Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  I hope you all get to spend some relaxing time with the ones you love, and enjoying all those special treats & moments that this season is known for!

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement over the last year.  I really enjoy sharing my projects with you all, and love to hear your feedback, whether it be in person, through comments on the blog, or on my Facebook page.

Have a very happy holiday season!

When in doubt, CASE yourself!

I needed a fun project to complete with a lovely workshop group a couple of weeks ago, but I was seriously running out of time (and creative mojo!), so I CASE'd a card I made earlier in the month and combined it with the gift card holder from the Christmas Countdown:

The workshop guests loved the gift card idea, and enjoyed the fresh simplicity of the design.

Materials
Stamps: Aviary, Occasional Greetings
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Punch, Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Stylish Birthday

My mother-in-law celebrates her birthday later this week, and I had great pleasure making this card for her. She always notices and appreciates all the little details on the cards I make, so I went to special effort on this one.  It is a partial case of a card on the front of the 2011 Sale-a-Bration Catalogue (yes, it is nearly that time again!):

 I have combined 2 of the gorgeous images from the Elements of Style stamp set (which I have had sitting on my desk for a few weeks, just screaming for an ink-up) with some of the gorgeous Presto Patterns Speciality paper.

 I also layered up some of the new Victorian Crochet Lace, added lots of paper distressing, and plenty of Smooch Spritz - both Gold & Silver!

I am LOVING the Presto Patterns Paper!!  The possibilities of how you could colour it are endless.  For this card, I first sponged Old Olive ink over the entire surface, and then added extra depth on the edges.  Then I spritz the whole surface with the Gold Glow Smooch Spritz - as you can see in the pic above, I was left with a GORGEOUS shimmery paper. It really is divine to look at in real life!

Materials
Stamps: Elements of Style
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Whisper White, Presto Patterns Specialty DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede
Other: Crochet Lace, Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Circle punch, 1" Circle Punch, Smooch Spritz, Sponge, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Antique Brad

Blossom Card Caddy

I taught this caddy and card set to a lovely group of ladies at a recent class.  You may recognise the caddy from the Christmas Countdown, where I used Dasher, but this one is a great multi-purpose set, and just perfect to give as a gift!

I love this Apple Blossoms stamp set.  It's a great multi-purpose set that's bright and cheery!  The colour combo we used is Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight and Crumb Cake for the base of the caddy.

Materials
Stamps: Apple Blossom
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Other: Corner Rounder Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Trim Punch, Circle Scissors Plus, Paper Crimper, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Magical Birthday Wishes

After all the princess themed stuff for my daughters birthday party, I came up completely blank when it came time to make her a birthday card.  It took a concerted effort to put this one together, and thankfully it worked in the end:

Miss 4 inspected it very closely before declaring that she liked it -Whew!  In hindsight I wish I had added a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds to the pony's mane...

Materials
Stamps: Pony Party
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Certainly Celery, Stazon
Other: Rhinestones, Supernova Glitter, Scallop Edge Punch, Bigshot, Square Lattice Emboss Folder, White Taffeta Ribbon, Aquapainter

A party fit for a Princess

On Friday I shared the invitations for my daughters 4th birthday party.  We had her party on Saturday and as I crafted a few items for it, I thought I would share them with you all!

Here's the party room & table all decorated.  Behind the white organza we hung fairy lights which twinkled throughout the party.

I found a tutorial for these tissue paper pom poms on the web, and just knew they would look perfect hanging above the party table!  Miss 4 loved them, so we are going to re-hang them in her bedroom.

On the back of all the chairs I tied these fabulous tissue paper flowers, with sparkly stars hung below:

 And of course no princess party would be complete without a princess cake:

 And for all the wee princes and princesses to take home, I made little princess handbags and filled them with some play jewellery.

It was such fun to put all of the details together to surprise my daughter.  She had a wonderful time playing with her friends, and I had a great time seeing the enjoyment on her face!

Materials
Cardstock: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Pretty in Pink
Other: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Scallop Circle Die, Supernova Glitter, Rhinestones, White Gel Pen, Circle Scissors Plus

Come to the Princess Party

My daughter turns 4 next week, and several weeks ago she insisted that she was having a Princess Party this year - so of course I was happy to oblige!  Here is the invitation we sent out:

Unfortunately I had no suitable princess themed stamps in my collection, so had to come up with something from scratch!  I drew the crown and then made a chipboard template which made cutting 20 odd of these easier (the same crown appears on a couple other things for the party - I'll share those next week).  I certainly went through a whole heap of Rhinestone Jewels!!

Watch out for a plethora of pink in Monday's post!

Materials
Stamps: Rough Edges Alpha (retired)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Basic Grey, Basic Grey Stampin' Write Marker
Other: Crystal Effects, Supernova Glitter, Rhinestones, Corner Rounder Punch

Monsters!!

Sorry for the wee break in posts the last few days.  It's been a busy, busy week - celebrating a birthday, Bon Jovi concert, family visiting, preparing for my daughters birthday party this weekend (lots of fun crafty things to show from that!), finishing off Christmas presents, organising things for our upcoming holiday........and trying to do all of this with a broken rib!

Anyway, here's a fun monster card for a young friends birthday this weekend

I think the 'googlie' eyes make a fun finishing touch!

Materials
Stamps: Make a Monster, Afterthoughts
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White, Playdate DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Stazon, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Markers
Other: Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon, Blender Pen, googlie eyes.

Baby Shower Tote

My very good friend is expecting her first baby at the end of January and I recently got to enjoy a fun afternoon at her baby shower.  As I have had 3 babies I thought I would give her a little tote of baby products that I would recommend - the tried and true!  Here they are all packaged up:

As you can see I used the same tote pattern as my Quiet Night In pack from the Christmas Countdown.  One side is labelled Baby, which is where I put the baby products, and the other side is labelled Mum, which is where I added an assortment of goodies to pamper the mum-to-be!  As they don't know what sex the baby is, I went for a neutral colour combo of Saffron, Chocolate and White


And a little card to match:

Materials
Stamps: Fox & Friends
Cardstock: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: So Saffron
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies, Wide Oval Punch, Choc Chip Satin Ribbon, Scallop Trim Punch

Team Swap Inspiration

Yesterday I shared the card I designed for our recent team swap, so I thought I would share all the other cards I received in return.  There is some wonderful talent in my team as you will see!

 Anita

 Broni

 Colleen

 Frances

 Jo-anne

 Jo

 Judith

 Julie

 Keryn

Liz

It is always great to get together with these ladies and stamp for the day.  We bounce around ideas, share techniques (and stamp sets!), eat, laugh and basically just have a fun time!

Inkspirations Challenge # 50

Hi there everyone!  I hope you are all ready to see some non-Christmassy creations, cos my Christmas craft tank is EMPTY!!  Here is a cute wee card I designed as a swap for my team day.  It also happens to fit the Colour Challenge over at Inkspirations this week:

I am really enjoying using the Aviary set from the new Summer Mini Catalogue, and it lends itself so well to nice bright colour combos like this one:

I also used the new Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder on this one. You will be seeing a lot more of that folder because it is such a versatile pattern!

Materials
Stamps: Aviary, Occasional Greetings
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Tempting Turquoise
Other: Big Shot, Square Lattice TE Folder, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch

Summer Mini Catalogue out NOW!

It's already time for a NEW Mini Catalogue!!  Full of great new products to keep you crafting over the summer months.

If you are a fan of all things vintage then this Catalogue certainly has lots for you:

• Crochet Trims
• Vintage Tags
• Vintage Trinkets
• Presto Patterns Designer Series Paper
• Smooch Spritz
• Sentimental Journey Stamp Set
   

If you prefer things bright and summery, there is plenty for you too:

• Itty Bitty Bundle
• Aviary Stamp Set
• Tropical Party Stamp Set
• Island Oasis Designer Series Paper

PLUS: Builder Wheels, Big Shot Dies, Hostess Sets, Punches, and so much MORE!

View the catalogue online here.  If you would like a copy of the new Mini Catalogue, or to book your Summer Workshop, simply email me!