Festive Friday # 28

Hi!

Festive Friday time again!  This week Nicole has given us this gorgeous picture to use as inspiration for our cards.

Lol, if you look really closely you can see the photographer in the shiny bauble!  Am I the only one who notices things like that? Anyway, here's the card I made that was inspired by the picture.

I am really loving the Letters for Santa DSP for my Christmas cards.  I think it's one of those DSP's that grows on you over time.  I cut the large bauble from the DSP and used a scrap for the panel down the side.  I also used some red Glimmer Paper down the side to represent the string of beads in the photo.  I carried this over to the inside of the card too.

What a gorgeous inspiration picture we have to work with this week.  I hope it inspires you to get out your Christmas supplies and get stampin'! See you over at Festive Friday.

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Old Olive
DSP/Cardstock: Letters To Santa DSP, Red Glimmer Paper, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Whisper White
Other: 1" Circle Punch, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, Sponge Dauber, Paper Snips

Bye for now,

Tina

Layout 79: The Boy In The Box

Hi!

Waaaaaayyyyy back in January I challenged myself to complete 100 layouts in 2011.  I was going really well until November got swallowed into a black hole of sickness.  So here I am, mid way through December, and I'm up to layout 79.  Not too bad considering, but I still want to complete my challenge.  You're going to be seeing a lot of layouts before the end of the year!

This layout has been floating around on my desk half finished for about 2 months.  I had the DSP and the photos stick down, but I just couldn't finish it.  I think I was stuck on a title.  I eventually settled on The Boy In The Box for the title and then the rest of the layout was easy to finish.  It's so frustrating getting stuck on one little detail like that!

I got out an old favourite stamp set for this layout - Baroque Motifs.  It was one of the very first stamp sets I purchased, but it hasn't seen much ink lately.  I love the way the textured cardstock has an effect on the image.  I was after this rough kind of look and it worked perfectly!

The shape of the DSP came from a piece of paper I had in my stash.  I just traced it onto the DSP and hand cut it out.  I liked the curves in the paper and how they offset the angular photos and title.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Basic Black
DSP: First Edition Speciality DSP, Real Red Textured 12 x 12, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Real Red
Other: Big Shot, Timeless Type Alpha Dies, Decorative Label Punch, Spiral Border Punch (retired), Small Alpha Stickers (non SU)

Catch you later,

Tina

Convention Swap 1

Hi!

As you read this I'm in Melbourne having the time of my life at Stampin' Up!'s Annual Convention.  While I'm away I thought I'd show you the swaps I made for the event.  I made 3 different designs, so I'll show you one for each day of Convention.

This swap was based on a card I made recently for a friend's new baby.  You can see the original card here.

Stamps: All A Flutter, So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Pretty In Pink
Cardstock: Pretty In Pink, Whisper White
Other: Decorative Label Punch, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber

Catch you later,

Tina

Strength & Hope for Mother's Day

Hi!

Today's card was a bit of an experiment for me.  I wanted to make a tag which I could then use on the front of a card.  I thought I'd make is soft and feminine to give to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  Here's the card I came up with.

To make the tag I cut some watercolour paper to the size I wanted and then used my Aqua Painter to give it a light wash of Blushing Bride ink and a sponge dauber to ink the edges.  I then stamped the text stamp from Strength & Hope over the tag in Blushing Bride ink, and finally stamped the Hope image and some butterflies in Sahara Sand ink.  I then stamped 2 more butterflies in Blushing Bride ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and painted selected bits with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  I also painted the H with the shimmer paint.  I used Dimensionals to adhere the butterflies to the tag.

The base of the card was stamped with the flourish and small flower from Baroque Motifs.  I also painted the small flowers with the shimmer paint.

Stamps: Strength & Hope, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla
Other: Watercolour paper, Aqua Painter, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Very Vanilla 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Crop-A-Dile, Sponge Dauber

Catch you later,

Tina

Rolled Roses

Hi!

Today's card was also a custom order.  I was asked to make a card for a wedding, so I wanted to make an elegant card.  I have seen a lot of rolled roses on projects lately and wanted to have a go at making some, so this card seemed the perfect opportunity.  Here's how it turned out:

 Once again I used the Love Letter DSP and kept to the colour combination.  I stamped En Francais on the card and then heat embossed the word 'cherish' over the top in black embossing powder.

A little hard to see, but I spritzed the roses with Champagne Mist shimmer paint for a touch of glitz.

Stamps: En Francais Background, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Versamark
DSP/Card Stock: Love Letter DSP, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black
Other: Paper Snips, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Stamp Positioner, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Black Embossing Powder

Catch you later,

Tina

I'm Back With a Sneak Peek!

Hi!

Today's card is the first card I have made in over a week - which is a long time for me!  The mojo just hasn't been there.  I have seen a lot of these cards floating around in cyberworld for a little while, so I don't know where to give credit for the design. Sorry!

It's a rainy day here so I couldn't get a fantastic photo.  But I won't complain about the rain - the last few days have been around 32 degrees so a cool change is most welcome!

I have used a stamp from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalogue for the sentiment.  It's a lovely set of sentiments in a beautiful script style font.  The catalogue goes live on the 1st of December and you will be able to see and buy lots of lovely goodies.

Stamps: Well Scripted (Summer Mini), Baroque Motifs
Ink: Old Olive, Peach Parfait
DSP/Card Stock: Peach Parfait Hostess DSP, Very Vanilla
Other: 1/4" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Stamp Positioner, Corner Rounder Punch

Before I go I thought I'd let you know I'm participating in a blog hop on Saturday that has a Christmas theme.  So please pop back for a look on Saturday!

Catch you later,

Tina

All A Flutter Birthday Card

Hi!

Today's card is for a very special woman - my mother-in-law.  It's her birthday tomorrow and so I needed to make her a card.  I've also decided to enter it in Just Add Ink's challenge, which is to Just Add Birthdays.

I chose the colour combination of Marina Mist, Perfect Plum and Sahara Sand, which I think looks quite pretty together.  I have had the All A Flutter butterfly stamp for a little while, but I hadn't even mounted it until I made this card.  I love this little butterfly and I can see myself using it lots.

The butterfly is popped up on a Dimensional to give it a bit of a lift.  And isn't that satin ribbon so lovely?

Stamps: All A Flutter, Baroque Motifs, Perfect Punches
Ink: Perfect Plum, Marina Mist
Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Other: 5/8" Marina Mist Satin Ribbon, Marina Mist Designer Button, Scallop Edge Border Punch, 2" x 1 3/8" (Wide) Oval XL Punch, Stamp Positioner, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Paper Snips, Embroidery Floss

Catch you later,

Tina

Stampin' Royalty Take 2

Hi!

I managed to sneak in some crafting time today so I thought I'd have another go at the Stampin' Royalty sketch.  This one is a much closer fit to the sketch!

Although I didn't use the Jolly Holiday DSP I used the colours that are in the DSP.  Probably because they were still on my craft desk!

Stamps: En Francais Background, Baroque Motifs, Curly Cute
Ink: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Other: Rhinestones, 3/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Oval Cutter, Stamp Positioner

Catch you later,

Tina

Swinging Stampin' Royalty

Hi

I'm back again with another card from the latest UStamp round.  The swing card was designed by Kathryn Mangelsdorf for Ustamp and I used the colour combination from the latest Stampin' Royalty challenge.  Here's the colour combo:

Here's the card I came up with:

Another view, this time open and from the front:

And finally open, but from the back, which is where you write your message:

Isn't it a cute little card?  I quite like the swing card, and can see myself making lots more!

Stamps: Razzle Dazzle, Perfect Punches, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Concord Crush, So Saffron
Card Stock: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Other: Rhinestones, 1/4" Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Scallop Edge Border Punch, 2" x 1 3/8" (Wide) Oval XL Punch, Stamp Positioner, Glue Dots

Catch you later - I'll be back tomorrow with another super cute UStamp card.

Tina

Cherish

Hi!

My poor little blog has been rather neglected lately.  I've been flat out with a lot of stuff, but mostly with the Helping Hudson fundraiser.  Have you been to check it out?  There's lots of things happening all day, and 3 challenges weekly with some awesome prizes, all donated by Stampin' Up! Australia.

Anyway, today's post is a card I made for the current Just Add Ink challenge.  Amanda and Danielle and their fabulous team have been very supportive of Helping Hudson.  Aren't they sweet?  Their challenge this week is a colour challenge:

I had intended to combine this with one of the challenges at Helping Hudson, but once the mojo started flowing I just had to follow where it went.  This is how the card ended up:

Here is a close up of the flowers.  I used Crystal Effects on the centers of the flowers and raised the centre flower on dimensionals.  I also used a chopped up flower from the same stamp set to create the leaves.  I saw this in a mag once, but I can't remember which one now.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Fifth Avenue Floral

Ink: Rose Red, Always Artichoke

DSP/Card Stock: Bella Bleu DSP, Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Other: Dimensionals, Paper Snips, 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Stamp Positioner

Catch you later - hopefully over at the Helping Hudson blog!

Tina

Masculine Baroque Motifs

Hi!

Well, day 3 of the new routine and I hit a bit of a snag! After dropping the kids off I went to get the mail and found my copy of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft magazine had arrived. Very tempting! I was good though and resisted the urge to make a cup of tea and read the mag for a good hour. I got the beds made, the lounge room vacuumed and dinner into the slow cooker before I sat down with the mag.

Anyway, here's a card I made last night. The Art With Heart team forum run different challenges each month and I always try to enter each one. This one was for a sketch challenge designed by Genna Gifford. It took a bit of fiddling to get the layers right, but I was pleased with the end result.


I think I'll add a sentiment when I use this card, probably a Chit Chat Rub On.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Polka Dot Background
Ink: Chocolate Chip
DSP/Card Stock: Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Other: Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Catch you later,

Tina

Male Baroque Motifs Card

Hi!

Do you sometimes have a favourite stamp in a set and then forget about how great the others in the set are too? Baroque Motifs is a bit like that. Everyone seems to love the swirly stamp, but forget about the others. I know I do. Last night I decided to branch out and use one of the other stamps to create a masculine card. I used the current sketch at Card Patterns for my inspiration:



Here's the card I came up with:



Then I was blog surfing this morning and saw some cards over at Stamping Down Under. Nicole had used the Pendant Notes for her cards and it suddenly twigged that the cut outs in the cards were the same as the stamp I had used. I'd never noticed before! I love the way Stampin' Up! make it so easy to coordinate!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Best Yet (Hostess Set)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
DSP/Card Stock: Washington Apple DSP, Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla
Other: 5/8" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon; 5/8" Riding Hood Rod Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Circle Punches, Brown Brads (non SU)

Catch you later,

Tina

Scrapping Precious Photos

Hi!

A few years ago I was given a copy of a photo of my mum when she was a very little girl. It's been floating around in a box in my photo cupboard ever since. I just wasn't sure what to do with it. I never found a frame that was suitable and I wanted to do it justice. I finally decided I was going to scrap it, but it took another couple of months to get up the courage to do it. I've never scrapped with old photos before and I wanted to get it right.

Last night was the night to take the plunge! I had been playing with some Perfect Plum on a different project and thought it would look good with the black and white photo. I used the following sketch from the Art With Heart team challenge for May:



I know it's meant to be a card, but I thought it would work nicely with the photo I had. Here's my layout:



Isn't it a great picture of my mum? Here's a close up of the photo and journaling:



The journaling reads: "This is one of my favourite photos of my mum. Taken at Christmas 1949, I think it captures great wisdom in such a young, innocent face. Beautiful!"

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pale Plum Marker
Card Stock: Close To Cocoa 12x12, Very Vanilla, Pale Plum
Other: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Timeless Type Alphabet Die, 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Paper Snips

Close to Cocoa and Pale Plum are retiring at the end of August. If you need to stock up on card stock, markers, ink pads and reinkers, do it sooner rather than later. The US is already running out of some colours and it won't be long before Australia does too!

Catch you later,

Tina

Mother's Day Cards

Hi!

I hope all the mothers that read my blog had a fabulous Mother's Day yesterday - I know I did!

I thought I'd share with you the cards I made for my mother and mother-in-law. I wanted to make extra special cards, so I went for a Tri-fold card for one of them. It was my first attempt at making one. I found the instructions on SplitCoast Stampers. Here is the front:



And here is the open card:



I found it a little tricky, but worth the extra effort.

For the second card I decided to go back to an old favourite: Fifth Avenue Floral. I love watercolouring that rose image! I usually colour it in pinks, but this time I thought I'd give it a go with Rich Razzleberry. I think it worked beautifully!



The Very Vanilla panel and the sentiment panel are raised on Dimensionals to add a bit of depth to the card front.

To go with each card I made up a little mini album filled with photos of my children with their Nanna/Grandma. In some of the photo slots the kids drew pictures and wrote about why they loved their Nanna/Grandma. I got this brilliant idea from the very clever and talented Ros Davidson.

Trifold Card:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Regal Rose
DSP/Card Stock: Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin' Kit DSP and Regal Rose Textured Card Stock, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Regal Rose Card Stock
Other: Stickers from Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin' Kit, Chit Chat Rub Ons (retired from Summer Mini), Flowers and Brown Brads (non SU)

Rose Card:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, En Francais BG
Ink: Black Stazon, Rich Razzleberry
Card Stock: Watercolour Paper, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla
Other: Rich Razzleberry 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals, Chit Chat Rub On (retired from Summer Mini)

Catch you later,

Tina

Torn Flowers

Hi!

On Monday Night at Swap Sisters I learned how to make torn flowers - they are so pretty. The challenge issued after the online class was to make 2 and put them on a card, layout or 3D item. After I made the first one I thought it would be perfect to go on a card to fit the current sketch challenge over at Card Patterns. Here is the sketch:



And here's my card with the torn flower:



I stamped the butterfly from Dreams De Jour in Versamark over the Very Vanilla card stock and then clear heat embossed them. It's been ages since I've heat embossed! I love the subtle, shimmery look it gives.

I made a second torn flower, this time using Bella Rose DSP rather than card stock. Here is the card I put the second flower on:



Cherish card:
Stamps: Dreams De Jour, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Versamark, Lavender Lace
Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Lavender Lace, Very Vanilla
Other: Heat Gun, Clear Embossing Powder, 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Distressor, Tombow Glue, Very Vanilla Latte Button

For You card:
Stamps: One Of A Kind
Ink: Pretty In Pink
DSP/Card Stock: Bella Rose DSP, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette
Other: Clear Rhinestone Brads (small and large), Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Distressor, Tombow Glue

Please pop back on Friday (if not before!) for the next Art With Heart Blog Hop. There's blog candy up for grabs!

Catch you later,

Tina

Stampin' Royalty #5 Take 2

Hi!

I'm going to a very good friend's birthday party tonight. I love giving hand made presents so I thought I'd have a go at making her a stamped candle. I've seen these everywhere. The fifth challenge at Stampin' Royalty is Anything But A Card. I've already entered my mini flippy album, but I thought I may as well enter my candle too.



You basically stamp your image on tissue paper, trim it, then lay it on your candle in position. You then put waxed paper over the top and use your heat gun to 'melt' the tissue paper into the candle. I own a little "Hand made by Tina" stamp so I also included it on the back of the candle. The whole thing took about 10 minutes to make, but I reckon it looks fantastic. I can see myself making more for gifts this year!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Garden Green, Rose Red

Catch you later

Tina.