More pink ...

I tried really hard today to *not* make a pink card, but it just happened that way. I think my mistake was to use green in the first place - it goes so well with pink. Next time I think I will start with a different colour and see what direction it takes me in.

Every month I try to get to our local "stamp club" (well, when I say "local", it's more of a 20 minute drive). This club has been going in various forms for over 10 years now, and is a nice way to get out of the house for the afternoon and see what other people are doing. Half the time I don't get any stamping done, but just chat and look at what everyone else is doing.

Lately I have been trying to be a bit more focussed, however, and here is the results.

[CASEing alert (surely you've seen this acronym before? It means Copy And Steal Everything - but in the nicest possible way, or at least that's how I use it). These ideas aren't mine, but I can't recall where I saw them originally. If you think your card might have been the inspiration for one of these and you don't think I should have it up, please let me know.]

The colours are a little odd on this one, although I tried to alter the hue and saturation somewhat so it looked a little more like the card itself. It does look a little more vibrant in real life. Look, there's that butterfly from Priceless yet again!

I don't know if you can see the row of holes pierced along the bottom of the black panel, just a bit of visual interest and texture there.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Baroque Motifs and Priceless stamp sets, Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss, Pink Passion, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstock, Pink Passion and Basic Black ink, Paper Piercing tool and Mat Pack, Scallop Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch.




I like how this one came out, and it was pretty simple to do. See how the swirl from Baroque Motifs looks like some sort of bramble or wilderness of weeds? Wish I could say I'd thought of that myself.

The trickiest part of this was doing the butterfly's antennae - I inked it up, then used my finger to wipe away the pink on just that part and then inked that bit up with the tip of my black marker. A little fiddly, but well worth it.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Baroque Motifs, Priceless and Warm Words stamp sets, Regal Rose, Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock, Regal Rose and Old Olive ink, Basic Black Marker

Okay, now with any luck I'm over this pink phase for a while. Let's see what I come up with for next time! I'm always surprised at the end of a stamping session, because I usually have no idea what I'm going to end up with - the best laid ideas which looked fabulous in my head are never the same when they're glued down in cardstock, and generally need a tweak or two before I'm happy.

In a pink mood tonight

I was wandering through the Splitcoast Stampers gallery recently, which is a wonderful pastime if you happen to have several hours to spare (seriously, don't look if you have an appointment to get to, you might never make it!), and was overcome with inspiration, so had to make these two cards quickly before it went away.

The first card I was inspired by was this one by auntynanny, which I pretty much copied as is, with the exception of the River Rock and Soft Sky. I had a "pink with pink" thing going on and had to use Pretty In Pink (anyway, I don't have any River Rock ribbon, but I do have some Pretty In Pink!).

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Garden Whimsy and Paisley Background stamp sets, Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black and Wild Wasabi cardstock, Purely Pomegranate ink, Pretty in Pink 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.

Then there was this card by JulieRamos, which caught my eye because of the use of the white gel pen and white ink on the lower panel. The set she has used, Priceless, is still on my wish list, so I improvised with Baroque Motifs (that swirl is getting quite a beating lately!), and used the single small flower from Office Accoutrements as the focal piece.

Do you like my scalloped circle? I marked the edges with a pin then punched holes out around the edge with my Crop-A-Dile - it is designed so you can look through a hole to see exactly where you're going to punch.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Baroque Motifs and Office Accoutrements stamp sets, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White inks, White Gel Pen, Scallop Punch, Crop-A-Dile, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thank You card

Last night I went to a friend's house to stamp. There is a group of us who have been having these get togethers every month or so for some years now, and it is a great way to have a girls' night, catch up, have a few laughs and occasionally get something creative done.

Usually I have no idea what I want to make, and take just about everything I can fit into my travelling workshop (and given that I have just upgraded to a new improved model, that is a heck of a lot, trust me). Last night I had half an idea and still took too much. But I got some stuff made!

First card is not my idea at all - I used a design from the Stampin' Up! website, and made only two changes - I used a different stamp set and used an eyelet rather than a brad. It came out exactly like it was supposed to.

Can you see the row of embossed dots above the circle punch? These are done with the Crop-A-Dile! Yep, not only does it punch holes and set eyelets like a dream, you can do these nifty little raised dots with it as well! I like the look, plan to use it a lot more *g*.

(Note that I scanned this so it's a little dodgy - given that it has a little dimension due to the ribbon, I would have preferred to photograph it but didn't think of it till now when it's far too dark to do. Hopefully I will remember to fix this tomorrow).

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Seeing Spots and Happiness stamp sets, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White and Old Olive cardstock, Pretty in Pink and Old Olive inks, Pretty in Pink and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 3/4" Punch Real Red ribbon, Crop-a-dile, Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

The other card I made was totally inspired by a card in the Ideas Book & Catalogue (page 105). I don't own this set (Priceless) but my friend/upline (Gail) let me use hers, as she knows how much I love it. Here it is with my "go to" colour combination of So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate and Mellow Moss. The butterfly was inked with So Saffron, then I carefully rolled the edges of its wings in the Purely Pomegranate.

Again, I would have preferred to photograph this rather than scan it, as then you would see how the butterfly's wings aren't stuck down and sit a little away from the base card.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Priceless stamp set, So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate and Mellow Moss cardstock, So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate, Mellow Moss and Basic Black inks, Basic Black Stampin' Write marker, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Photo Corners Punch

Find Joy

This is a bit of an experiment ... based on (but nothing like) a card I saw in what will be the new Australian Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer Mini Catalogue (not officially released yet *g*).

The experiment is in the colours ... not sure that I like the red (although it does look nicer in real life) but the layout was interesting to try out. I will probably try this with different stamps and colours sometime soon.

I have to add, I like using the Spiral punch to create a bit of interest along the edge of a layer. In this particular case, I think it balances the ribbon quite nicely.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Real Red, Bordering Blue and So Saffron cardstock, Real Red ink, Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Double Rectangle Punch, Spiral Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Real Red ribbon

Blue and Brown

I have seen these colours together and really liked them - can't believe it took me this long to get around to using them!

As you can see, I'm back using Baroque Motifs again, and yet more Circle of Friendship ... I like having a set of words that work the the scallop punch!

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White cardstock, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White ink, Baroque Motifs and Circle of Friendship stamp sets, Scallop Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, SU ribbon, Mat Pack and piercing tool

Happiness is ...

... having my computer back, which means I feel like doing things again, ie. stamping.

Last night I was playing around with my Happiness Background stamp (sample shown at the left), which was one of the sets we got at the Stampin' Up! Australian Convention held in Brisbane in April. I haven't done much with this stamp because it's kind of a stumper, but after cruising some blogs and Splitcoast stampers (and a major thank you to all those who are kind enough to share their wonderful creations with us all) had enough inspiration to make these (and they are kind of CASEd, but I can't for the life of me remember where from, so if they look like the might have been inspired by yours please let me know so I can either take them down or give you proper credit).

Firstly one of my favourite colour combinations, So Saffron and Rose Red. I wanted to get some Mellow Moss in here as well but it didn't happen. I have just cut the Happiness into strips and used them in different locations. The curly brackets are made with the Round Tab punch (this is a really cool trick, remind me to show you how sometime soon!).

And I know the main panel is crooked ... blame the lateness of the hour and me being in a hurry because my tv show was about to start and I wanted to finish up.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Whisper White, Basic Black, Rose Red and So Saffron cardstock, So Saffron and Rose Red ink, Happiness Background and Polka Dots And Paisley stamp sets, Round Tab Punch

The second is Tempting Turquoise, Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery - I used the Color Coach for this combination, and I'm not sure about it ... there's something missing, but I'm not sure what. But it was dead easy. The Coral piece along the back is just a strip from the Happiness stamp, cut in half so it would extend out to the edges of this landscaped card.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Whisper White, Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery cardstock, Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise ink, Happiness Background stamp set, 3/16 Corner Rounder Punch, Tempting Turquoise ribbon

Frustration!

I have just spent the long weekend without a computer, and I honestly didn't realise how much I rely on it to keep me busy and amused! The rotten thing died at 5:35pm on Friday, and after taking it into the shop Saturday morning I was told it wouldn't be ready till at least this afternoon (Tuesday).

You would think that would give me ample time to play with my stamp supplies and make some fabulous works of art, wouldn't you?

Nup. Not one moment was spent stamping.

I spent the weekend reading, watching DVDs with the kids and knitting a scarf for Miss Nine (I promised her a scarf like the one I made myself a couple of years ago, out of fluffy feathery wool with a beaded fringe). Without the distractions of the computer I have nearly finished the knitting! And we got to watch some episodes of Scrubs and Arrested Development, plus Spiderman (the first movie - Miss Nine hadn't seen it), the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie and Muppet Treasure Island (we're having a Muppets revival in our house - you forget over the years just how funny they were!).

That's a lot of DVDs *g*.

Hopefully I will have my compter back today (probably with another new hard drive) and can return to normal programming. Just not looking forward to the bill *groan*.

More circles

I have been using Circle of Friendship again ... I didn't realise how many circles you can use in cardmaking!

These have been inspired by a US blog I stumbled across yesterday ...

Firstly a cute little bookmark using the Scallop Punch and featuring a Jumbo Eyelet (I am loving these things! They're so cool!). I don't know how it would go marking your place in a book, haven't tried it yet, but as I usually have three or four books on the go at one time I'm sure it won't be long before it's in use.

(In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have used a black cloth as a backing for this scan *g*).

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral and Whisper White cardstock, Close to Cocoa ink, CIrcle of Friendship stamp set, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle and 1" Circle punches, Cropadile, Jumbo Eyelet.





This one I really like - it's another variation on the pocket card, using the Scallop Punch to hide the insert. Do you like my "bling"? In case you can't work it out, that is definitely a bottle top, smacked with a hammer to flatten it out a little. I had a big bag of these (clean ones, for the home brewer) for a few years for use in collage projects, and stumbled across them last night. What a coincidence! Circle of Friendship stamps fit right in there (punched with a 1" punch).

The side strip was done using reinkers, glossy card and rubbing alcohol, then wheeled with the Baroque Border wheel. In Pomegranate, of course.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Whisper White and Gloss White cardstock, Purely Pomegranate ink, Purely Pomegranate and River Rock reinkers, CIrcle of Friendship stamp set, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1" Circle and 3/6" Corner Rounder punches, Cropadile, Jumbo Eyelet.

June Promotion #2

I was so excited about the cards I created for June's eScape promotion, I completely forgot to mention the other great deal going on ... from June 1 to July 15, any workshop or customer order with totals of over $700 will receive an additional $50 worth of hostess benefits on top of the normal awards.

So if your workshop was between $700 and $799, not only would you get to choose a Level 1 or Level 2 Hostess Set from the Ideas Book and Catalogue, you receive the usual $80 worth of catalogue merchandise plus an additional $50 worth of freebies.

Check out the flyer here.

Images © 2008 Stampin' Up!®

Circle of Friendship

One of the Stampin' Up! promotions for the month of June involves a "bundle" made up of the Circle of Friendship stamp set, the 1-1/4" circle punch and the Love Notes cards and envelopes set.








I have spent the last couple of days having a play with this bundle, and once I started all I could see was circles! In the end I had to make myself stop *g*.

Here's a few things I came up with ...

Firstly my "Turquoise Trio" ... I have combined a few other punches into the mix and come up with these. They're very simple but quite effective.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White cardstock, Tempting Turquoise ink, CIrcle of Friendship stamp set, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1./2 Circle" and Double Rectangle punches, Tempting Turquoise ribbon, Love Notes cards.


This one was a lot of fun to make ... I love how the Jumbo Eyelets are exactly the right size to fit in the middle of the stamps. I trimmed most of the front off a Love Note card, and replaced it with a square of the Plum cardstock, then used the Round Tab punch to create a window in the front of the card (it's easy to do ... punch the Round Tab once, then rotate the card 90 degrees, line it up and punch again for a nice big circle window).

I also pierced the "petals" of the scallop for a little more visual interest.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Whisper White cardstock, Perfect Plum ink, CIrcle of Friendship stamp set, Round Tab, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1" Circle and Double Rectangle punches,Cropadile, Jumbo Eyelets, Love Notes card

The next card was a bit of fun to make, using another "circly" stamp set , Seeing Spots. I love this pink and brown combination. I wanted to try and make a regular sized card rather than use the Love Notes for this one.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa and Whisper White cardstock, Pretty in Pink and Close to Cocoa ink, CIrcle of Friendship, Seeing Spots and Canvas stamp sets, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle and 1" Circle punches, Cropadile.


This little set of cards is, of course, my favourite. Yup, Purely Pomegranate yet again. I took the "trio" idea and jumped it up a little with some other sets. The photo really doesn't do the cards justice, they are just so cute in real life.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Purely Pomegranate, So Saffron and Whisper White cardstock, Purely Pomegranate ink, CIrcle of Friendship, Boho Backgrounds, Carte Postale and Baroque Motifs stamp sets, Scallop, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1" Circle and 1/2" Circle punches, Cropadile, Jumbo Eyelets, Love Notes cards.

Lastly, this one, a variation on the bib card from the other day. Because the Love Notes cards come pre-scored, I couldn't use them for this project, but it was easy enough to cut up a piece of Whisper White to 6"x3". I also used a piece of the designer paper from May's Pallete O Prints promotion.

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: So Saffron and Whisper White cardstock, So Saffron designer paper, Real Red ink, CIrcle of Friendship and Much Appreciated stamp sets, 1-1/4" Circle and 1-3/8" Circle punches.






If you are inspired by these and absolutely have to have this stamp set bundle, contact me today for more details!

A better picture

I am still really happy with the Bib Card I posted last time, and just wanted to post an updated picture of it ... the last one just didn't do it justice. So here it is again ...

Images © 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used: Soft Sky, Rose Red and Whisper White cardstock, Soft Sky, Rose Red and Close to Cocoa ink, Baroque Motifs stamp set, Scallop, Small Oval and Large Oval punches, Cropadile, eyelet.