Hi!

It's the last week of school here in South Australia, and my daughter's birthday falls in the holidays so last night I had to get cracking and get her birthday party invitations done so she could give them to her friends. It's her last week of kindy as next term she's off to 'big girl school' so it's a very exciting time.

I asked Ada to help me design the invitations and the first thing she said was that they had to be pink. Is there any other colour when you're a 4 year old girl and you love princesses? She also chose the stamp set Razzle Dazzle from the Summer Mini Catalogue. Sadly retired now, but I still hold out some hope it may make a comeback in the upcoming IB&C.

Anyway, here's the invitation that Ada approved:



Not much pink at all! lol

They didn't take much time at all once I got a bit of a production line happening. I think about 3 hours all up to make 12, including writing on the inside and a vigorous debate with Ada over Regal Rose versus Rose Red ink!

Stamps: Razzle Dazzle (retired - Summer Mini)
Ink: Regal Rose
DSP/Card Stock: Sweet Always DSP, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Other: Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

In my last post I made a card based on a card by Chloe Schmitt that was published in Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft (Vol 16 no 4). This time I used the same layout but used Bella Rose DSP. It's such a pretty, feminine set of papers. The latest Just Add Ink challenge is to Just Add Patterned Paper. Perfect!



Lots of fussy cutting on this card! Luckily my hand was good enough to cut, as it probably would have taken my husband hours to cut all the flowers and leaves out!

I think I'm going to make this card layout a regular, I'm lovin' it heaps.

DSP/Card Stock: Bella Rose DSP, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive
Other: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Snips, Dimensionals

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

I got my copy of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft during the week. It's always a highlight of my month to make a cup of tea and sit down to read the magazine with (hopefully!) no interruptions. This month I totally fell in love with Chloe Schmitt's card on page 25 (Vol 16 No 4). I'm not sure what appeals to me, but I just love it and had to CASE it.

Here's my take on the card:



A big thanks to by lovely husband, Rob. He cut out the stamped image from Together Forever that has the sentiment in the middle. I have a graze on my hand right where I hold the scissors, so he stepped in and cut it out for me. I was very grateful, even if it did take him almost half an hour! He did it in the ad breaks while watching TV.

I'm going to have a bit more of a play and see what else I come up with using some of Stampin' Up!s other DSPs.

Stamps: Best Yet (hostess), Polka Dot Background, Together Forever
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand
DSP/Card Stock: Bella Bleu, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy
Other: 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Large Circle Rhinestone Brad, Paper Snips


Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

My daughter went to a birthday party recently. Actually, she goes to lots of birthday parties - she's a very social butterfly! This latest one was for a boy who was turning 5. I think this is a difficult age for us poor card makers - too old for baby stuff and way too young for teenage stuff. There's just not a whole lot of options for those in-between years.

That's why I love my Classic Stars Jumbo Wheel. It provides a great background that you could use on a card for any age group. Here's the card I came up with:



This was a quick and easy card to put together. The hardest part was waiting for the Crystal Effects on the number 5 to dry!

Stamps: Classic Stars Jumbo Wheel, Cute and Curly, Happy Moments (retired SAB)
Ink: So Saffron, Ballet Blue
DSP/Card Stock: So Saffron Patterns DSP, Ballet Blue, Whisper White
Other: Crystal Effects, Dimensionals, Curly Label Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sponge Dauber, Chipboard Number 5 (non SU).

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

Last night I decided to work on a layout incorporating a photograph of 4 of my nieces. The photo was taken of them while they were at the races, so they were all glammed up. They are such beautiful girls. The layout started off as an 8x8 layout:



It didn't look quite finished though, so I decided to incorporate it into a 12x12 layout.



Here's a close up of the top left hand corner. I clear embossed the En Francais BG stamp to give the page a little more elegance. Unfortunately it's a bit hard to see in the photo.



I wanted to colour the large flower from the Pretties Kit, but I don't have a Melon Mambo reinker. Instead I used my Aqua Painter to watercolour the flower. It gives a bit of a softer look and you can be a bit more selective about how you colour the flower and give it highlights. It's a bit brighter in real life than the photo shows.

Stamps: En Francais Background, Together Forever
Ink: Versamark, Black Stazon, Melon Mambo
Card Stock: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White Textured
Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Melon Mambo 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, White Signo Gel Pen, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Clear Embossing Powder, Mini Glue Dots, and Flower, Pearl, Rhinestone Brads, Beads and Hat Pins from the Pretties Kit.

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

I though that since Stamp A Memory's latest challenge closes tonight I'd better get off my backside and make an off the page creation.

One of the things my fridge is seriously lacking (especially as I have 3 children!) is a board for them to hang their artwork/certificates/etc on. I thought I'd use the challenge to rectify this dire situation! Here is the hanger I came up with:



I used a backing sheet from the DSP packs to create the backing board. I cut it into 3 strips and glued them all together. I then covered it in Love Sparkles DSP and embellished. I used my Crop-a-dile to cut the holes and set the jumbo eyelets. Here is the hanger hanging:



The only thing missing is the pegs. I ran out of time to go buy some as I didn't have any in my stash. I will add them soon! Here is a close up of the die cut stickers I used from the Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin Kit:



I love using the kits for all kinds of projects. Everything matches so you don't have to think too hard about that side of things.

Supplies Used: Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin Kit, Tombow Adhesive, Crop-o-dile, Jumbo Eyelets, Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

Brooke's back with her entry for the Stamp A Memory Creative Challenge #11. The challenge this time is: to create an OFF THE PAGE item. Brooke made a clock using a photo of her boys and the Cottage Garden and Vintage Vogue stamp sets.

Here's the clock:



Some close ups of the corners:







Love the subtle glitter on the butterflies and flowers. Well done Brooke!

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

I've long admired Gardenia's scrunched flowers. She always does such a good job of them! She very kindly shared her secrets with me, so I decided to give them another go.



Turns out I'd been too stingy with the DSP. I'd only used 3 layers in the past but for this card I used 9. It makes all the difference!



Add a Chit Chat rub on, round the corners and it's done!

DSP/Card Stock: Regal Rose Hostess Patterns Pack II DSP, Kraft
Other: Scallop Circle punch, Corner Rounder punch, silver brad, Chit Chat rub on (retired)

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

Stampin' Up have revealed the second Deal of the Week and it's Designer Series Paper! Haiku and Tea Party DSP are regularly $16.95, but until Tuesday 15th are $10.17. Pink Flamingo and Raspberry Tart are discounted to $11.02. The heavier weight Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP is usually $22.95 but has been reduced to $14.92. What fabulous bargains! Please get in touch if you'd like to order any of these beautiful paper packs.

I thought I'd show you a card I made recently using the Haiku DSP and Circle Circus.



All it needs is a sentiment suitable for the occasion and it is ready to send! A quick and easy card with minimal stamping, which is fantastic when you need a card in a hurry.

Stamps: Circle Circus
Ink: Old Olive, So Saffron
DSP/Card Stock: Haiku DSP, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Other: Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals

Catch you later, I'm off on a scrapbooking retreat for the weekend!

Tina

Hi!

Today is a special day because my gorgeous nieces turn 4. Happy Birthday Charlie and Olivia! Special girls need special cards and because my daughter insisted I made them cards that are pretty much the same. Here are the cards together:



I've only ever used Circle Circus to make male cards, so it was well past time to try the stamps with some girly colours. I used Pixie Pink with Very Vanilla and a splash of Night Of Navy. The card is a CASE of the card on page 51 of the IB&C that uses the Simply Said stamp set.

Here is Charlie's card. Her favourite colour is pink, so I used a large Pink Rhinestone Brad to decorate the scallop image.



Olivia's favourite colour is yellow, so she got a large Yellow Rhinestone Brad.



Happy Birthday beautiful girls! I wish we could be there to help you blow out your candles.

Stamps: Circle Circus
Ink: Pixie Pink, Night Of Navy
Card Stock: Pixie Pink, Very Vanilla, Night Of Navy
Other: Large Rhinestone Brads, Silver Brads, Boho Blossoms Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Dimensionals.

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

Today I thought I'd show you a birthday card I made for my brother-in-law. Circle Circus is one of my favourite stamp sets, but I haven't used it for a while. Way past time to get it inky! Here's the front of the card:



My brother-in-law has just got a new iphone so we decided to get him an itunes voucher for his birthday. I used an offcut and adhered it using double sided tape on 3 sides to form a little pocket for the gift voucher. I did this because I made the card before we'd decided what to get him, so it was the easiest way to incorporate a gift card holder without having to make a whole new card.



Works well, I think!

Stamps: Circle Circus, Whimsical Words and Happy Moments (both retired SAB)
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie
DSP/Card Stock: Haiku DSP, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Tools: Stamp Positioner, Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Punch

Catch you later,

Tina

Hi!

Welcome back to another Art With Heart Blog Hop. The theme for this blog hop is Celebrations. You may have just come from Ros Davidson's blog, but if you've started here that's OK - just keep going until you get back to where you started. There are 11 stops along the way.

The Art With Heart team is led by Claire Daly and it is a very talented team that I feel privileged to be a part of. Claire was recently announced as the Number 1 Demonstrator in Australia, and many other of the Art With Heart team also won awards. It's great to be a part of such a fantastic team.

My projects this month were made with my eldest niece in mind. She turns 21 in June, so I decided to make her a card. She decided to celebrate her birthday with a cocktail party and the invitation had a disco ball on in, so I decided to bling the card to the max!



Just a little bit of glitter!



I cut a Top Note out of Jac paper to adhere the glitter to the background. The glitter in the champagne flutes was adhered using Tombow glue.

I also decided to make a simpler version of the same basic layout.



This time I used double sided tape to adhere the glitter around the edge of the black panel. Easy!



Each layer in both cards was raised on dimensionals.

I also decided to make a gift card holder that matched the cards. More bling!



Here it is opened:



And here's the tag you write on:



I made these cards over a week ago and I'm still finding glitter everywhere! I had lots of fun making them though. Thanks to Robyn for loaning me her stamp to play with - much appreciated!

Stamps: Cheers To You
Ink: Basic Black, Melon Mambo
Card Stock: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Other: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Die, 1/4" Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/2" Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, Sticky Strip, Paper Snips, Round Tab Punch, Jac paper, Glitter

To be in the draw to win the blog candy you must leave a comment on all blogs in the hop before 6am on Tuesday 8th June, then email Nikki Sadler (nikki@inkyart.com.au) to let her know you've commented on all of the blogs. Demonstrators are not eligible for the prize, but we'd still love to know what you think of our projects.

Now you're off to see the fabulous creations of Christine Blain. Happy hopping!

Here's a complete list of participants in case a link isn't working:

Christine Blain
Judy May
Sue Madex
Nikki Sadler
Alisha Watson
Di Dunk
Kathryn Mangelsdorf
Tanja Westwood
Kathryn Ruddick
Ros Davidson

Catch you later,

Tina

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

Hi!

Stampin' Up are running a fabulous promotion during June where you can order selected products at up to 50% off! The catch is, you can only order them at the discounted price during the week they are advertised. The current deal ends on 8 June, so get in quick!

This week's offer is 30% off selected punches.

Scallop Square punch was: $30.95 Sale Price: $20.12
Trio Flower punch was: $30.95 Sale Price: $20.12
Boho Blossoms punch was: $30.95 Sale Price: $20.12
Scallop Oval punch was: $30.95 Sale Price: $20.12

What fabulous bargains! If you're interested in purchasing one or more of these punches please contact me at happy.mum@hotmail.com.

Don't forget to pop back in next week to see the next deal.

Catch you later,

Tina