Hi there!

Well sorry to take a little while to get this up for you today. I have had a bit of a rough week with my neck being out, and sporting a nasty headache for 3 days. My friend Dr Richard, gave it a good work out yesterday, but I really need it cracked! So I finally managed to get hold of my Chiro, and am heading there tommorrow! Can’t wait.

Anyway on a far more positve note…..:)

I have been blown away!!!! Yep you guys have truly made me proud this week!!!! I was so sure that having an Inspiration Challenge was going to put most of you off!!!! BUT to my complete amazement, I have had the highest amount of entries…EVER for this one. I just want to firstly say a very BIG thank you, for all your effort in playing along! All the entries were stunning, and I had to go through them 2-3 times to pick a winner/s! 

So after much deliberation I finally settled on these two cards. Firstly for the Demonstrators group, I have picked this GORGEOUS card by the even more GORGEOUS lady, Jean Mckenzie!

Jean is a real sweetheart and I have enjoyed getting to know her online the past couple of months. Jean is also a beautiful stamper, so be sure to go and check out her gorgeous work on her blog www.jeanmckenzie.blogspot.com

Then I had to show you this BEAUTIFUL card made by Sarah……she is my good friend Monnie Moo’s ( who you hear me talking about all the time) sister, also another beautiful stamper!

This is her amazing creation!

Don’t you just love all that bling!!!!! Sarah’s  gorgeous work can be seen at www.brucensarah.blogspot.com

Whilst I have picked these two cards………..there were so many other gorgeous ones! So be sure to go and check them out as well, and of course give them lots of comment love!

Steph - www.stampingwithsteph.com.au

Mel- www.melhanlon.blogspot.com

Kristy - www.youngstamper.blogspot.com

Kristy - www.kraftykristy.blogspot.com

Roslyn - http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1130933?cat=500&ppuser=148506

Debbie - www.debbiesplace.blogspot.com

Zarna - www.zarnasworld.blogspot.com

Ange- www.angeliquekelly.blogspot.com

Monique - www.chocolate-sunsets.blogspot.com

Bronwyn - www.bronwynsstampingspot.blogspot.com

Leah - www.stampinwithleah.blogspot.com

Chantelle - www.chan3boys.blogspot.com

Mandy - www.mandyschiller.blogspot.com

Nicole - www.stampingdownunder.blogspot.com

Tracy - www.tracsscrapdesigns.blogspot.com

So who is ready to play again????

I have put together another Sketch Challenge for you! Here is the sketch:

Here are my samples for you:

This was a different colour combo that I have never worked with before, but I was quite suprised with how it turned out. I have used, Chocolate chip, Close to Cocoa, Soft sky, Groovy guava, and Very vanilla. The stamps I used were Tres chic background stamp, and Live your dream, I have then inked up the flowers, and dressed them up with some glitter, and copper brads, and finally adding some soft sky ribbon.

So for the next card I made this one, which I have turned the sketch around. I used So saffron, Regal rose, Whisper white and Pretty in pink cardstock. I stamped the Polka dots background stamp onto the pink cardstock. I have used a new stamp set called Big on Spring which I think is super cute. I stamped the greeting again onto DS paper from the Spring Fling pack, and cut it out, so that I could paper piece the tiny jumpsuit. I have paper pierced the borders, and added pretty in pink brads. The strips are also from the Spring fling paper pack.

And last of all I made this Scrapbook page:

I have used Chocolate chip, close to Cocoa, Blue bayou and Pretty in pink to match the kids clothes. On the Close to cocoa cardstock I rolled the Boho roller diagnally accross the cardstock with Cocoa ink. The strips are again from the Spring Fling paper pack from Stampin’Up. On the top one, I added 3 jumbo eyelets, and along the bottom strip, I have added a scallop circle punch, and the greeting is from the Be happy stamp set. Last of all I doodled around the edge with my white gel pen.

So there you have the challenge, and my samples! I hope you can play along this week, and I really look forward to seeing your creations………hmmm better get going, hubby is cooking dinner tonight, and it is smelling mighty fine!

Talk soon!

 Hey there,

I hope your week is going okay so far! Flying by just like the last, and the one before that! It is going to be Christmas before we know it!

Yesterday I has hoped to post these two cards I made over the weekend, however I was very busily cleaning, cleaning, cleaning,……and 6 hours later, I had a clean house, and little energy for anything else. Especially because i was sporting a nasty headache (probably from breathing all the fumes from cleaning products!) and because I hurt my lower back from falling down the stairs (8 of them) whilst carrying a huge box of ’stuff”! I looked like a gymnast gone bad, and well whilst it hurt having one leg bent completely up my back, I am thankful that it wasn’t any worse…….which in that split second as I was falling thought to myself ‘this is going to be ugly!”

Okay so after a good dose of some wonderful tablet, and an early night, i am feeling chipper today

So here are the sketch challenge cards I had fun with over the weekend. First I played with Beate’s Weekend Sketch Challenge. Here is her Sketch:

www.beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com

And here is my creation:

Okay so for this card I started with Chocolate chip for the base, which I mounted with some Pretty in pink spotty paper from Stampin’Up’s Spring Fling paper pack. I then paper pierced around the edges and added the Dare to be Fabulous greeting from the Fabulous Flowers stamp set.

I have added the little punched out buttons on the side but using my 3/4″ punch of pumpkin pie, and a 1/4″ punch of chocolate chip cardstock. I added a rhinestone brad in the centres and added a mini glue dot to the tops, topping it off with some pink chunky glitter.

Now for the feature in the centre, I have added a strip of Chocolate chip, and spotty pumpkin pie DS paper to a square of Regal rose cardstock. I have then createda square of whisper white cardstock which I scalloped edge punched at top and bottom edges. I have then made a square of Pretty in pink cardstock, and that spotty paper again.

The stamp in the centre is from Stampin’Up’s One of a kind stamp set which I inked up with my Regal rose, Pumpkin pie, and Chocolate chip markers. I cut it out, and placed a pop up glue dot in the centre, and covered it with the same chunky pink glitter.

The next sketch that I did was from Taylor Vanbruggen of www.tayloredexpressions.com Taylor puts up a cupcake challenge each Friday, and she has great sketches. So when time permits I like to play along…..the aim is to use cupcakes, and usually I do, but I am a little tired of my Big bold birthday stamp set, and so just was dying to still use some of my new goodies!!!!

Here is her sketch:

And here is my creation:

This card is fairly simple realy. I started with Taken with teal for the base, which I have mounted some DS paper from the new Bali breeze paper pack. I then created the little squares with Tempting turquiose, Teal and Old olive cardstock, and squares of the DS paper.

In the centre I have used Certainly celery cardstock which I have paper pierced around the whole outer edge to create a frame, I then added the Whipser white cardstock which I have stamped the blossom stem from the Easter Blooms stamp set (to come) with Celery ink. I have cut out the little blooms from the DS paper and popped them up with cut up dimensionals. Lastly I added some white gel pen to the centre of the blooms, and some celery grosgrain ribbon tied around the middle.

I have to apologize that the photos isn’t the best……grr! Ah well I am still working on my photography skills. For me the problem is lighting and depending on what time of day it is too.

Right better get the kids to swimming lessons on time! Take care! 

 Hey again!

 Well it certainly appears I am making up for lack of posts this week, with 3 today! I have to quickly get this up, because the kids are needing bathed, and fed…..etc….

This week I managed to participate in Amy’s sketch Challenge. YAY! I love Amy’s sketches because they can always be so easily adapted to a Scrapbook page, which is such a bonus!

Okay so here is Amy’s sketch for the past week:

Love this one! Here is what I put together:

Firstly I wanted to start with a masculine card, because they are often hard to put together. I have used the Lovely as a tree stamp set, and weathered background stamp. The DS paper is from the Apple cider pack, and I have used the earth elements buttons. I stamped up my tree with my markers, (choc chip, really rust, and pumpkin pie) and used my spritzer tool to get the splotches. I have used my sanding block, and cutter kit to rough up all the edges.

Seeing Christmas is nearly upon us…..again. I wanted to get working on some cards! I have used the Wintergreen DS paper pack, and the Season of joy stamp set from Stampin’Up. I added the rhinestone brads, and glitter for bling. The base cardstock is Artichoke.

Don’t you just love those cute freckles!!!!!……..

So like I said Amy’s Sketches work great for Scrapbooking, so I just had to make one didn’t I???!!!! I have used Basic grey cardstock, and the DS paper is from the Spring Break pack from Stampin’Up. I added lots of paper piercing for effect and to create borders, and added 3 jumbo eyelets in Antique Brass. Lastly I added the greeting which is from the True Friend stamp set, but I inked it up with my markers, eliminating the “thank” and then I added the word Love from the Basic phrases stamp set. I cut it out and mounted it with dimensionals.

So there you have it……I have to fly, but I will be back over the weekend…..talking of weekend…..have yourself a FAB-O one!

Talk soon!

 Hi again,

Well once again I have had fun looking at everyone’s entries for the Colour Challenge! It is interesting to hear the responses to my mix-up this time!!! Some of you doubted me, and some of you decided it wasn’t to bad after all…:)

I have chosen a winner from the ESAD-SU group which is for Demonstrators, and I run the weekly challenges for, but I have also chosen a winner for someone who isn’t on the group, because her card is just too cute!

Here is the winning entry by Carol.

Cute hey! You can see more of Carol’s work at www.inkantations-and-inkarnations.blogspot.com

And I just had to show you this gorgeous card by Zarna as well……very creative!

Isn’t that th cutest cupcake! This would make a fabulous Birthday invite! You can see more of Zarna’s work at www.zarnasworld.blogspot.com so pop in and say hello!

The other entries were all great too, and like I said I am proud of those that got out of their comfort zone and had a play with this colour challenge!

Nicole - www.stampingdownunder.wordpress.com

Sarah - www.brucensarah.blogspot.com

Bronwyn - www.bronwynsstampingspot.blogspot.com

Mandy - www.mandyschiller.blogspot.com

Natasha - www.natashamurraystamping.blogspot.com

Leah - www.stampinwithleah.blogspot.com

Ange - www.angeliquekelly.blogspot.com

Ok so you ready for the next Challenge?

I have decided to go with a sketch challenge for this week. They make stamping so much easier! Here is my sketch I had put together…..do you like it?

All you have to do is follow the sketch, for your card, or project. You don’t have to be super pedantic, but it should generally resemble the sketch.

Here are my samples for you:

For this card I have used the Scribble this stamp set from Stampin’Up! I used Purely pomegranite for the base, and have added the satin ribbon for one strip, and some DS paper from the Holiday Harmony paper pack from Stampin’Up! as the other. I stamped the flower onto some of the paper and cut it out to get the pattern in the backgroud and then mounted them one upon the other to get the depth. I cut the two circles with my Creative Memories cutters, and distressed the edges with my cutter kit from Stampin’Up! The little greeting is from the Occasional Greetings stamp set which i stamped with Whisper white stamp pad.

It is a bit hard to photograph this card because it is cut out in the centre. I placed all the little circles whole onto the cardstock base first and then cut out the centre which left a little of them behind, to create that scallop around the front window.

Here is what it looks like in the centre of the card:

I have layered the bird up by cutting it out and mounting it with dimensionals. I also paper pierced around the circle

And here is the front of the card, when I hold it closed with my hands:

I have used the Always stamp set, with Groovy guava, Blue Bayou, and Soft Sky cardstock and DS papers. I have also used the guava double stitched ribon, and vanilla half pearls for embellishment.

Then last of all I made a scrapbook page:

Bayou again….but it matches so nicely.  I used textured cardstock to begin with. I added the strips which are from the Spring Break, and Spring Fling paper pack from Stampin’Up! On the celery strip I also added a small strip of Soft sky cardstock, layered with the Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon tied into a bow. I have cut the flower and double mounted it with the other cardstock, I have also punched out 1″ circles, and mounted the to the underside to create the scalloped edge around the circles. I have cut out two flowers from the Spring break paper, and then mounted them onto cardstock, to get the coloured border, finally adding some glitter for effect. I mounted these with dimensionals, and have lastly added the paper piercing around the whole outer border of the page.

So there you have my samples. I hope you like them I really look forward to seeing your creations, and hope you have a great weekend!