Spring Is In the Air and PP #164

Its another gorgeous day - the sun is out and it is quite windy. There have been reports of bush fires in New South Wales and Queensland this week so hopefully it will not be another bad fire year. We have been blessed with such a mild winter that the grasses and bush have grown well.

Today's card is for a sketch from the Paper Players

Spring also is the season for some serious Christmas Card making so here is what I came up with.

I love this Winter Frost Designer Series Paper so that is where I started from for the colours and got out the new(to me!) Pool party embossing powder for the greeting. The Angel is stamped in Bermuda Bay ink and then Clear embossed too. And the bottom of the white layer is cut with the Adorning Accents Framelits and then put through the Big Shot with the same named Embossing Folder. Both have been in my stash for a while but so much easier to use now with the Magnetic Platform!

Card Stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Paper

Designer Series Paper: Winter Frost

Stamps: Rejoicing with You, Calm Christmas

Inks : Versamark, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Big Shot, Adorning Accents Framelits and Embossing Folders, 21/2' round punch, Pool Party Ribbon, Circle cutting system (non SU!)

Also today our Pink Taree Bottlebrush tree came into flower - it really is a bright pink!! Traditionally Bottlebrushes are mainly red but I love this different version which blooms each Spring and Autumn.

And today we also are thinking of Sally's best doggy friend Monty and his family today. Monty is having surgery to remove a small tumour from his neck. We hope you will soon be up and about and running around as well as ever Monty - and enjoying lots of cuddles and rest in the meantime :-)

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Clockworks Grunge

My brother in NZ has a big round birthday coming up so I needed a card I could add some numbers to...I ended up making two cards in differing colours and as this one is numbers free....Yes! I've put the other card in the mail :-) Hopefully I will be able to share that with you at a later date after the big day.

The background is stamped using both the large and small backgrounds and then the wheels added. The raised wheels are first stamped and then coloured with markers before being cut out by hand - no fancy punches for this yet but I'm hopeful for the future!!! And the Greeting is Stamped in Versamark and Real Red inks then Clear Embossed to help it stand out.

The clock face was stamped in Silver Encore Ink and the Outline with Basic Grey onto Smoky slate card stock and a brad holds the acetate clock face in place - punched with a 11/4' circle punch.

Card Stock: Real Red, Smoky Slate, whisper White, Window sheets

Stamps: Clockworks

Inks: Real Red, Smoky Slate, Basic Grey, so Safron, Versamark

Accessories: 11/4" Circle Punch, Metallic Brads (retired), Clear EP, Heat Tool

Happy Stamping until next time,

Jan

Six Sided Sampler for Just Add Ink

Its another lovely Melbourne Spring Day - so yes, that means warm and sunny one minute and cool and overcast the next but so far no rain so not quite the Four Seasons in One Day we are so well known for having. Today's card is for a sketch challenge over at Just Add Ink -#183

I had wanted to try to do a Christmas Card - but the attempt of using the triangles of Pennant Parade didn't really work with the sketch - they just didn't sit so well together.. well, not at ALL well together :-) So instead I decided to start with the DSP from Polka Dot Parade and a male card was born.

The Paper clip ribbon detail is inspired by the new ribbon clips in the current Holiday Catalog and I discovered they are much harder to make than I had thought! The knot here is tied and the ends tucked under the clip and secured with a Glue Dot.

Card Stock: Early Espresso, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Polka Dot Parade and a retired piece for the Espresso banner

Stamp Sets: Six Sided Sampler, Itty Bitty Banners

Inks: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Big Shot, Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, Hexagon Punch, Clips Assortment ( for the paper clip), Chocolate chip ribbon, Neutral Brads (retired)

This morning the dogs had fun at the Park as always....

Not quite sure how they got from resting quietly to this:

But it made for a fun time for all watching!!

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Reversing the Snowflake

After making the PCCCS #59 card I had some spare snowflake pieces to use up....

So I kept the same design - Smoky Slate base and the gorgeous Winter Frost specailty DSP and changed the ribbon to Pool Party and the Merry to Slate....and also turned over the squares under the ornaments.

So this ended up as being a two for one kind of challenge - one challenge, two cards! It was hard to choose which one to enter but in the end went for the one with more bling:-)

Card Stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Designer Series Paper: Winter Frost Specialty

Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes

Accessories: Big Shot, Snowflake die, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Expressions Thinlits dies, Frosted Finishes Embellishments, Basic Rhinestones, 13/8' Square Punch, Pool Party Seam binding, Retired pool party ribbon.

Today was a beautiful, warm day of 24 degrees - yes, Spring is here! And so Sally's friend's Monty came with us to the park to have a play. 

And yes, this is play - just like puppies! Monty on the ground is loving every minute of it! He will often lie on the ground on his back inviting Sally to come and play with him :-)

Happy Stamping until next time,

Jan

Paper Craft Crew Sketch #59

Hard to believe it is Monday already - where has the time gone! I have been working on a few cards over the weekend as I have a couple of family birthdays coming up still. But today it is time to show a card I made for the Sketch over at Paper Craft Crew this week.

I took inspiration from a card by Glenda and used some retired and some current SU! Products.

From the Glimmer Paper to the Rhinestones the theme for this card is definitely BLING!!

I started from the Snowflake - alternating layers of the Silver with Whisper White and putting together with dimensionals and topping with the Frosted Finishes Embellishments.

The christmas baubles are from the now retired Holiday Ornaments bundle - and using the framelits this year with the new Magnetic Platform is so much easier than the Post it notes that we were having to use last year to keep the framelits in place!!

Card Stock: Smoky Slate (base), Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, Pool Party

Designer Series paper: Winter Frost specialty

Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes

Inks:Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Silver Encore

Accessories : Big Shot, Snowflake die (retired) Holiday Ornaments Framelits (retired), Expressions thinlits dies, 13/8' Square Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Frosted Finishes Embellishments, Non SU Ribbons

Happy stamping until next time,

Jan

Just Add Ink #182

When the power went off today it seemed to be the perfect time to sit down and look at completing this page in my Epic Day Journal. The challenge at Just Add Ink this week is to Just Add Frames...and as an added bonus I think Just add CUTE is true here too! This photo is of my gorgeous niece Nikita taken just after she woke from a nap - note the sleep tousled hair :-) while she was visiting with her family from NZ earlier this year.

 

For the Frame I used the Square Framelits and a technique for lengthening the size of frame by only passing the framelit half way or so through the Big Shot before repositioning the framelit to the desired length with the top cutting portionUNDERNEATH the card stock so as to just cut the sides and bottom. I cut the inside part of the frame with my paper cutter( not being game enough to try it with the smaller squares this time!) and then embossed it with the Chevron EF and adding with dimensionals.

The little banner is created with the Hearts a Flutter Framelits and Hexagon punch..and a little Papillon Potpourri butterfly - my new favourite set! This came together more easily than I expected - and love how SU! products are so well colour co-ordinated! From the Inks and Papers to the Washi tape!!

Products Used:

Epic Day Journal

Card Stock: Crumb cake, Very Vanilla

Designer Series Paper: Epic Day, Hearts Amore Specialty

Inks: Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Gumball Green

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Flower Shop, Ciao Baby

Accessories: Big Shot, Squares Framelits, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Hexagon Punch, Pansy Punch, 7/8'scallop circle punch. Epic Day Washi tape, Linen Thread,Basic Rhinestones, Non SU Coloured rhinestones

Happy stamping until next time!

Jan

Away to Paris

A good friend of mine is going on holiday to Paris and a few other places this week so it was a nice opportunity to make her a card. We will miss seeing her and her gorgeous doggies on our walks to the Park but she deserves a wonderful trip :-)

The DSP is from the retired Fan Fair pack and have been holding onto the Eiffel Tower piece for just such an occasion! This was another attempt for the Paper Craft Crew but am not entering this one - one entry is enough! But the sketch was an inspiration and it WAS a challenge to mix the Vintage inspired paper to the more modern All Around the World stamp set too- but a fun one of course :-)

Card Stock : Night of Navy, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake

Designer Series Paper: Fan Fair

Stamps: All Around the World

Accessories: Big Shot (does any card these days NOT have it??) Print Poetry EF, Oval Framelits, Crumb cake Seam binding ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Glue Dots and a lot of fussy cutting  :-)

Now time to deliver this card! 

Have a happy and relaxed Sunday and happy Stamping until next time.

Jan