Paperartsy

Good News and Bad News...

2009-06-12T18:04:00.003+10:00

I know, I know it's been a ridiculously long time between posts - but I can explain! I've been busy with something very, very exciting ... I've just launched my new business PaperArtsy
PaperArtsy is an online store that sells papercrafting kits. Each month I release three new kits: a Scrapbooking Kit, a Card Making kit and an Off-The-Page kit. Each kit contains heaps of yummy products and a set off detailed instructions on how to create the projects. The idea is that I do all the designing, sourcing, coordinating and instructions and so you just get to create and have fun! How good is that? So please head on over and take a look HERE.
Well that's the good news, so what's the bad? Well as we all know, you can't have your cake and eat it too, which means I've had to resign from Stampin' Up. I know, it's heartbreaking! But having my own online business has been a dream of mine for so so so so long, and thanks to my wonderfully supportive and encouraging hubby Rob and also my fabulous brother Ji, it's become a reality. But for those of you that are desperate to get your hands on SU product - I have contacts ;-) Just email me and I'll put you in touch with someone!
So this will be my last post at blogspot - you can keep up to date with all that is going on at my NEW BLOG HERE. Please drop on in and say hello!!

More Scrap Creations

2009-04-15T23:16:00.003+10:00

Thanks to the school holidays, I've managed to squeeze in more playtime! Once again, I put these cards together using scraps left over from another project. There's something really satisfying about using up your scraps ... possibly the fact that it comes with the feeling that I can justify buying more papers because I've used some up (although I know that if I never bought another piece of paper again I still have more than enoughto keep me going for years - but where's the fun in that???)

So here's my scrappy cards...

Thanks for stopping by :)

Check this out!!

2009-04-14T13:19:00.003+10:00

I got up the other morning to the sound of my kids laughing hysterically and this is what I found...

One of the kids came out to get something out of their bag and found Dora Puss hanging out in Jordyn's Pre-school bag! I suspect she had deliberately sourced a quiet spot away from the kids but it didn't last long for her. She aint called "Dora the Explorer" for nothin'!!

Using up Scraps

2009-04-14T13:01:00.005+10:00

I had some left over scraps of some Kaiser papers sitting on my desk from a scrapbook layout of my boys that I'd made. In fact I've got great mileage out of these papers as the pieces I used for the layout were scraps that I'd used on my clipboards some time ago - so I guess I've used scraps from scraps!! Anyway, I love these papers and couldn't bring myself to throw away the little pieces that I had left so here's what I made with them...

Sadly I now have no more scaps from this range left :-(

Well , it's bucketing down here so the combination of that and school holidays makes it perfect "lock yourself in your craftroom" conditions. But before I do that, Mikayla and I are going to do a few more rows of knitting on her octopus (now that's a lesson in patience...teaching a 6 year old to knit!!)

Guessing Competition Winner

2009-04-10T23:44:00.001+10:00

I forgot to mention the winner for my cake guessing competition. Congratulations Jacob, you were the first to guess correctly ... it was a Banana Split! I'll get a prize to you soon :-)

Some Random Creations

2009-04-10T23:11:00.004+10:00

Well I've been having a bit of a tidy up in my craft room and as I was getting organized I found some things that I've had tucked away and thought you might want to take a look. So here's some random creations for you to peek at...

I was asked to teach a little something at our church's Mums & Bubs group, so I put this 6x6 layout together. The mums had the option of either using it as an album page or for those that didn't have 6x6 albums they mounted it onto chipboard and either stuck magnets behind it for the fridge or punched holes in the top and threaded string through to hang as a picture. Gotta love quick & easy!!

Ok, this one's an oldie, but in my opinion a goodie! Just look at how adorable Jordy was when she was little ... she was just so cute!! I absolutely love this photo of her, I've scrapped it so many times in so many ways.

This is a Blessings Book that I made for Mikayla last year. I got quite ill at one stage last year and from that point she became really insecure and started struggling with school and friends and would cry when it was time to go to school and wouldn't want to leave me. It was a horrible time for both of us and absolutely heartbreaking for me. Her lovely teacher suggested that we get her a little book that we could all write positive things in to encourage her. But of course I couldn't just leave it at a plain note book could I???

Unfortunately, these aren't the most brilliant photos, I kept getting reflections in the glass but you get the idea. These were some window frames that I had a play with with the intention of selling at the markets, but I just don't know that I can part with them! I think they'll either find their way onto my walls or become gifts for people who I know will appreciate them. Does anyone else find there are some things you just can't part with?

Thanks for dropping in and have a fabulous easter!

A Guessing Competition!

2009-03-30T13:58:00.004+11:00

A frightening thing happened on Friday ... my eldest turned 11! He informed me that he is now a "tween". You see, he's not a kid, and he's not a teenager, he's in-be-"tween". And I'd have to agree with him! Each of our kids has a party every second year (you kinda have to do that with 4 kids!!) and as Ryan had his "big"party last year he had one special friend come and sleep over for this birthday. As per tradition, the kids also get their choice of dinner so we indulged in KFC followed by birthday cake with the family (and Sam). So here's where the guessing competition comes in. I had a bit of a shocker with the cake - runny icing, crumbly cake and just a down-right-difficult cake to make! (I might revise my rules about the kids choosing any cake they want!!) So here's a pic, can you guess what it is?? And no, it's not a Viking ship as my grandfather thought (I'll put that down to him being 81!) So leave a comment, first correct answer wins a prize!

Here's a few more pics from the day. I just love this next one as it really shows the difference between my boys ... Jake up and dressed and ready for school and Ryan still with bed head, sleepy eyes and his new shirt thrown over the top of his PJs.

The presents ... oh boy were there presents ... it was like christmas - thanks Noonie!!

And lastly, the cake I made to take to school - far more successful! I know they say don't play with your food, but this was just too cute. Apparently it was a hit with the kids.

That's My Girl!

2009-03-26T23:33:00.003+11:00

As part of her homework this week, Mikayla had to make an Easter card for her buddy, so for Mika this was the best homework eva!! She picked her colours and embellishments all herself and even surprised me by piercing holes for the brads before putting them in. I just had to take a photo of the finished card as I'm so proud of her. But then she really made me laugh...she wanted me to put it on my blog with instructions so all the people who visit can make one too!

So here it is, Mikayla's Easter card tutorial:

"Well first I got a white piece of paper and then in dark purple (it was actually black which tells me it's definitely time to re-ink) I stamped six flowers on and then I got some coloured textas and coloured them in. And then I cut it out. And then I got a purple piece of paper and folded it in half. Well, we got a white piece of paper and we stamped in redish purple "Sharing with you the miracle of new hope and new life through the glorious gift of Christ the Lord" (I had to write the whole quote, I asked if I could just write "the stamp with the words", but no, we had to be very clear!!). And then I sticked the white piece onto the blue piece of paper and then I got a red, a light blue, a green and a dark blue beads and then I put it down and stuck four holes in and I put them in. I put the blue and white piece onto the purple piece. I got a white ribbon and tied it on the side and then I stuck the flowers on. And then I wrote inside. And then I put some coloured bits of texta on the purple and white bits. And then I putd it in the envelope!"

Well at least someone in this family is finding time to do some stamping!

Off the Page in a Big Way!

2009-03-24T13:28:00.003+11:00

I haven't been doing much lately, or should I say, I haven't been doing much creating lately! (plenty of other not so fun things - likely swapping the boys bedrooms ... what was I thinking???) So I thought I'd show you something that I created a while back. Those of you who know me, know that I absolutely love to create off-the-page things. This canvas was one of quite a few pieces that I made for our church's art exhibition last year. This was actually one of the pieces that didn't sell so I was contemplating other places I could take it to sell but decided to hang it on our lounge room wall in the meantime to keep it safe. I put it up and straight away my hubby said "NO don't sell it! It looks perfect in our house!" and I have to agree with him! So I finally have a piece of work that I've created and kept just for us!! So here is my giant canvas with one of my favourite quotes...

And here's another picture that shows how big it is in comparison to our furniture...you need the full effect!

I painted the canvas with a neutral colour and then inked around the edges using my Basic Black ink pad. The Live, Laugh and Love words are Kaiser giant monograms painted around the edges and covered in scrapbboking papers (Basicgrey - Scarlett's Letter). The words fully, often and deeply I cut out with my cricut using the "Opposites Attract" cartridge. The flourishes were also done with the cricut.

Photo Fridge Magnets

2009-03-15T17:49:00.003+11:00

Another quick post in between running children to various places, unpacking groceries and attempting housework (you can see why I've opted for a post!!)

I made this little magnetic photo frame as a birthday pressie for one of the little girls I look after (I actually made another one for the other little princess as their birthdays are two days apart).
I cut an A4 magnetic sheet in half to give me two A5's. I then cut out the centre leaving a 3.5cm frame all around. I cut it all with my Fiskars paper trimmer but put a blunt blade back in so I didn't wreck a good one (I save most of my "blunt" blades for heavy duty things like this, chipboard, transparencies, etc.) The magnetic sheeting already has adhesive on it, so I just peeled back the cover and stuck the paper onto it ... very easy!! Then the fun part was adding all the embellishments and personalising it, all with bits and pieces from my stash - another economical pressie that I think looks really sweet. Of course it's going to look so much better with a photo of the newly turned 2 year old in it - Happy 2nd Birthday Emily & Chloe! xx

Going, going, going...

2009-03-04T17:09:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone. I'm just popping in with a quick update on the status of retiring products. As you can see, retiring products sell out rather quickly so if there is anything you would like to order I suggest you order it soon!

Item Number	Product Description	Availability
10756	Flip Flops	Unavailable
109020	Wild Wasabi Classic Ink Refill	Unavailable
109015	Soft Sky Classic Stamin' Ink Refill	Unavailable
109016	River Rock Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Unavailable
109017	Purely Pomegranite Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Unavailable
100381	Earth Elements Eyelets	Unavailable
100378	Soft Subtle Eyelets	Unavailable
109019	Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Unavailable
108748	Best Friend Numbers	Unavailable
107212	Mateys Map	Unavailable
105320	Basic Eyelets	Unavailable
103195	Gifts Galore	Unavailable
107561	Garden Annuals	Unavailable
109610	Confetti Simply Scrappin'	Unavailable
104279	Leaf Prints	Unavailable
110255	Bundle of Joy	Unavailable
112402	Short Order Numbers	Unavailable
109018	Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Ink Refill	Unavailable
111852	River Rock A4 card stock	Unavailable
108720	Ahoy, Matey	Unavailable
105316	Rich Regal Eyelets	Low Quantity
101259	Black Hemp Twine	Low Quantity
108740	Bareback	Low Quantity
106662	Dasey Field	Low Quantity
108638	In Color 12"x 12" card stock	Low Quantity
109186	Theater Ribbn Originals	Low Quantity
105445	Soft Subtle buttons	Low Quantity
111850	Wild Wasabi A4 card stock	Low Quantity
106610	Basics Outline	Low Quantity
103981	Earth Elements	Low Quantity
103981	*Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons	Low Quantity
100900	Gift sacks	Low Quantity
108763	By Land	Low Quantity
104065	Fishy	Low Quantity
112253	*Dad's Day	Low Quantity
108849	It's Your Birthday	Low Quantity
105531	Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware	Low Quantity
112391	Everything Baby	Low Quantity
112310	Fabulous Flowers	Low Quantity
107464	Rough Texture	Low Quantity
107465	Speckled	Low Quantity
107467	Birthday	Low Quantity
108923	Stipple Rose	Low Quantity
112272	Classic Backgrounds	Low Quantity
108929	Symbols of Solicitude	Low Quantity
112316	Forever in My Heart	Low Quantity
105446	Rich Regal Buttons	Low Quantity
108746	Best Friends Alphabet Lower	Low Quantity
108747	Best Friends Alphabet Upper	Low Quantity

Thanks for checking in and have a fabulous day!

We've Been Waiting For This...

2009-03-01T18:08:00.003+11:00

Ok, so it's finally here! Because the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalogue is just around the corner (31 more sleeps!!), it's time to say goodbye to some favourites to make room for some new and exciting goodies. So here it is, the official list of retiring products. I know some of you are going to feel a sudden panic set in as you discover some of your favourites from your wish list are on it (I know this because I am doing the same!!) But the good news is that some of the discontinuing sets and other products are being discounted by 25% and 50% - a bit more incentive for you to be able to cross them off your wish list! All products on the retirement list are only available until the end of March all whilst stocks last so to avoid disappointment order soon :) Give me a buzz or send me an email if you wish to place an order.
Cheers!

Another Challenge

2009-02-10T19:00:00.005+11:00

I have to say, I am now completely hooked on challenges. After enjoying participating in the Mojo Monday sketch challenges I've decided to go for it and try Makeesha's Colour Challenge.
So here is this weeks Inkspirations Colour Challenge...

And here's what I created...

I just love this "Wild Rose" stamp set, and in all honesty I haven't used it for ages so it got a good dusting off and today our passion was reignited!! I found these colours really nice to work with - they are very pretty and elegant colours which worked well with the roses.
I'm just so impressed that I got the housework AND some stamping done today...all whilst having three children at home!!

Mojo Monday #72

2009-02-09T20:02:00.004+11:00

Woohoo!! I've completed another Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. These are so much fun...and rather addictive!
So here's this weeks sketch...

And now here's my take on it...

This uses the "A Happy Heart" stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalogue, which I borrowed from a friend of mine (thanks Kasey!) I've enjoyed having a play with this set, it's got so many cute and smoochy images. The colour combination I took straight from the Colour Coach - great for when you're having an"I don't know where to start" day. So between the Sketch and the Colour Coach I really didn't have to do much thinking at all :)
So there you have it, a cute little card ready for my hubby for valentines day ... or so I thought ... He just found it and asked if he could have it so that he could give it to me!!! I told him if I'd known that I would have made it in much prettier colours!!

My Latest Workshop Wow!

2009-02-08T19:33:00.003+11:00

Here's my latest creation that I demonstrated and my workshops over the weekend. I have to confess it is a complete CASE from a card of Monica Gale's which you can check out HERE. I absolutely love her work! I've based my colour choices completely on the colours in the "Ginger Blossom" paper that I've used (so I didn't even have to think!!). The stamps are from the "Embrace Life" stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalogue and also "Happy Thoughts" from the main Catalogue. The image was coloured with ink from the Classic Ink Pads (Cameo Coral, Ruby Red and River Rock) and a Blender Pen. I was really pleased with how this turned out, and especially happy that it was so quick and easy to make!! I think I'll make myself up a few more with some different greetings to have on hand.

Thanks for looking :)

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

2009-02-01T13:51:00.004+11:00

I've been admiring Mojo Monday Sketch Challenges on everyone elses blogs for a while now, but have finally decided to be brave and jump in and have a go myself. I needed to make a special card for my Great Aunts 80th Birthday and decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to rise to the challenge. So here's my taking of this weeks Mojo Monday sketch.

I really enjoyed working with sketch and I found that once I had decided on the papers and stamps I wanted to use the whole thing just came together so quickly. I'm definitely a Mojo Monday addict now!

Getting Organised!

2009-01-25T17:27:00.005+11:00

On Friday my Hubby and boys went off to the cricket in Sydney with some friends for some "boy" time, so that night after I tucked the girls into bed (after a lovely "girly" day followed by a really nutritious meal of crepes with suar & lemon juice and reading a few chapters from Mikayla's fairy book) I locked myself into my playroom for some guilt-free scrapbooking :)

I've had these clipboards sitting on a shelf for ages waiting for me to spruce them up. My idea was to make one for each of the kids to hold their job charts. So, with back-to-school being just around the corner and a serious need for some organisation in our house I set to work making up some job charts as well. I found this fabulous site where you can make personalised job charts for kids. You can take a look at it HERE.

I covered some pencils with matching paper and attatched them to the clipboards so there's always a pencil at the ready and no room for excuses!! So now we're ready to go, only thing is I think it's going to be a shame to cover these up, LOL!

Sale-A-Bration

2009-01-22T20:52:00.001+11:00

Join the Sale-A-Bration!

It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up! and free product is what it's all about!

Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new recruits the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamp sets they'll enjoy for years to come.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:

Customers
When you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward. There's no limit--for every $100 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration reward!

Hostesses
When you host a workshop of at least $600 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward--in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

Recruits
During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $79.95--from our current Idea Book and Catalogue!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on 1 January and runs through 28 February, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! Talk to your demonstrator today to book your workshop or learn more about this promotion. Your demonstrator has a full-colour Sale-A-Bration brochure full of beautiful project ideas you can make using these limited-edition Sale-A-Bration sets. You can also view the Sale-A-Bration brochure online.

Wedding Bells...

2009-01-22T20:38:00.003+11:00

Our lovely friends Chris and Rachel got married on the weekend at Gerringong. It was the most beautiful wedding, simple and elegant. The church was at the top of a little hill and overlooked the ocean - it was just stunning! When Rachel walked down the aisle I don't think there was a dry eye in the church - she looked absolutely beautiful. The reception was great and we all had a really fun night. I made two cards for the occassion as I was unsure about the first one. But as it turned out, Rob and Paula preferred the first one. So here's the reject...

I felt so good making this one because it used all scraps! I didn't cut into a new sheet of anything for this one - don't you just love those cards!
And yep, you guessed it...I didn't take a photo of the other one before I gave it away!!

Colouring-in is not just for kids!!

2009-01-22T20:21:00.004+11:00

The other night I treated myself to a bit of relaxing with my good friend Coral. I stamped up some images from my "Summer by the Sea" stamp set onto water colour paper and then spent the evening chatting and colouring with water colour crayons and an aqua brush. It was so relaxing and colouring these particular images took me right back to our recent holiday at the beach...

I did make a third one which was probably my favourite but promptly gave it away to our neighbour to say thankyou for fixing our leaky toilet!! Note to self - photograph cards before giving away (I am notorious for doing this with everything I make!!)

I'm Back!

2009-01-20T11:13:00.004+11:00

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year. My sincerest apologies for the lack of posting. We've actually had three weeks away in sunny Queensland with family - 2 weeks in Brisbane and 1 week in Coloundra. We got back a week ago but that week was filled with a variety of dramas and I haven't had a chance to post anything!
Our holiday was lovely and it was wonderful to spend time with family and friends and the kids especially enjoyed being able to catch up and play with their cousins. It was so nice to see them play together and amazing to see that although there are many miles between them they can just pick up where they left off last time.
We had a lovely Christmas and a fun filled new year with my sister in law Ang's birthday and Jordyn's 4th birthday thrown in there as well, so the week at the beach was a great way to unwind from the busyness of everything. The kids just loved being able to swim in the pool and if they weren't in the pool they were watching everyone else in there from our balcony! The beaches were lovely (although our very first day at the beach included a blue bottle sting for Jake) and the weather was just perfect.
But after 3 weeks of living out of suitcases it was great to get home. I tell you, there's just something sooo good about sleeping in your own bed. The first couple of days of being home my kids didn't wake before 9am and one of them 10am (yep Jordyn!!) so they too were loving being in their own beds - and I'm sure Noonie is enjoying having her bed back to herself!!
So since being back we've had to buy a new washing machine (so glad I've ordered it as the old one finally died today and being without a washing machine with four kids is not good) and a new kettle as that had decided to give it up while we were away too. We also came home to a leaking toilet, kitten poos in our bedroom and the christmas tree stripped of decorations and smashed on the floor also care of the kittens - NICE!!! All of this after a sixteen hour car trip. Our neighbours welcomed us home with the house taped off like a crime scene and the outline of a body on the driveway - thanks Tim!! But despite all of our dramas it is still so good to be home.
So now I'm absolutely desperate to get back into some stamping and scrapbooking using all of our lovely photos from our time away. Fingers crossed, I might get a bit of "me" time tonight and have something to show you soon.
xxx

Which one is your favourite???

2008-12-18T10:10:00.007+11:00

Hi everyone. Well here I am once again apologising for my lack of posting, but I'm sure you'll all understand why with this crazy time of the year - I know that everyone is in the same boat! So quickly now for your enjoyment I present to you my monograms made for some stamping friends of mine - "The Crafty Tarts". We enjoyed a lovely dinner together last night at the Turkish Grill (my absolute favourite) and exchanged gifts. It was a great night. So without further ado...

V is for Vivien

I used Fall Floweres DSP and Soft Sky Double-Stitched Ribbon and then embellished with some flowers punched from Whisper White and sponged with Soft Sky ink and finished off with
silver brads.

T is for Tania

This one uses the Apple Cider DSP and "One of a Kind" stamp set from
the last mini catalogue - so sad it's gone :(
I stamped the flower with Chocolate Chip ink and coloured it with a blender pen and Really Rust and River Rock ink pads. I then used Crystal Effects and finished off with a Really Rust button and some Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon.

D is for Deb

Of all the papers Stampin' Up has released I think this would have to be my all time favourite! Sadly my stash is slowly drying up. It looks fabulous used with the "Wild Rose" stamp set which thankfully is still available! The rose image was stamped with the old Cranberry Crisp and Mellow Moss for the leaves. I also use some Mellow Moss 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon and highlighted the rose with some Dazzling Diamonds.

C is for Cydney

I've used papers from the Spring Fling DSP. The stamped image is from an old sale-a-bration set "Delight in Life". I've stamped the large flower with Pretty in Pink and then coloured it with Pretty in Pink ink and a blender pen. The smaller flower I've done the same but with So Saffron ink and placed a So Saffron brad in the centre. I've curled some really fine strips of Sage Shadow card around a pencil and then stuck them down behind the flower and then finished off with a dusting of Dazzling Diamonds.

C is for Coral

It's always fun playing with new things - new papers and a new stamp set. The paper is Ginger Blossom DSP and the stamp is from the set "Embrace Life" both available from the new mini catalogue. I've stamped the flower image with Groovy Guava ink and once again coloured with a blender pen and Groovy Guava ink. I've looped some River Rock Double-Stitched Ribbon behind the flower and placed a Ruby Red brad in its centre as well as a touch of Dazzling Diamonds to the stamens - do you think I just might like Dazzling Diamonds???

And last, but not least ... B is for Bernadette

This one is probably my favourite! I just love anything that has that shabby chic look. The paper is Afternoon Tea DSP and the stamp is from the "Live your Dream" set also from the new mini catalogue. I've stamped the flower image with Groovy Guava and Mellow Moss and added some Crystal Effects and ... yep you guessed it ... Dazzling Diamonds!! The bow uses Groovy Gauava Double-Stiched Ribbon.

So which one do you like best?

Film Star Froggies...

2008-11-26T13:55:00.003+11:00

Here's another froggy card using the "Unfroggetable" stamp set as promised. This one uses lots of the masking technique. Remember to keep your masks that you've made in with the stamps you've made them for so that they are easily accessible for the next time you want to use them (it saves having to make more). I used my Colour Coach wheel to help me decide what colours to use. I knew I wanted to colour my frog Gable Green so I just looked it up on my wheel and went with its recommendations (Gable Green - Bashful Blue, Cameo Coral and Apricot Appeal) - I like its thinking!!! I've used the Classic Stars jumbo wheel inked in Gable Green over the background card. The smile sentiment is from the "Be Happy" stamp set. I've created the black film strip with the Spiral punch. Just thinking now that a bit of Dazzling Diamonds on the dragonfly's wings would also be cute!! Stay tuned for more frogs...

Hoppy Birthday!

2008-11-24T14:10:00.004+11:00

My Ryan had a friends birthday party to go and nothing in my stash seemed to cut the mustard to so I decided that it was the perfect excuse to do some stamping! I think the "Unfrogettable" stamp set is sooo cute, but to be honest I really haven't done much with it...until now! Stay posted and I'll show you some more froggy cards that I've made, but for now here's the birthday card...

I've used Old Olive card (one of my fave colours!) and Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper. The froggy I stamped with Basic Gray ink and coloured with My Old Olive ink pad and Blender pen. I also used some Soft Sky Double-Stitched Ribbon and a piece of silver Hodgepodge (this stuff is fabulous!). If you look closely you can see that I added some googly eyes to my frog.

Inside I created a money pocket. What child doesn't love getting money??
...or adult for that matter!!!

Mummy's Girls...

2008-11-22T16:29:00.005+11:00

Mikayla was watching me intently today as I was making some birthday cards for my stash. She absolutely loves to do anything creative, so to be able to have a play with Mum's stuff is a really fun thing for her - and nice for me too! We decided to make a start on her christmas cards that she will give to her school friends. Jordyn also had to join in of course!! So here are my girls, stamping their 'art out...

Fun, fun, fun!!

My Jordy Pordy...

...and Mikayla

So we've had a lovely afternoon together stamping while the boys have wrestled and just been boys!!

Christmas Cards

2008-11-22T14:25:00.005+11:00

I cannot believe that it's only 33 more sleeps to Christmas - I find that absolutely frightening! Each year I tell myself that I'm going to be better organised next Christmas and yet here I am again panicking about all I have to do! I am however proud to say that I have all my Christmas cards ready to write and send, but then I must confess that is because I made them all last year and didn't get around to posting them!! LOL Anyway, here are some Christmas cards that I made up for a class. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed making them and were very impressed at just how easy they were to make.

This card uses the "Holiday Wishes" stamp set. I've stamped and gold embossed the tree onto Whisper White card and then coloured some parts of it using my ink pads (So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate & Wild Wasabi) and a blender pen. The tree has been mounted onto Wild Wasabi card and the sentiment "Warmest Wishes" was carefully inked to omitt the word "Holiday" with Wild Wasabi ink. A piece of Double-Stitched Purely Pomegranate ribbon was then tied around the front and then the whole lot mounted onto the Purely Pomegranate card base.

Inside I've created and decorated a pocket for money or gift vouchers. Looks good with a Fifty, but I personally prefer green ones - I think they'd match the card better!!

Here's a cute Christmas Bauble card. I've cut a circle using Old Olive card and then put a belly band accross it using the striped paper from the Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper pack. Some Soft Sky Double-Stitched ribbon was also added to the belly band. The sentiment "Very Merry" from "Short & Sweet" stamp set was stamped in Soft Sky ink and embellished with some silver Hodgepodge. The top of the bauble is made with the Round Tab punch and Soft Sky card. The whisper white background I've embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and then mounted onto the Old Olive card base.

This card uses the So Swirly Jumbo Wheel. It's been inked with River Rock and then rolled onto River Rock card. I've then randomly stamped the tiny poinsettia from the "Season of Joy" stamp set with Purely Pomegranate ink. The paper at the top of the card is from the "Holiday Harmony" Designer Series Pack. The "Sparkle" sentiment is from the "Sweet Serendipity" stamp set. I finished off with some Purely Pomegranate Satin Ribbon and a ribbon slide from the Antique Brass Hodgepodge set.

I just love this "Season of Joy" stamp set and will be so sad to see it go at the end of the month :( I've stamped the flourishes with Always Artichoke ink. The poinsettias have been stamped with Ruby Red ink, cut out and layered (offset) and finished off with three gold brads in the centre. The sentiment "Merry Christmas" has been gold embossed. I mounted all of this onto River Rock card and then again onto Ruby Red card and finally onto the Always Artichoke card front. Some gold cord (which is sadly no longer available and I have metres and metres of the stuff!) was also tied around the front.

So I hope you get some ideas from these for some Christmas Cards of your own.
Thanks for looking!

New Goodies & Time for a Play...

2008-11-19T12:33:00.007+11:00

I've just managed to get a few moments to myself (thanks to an overcast day and a dvd for the kiddos) and hide away in my room to have a play with some new goodies. As soon as I saw this little bookmark I thought it was such a cute idea and would just be the finishing touch to a book gift this christmas. It was so quick and easy and thanks to Stampin' Up's gorgeous coordinating papers, inks and stamps it really took the guess work out of matching. I found the instructions for this on the Kaisercraft website which you can get HERE.

I'm thinking I'll be making me a few more of these!!

Post-It Note Holder

2008-11-05T16:58:00.004+11:00

It's been a crazy, busy week but I've finally made it back to the computer. I've just had the most fabulous weekend away scrapping with lots of other women. It was so fun and so great to escape - no kids, no cooking, no doing dishes, no cleaning ... just creative bliss!! But you always have to come back to reality and it tends to hurt a little when you do. I've had appointment after appointment after appointment this week and the sad thing is it's only Wednesday! Oh well, I know that it's just one of those weeks that I have to hold on and ride it through - I'm sure you all relate! So now here's a really quick and easy little project that is so simple to make. There's actually no stamping used on this one, just patterned papers, punches and a couple of brads. I was thinking of making up a few more for teacher's christmas prestents and those "secret santas" that we all get a bit lost with. So here it is ... a Post-It Note Holder.

It ties shut at the front with a piece of ribbon.

The top has a little pocket for you to slide a pen into so there's always one on hand.

And this is what it looks like inside ... pretty cool huh?

I worked from a tutorial that i found HERE and then played around with the measurements so that it would fit a larger Post-It pad and a mechanical pencil.

Materials Used:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Garden Green, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: East Coast Prep Designer Series
Accessories: Scallop Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, More Mustard Brads, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

For Baby Joshua...

2008-10-29T14:02:00.002+11:00

My friend had a baby boy on Saturday, so I have been frantically trying to finish this quilt for him (hence the lack of posting!) It's finally finished and ready to be handed over with much love. Just thought I'd give you a peak at what has been consuming all my time (other than my children!!)

Here's a close up of one of the panels...so cute! Makes me want to have another baby

Free Standing Pop-Up

2008-10-24T13:40:00.006+11:00

Here's another fun card to make. I followed the instructions from a Splitcoaststampers Tutorial which you can find HERE. The stamp set used is "True Friend" from the Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalogue which means it's only available until the end of November so you'd better get in soon if there's anything in it that you're after! I used my Stampin' Write Markers to colour the flower image. Firstly I coloured the main petals of the flower with Barely Banana then outlined the petals with Rose Red as well as the inside and outside dots. The stem and leaves are coloured with Certainly Celery. Whenever I colour with my markers directly onto the stamp, I always give it another huff after stamping to get a second image, particularly if it is a detailed image. It does turn out much lighter, but I figure I might as well get another image for my effort! The base of the card has also been stamped with Rose Red ink on Rose Red cardstock just for a subtle look.

This is how the card folds down which is great because it will fit in a standard C6 envelope and makes it postage friendly. As you can see, brads are really my friend at the moment - they just finish things off so nicely I think. Enjoy!

Materials Used:

Cardstock: Rose Red, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Stamps: True Friend
Inks: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Stampin' Write Markers - Rose Red,
Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon,
Brads - Barely Banana, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch

A Bit Cute...

2008-10-22T13:39:00.005+11:00

You've probably seen lots of these "onesies" around blogland lately - and now here's my take on them. A very dear friend of mine is having a baby and her due date is today. So I've made a pink one and a blue one so that I'm ready for the news! Now all I have to do is finish making the present - LOL!

They are so quick and easy and lots of fun to make and everyone just seems to love them. You can find instructions on how to make them HERE.

Materials Used for Pink Onesie:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Berry Bliss Designer Series
Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes
Inks: Basis Grey, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Pretty in Pink 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretty in Pink Brads (Soft Subtles Collection),
1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Blender Pen

Materials Used for Blue Onesie:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Brocade Blue
Paper: Summer Picnic Designer Series
Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes
Inks: Basis Grey, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Bashful Blue Brads (Soft Subtles Collection), 1-3/8" Circle Punch,
Scallop Circle Punch, Blender Pen

Quick and Easy

2008-10-21T14:53:00.016+11:00

Here' s a quick and easy birthday card made with the "Fun & Fast Notes". I love this stamp set because there is a stamp for every occassion. I also love this set because I've found that by cutting and mounting the images and sentiments separately I've doubled my stamps from 8 to 16! I know that you can just ink the part of the image that you want to use, but I've found it so much easier to use this way. I've also found that I use the sentiments so much more when they are separate to the main image.

The idea for gathering the ribbon came from my friend Lin. I love the way that it creates a bit of texture and adds interest to the card. To do this I stuck a piece of sticky strip on the front of the blue card and folded the overhang to the back. I then took my piece of ribbon and secured one end to the back on the sticky strip, turned the card over to the front and began gathering and pleating the ribbon and sticking it down onto the strip a little bit at a time. When I got to the end I turned the card back over and secured the ribbon to the back of the card. Too easy!

The image was coloured with Stampin' Pastels and a Blender Pen. I also used the Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel with Barely Banana ink over the base of the card front and finished off with three pink brads and a dusting of Dazzling Diamonds - gotta have a bit of bling!

Materials Used
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel
Inks: Basic Black, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Pretty in Pink 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretty in Pink Brads
(Soft Subtles Collection), Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pen,
Dazzling Diamonds, Word Window Punch

Hi there and welcome!

2008-10-20T14:29:00.002+11:00

Hi there ... well here I am ... taking the plunge of starting my own blog! It's somthing that I've been thinking of doing for a long time now but I've finally decided to jump right in. I'll try to post fairly regularly, but having four children could quite possibly interfere with my intentions!
My plan is to show you snippets of what I've been up to or possibly apologising for not doing anything!! I'm guessing this is going to be quite a journey as I'm not the most computer literate person - but hang in there and I'm sure we'll get through ... thanks for dropping in and welcome to my blog!