Something different

... and you can blame Pauline for this LOL!

Recently Pauline and Gail came over for a stampin' night, and as always we ended up trying out new ideas - colour combinations in particular. Based on a challenge by Pauline, I had to use Gable Green, Bordering Blue and Not Quite Navy - completely out of my comfort zone, colourwise, I have to add.

This is what I ended up with. Still not sure about it, to be honest, but at least I can say I tried *g*.

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Circle Circus, Trendy Trees
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, Gable Green
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White

Another Happy Moment Card

The other day I posted a card using the cute little bouquet stamp from the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Happy Moments. Today I am showing you the reason why I like this set so much - look at this sweet little birdcage!

Now, before you get too excited, I must point out that the swirl on this card is actually a stamp from a completely different set ("For Everything" from the Summer Mini Catalogue) - I stamped the cage, masked it and stamped the swirl so it appears to be behind the cage.

I also sponged lightly around the mask while it was in place just to define the cage a little better.

The gray layer is Going Gray Textured cardstock (only available as part of a mixed pack of 12x12 neutral coloured cardstock) - I love this particular colour!

As always, if you like this card and would like to know how to get your hands on the Happy Moments stamp set absolutely FREE, contact me for more information - a single purchase of $100 in Stampin' Up! merchandise is all it takes to own this special little set!

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Happy Moments, For Everything
Ink: Stazon Black, Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal
Cardstock: Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal, Going Gray Textured, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Stampin' Write Marker in Pixie Pink, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals, Retro Remix Standard Wheel

Happy Moments - Sale-A-Bration

This Sale-A-Bration set is pretty darned cute ... the sketch style is perfect for a bit of pretend watercolouring using Stampin' Write markers, but you could also do actual watercolouring using Watercolor Wonder crayons or Watercolor Pencils with a blender pen or waterbrush if you preferred.

Here I have just coloured in really roughly, as I was trying to match the hand-drawn feel of the stamp image.

The card is dressed up just a tiny bit with some sponging on the Pixie Pink layer in matching ink, and a random piece of text stamped across the Apricot Appeal strip to add depth to the whole thing.

Don't forget that if you like this stamp set (which consists of four pictures and three tiny little phrases), you will need to spend $100 on Stampin' Up! merchandise (in one transaction) before March 31! Email me to find out more, or obtain a copy of the Sale-A-Bration catalogue.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Happy Moments, Gratuitous Graffiti
Ink: Stazon Black, Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Pixie Pink, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Edge Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Stampin' Write Markers in Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal and Certainly Celery

More Hearts

So Valentine's day is over for another year, but hearts are always nice. Here's another card using "I {Heart} Hearts" (don't forget that $2 from your purchase of this set goes to the Haitian Relief Fund, until the end of February). It was inspired by a card I saw on Splitcoast Stampers (what a resource that place is!) but as always came out completely different to both the original card and the vision in my head.

To create the inside layer, I masked the left side of an A6 sheet of cardstock with a sheet of torn paper, and stamped "Tres Chic" in Pretty in Pink down the right, then sponged the edges in matching ink.

In the closeup on the right, you can see a little bit of the Pretty in Pink cardstock I stuck along the spine of the card to provide some contrast to the scalloped edge.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: I {Heart} Hearts, Tres Chic, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Other: Scallop Edge Punch

I {Heart} Hearts

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a fundraising move by Stampin' Up! to aid the victims of the earthquake in Haiti ... for every purchase of the set "I {Heart} Hearts" worldwide (in Australia, available in the Summer Mini Catalogue) until February 28, Stampin' Up will donate $2 to the American Red Cross' Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

Recently, Stampin' Up! posted an update on their demonstrator website, to annouce that as at February 5, they had sold 7,524 sets!

If you were thinking of buying this set, now is the best time - you get your stamps, and the relief fund gets more money. Email me to place your order before the end of February!

I took delivery of my set this week, and finally had a chance to sit down with it last night. Here's one of my first cards ... I love that baroque swirly heart! The heart is stamped in Rose Red on Whisper White cardstock, then trimmed closely and mounted on Pretty in Pink cardstock and trimmed again, and attached to the base using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I also used the trio of hearts stamp (which has a matching punch, by the way *g*) plus the littlest heart from the same set, stamped diagonally across the front of the Basic Gray base card in Going Gray ink. I could have used ink to match the cardstock, but wanted something really subtle.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: I {Heart} Hearts, Big Deal Alphabet
Ink: Rose Red, Going Gray
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Valentine's Day Cards

I don't think I've ever deliberately set out to make a Valentine's Day card. Even when I made these, that wasn't the original intention - I was just playing around. It wasn't until I was done that I realised *g*.

The idea for the main piece originally came from something that Nicki Tidbold made (I don't think she has those particular cards on her blog, but have a look anyway - she has gorgeous stuff!). She hadmade a beautiful piece of work using reverse masking and made me realise I hadn't done anything like that for ages.

This is the result. I chose to use very neutral colours with the addition of Real Red for a bit of impact, and the hearts seemed to be the right choice in combination with the bird and the script. And that's how they became Valentine's Day cards *g*.

I tried to write a tutorial for masking but it turns out that the Stampin' Up! website has a much better version for you to check out if you're not familiar with this technique. Check it out! And to create a "reverse mask" such as the one I used to stamp the text in the cards above, just cut or tear a hole in scrap paper and stamp through it. Simple!

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Always, En Francais, Simply Said
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Basic Gray, Going Gray
Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Cutter Kit, Stamp A Ma Jig

Butterfly Prints

When I sat down to make a card last night, this is not what I had in mind. In my head it was mostly white with butterflies flying across, perhaps punched out with the Butterfly Punch (from the current Summer Mini Catalogue) and glued on.

Very stark and simple.

What I came up with was this ... and I can't even tell you how it happened. The butterflies were originally in the centre of a larger sheet, which would have filled most of the front of an A6 card, but somehow I trimmed it a little here, a little there and ended up with what you see here.

Anyway, I like it.

A word of warning ... if you are planning on buying this set, or already own it, you will find that a Stamp A Ma Jig comes in handy when you're adding the body of the butterfly (a separate, tiny stamp). Nothing worse than having everything stamped just so and messing up at the very last minute when you add the final details!

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Butterfly Prints (Summer Mini Catalogue), Baroque Motifs
Ink: Ruby Red, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Ruby Red, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Stamp A Ma Jig

Another challenge card

We're on a bit of a roll over at Gail Force Stampers ... this time Jo has challenged us to create a card using one of four sketches.

Here I've used the little birdie from the Summer Mini Catalogue set "For Everything", stamped in Chocolate Chip and coloured in with a Pretty In Pink Stampin' Write marker.

I sponged the edges of the Pink Pirouette strip, as well as the edges of the scalloped circle, just to add a little depth to the card.

Images © 1990-2010 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: For Everything
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Other: So Swirly Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer