Friday, November 27, 2009

Regional training day at Darling Harbour 2009

It was a huge day last Saturday and so much fun! Here is the view of Darling harbour that greeted us when we arrived for the day...We left the central coast at 6.30am... the driving down went so quick with a car full of women sharing our stamping stories. Made even better by having coffee at the Convention centre GJ's cafe... and anticipating the excitement of the day. I managed to get back for registration, collect my free stampset and enjoy a rush of card swaps just before 9.am and throughout the day meeting all those friendly people that I only ever get to talk to online ... or at group stamping nights.Here's Felicity (who makes the most gorgous cards), myself and Linda Higgins (my stampin' up mentor and upline)... in the background is one of the stampin up big screens on either side of the stage.
The make and takes are by far the most fun, but often theere is just too much socialising going on to get them all finished in time ... but I did eventually! Here's the hello card.





The "hello" box, which you can make in any size or shape you like just by changing the measurements, has a hinged lid and would fit a small set of stamps, a piece of jewellery or chocolates in it, just as it is.The mini 6x6 scrapbook page: I have placed a photo of my daughter swimming at the rock pool at Terriga in it already... I tried to match the pink and green swimming costume to the rose red and old olive embellishments.We used our square scallop punches with the new retro wheel... they make good journalling boxes for the date and short descriptions on a scrapbook page.The stamping (below) was done in versamark for the Jj's and choc chip ink for the journey definition with a cute little flower overlapping the J.The final project was the "hello hearts" frame folding card... held closed with that gorgeous little miniature silver clip at the top... the ribbon is tangerine tango striped grosgrain held on with a mini glue dot.

There were so many awesome speakers and exciting demonstrations of cards and scrapbook pages done on stage... If you live on the Central Coast you can probably recognise Georgina (second from the left) and Linda (third from the right).


Just can't wait for Convention in May 2010, next year!

Watching the snow flakes fall through the window

Did I ever mention how much I love embossing? When you get the hang of it, about the second or third time, and when you remember to use the embossing buddy chalk, embossing is just the coolest technique. Raised shiny clear images on mat cardstock... Ok - so that window is not as easy to punch out as it looks ... If you use a pencil to mark the corners of your square on the back of the cardstock it is easier I think. And those trusty sanding blocks smooth away any rough edges.
What you need to make this card:
Stampset: Snow swirled.
Cardstock: Riding hood red, Basic Black.
Ink: Versamark (or you can use white craft ink)
Other: white embossing powder, embossing buddy, heat tool ( the toaster is a really slow and tricky tool to carry around with you to workshops), 1 1/4 " square punch, 1 3/4"square punch.

Enjoy!!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Pacific Point Parisian breeze ...Oohh la la!

My favourite colour ... (after purple) is this Pacific point blue. It reminds me of the ocean, an island in the pacific, or the mediteranean sea. The textured patterned paper is called "Parisian breeze" because it is a combination of Baja breeze, chocolate chip and kraft coloured patterns. And when it came to choosing a background stamp for the baja breeze cardstock it just had to be "en francais". I have matched the ribbon with the Pacific point and tied it with a piece of white grosgrain... kind of french sailor suit now that I think of it. Here are my two versions side by side.
And another two variations on the same theme, the same layout reversed and using different colours to contrast with the Pacific point and baja breeze.On this one my embellishments were all mounted on basic black cardstock and then I stamped the best wishes on acetate with the white stazon ink. Love that contrast.
And for Variation 4... has the ribbon tucking beneath a cut out belt buckle thingy and I have sponged the edges of the scallop punch and attached it with a flower brad in chocolate chip to match the background stamping.The chocolate corner is made from a scallop square punch cut in quarters, works nicely on photos too.And for completeness here are the four versions just to show how much I like to photograph my cards... you can never have too many pictures can you?

Last 4 days of the Spring mini catalogue ....

I have that sense of time is running out, days slipping by, a sad but sweet farewell is in the air...
Just reminding you that at the end of this month we say good bye to all the gorgous products in the Stampin' up Spring mini ....
Did you love the oval scallop punch? and Flower brads?The white stazon ink?The too die for Parisian breeze textured cover weight papers that ooh, la la french tole pattern?Forest friends with Bambi, thumper, wise old owl and the tree?The real red, Old Olive, baja breeze and chocolate chip of Ski slope papers? Great friend butterflies flitting across a field of grass... perhaps never to be seen again?
I will be placing an order at the end of the week... is there anything you've forgotten or wished for?
Phone through (4329 2999) or email me (nerida_carter@hotmail.com) if you have to have anything from the Spring mini before Summer arrives.

I wish scrapbook

It is Christmas photo shoot time of year ... in the last week of November we have to get our photos taken to send to relatives and friends with their Chrismas letters. This is the quickest scrapbook page I have ever made... 3 photos, a square of Designer series paper, sticker embellishments, title and a ribbon bow. My daughter's quick wish list written in with the chocolate chip marker and some more sticker stars in real red ... why haven't I discovered these scrapping kits before.
The stickers are on heavy weight cardstock and you get two of everything! Plus the sheet that comes with the pack has card and scrapbook ideas to make.
The colours include chocolate chip, real red, old olive and white. You can colour coodinate your Christmas cards and christmas tags to match with any of these colours.
And the stickers are designed to be layered onto each other (above) the brown and white scallop and the merry and bright red circle fit together beautifully.
Enjoy!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Season of Joy and a square scallop!

Just a quick Christmas card today ... I will be at Stampin' Up's Regional training Session today down at Darling Harbour! Learning some new techniques and sharing a whole lot of new ideas with other demonstrators. If you want to come with me to the next one, let me know ... it is a fun and exciting day. (Well it was last year when I was a just signing up as a demo).
I'll be gathering up a bunch of new cardmaking and scrapbooking ideas to share with you over the coming weeks. You will see what we make at the mini caty launch next month.
What you need to make this card:
Stampset: Season of Joy ($51.95) Punches three (free hostess gift)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Riding hood red whisper white.
Designer series paper: Ski slope
Tools: gold embossing powder, heat tool, square scallop punch.

Friday, November 20, 2009

True freinds are Great Friends

Time to celebrate our friendships: These colours are working for me this week. I have made Christmas cards and birthday cards in this colour combination and just loving that Baja breeze. We could do with any kind of breeze here today! Heat wave 30.5 C in the shade ...My butterflies are embossed in silver embossing powder and attached behind the spine with dimensionals to lift them off the card. I have rolled the baja breeze strip with the friendly word wheel and then again on whisper white to emboss and feature as my sentiment.
The flowers are punched out of baja breeze cardstock using the Boho Blossoms punch and attached with eyelets. Friends forever and ever! My primary school friends and i used to write that on each other's school books and pencil cases - the innocense of children ... if it could last forever.
What you need to make this card:
Stampsets: Great friend (Spring mini caty ends 30 November), friendly word wheel.
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum, Elegant eggplant.
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: elegant eggplant ribbon, silver embossing powder, Boho Blossom punch, small eyelets.
Tools: crop a dile, Heat tool, dimensional adhesive.
Enjoy!!!

Time for another Elite challenge sketch?

I quite enjoy a challenge ... I am not the competetive type, I just like to set a problem and solve it in a creative way. Sometimes I succeed and others well it's a matter of opinion.
This technique is known as collage - where you use several stamps and layer them on top of one another, in a pleasing way. I wanted to use the soft subtles colour family (for inspiration) on this one. Though, ended up using only Perfect plum, a dash of So saffron and Pink pirouette from the in-colours with black and white as my neutrals.
Now what was the challenge?
To make a card using the same design as the card on page 12 of the mini spring catalogue.
I have used the sense of time stampset (from page 16 of the spring caty).
The main part of this sketch is that cute cut out circle for the ribbon to tie into and the little brad/flower above it. At first the brad looked like this: Not very exciting so I added some Crystal effects and superfine glitter and gave it a sparkly centre.
I trimmed the ribbon and used small saffron brads to hold down the cardstock. They seem to suit the mechanical workings of the clock and the little flower brad looks a bit like a cog?
The sentiment is timeless: Learn, Live and hope ... for tomorrow.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Snow swirling on a ski slope

Have a look at this gorgous ski slope designer series paper! I love the baja breeze and white, the snow flakes laying one over the other .... for contrast I have used a real red card base. Some real red grosgrain ribbon and made a scallop circle with a layer of baja breeze, and clear acetate stamped with white stazon and a white brad. The brad also holds a small circle of the ski slope paper in its centre.
I have embossed the silver "Seasons Greetings" and cut the edge out using the corner of the square scallop punch for a decorative edge.
What I've used to make this card:
Stampset: snow swirled
cardstock: real red, baja breeze, whisper white
Ink: white stazon, versamark.
Punches: scallop circle, square scallop.
Ribbon: Real red grosgrain (available in the summer mini on 1 December)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Merry and Bright - I wish, I wish, I wish ...

I am wishing for: a merry and bright Christmas, to be with the ones I love, and lots and lots of love from my family ... and maybe some handmade cards.
I just want to share with you two cards I have made with left over bits from the "I wish" scrappin' kit. I will show you the scrapbook pages I have made later ... It makes cards really quick as I can show you here!

Best things about using the kit to make cards?
No wasted time choosing colours, the colours in the kit are perfect together.

  • The kit comes with stickers (on very thick card) that you just peel off and stick onto your card or page, perfect.
  • There are scallopped edge stickers, just peel off, trim to size and stick them on.
  • It comes with 8 pieces of Textured 12 x 12" cardstock
  • 6 sheets of double sided patterned papers
  • ideas of how to use them.The Old Olive card here, I have made with a strip of the patterned paper, two stickers layered on top of one another, a strip of red scalloped edge cardstock and a piece of chocolate chip ribbon.
    Instant card making: just add adhesive, ribbon and a dash of what ever takes your fancy.For the second card I have used some real red cardstock, the pack comes with textured cardstock that you can cut to make your cards (but I am keeping them for my scrap book pages) and so I have used some real red cardstock, some more chocolate chip ribbon and a sentiment from the "Best yet" Hostess stampset, stamped on whisper white using the large oval punch. The medallion with the brown snowflake is a sticker from the kit that I have placed on a scallop circle of old olive and I have added the scallop edges for a bit of trimming. What I have used to make these cards:
  • I wish scrappin kit (just a tiny bit of the kit)
  • Cardstock: real red and Old olive
  • Ink: chocolate chip
  • stampset: best yet!
  • Punches: large oval, scallop circle and scallop edge.
  • Ribbon: 1/4" chocolate chip grosgrain