be lovely filled with mints or white and dark chocolates.

For a consult on making these yourself or to have them custom made for you, email me today!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: So Swirly Wheel  $18.95

Colours: Basic Black, Whisper White

Other: Versamark ink pad, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Clear embossing powder, 1/4 grosgrain black ribbon, Vintage brads, Hodge Podge Hardware, White Taffeta Ribbon

{Ness Rogers Bonus Post!}

 

Due to computer problems, this was a very cool submission by our talented Ness Rogers that got missed during August.  But it needs to go up - it's an amazing piece of work!

If you recall, in August the artists were given some Pink Flamingo papers and the Rose Red ribbon to work with.  Ness has made this amazing scrapbook page and the detail is fantastic.

These tiny flowers along the bottom are made with the Pink Flamingo papers and then covered with a gloss and shimmer.  The amount of handstitching on here is impressive!!  What a neat border, Ness!

The larger flowers are also made with the same papers and also covered in a gloss and layered up with fabric for some nice texture.  the photo is triple matted with Pink Flamingo with more stitching on all the layers.

I like the use of the ribbon as a banner for the title!  Ness, I think you need to teach scrapbooking classes . . .

Beautiful work!

{Tilly McLeod}

 

This month the Design Challenge team was given some items from the Pretties Kit - a hat pin, some pearl and crystals, and some silk flowers.  They were also given a selection of cardstock - Sage Shadow, Pink Pirouette, and So Saffron.

Tilly has used the Fifth Avenue Floral here to create a soft background for her sweet picture.  I have used that set heaps - it makes a great focal image and also a fantastic background when used in softer colours . . . although Black and White would be stunning, too.  It's one of those sets that is way more versatile than meets the eye.

The hat pin is used to create the "title" - a very clever idea for a card!  I like her idea here of combining a bit of scrapbooking into a card for a very personal touch!

Thanks, Tilly!

{Choo Choo Layout}

I love love love the train set!  It's so stinkin' cute!  Even with three daughters, I've found quite a few ways to use this one.

This set just calls for bright colours, in my opinion, so I went bold here and used Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, and Gable Green.  Which worked out pretty well with this particular photo of Sofie.

I kept this page relatively clean; I think that's best when using quite vivid colours and when you want to keep the focus on the photo.

The Choo Choo set and the Right on Track wheel available only through November! 

Supplies Used:  Choo Choo set of five  $35.95, Right on Track Wheel  $13.95

Colours: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Gable Green

Other: Word Window punch, Linen Thread, Heart to Heart punch, grosgrain 1/4 ribbon pumpkin pie