Hello, hello

Lots of apologies for absence. It's been very humid here, my mojo seems to go when the weather is like it has been. Also had a few other outside things to attend to, which are now nearly sorted thankfully. I've been in trouble with Jean and Karen for not updating my blog especially when I've got NEWS!!!!!!

I've joined Stampin' Up as a hobby demo under Jean, which means that I'm Karen's first Level 2 downline. I think that's right.

There were several reasons why I joined, one being that I felt I needed to be challenged a bit more with my cardmaking and doing some of the challenges on Splitcoast Stampers is much easier if you have the Stampin' Up cardstock (colour challenge is one). Another reason being to be able to afford this addiction I have with cardmaking and stamping stash, I needed to be able to buy some supplies at least, at a cost advantageous to me.

My sales at the Tourist centre help immensely, joining Stampin' Up is adding a bit of icing to the cake. I'll still be doing my lessons with Karen and Michelle because you can always learn something, besides interaction with other peeps is very important, and I love the classes. lol

So that's the big news from me, now for what I have managed to do in the last 10 days or so.

First of all, here's a pic of the card I made for a

forum challenge. We were sent a white flower,

3 bling stones, a cuttlebug embossed white card

and a piece of organza ribbon.

This is my creation from those bits. The card

sketch is from SCS and is number 161 I think.

I versamarked the flower and coloured with Pearlex. The embossed card was swiped over with Galaxy Gold Brilliance ink.

Great sketch.

Next card I made was Jean's birthday card.

I really enjoyed making this one. Inspiration came from a cardmaking mag from the UK with a card that Dawn Bibby had made.

This is my take on that card which turned out really well and I'm so happy with it.

Jean loves it too.

I used a Versamagic chalk ink with a flourish stamp by Hero Arts, and a leaf stamp from the Artful Stamper. The warm wished stamp is from a set that Hero Arts makes.

Last Saturday was Karen's Stampin' Up special

class where the four of us, Eunice, Grace, Georgina and I made a card organiser and a card to go in it.

We had a ball. Well actually we usually do when we get together. lol

Here is the card organiser that I made. Fabulous

gift idea and easily adapted to a different size too.

Bodacious Bouquet is the stamp set used and that

I now have to have. Thankfully it's not being retired out of the Australian Stampin' Up catalogue.

The first photo is the organiser closed.

This badly taken photo is the organiser open.

I'm sorry I don't know the colours we used, but do know that the Tab punch was used.

This is the card we made to go in the organiser.

We used one of stamp sets available for

Sale-a-bration which ends on the 29th February,

2008. For every $100 you spend on a Stampin'

Up order until the 29th February you may

choose a free set of stamps from the four sets

available for Sale-a-bration.

I had to make another sympathy card. I had seen this

idea on a card in the SCS gallery but I'm so terribly sorry,

I don't know who posted it. My memory.

Thanks so much for the inspiration.

I used Stampendous Agapanthus stamp and Paper

Inspirations Sympathy stamp.

The card hasn't turned out too badly considering I lost my

train of ideas for it half way through.

Last but certainly not least is my gorgeous new

stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms. A Thomas

Kinkade stamp called A Perfect Summer Day.

I've already inked it and stamped it and worked out which ink to use with it to get the best image. I only received it today.

Have already ordered two more Thomas Kinkade stamps.

I couldn't help myself.

I've always loved thatched cottages and used to have a fabulous collection of Thatched Cottage

jigsaws. Unfortunately I don't have that collection any more, so have to collect my cottages in other ways.

If you have reached this point of this blog post you have done well. Thanks for reading.

Sketch challenge SCS 161

I made two cards today using the SCS card sketch challenge. Great fun. Used my opals embossing enamels from Pipedreamink and some more of the pearlex and acetate backgrounds I made a few weeks ago. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up Happy Everything.

The opals were a bit of trial and error to get the colour I wanted. Started off with one colour, then changed and used another with a sprinkling of yet another colour. The smaller flower was again originally one colour but has had a top up of another green with a pinch of yellow in the middle. Also I had a bit of an adventure with the completed flower. The little one in the centre was just adhered onto the larger one, but in the course of drying the big flower warped. So I tried to bend it back and the opals cracked. Uh Oh, so back to the heat gun and heated. Had a few cracks to mend so heated it all up and then sprinkled a bit of Sunburst to fix that up. The smaller flower by this time was melting into the bottom layer. I discovered that I didn't mind the look so didn't bother starting all over. Actually I reckon it looks better. lolEdited to say that a friend of mine has given me a few hints and I've since ripped the top horizontal layer and flower (above) off and am going to do something else. Watch this space. lol

This card uses a stamped image coloured with H2O's then cut using my wonderful Nestabilities. Then again another pearlex and acetate background. The stamp is from Stamp It, Rose Bouquet 3424E. The sentiment is from Stampin Up Warmest Regards. The ribbon is from Meg's Garden. I think that's it.


Thanks for looking.



All the comments are wonderful. Thanks everyone.

Challenge card

Here's the card I made from some challenge bits received from my UK forum Crafting Friends.

In the pack was a piece of white card embossed with the cuttlebug folder Traffic Jam, one fabric flower, 3 bling jewels and a piece of ribbon.

This is the result. I swiped a Brilliance Galaxy Gold inkpad over the embossed card, layered it with Gold Kromecote, gold embossed the sentiment and versamarked the flower then coloured with Aztec Gold pearlex.

Credit for the card sketch goes to SCS Card Sketch challenge 161 Thanks so much. Fabulous sketch.

What do you think? OK?