JUST ADD A FLOWER

Over at Just Add Ink this week, the challenge is to just add a flower to your project.  Just in time for Mother's day!!  It is not my design turn this week, but I thought I would show you some of the flowers that I have made in the past.  Flowers are such a lovely embellishment and there are so many ways you can make your own!

These I have made with ribbon - Satin and Organza

These are are quilled.  Made using a very narrow strip of cardstock, one dge punched with a scallop circle punch.  I have also added "dew drops" using Crystal Effects.

 This flower is made by punching full scallop circles.  I have also used the faux suede technique.

And this little Sweetpea, which looks so real, is made by punching the cardstock with the butterfly punch, wetting it, scrunching it, then molding the card to the desired shape.






I hope I have demonstrated just how easy flowers are to create yourself, and that you will have a go and enter your challenge card at Just Add Ink this week.  Don't forget to pop on by to see the gorgeous designs the Team have for you !

ON THE ROAD AGAIN........

I am totally loving the new Motorbike stamp in the current Mini Catalogue.  It is hard to find a really nice stamp suitable for the men in our lives.  When I saw this one however, I knew I had to get it :-)

I finally had a chance to play with it during the weekend and I knew exactly what I wanted.  This card came together beautifully.  I really like the monotones too, I think it makes it kind of nostalgic.  What do you think?

ALTERED KEYRING

My daughter is starting to get a collection of keys, but had nothing to put them on.  While out shopping the other day, I found this keyring you can put a photo in, so decided to do a little artwork for her.  Not much room to do so.  I think the measurements were about 1" x 1 1/2" to work with!!

I have also included a couple of ribbon embellishments on the outside of the keyring.  Unfortunately there was no room under the plastic to bling it up a bit, but I think the artwork is really cute.  I decided to go slightly rustic instead.  Rachael loved it, so that makes me really happy!

JUST ADD - MATESHIP

This weeks challenge at JUST ADD INK is a goodie!!  Just add Mateship.  I had a few ladies over stamping one day.  One of my lovely ladies had this stamp set, so I whipped it from under her nose and borrowed this cute stamp!  Thanks Vicki!!

I really enjoyed colouring this cute outline stamp.  I used my Stampin' Write markers, just perfect for colouring!  I used a blender pen to pick up some of the Baja Breeze colour from my ink pad to colour around the outside of my image to make it stand out more.  I really like the wee sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments too.  I use this a lot on my "friends" type cards.

This is in honour of ANZAC day, when friendships were so important for our troops overseas, and still are.

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand
forces during the First World War.  The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name.

AROUND IN CIRCLES

I love seeing new ideas for cards, especially for  Male cards.  I have seen a new technique on several blogs recently that I just had to try myself called "Inlaid Embossing".  The card that finally inspired me to have a go was designed by my good friend, Bron Heslop, and you can see her card HERE.  Of course, I have changed it, but only slightly. 

I have gone for the Blues, using Night of Navy and Baja Breeze, but kept the eyelet and ribbon tag feature, which I really liked.  I have also used a mixture of solid and outline circles.  This card was so easy to do and came together much faster than I would have thought possible.  One I will defintely be making more of.  Thanks Bron, for the wonderful inspiration!!

INAUGRAL STAMP CLUB MEETING

What a FABULOUS day I had yesterday!!  I have been wanting to start a Stamp Club for quite sometime now, and have recently teamed with Diane Taylor to make it possible!!

We held the first get together yesterday.  What better way to spend a cold, gray afternoon, than stamping with friends!  I think it is safe to say, the ladies realy enjoyed the afternoon:

With Easter coming up it was only logical to start with a couple of Easter Projects.  I had so much fun with my last punch art class, that I wanted to do it again with the Stamp Club's first projects.  Here are the projects our lovely ladies made:

An Easter Chick hatching in time for Easter and an Egg filled Easter Carrot.  The carrot has been done many times by many demos, I don't know whose original idea it was - but Thank You, whoever you are!!  We all had fun making this cute 3D project!

Of course, I had to get sponging in there somewhere, so we sponged a whole heap of clouds for our background!  The sentiment has been stamped on the inside of the card.

JUST ADD - CHOCLOATE!!

This week was not my turn to design, but I couldn't resist this wee challenge!  Over at JUST ADD INK this week, the challenge is a sweet one - JAI 64 - Chocolate Wrapper Colour Combo!  

Use your favourite chocolate to inspire you.  My favourite is Cadbury.  I love the melt in your mouth flavour and texture.  Although I don't eat a lot of chocolate (it gives me migraine) I do still enjoy the odd nibble!  So with this traditional bar in mind, I designed this card:

My fellow Design Team memebers have come up with some simply DELICIOUS projects you are not going to want to miss.  After last weeks challenge, I had a blast doing this one!!  I hope you will join in too!!

CUTE AS A BUTTON

For my latest tutorial at Ustamp with Dawn and Friends "Big Shot Brilliance", I decided to do another Scrap Book Page.  Brave or stupid?  To be honest, I am in love with this page.  The photo inspired everything.  It is of my daughter at just one day old.  I have been holding on to it for 16 years, knowing I wanted something really special!

 This page uses a number of techniques such as Brayering, distressing, sponging on stamps, repitition.  Not to mention all of the Big Shot elements!

I have also teamed it with a coordinating Card and Envelope.

I am really delighted with the entire project and hope I can inspire others to have a go too!

BIRTHDAY TIN

It was my mother-in-law's 86th Birthday recently.  What do you get someone who has everything?  MIL quite often asks me to do cards for her to give to her friends, so I figured a lovely altered tin full of cards for all occassions was the best way to go.  I managed to lay my hands on a tin that was just the perfect size for what I needed.  So I had a rummage through my stash and came up with this:

I used the Blossom branch from the Easter Blossoms stampset for the main image.  I coloured it using a blender pen and ink pads.  I have added a bit of bling to some of the flowers using Basic Pearls.  This photo really doesn't do the tin justice!  I cut out "CARDS" using Bigshot and Timeless Type Alphabet and then put Crystal Efftects over the top to make them shine.

I wanted to make it all the more special by having a coordinated Birthday card and envelope to go with it.

 I now have three more tins in my craft stash waiting for the same treatment!  I can't think of a more perfect gift to give someone than handmade with love.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAULINE!

JAI #63 - Inspiration

Inspiration!!  Oh my!  Where on earth did you find this photo, Delys?!!  I can honestly say, this caused me untold headaches trying to gleen inspiration from it.  Will you be able to??  Join us at JUST ADD INK this week and see what you come up with!!

Here's the card:

What do you think?  I decided to use the colours and the stripes, but also keep it on the simple side.  I quite like how it turned out, though this was not my first attempt!!

Head on over to Just Add Ink to see how the rest of the Design Team took inspiration - you won't be disappointed!!

ROCK MY WORLD!

I am doing a workshop on Saturday and one of the attendees is a man!!  I am really looking forward to this, as not too many men I have come across are interested in stamping!  So I wanted to do my Make & Take with him in mind.  I hope he will like what I have come up with........

I will be doing a slightly simplier version than this, omitting the 3D portion of the stamping, just to save time.  I have included sponging, distressing, random stamping and even a tiny tag of ribbon.  I have had this silhouette stamp for some time and this is the first time it has seen ink - naughty!!

QUILT CARD AND FREE PASS WINNNER!

Hi All,

A BIG thank you to all those who emailed me regarding the Ustamp giveaway.  I really appreciated hearing from each and every one of you!!  Unfortunately, there can only be one winner.  CONGRATULATIONS to Donna Arps!  Keep an eye out for your email invitation mid April Donna!

Now I also wanted to share a very different card with you, than what you would normally expect from me.  My MIL asked/commissioned a card from me for a dear friend turning 90!!  Luckily for me, I also know this lovely lady and know she used to make the most fantastic quilts.  What better card to make than a Quilt Card.

I am really pleased with my first ever attempt.  It really is a very easy technique and a great way to use up all those pesky little scraps of DSP!!  I hope you like it Pat, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

BUNNY BUM

I have to show you this cute card my class Ladies made recently, which I have called "Bunny Bum", for abvious reasons.  This card uses Punch Art.  I don't normally use this technique, but it is so much fun, I can see I am going to be the lookout for other cool ideas!!

Now on a different note:

Are you a follower of my blog, that I have never meet before?  I am always on the look out for inspiration and that could be you!  I have ONE free pass to the next round of Ustamp with Dawn and Friends to give away.  If you would like this FREE pass, then email ME and tell me what inspired YOU to become a follower on Stampinantics.  Please leave me your email address and Blog address, if you have one.  I will be paying each entrant a visit over the next few days to check out YOUR work!  The winner will be announced on Tuesday 5th of April - it could be you!!

JAI 62 - JUST ADD A BAG OR BOX

Just Add Ink have a doozy challenge for you this week!  Just add a Bag or Box.  I love making 3D items and while it was not my turn to design this week, I do have something to show you - my current Ustamp with Dawn and Friends project - Lattice Tote and Wallet.  It is part of the Big Shot Brilliance round and it is not too late to join in either!

There are so many techniques I have packed into this project, including Brayering.  Can you see how?

The girls at Just Add Ink have made amazing projects to inspire you too.  I want to recreate ALL of the projects they have made!!  Pop on over and see the eye candy they have come up with this week!!