Christmas Holly

This is a card I have made using Anita's Victoriana die cut 3d range. The papers are from Papermania's Christmas Carol linen paper range. The brushed gold card base is also from Papermania. Fortunately the SU brushed gold c/s is that same cardstock so I was able to layer the nestie label I used with it, which has been popped up on foam squares.

I've been wanting to use some of my new ribbon that I bought in Townsville and this was my chance. I think the wide ribbon is something that grows on you. I absolutely love it now and can't wait to use more of it. Love the big bows the organza ribbon makes. Beate uses big bows on a lot of her work and while I know I'm not in Beate's league, I had to try the look out. The flower embellishment is made up of a Hero Arts flower, then a red Prima one and the cream rose in the middle is one from some more of the stash I bought in Townsville. Brushed gold branches from my MS punch completed my flower. Then to finish off, I used Annabelle pearl sprinkles in the three corners.

I know there isn't any stamping on this card but I have many, many 3d sheets, so I thought I would try to make cards with them using sketches, layers, ribbons, flowers etc to create interest. Thanks for looking and hope you like my card.

Girl and Lion

Well every two days I trot up to the hospital with my brother to get the dressing on his finger changed. Dean is having Physio on his ankle once a week too. Lots of fun here still!! lol
No rain in sight as yet.

This is a card I made last Thursday. I'm not that happy with the way the 3d has come out but hopefully it will pass muster. The rest of it I love and the stitching came out really well.
Friday was a lost day crafting wise as I had to work for Jenny at the Post Office. Sunday afternoon was my fornightly turn at the Tourist Centre, so it's been a full few days.

I've had a very necessary tidy up here this morning. Still a few things to find homes for but my craft room is looking much better thank goodness. The pile of paperwork has now been filed so that makes me feel good too.

Now I can get on with the sample cards I'm doing for a class at Anne's on Friday. I've got two firmly in my head but the third I keep on swithering about.
Thanks for looking.

Winners!!

The new cuttlebug embossing folders have arrived and they are fabulous. I think I like this selection the best out of all the folders I have. There was a tutorial on the Cuttlebug Challenge blogspot showing how to do a distressed checkerplate using the new diamond plate embossing folder. I used silver Kromecote, pearl adirondack dabber and timber brown stazon.

I reckon they've turned out really well. The screw brads are out of my stash and the 3d's are dufex.

On to some other news, two of my girlfriends decided to open a papercraft shop. Sue and Robyn are now the owners of Papercraft Central in Sarina. So I have two places where I can craft all day, Anne's and Sue & Robyn's. Love it. I spent all day at Anne's yesterday making six of the cards that had sold on Saturday for my Tourist Centre stock.

For those of my followers who are die hard stampers, I enjoy stamping but I've found that if I mix things around a bit, use other techniques like stitching, 3d's, stencilling, cuttlebugging etc, I don't end up in a rut with mojo meltdown!! lol

I've played with the new essential glue pad, but that's a card for another day. I need to get around and visit everyone's blogs and do some commenting. I missed seeing all the creations.

Thanks for visiting.

Sold!!

I'm here at long last!!!

Finally the month of July finished. Three days of mail run and two full days, Tuesday and Thursdays, at the Post Office for the whole month was wonderful for seeing heaps of people but very full on and definitely didn't leave any time for crafting. In amongst all that was my son with his broken ankle. The cast came off on the 4th August and he now has a moon boot with physio every week for the next five weeks at least. On top of that I found a maths tutor for him and have had parent/teacher interviews to cope with. Dean has missed quite a bit of school due to this ankle so I hope he can catch up.

Now that I'm back to my normal post office hours, I have managed to make cards. For some reason I'm on a safari animal/animal trend and have made quite a few of these cards for my Tourist Centre stock. Yesterday I went to CWA craft here in Koumala and as usual we had our show and tell. Hhhhhmmmmm, 7 of the cards I had made have now been sold so now I have to set to and make some more. lol In actual fact, I think I've sold one of them twice, so that's one I'll have to make again!! I'm pleased they sold çause I know then that people like the cards I make. It's good to have that sort of feedback.

I've mixed 3d's with stamping, cuttlebugging, stencil flocking, embossing and I love embellishments like ric rac, ribbon, string, brads, punches, peel offs etc, so the cards are a real mixture.

In the course of my internet travels, I bought a tin of old fashioned black photo corners, which I love, also animal brads and a wonderful paper stack from DCWV called Safari Chic. Wow, it's fabulous and full of African/Safari themed papers. I've used one of them on the elephant card with the pride verse. On a couple of them there is a stamped tree in the background, that is from a Judikins safari cube which I bought in Brisbane at the Craft Show from the Stamp Trap. The Tiger background stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farms and is fabulous to stamp, even without a block, which is what I had to do, not having a big enough acrylic block with me at the time. My Danger stamp is an Amazing Creations stamp which I've had for ages. I don't know whether you can still get it or not. Cardstock is a mixture of Bazzill and World Win. Background papers are mostly Imaginence that I had in my stash.

Here's some pics. Thanks for looking and everyone's patience with me for being missing in action. I've still got other cards I've made, I've been playing with flowersoft and the new cuttlebug folders (yum yum) but I'll keep them for another post.

Tiger and Elephant

I'm back. Now I know these cards aren't strictly stamping but I think that these particular 3d's are different and lend themselves to being jazzed up a bit.
Both these cards were done in a class but only with the base card, the 2 pieces of dsp and the 3d image. I wanted to put my own 'stamp' on them to be a bit different.

All the edges of the top pieces that have been 3d'd have been inked around the edges with brown ink. This one I used Tim Hotlz's distress ink Vintage Photo. Uninked edges don't blend in with the pic and look unfinished. The greeting has beens tamped and clear embossed with Vintage Photo distress ink and this ink CAN be embossed if you are quick. The ribbon is from a pack I found online one day. It's not easy to get different animal ribbons. This pack has a zebra, leopard, tiger, and a couple of others. The beads I picked up at Needleworx here in Mackay on Monday. Thought they would be cool with these cards. I used retired SU black hemp to thread the beads onto. A photo corner with a brad finished it off. I'm really happy with the way this card has turned out.


This one of the elephant I had started ages ago but wasn't finished and had a different ribbon on it and I didn't like the way it was, so today I got into it and fixed it up. The twill tape is from SU and the twine is retired SU black hemp. Again I've added the beads. This time I used some metal photo turns that I had in my stash. Again the edges have been inked in brown ink, I think I used Versamagic Jumbo Java on this one and the greeting (retired SU set) has been stamped and clear embossed with Jumbo Java as well.
My silly sense of humour came out here, 'cause elephants aren't supposed to forget, are they?? rofl Well I was amused anyway!!! It's the little things you know...

Thanks for looking.

Two more cards

Here are two cards I made at Anne's. I just did most of the embellishing at home. I wanted to have a bit more texture and oomph to them. lol Couldn't find the right words. The components for these cards are mainly 3d sheets with a Lucy's stamp, just for you and colourbox fluid chalk ink used for the greeting. The porthole and ship pics are on the same sheet. I added kindy glitz to the water to give it some dimension. Also I put gold brads around the porthole again to add interest. I thought the string tied in knot added to the theme. The knapsack, boots, suitcase are on the one sheet. I just added the photo corners and brads to dress the card up a bit.

Thanks for looking.

Judy's birthday card

My friend Judy loves beading so I made her a beaded teacup card. The colours of the c/s have come up a bit bright but in reality they match the colours in the cup really well.
Hoping to have some other cards done today to show. I do have Chris's birthday card to share but I'd like to make another one of the same style using a stamp set. Chris's card used a set of Teddy stickers (she's right into Teddies).
Thanks for looking,

Another lot of cards

OK, I know these aren't stamped cards but I enjoy using these styles of cardmaking techniques too sometimes.
Actually I don't even have these cards anymore. Some sold before I could get them into the Tourist centre and the others were orders. My friends see the 3d images and say "Ooooo can you make me a card with this one it please?" So the cards are sold even before I make them. lol
I love this card, simple but I think it's lovely. The Dufex 3d image makes it.
This card I saw in a Dutch craft newspaper and just loved it. So off I went and stitched it.
This card uses a new 3d pyramid image that is out now. You cut around the outside as well as the inside. The windows to cut out are marked on the image.
I used Bazzill Bling c/s, SU Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon and some bling crystals to jazz it up.
Again, a special request for a card using this 3d pyramid image. SU Choc Chip, So Saffron and Whisper White c/s went really well with the picture and I used SU Whisper White taffeta ribbon for the bow, and Kaiser pearls for embellishment.
Last but not least, again a request for a card using this 3d pyramid picture. I was really happy with the way this card turned out.

I managed to get a House Mouse image coloured today but I think I may have to do another one. Not really very happy with what I've done. I'll have another go tomorrow. Off to bed now.
Thanks for looking.

Owls, Champagne and more

Edited to add:
Well three of those cards didn't last long. Sold today!!

I'm back again, this time with my recent cards finished this week. The last one is a wedding card but still needs to be dressed. lol Hope you like them and thanks for looking.

Stitching and Beading

Are you ready????? Yes, many many pics of all the cards I've made over the last few weeks.
Not stamped ones, sorry. Thanks for looking.