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Wednesday 30 May 2012

April Customer Thank You Gifts

Hi!

I like to give each of my customers a card as a thank you when they purchase from me.  In April I decided to give them a gift instead.


I made them a post-it note holder each using the lovely Cheerful Treat DSP, available to purchase by Hostesses only.


The inside of the DSP is just as pretty as the outside.

DSP/Cardstock: Cheerful Treat DSP, Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder
Other: Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Boho Blossoms Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Post-It Notes

Bye for now,

Tina

Monday 28 May 2012

Well Worn Digger

Hi!

Today's card is one that would be fantastic for a young boy's birthday.  I made this card as a sample for a card making session with my carer's support group.


We used some of the Well Worn DSP to provide a quick and easy grungy background for the main stamped panel.


We had a whole lot of fun making this card!

Stamps: I Dig You, Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze
DSP/Cardstock: Well Worn DSP, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Other: Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

Bye for now,

Tina

Sunday 27 May 2012

Guest Designer at Sunny Challenges and Creations

Hi!

Today I have exciting news - the lovely Miss Vicky at Sunny Challenges and Creations has asked me to be a Guest Designer for their new challenge.  Of course I said yes!


Today the ladies have a sketch challenge for you, with the added twist that your card must feature the Baby Wipe Technique.  If you need a tutorial for this technique you can find one here. It's a technique I hadn't tried before, but one I found easy to do and a whole lot of fun!


Here's the card I created for the challenge.  I used my More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke reinkers to create my 'inkpad' and then stamped away with my French Foliage stamp set. 


I got the idea for this combination of colours and stamps after talking to one of my stamping ladies who wanted a more multi coloured look to her leaf stamps. I suggested the rock'n'roll technique but after she left I got to wondering if it would work with the baby wipe technique. I think it works beautifully! The biggest compliment was when I showed my husband the card - he thought I'd used DSP as the background!


I'm not sure how I'll use this card, so I've left the inside blank apart from the stamping along the edges.  You can see in this shot that I've used Naturals Ivory cardstock for the card base.  It's a lovely cardstock that has flecks through it and is perfect for a card like mine.

Stamps: French Foliage, It's Your Day
Ink: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke
Cardstock: Naturals Ivory, Always Artichoke
Other: Artichoke Denim Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Dimensionals, Baby Wipe

I hope you can play along this week at Sunny Challenges and Creations.  I'd love to see your take on the Baby Wipe technique!

Bye for now,

Tina

Friday 25 May 2012

Festive Friday #20

Hi!


Here we go again with another Festive Friday Challenge. This week Nicole has selected an absolutely gorgeous inspiration photo for us to work with.


Wouldn't an arrangement like that look just stunning on your table on Christmas Day?  I took my inspiration from the roses and used the largest image from Apothecary Art on my card.


Don't you love it when you can find an unexpected use for an image from a stamp set? I never would have thought that this image would work on a Christmas card, but here it is!


I gave a little nod to the candy canes on the inside of my card by stamping some red and white striped baubles.


I hope you can play along this week at Festive Friday Challenges.  I'd love to see how this picture inspires you.

Stamps: Apothecary Art, Perfect Punches, Snow Swirled, Tree Trimmings
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
DSP/Cardstock: Letters To Santa DSP, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Lables Framelits, Circle Punches, Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Bye for now,

Tina

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Some Stamping Group Cards

Hi!

Most months I have a lovely group of ladies come to my house for a morning of stamping. I always enjoy stamping with them.  Today's cards are ones I designed for them to complete.  They had the choice of making either an Easter card or a Thinking of You type card.


The images were stamped on watercolour paper with Stazon ink and then coloured using inkpads and a blender pen.


Obviouslt these card were made a while ago - I used some of the Sale-A-Bration ribbon on them and the Easter stamp is no longer available from the Summer Mini catalogue.

Bye for now,

Tina

Monday 21 May 2012

A Beau Chateau Birthday Card

Hi!

I have another birthday card for you today, made with the Beau Chateau DSP.  This one was a commissioned card destined for an adult female.


All girls love a bit of bling, so I used just a few Rhinestones! I used my markers to colour this sentiment stamp as I wanted to omit the exclamation point.


Some more DSP for the inside, with plenty of room for writing a special message.


Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Marina Mist
DSP/Cardstock: Beau Chateau DSP, Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Perfect Pennants Die, Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Bye for now,

Tina

Friday 18 May 2012

Just Add Ink #118: Just Add Mae

Hi!


This week at Just Add Ink we are challenging you to CASE the lovely Mae Collins.  Pop on over to her blog, find a card that inspires you and make a card based on it.  I chose this card of Mae's which I think is simply stunning.  Here's my version of it.


I don't own the stamps that Mae used so I substituted with Just Believe. I love the tone on tone effect f the stamped silhouetted flowers.


I kept the inside plain in terms of a sentiment.  I'm not sure how I'm going to use this card so I didn't know what sentiment to use.  I'll stamp something when I use the card. I think the card would work as either a thank you card or a congratulations.  What do you think?

Stamps: Just Believe
Ink: Basic Grey, Versamark
DSP/Cardstock: Basic Grey Patterns DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun

Which card of Mae's will you choose to CASE?  Can't wait to see!

Bye for now,

Tina

Wednesday 16 May 2012

A Timeless Birthday Card

Hi!

Today I have for you a birthday card I made using some of the new Edgelits in the Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue.  I love how much elegance they can add to a card.


I used the Edgelits to create a lovely edge on the DSP and cardstock.  I also used a matching embossing folder to emboss the base cardstock.  Here's a closer look.


Just a hint: you need to emboss the base cardstock BEFORE you adhere the layers.  It won't fit through your Big Shot if you adhere the layers first.  I discovered this the hard way, but fortunately I didn't break my Big Shot!  Aren't the pearls a lovely little touch to highlight the embossing?


I also used one of the new Framelits as a panel for the sentiment and some Basic Black satin ribbon to finish it off.


Gotta do the inside too!

Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess)
Ink: Island Indigo, Versamark
DSP/Cardstock: Timeless Portrait DSP, Basic Black, Island Indigo, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Framelits, Edgelits, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Basic Jewels Pearls, Basic Black Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, Silver Embossing Powder

Bye for now,

Tina

Monday 14 May 2012

Some Mother's Day Cards

Hi!

I hope all the mum's out in blogland had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.  I had a fabulous day with my family.  My children and husband showered me with some handmade gifts and a couple of books followed by pancakes for breakfast and a yummy lunch at a local hotel.  I didn't need to eat tea that night!  I had a lovely day and felt very loved and appreciated all day.  I hope you did too!

So I was going through my 'To Blog' folder on my computer and noticed two Mother's Day cards I'd made with my support group that I hadn't shown you.  I go to this support group most Mondays.  It's for parents of children with special needs and I love going.  I have made and strengthened many friendships in the group as we all have a common bond.  Twice a term I teach cardmaking or scrapbooking to the group.  Last term the group wanted to make Mother's Day cards, so this is what we made.


This card was a CASE, but I can't find the original link now - I made it so long ago!  If you know where I should credit the design, please let me know!  I love the monochromatic look of this card.


Some nice and simple stamping for the inside.


I can't remember if this is a CASE or not! I used some of the lovely but retired Sweet and Sour Speciality DSP on the card.


Some more hearts on the inside.  Mum's love to be loved!

Bye for now,

Tina

Friday 11 May 2012

Festive Friday #18: Christmas Cards

Hi!


 This week at Festive Friday Challenges Nicole has a fantastic colour combination to inspire us.


Isn't it a yummy combination?  A bit different to the traditional colours of Christmas, but it had me thinking of gingerbread and reindeer! Here's my Design team card for the challenge.


I inked up Dasher in Crumb Cake ink and then used my Early Espresso Marker to colour the antlers.  Poor Dasher was a little dusty - it was nice for him to see ink again!


Just a simple inside for this one - lots of room for writing a special Christmas message.

Does this colour combination inspire you to create a Christmas card?  I hope so!  Please come and play along with us at Festive Friday Challenge.

Stamps: Dasher, Snow Swirled, Season Of Joy
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Real Red
DSP/Cardstock: Letters To Santa DSP, Real Red, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Other: Real Red Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Bye for now,

Tina

Thursday 10 May 2012

Paris Week Day 4

Hi!

Welcome to the last day of my Paris recap.  Today I have 6 more photos for you.  These are my 6 favourite photos from the over 3500 we took!  We loved them so much we printed them to 10" x 8", framed them and created a Paris picture wall in our dining room.  I love looking at them every day and thinking back on our time there.  None of these photos are edited (except for cropping), they are as they came out of the camera.


I love the memories that go with this photo of Notre Dame.  It was a return visit as we'd been to look at a few places nearby.  On the first visit we'd had some crepes at a food vendor beside the Cathedral and we decided that because we were in the area we'd go back for more.  They were the best crepes we had ever had!  So we sat munching crepes while sitting on a low wall just people watching.  We were waiting for the sun to go down so we could take a photo at night. It was absolutely stunning.


Ahh, more memories!  This photo was taken from the Pont des Arts, just after we had followed a romantic tradition.  Thankfully a friend told us about this tradition before we left Australia so we were well prepared.  You take a padlock, write your names on it and then padlock it to the bridge.  Finally you throw your keys into the river, linking your hearts forever.  This trip was just before our 10th Wedding Anniversary, so it was a beautiful thing to do to celebrate it.  The pont (bridge) is a pedestrian bridge, and on this Friday night it was packed with Parisians sitting and eating and drinking and talking and just enjoying life.  It was one of those moments that you see the real Paris.


This photo was taken from the Trocedero, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.  It's one of the best places to get a full length picture of the Tower.  We spent a lot of time in this square people watching at both day and night. The evening light show on the Eiffel Tower is pretty spectacular and this was one of the best places to watch it from.


The Arc de Triomphe at night.  We caught the Metro all around Paris.  It was so easy to navigate and it had the added bonus of having buskers regularly entertaining us on our journey. Oh, and the occasional crazy person! One of the stations that we visited most was the one right beside/underneath(?) the Arc.  One night we decided to break our journey so we could photograph the Arc at night.  It was so pretty.  My sister had told us to look out for the Rue (road) that's nicknamed Rubies and Diamonds (or similar!).  It's named after the lights from the cars going up and down the Rue at night.  Sadly we forgot to look for it!  Oh well!


Rob took this photo of the Moulin Rouge.  I love how crisp it is, especially as it was taken without the steadying benefit of a tripod.  We visited the Moulin Rouge for dinner and the show the night before.  We had left our camera at home as cameras are not permitted inside the venue so we strolled back there the following night to take the photo.  We were staying about a 10 minute walk from the Moulin Rouge.


This was the Basilica Sacre Coeur.  It's on top of a hill so you can see the Basilica from many places around Paris.  It's very distinctive!  We walked here from our hotel (about 30 minutes), but before we faced the final trek up the hill we stopped for more crepes.  We ate so many while we were in Paris!  We ended up cheating a little and catching the Funicular up the hill.  It's a  bit like a cable car that runs along the ground.  At the top we found lots of crowds and lots of entertainment.  Lots of dodgy souvenir sellers, but most excitingly for Rob we also found some portrait artists.  Rob had his drawn by a very good artist (he's been wanting a sketch for AGES!), but I got talked into having mine drawn by a man with a pencil and a piece of paper.  I can't bring myself to call him an artist.  I have brown eyes and pale lips and he gave me green eyes and red lips.  Looked nothing like me!

Well that wraps up my Paris week, I hope you've enjoyed my little recap of our trip. I enjoyed sharing it with you all.

Bye for now,

Tina

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Paris Week Day 3

Hi!

I hope you're enjoying my Paris Week posts.  It's been great reminiscing while I've been writing the posts.  Today I have some of the photos we took on Rob's iPod.  Without thinking or planning it we ended up taking 'selfies' where ever we went.  It was lots of fun and some of my favourite photos were our selfies.  Sorry - this is going to be a photo heavy post!

Waiting for the plane to take off - our first overseas flight!

Our first view of the Eiffel Tower

The Arc de Triomphe

The Opera Garnier - beautiful building.

Notre Dame - very impressive!

Point Zero outside of Notre Dame.  The point from which all distances on Paris are measured from.  Apparently if you stand here you will return to Paris.  Fingers crossed!

The Louvre.

Inside the Louvre.  Someone famous in the background!

In the Gardens at Versailles.  This was the Temple of Love - I think that was what is was called!  There was a statue of Cupid under the dome.

Ohh la la - The famous Moulin Rouge.

OMG!  THE best sorbet I have EVER had.  A must-do if you ever go to Paris.  The 20 minute line up was well worth it!

The Invalides.  There's 12 kilos of gold covering that dome!

Just on sunset at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.

One more of the Eiffel Tower.  Beautiful by day, stunning at night!


Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart).  I think that's how it's spelt!  A beautiful church on the top of a hill that you can see from most places in Paris. 

The Pantheon, where a lot of notable Parisians are buried.

Finally, the Casino in Singapore.  It looks like a giant boat that's been placed upon three skyscrapers.
Thanks for sharing our 'selfies' from Paris.  I hope you can pop back tomorrow for some more photos, this time from our DSLR camera.

Bye for now,

Tina