Thursday 27 November 2014

Happy Engagement

It has been a very pleasant sunny day here in Melbourne and I have been blessed to hear some wonderful news - that of a good friend's  - more like a sister really - engagement. I have known the Bride to Be since she was about 10 years of age…and I wasn't that much older and now she is preparing for a wonderful new beginning in April next year. So a special time and a special card is of course needed.

And there is a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week that just fits the bill :-)


Yesterday's card had 3 vertical panels and today's is 3 horizontal - how fun is that :-)


The card base is Brushed Silver and is topped with a layer of Whisper White card which has the lovely Silver Foil Vellum hearts on top. And to attach the Vellum to the white card without showing the adhesive I simply used a little Two Way Glue behind each little heart.
The two hearts are each embossed - the Silver with the Chevon EF and the White with the a now retired (Christmas ) Embossing folder that I have forgotten the name of - it is a lovely oval frame that left room for the dasher or tree etc to sit inside, so if you can remember it's name please let me know!!
And the little pink stones are Basic Rhinestones that have been coloured with a Melon Mambo Blendabilities marker.


Card stock: Brushed Sliver, Whisper White, Silver Foil
Designer Series Paper: Vellum Specialty Silver Foil
Ink: Versamark, Melon Mambo Blendabilities marker
Stamp: Good Greetings
Accessories: Big Shot, Chevron EF, Retired (name?) EF, Silver EP, Basic Rhinestones, Silver ribbon, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a moment to go and check out the great sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches and the wonderful cards the Design Team have made to inspire you and maybe you will be the next to enter :-)

Happy stamping until next time

Jan






Wednesday 26 November 2014

Feel Better Flowers

Good afternoon and welcome! Today has so far been much nicer than the weather forecast…but the clouds are now starting to roll in so maybe the rain is coming after all? Not that we really need it right now but we might be glad of it in the weeks to come.

Today's card is for my favourite Sister-in-law ( ok she is the only SIL  but still the fave! ) who has just been released from hospital after a nasty illness and is now continuing to recover at home. For inspiration I used the wonderful sketch at Just Add Ink  - always a favourite challenge for me and the sketch by Tina this week is fabulous as usual and so open to interpretation.


 And as my SIL is an avid gardener there were always going to be flowers and greenery :-)


So with the sketch and theme decided this card did come together quite quickly :-)
I used the largest flower from the Flower Patch set in the two colours and fussy cut the images so as to be able to layer them with dimensionals under each layer. And the fabulous framelits meant the leaves were cut quickly and easily too!

Card stock: Calypso Coral, Whisper White
Inks: Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizazz
Stamps: Flower Patch, Sassy Salutations
Accessories: Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Large Polka Dots EF, Basic Rhinestones

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I do hope you have a moment to check out the great inspiration at Just Add Ink this week and maybe you might be next to enter :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Deer Christmas

We have had a lovely day here in Melbourne today. The weather is beginning to cloud over now and rain is indeed forecast for this evening but the sun has been shining for most of the day. And the Spring veggie garden has yielded its first real fruit of the season - tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions ( as well as plenty of lettuce varieties ) all ripe for the picking!
Today's card for the Paper Craft Crew sketch


Such a great sketch! I do hope you have time to stop by The Paper Craft Crew and see the great cards by the Team this week to inspire you.

And my card was made with my Brother-in-law in mind. He and my sister live in almost rural New Zealand and he occasionally gets the opportunity to go hunting in the forests looking for wild deer….not that I think he's had a great deal of success - just the thrill of the chase :-)


Of course there will be no snow in New Zealand this Christmas - it will be Summer! But they can always dream :-)

There are many directions you can go with this sketch and I decided to make a scene :-) The lovely Stag and birds and coloured using the Blendabilities markers and the snow drops are first stamped and then filled with some Silver Dazzling Details for some sparkle! 

Card stock: Pool Party, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer
Designer Series Paper: All Is Calm
Inks: Momento tuxedo Black, Blendabilites markers: coastal Cabana, cherry Cobbler and Neutrals
Stamps: White Christmas
Accessories: Silver Dazzling Details, Small Star punch (retired), Basic Rhinestones

Thanks for stopping by today and I do hope you have time to check out all the great inspiration from the rest of the Team at The Paper Craft Crew and maybe you might be the next to enter the challenge?

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Pink thoughts

Welcome to another beautiful Spring Melbourne Day - although it feels more like Summer already with a warm 30 degrees today! Today's card is for this week's sketch at The Paper Craft Crew. The team have so many great cards to inspire you I do hope you have a moment to check them out.

So without further ado, here is this week's sketch:


And here is my card:


So is a picture of pink of white with a few touches of silver :-)

Card stock: Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Silver Glimmer
Inks: Strawberry Slush, Silver Encore, Momento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Tap Tap Tap, Dictionary
Accessories: Large Polka Dots EF, Big Shot, Starburst Framelits, Strawberry Slush Twine, Frosted Sequins

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I do hope you have time to drop by The Paper Craft Crew and check out all the great inspiration from the Team - and maybe you will be inspired to be the next to enter too :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan


Monday 17 November 2014

Thank You Again

Today has been one of "those" days when I felt a little behind most of the time…our Sally (black Lab) was not impressed to find she got no breakfast this morning and straight away she knew that meant a trip to the Vet (Specialist) And she was absolutely right! A couple of months ago she was diagnosed with a "most likely benign"mass behind her Right knee. There was no need at the time to hurry removal because it was benign, was cutback during Biopsy and she stopped limping. But lately the limp has returned so she is having a CT scan today and the Specialist and staff are so patient and good with her - she is not an easy patient, due to her former life prior to adoption she gets very scared and has been known to snap at Vets in the past  - but not here which is testament to their good care.
So today's card is for the Vet hospital staff. I needed some inspiration….and in a hurry, so I turned to Freshly Made Sketches as I have already used this sketch this week and it has inspired me again!


This time I changed the Twine and button to a ribbon and bow…


And yes, it features the long retired "D is for Dog" stamp set but as dear Sally is a black Lab and wears a red collar there really was nothing else more suitable :-)

So to "update"this card, I added the new Polka Dots EF, the wonderful Back to Black DSP, black Satin ribbon AND some sequins of course :-)

The main dog image is embossed in Black with the collar coloured with a Red Marker. The greeting is embossed using Clear EP over the Red ink to give it a lovely shine and textural feel also.


Card stock: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Back to Black
Inks: Versamark, Momento Tuxedo black, Real Red
Stamps: D is For Dog (Retired) Sassy Salutations
Accessories: Big Shot, Polka Dot EF, Black Satin Ribbon, Black and Clear EP, Silver Sequins (non SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today - for those wondering, Sally is happy and home although of course we are still waiting on the Scan results for now.
  I do hope you have time to check out all the great inspiration at Freshly Made Sketches  and maybe you too might be inspired to enter the challenge this week!!



Happy stamping until next time,

Jan




Thursday 13 November 2014

Trees Update

Over the past few months I have heard of and seen several wonderful Cases of a card I created and shared back in August - my first Tree Shaker card featuring the Festival of Trees stamp set. You can see the original post again with a Tutorial here  but this is the card :-)



This was my first play with the stamp set as the original post was called and I was quite amazed and humbled by how may people enjoyed this card.
Several people have taken the time to comment that they have Cased this card and some have used it for Workshops and that is so wonderful as to occasionally inspire others is what we all hope to do and it is fabulous when it actually happens!
And today, I received a special comment - from Indina in Germany  who has done just that and used this card in a Class and I am so honoured! It is one thing to see other very good versions of the card. But to see it stamped in another language was for me really very special!!
And it got me thinking - that it is such a wonderful thing to be part of a truly International stamping community! And how inspiring it is to be able to share our creations and have them inspire others no matter what language we speak or where we are in the world - so thank you Stampin Up! And thank God for the Internet too :-)

So a big thank you to all who have taken the time to share that they've Cased this card and enjoyed making it - it is truly humbling and inspiring for me too :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Festival of Trees for FMS

Good afternoon and welcome! It is a hot day today here in Melbourne - 33 degrees and a good incentive to stay inside in the Air Con and out of the heat. And after taking Sally the Lab for an early morning walk and watering the veggie garden I thought I'd earned a bit of time for paper crafting :-)

And for inspiration I used the wonderful sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week -by Kin and  so fun!
Such a great sketch - is so open to interpretation  - and I chose to go for a Christmas card :-)


The starting point of this card for me was the DSP - the Trim the Tree Stack. Lovely modern twists on traditional colours :-)
I stamped the Trees in Garden Green and then stamped the middle with some Cherry Cobbler and added some of the fun Dazzling Details over that. And a punched Gold Glimmer star on top to match the Gold twine below  :-)


Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Gold Glimmer
Designer Series Paper: Trim the Tree Stack
Inks: Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler
Stamps: Festival of Trees
Access: Big Shot, On Point EF, Tree Punch, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Gold Twine, Gold button and Dimensionals (lots of), Snail

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have time to check out the great inspiration from the team at Freshly Made Sketches this week and maybe you too will be inspired to enter :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan






Wednesday 12 November 2014

Bright and Beautiful

Good afternoon and welcome to another perfect Spring day in Melbourne - 26 degrees Celsius and bright shining sun and beautiful blue sky! I just love Spring - warm days and cool nights and a growing veggie garden :-)
And as it is Wednesday it's also time for another fun sketch from The Paper Craft Crew! The Design Team have a great variety of beautiful cards to inspire you so I do hope you have time to check them out. Here is this week's sketch:


And here is my card :-)


This was one of those cards that came together very quickly as soon as I saw the sketch -it doesn't happen that often but is so fun when it does - and was time to bring out the gorgeous Silver Satin Ribbon and the Star framelits :-)

The card base is some Pear Pizazz and all the layers are added with dimensionals as usual and includes the beautiful stars which are alternately Silver Embossed and Pear Pizzaz stamped and topped with a Candy Dot. And the little banners are made from the All is Calm Washi Tape :-)

Card stock: Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: All is Calm
Inks: Pear Pizzaz, Versamark
Stamps: Bright and Beautiful
Accessories: Big Shot, Stars Framelits, Silver EP, All is Calm Washi Tape, Frosted Sequins, Silver Satin Ribbon, Subtles Candy Dots

Thanks for stopping by today and I do hope you have time to check out the great cards the Team at The Paper Craft Crew have made to inspire you and I look forward to seeing what you create with this sketch this week too!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan




Tuesday 11 November 2014

Flower Patch Birthday

It is a beautiful Spring Day here in Melbourne today - cool overnight with clear skies that has allowed the sun to warm up everything by lunch time. Just perfect really! 

We were up early this morning to head off on a reasonably long drive to take Sally (black Lab) back to the Vet Specialist surgeon as she is limping more with her right hind leg again and as I suspected, the tumour appears to have regrown somewhat ( thought to be Benign) and so Sally will have a CT Scan next Monday to check out what is happening both in her knee and look to see there is nothing anywhere else. The difficulty is that the pathologist who looked at her biopsy some months ago was quite unsure of a diagnosis (had never seen anything like it - and the Specialist the same) but didn't think it was a cancerous growth. So we will hope and pray that that is all it is and that total removal will be easier than first thought.

And now for today's cards - I  have been waiting for one to arrive in the mail before posting it here. These are CASEs of a cardI saw when I "Google'd" the stamp name some weeks ago. And now when I went to look for it again it appears to have been taken down as unable to be found! I do like to give credit on the odd occasion I Case a card and am sorry but am unable to do that this time. If anyone finds the original please do let me know.


So this first card is as close as I remember the original being.
And the second is very similar - just different greeting.

So as you can see the front of the card is cut out halfway using the Flower Fair framelits.
To do this, I first measured the size of the White card I was using as the top layer and I found it easiest to first stamp the base flower images and then when placing them in the Big Shot only placing the Top Plate halfway over the framelit to where I wanted it to cut. As where there is no top plate, there will be no cut. 
Next, using a ruler, I lined up the difference between the two flowers and drew a straight line to cut upon. 
Once the top layer is cut I then laid it onto the Bermuda Bay card front and marked where the cuts were so that I could cut the card from the same.
Then I simply stamped and cut the leaves and flower layers and added them separately with dimensionals and stamped the greeting - once with Momento Tuxedo Black and then in Bermuda Bay on a scrap piece of card and cut out just the centre which I then added on top of the black.
For the inside I covered the whole facing piece with the Back to Black DSP - such strong contrast to all the colours! And so the message it is written on the back of the card front. This way it doesn't interrupt the contrast with the DSP :-)

Card stock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Crushed Curry
DSP: Back to Black
Inks: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Crisp Canteloupe, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzaz, Momento Tuxedo Black
Stamps: Flower Patch, Perfect Pennants
Accessories: Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Calypso Coral Seam Binding, Basic Rhinestones, Itty Bitty punch pack

And just in case you're wondering, Sally is still quite happy despite the obvious pain she has in her knee at times and enjoyed chewing on a dental treat whilst I have been typing - suffice to say she finished long before I did!


 Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Saturday 8 November 2014

Bulk Christmas Cards

Today it has been hot 35 degrees Celsius and that has to be a record for early November - and a sign of a very hot Summer ahead. And so it was a good opportunity to continue to get ahead with some Christmas cards. Over the last few days I have been working my way through the Watercolor Winter Kit. the kit comes with all you need for 20 cards (minus stamps and inks) and for those I turned to what I have already. For the water colouring, I fine-tuned my mix of water and ink refills quite quickly and being able to colour ahead meant the putting together of the cards came together quite quickly also. The Kit makes 20 cards -5 each of 4 designs. For my cards I decided to keep to the instructions and I was pleased with how they turned out for the most part.

My favourite design at first was the card with the Trees - lots of Gold Glimmer paper and you know how I love some bling :-)

This was my first attempt at it - so the colouring got better and I was more generous with the length of twine bow on future versions :-)

And yes - I also used some dimensionals to give a bit of added depth as per usual :-)
The white, woodgrain layer is raised as is the second tree and the "happy" oh and the Christmas banner.
For the "christmas" I used the Good Greetings stamp set. I do love the layer of gold glimmer behind the trees and that the "happy" is in so many languages. I used the 5 English versions on my cards so I have plenty of other language versions left to use on other things :-)

But my favourite card turned out to be the one I least suspected: with the coloured Sled! I love the colours and the beautiful snowflake and sequins even though Christmas in Australia is in Summer and Icy Poles are as close as we get to anything cold LOL! (Especially if todays weather is anything to go by!)


The Crumb Cake card comes pre-printed with the snow dots and so is quick and easy to complete just by accessorising :-)
For the greeting I used a vintage set "Many Merry Messages."
And to create the rich colour of the sled I used a mixture of Cherry cobbler ink mixed with water as per instructions and on a separate palate used a drop of Cherry cobbler ink that I picked up with the paint brush after the first inking of the sled with the watered mixture. I found this gave a more red sled as otherwise the Cherry mixture can tend towards being a little pink rather than red. I adhered the snowflake and sled with some Tom bow glue and then the Bermuda Bay piece using dimensionals.

Next, the simplest card to make is possibly the most elegant and effective I think:


For this card the "Merry" is water coloured using Old Olive (and a couple of drops of Mossy Meadow) re-inker in a small amount of water. This is the same mixture that I used for the Trees. To get the colour variations, simply colour the whole word first and then go back and add as much colour to the top 2/3 letters as you want -  remembering that the dried colour is always lighter too :-)
For the greeting here I used another stamp from the vintage "Many Merry Messages" stamp set. And again, the white, woodgrain layer is on a layer of dimensionals as is the Christmas banner.
For the vellum leaves, a few drops of Tombow multi- purpose glue comes in handy, just apply where the glue will be hidden by the dots.

And last and in my opinion, least is the last card style. I changed the colours to water colour the greeting to Cherry Cobbler or Old Olive.


There is something about the draped greeting over the pretty snowflake that seems not quite as lovely as the the other cards. Maybe it's my poorly drawn lines using Smoky slate ink added to some water. Or simply that it is a one layer card  - no dimensionals able to be used here! The words are coloured and then when dry the twine is adhered to the back using a find line of tombow and then the banner is able to be attached to the card quite easily.

But overall, I am really pleased with the Winter Watercolor pack - 20 cards at about $2 each and yet you can still make them individual - and now I have 20 Christmas cards done already and it is only the first week in November!! Wow!! As usually I am still struggling to get them all done before Christmas Eve - so is really good to have a head start this year! 

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan







Wednesday 5 November 2014

Happy Feathers

Welcome to another fine Wednesday afternoon in Melbourne! Yesterday was a holiday for "the race that stops a Nation"….yes, only in Australia does sport have such a hold! However, after the running of the Melbourne Cup yesterday two of the horses have tragically died. One, collapsed after the race and the other suffered a broken leg after being spooked by spectators…such a terrible result and calls for inquiries into how this could happen hopefully won't be ignored. Regular readers will know I am an animal lover -though am no activist. However I was also disappointed at the liberal use of whips during these races  - surely we can do without them in 2014? Surely if, as race supporters say, the horses "love to run" then whips shouldn't be needed?

Anyway….time for happier thoughts!! It is also time for another sketch from The Paper Craft Crew.
Lots of layers in this sketch which is a style I often find challenging :-)


But this came together quite quickly in the end.



With a mixture of black, white, pink and silver glimmer! The retro black and white DSP is from the fabulous Back to Black pack which I am loving at the moment as it is Black and WHITE and not the usual Vanilla backing. The Strawberry Slush paper is part of the In Colour DSP stacks and is topped with some Black Satin Ribbon.

Card stock: Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer
DSP: Back to Black and In Colour Stack
Inks: Strawberry Slush, Momento Tuxedo Black, Encore Silver
Stamps: Four Feathers, Four You, Gorgeous Grunge, Kinda Eclectic
Accessories: Big Shot, Feathers Framelits, Circle Framelits, Hexagon Punch, Butterfly punch, Black Satin Ribbon, Silver Twine, Neutral Candy dots, dimensionals, Frosted Sequins

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I do hope you have time to check out all the great cards by the rest of the Team at The Paper Craft Crew and maybe you too may be inspired to join in the fun challenge this week.

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan



Tuesday 4 November 2014

Belated Birthday Post

Yes it was my birthday in October and so this is a rather belated acknowledgement of some of the gorgeous cards I was blessed to receive from friends near and far. The birthday itself was a warm day full of too much good food and fun with friends and catching up with family. Just about perfect :-)

And so here are some of the beautiful cards I received - these are just a few of the handmade ones :-)

From Katerina: this red, white and gold beauty that was also based on a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches :-) I love the mix of colours and bling of course and the beautifully layered flower.


Next is a gorgeous Card in a Box from Christine! Beautiful DSP again that is complimented by the flowers and butterflies. Such a lot of work and the tops have been created using the Tag Topper punch


And from Bernie this beautifully elegant little number  using similar stamps to Christine and Bernie's trademark colour red :-) Stunning!


Next is a card from my friend Carolyn in Queensland -  is one of her gorgeous easel cards with  beautiful butterflies! I have been a fan of her easels for some time and is fabulous to have one of my own now - and love the lacy backgrounds too!


And last but by no means least is this stunning blue creation by Elaine! The beautiful Pacific point flower happened to match  the top I was wearing on the day too and I love the way she has complimented the DSP with her leaf stamp.

Well, there you have it -  just a few of the beautiful cards that have been on display here over the last few weeks! A big thank you to these wonderful ladies and indeed everyone who sent cards and emails and good wishes for my birthday last month! You are all very special and much appreciated :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan




Christmas Tree for JAI

Today is the first Tuesday in November and so is Melbourne Cup Day! The day when one horse race "stops a nation" as they say. And so it is a Public Holiday here in Victoria and the race is due to run at 3pm (I think? ). I can't say it interests me really - I did go to Flemington Race Track once some years ago with a group of girlfriends and while it was lovely to have a reason to get dressed up, there were a few too many drinks had by some….and at least one ended up being spilled over me…. so never again!! So today is a beautiful 29 degrees now although the wind is picking up a bit and has been a lovely day! After taking Sally the Lab for a walk and a trip to the garden shop for some more veggie plants…it's time to get back to some cards :-)

Yes, I'm sorry, the blog has taken a back seat the last couple of weeks as life has gotten in the way but hopefully we are back on track now. Yesterday I had 5 cards on the table that I was sending off in the mail but sadly none could be shared yet….

And so today I finally have a new card for you - and for the great sketch challenge at Just Add Ink. I have so missed taking part in their challenges of late! This week they have a great sketch:


And here is my card:


Yes, it's a shaker card :-) I couldn't resist the idea of trying to find the smallest circle the Tree Punch would fit into and this is compliments of the 21/2' Circle Punch rather than Framelits as their intervals were too large for what I wanted here.

The card base is Lost Lagoon and there is a layer of white card under the beautiful DSP as I wanted to add the DSP on Dimensionals so as the Circle shaker window doesn't stand out too high above the rest of the card and I find that DSP doesn't sit up on dimensionals on its own so well - it tends to sag in between them! The beautiful DSP is all from the All is Calm pack - so gorgeous and is the real star of this card:-) and so I added some of the Frosted Sequins on top of the snowflakes on the DSP as well as the top of the tree.

To create the Tree circle shaker I first punched a Tree from scrap paper and then traced the outline onto the white circle for the top of the shaker as a guide to where to punch the tree. Then I also punched a circle of White card for the bottom under the DSP and of course some Window Sheet. I use the Shaker Frame adhesive and cut the individual circles and this means I can easily mould them into the shapes I need. I find it is quick and easy to join up the ends where you need them so the filling is secure inside.And for the filling here I used the Confetti Star punch with some Silver Glimmer and Lost Lagoon card and added a few silver sequins for a bit of added bling :-) The greeting is from the Good Greetings stamp set and is cut using the Itty Bitty Banner framelits and then the front end cut to fit in with the circle theme.


Card stock: Lost Lagoon, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: All Is Calm
Inks: Lost Lagoon
Stamps: Good Greetings
Accessories: Big Shot, Stars EF, Bitty Banners Framelits, 2 1/2 Circle Punch, Tree Punch, Window Sheets, Frosted Sequins, Silver Twine

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have time to check out the great cards by the Team at Just Add Ink and maybe you too might be inspired to join in too :-)

And do come back later if you can as I will be sharing some of the the lovely cards I received for my birthday and they are all very special too!!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan