Friday, 6 November 2009

Leanne’s gift card wallet

Here's a cute little wallet style gift card holder that my friend & fellow Demonstrator, Leanne Dixon, showed us how to make at a Demo get together we organised back in September. It was a quick project to make, but sooo cute & very useful....plus I got to use lots of punches, which always makes me happy. The olive cover is decorated with some Raspberry Tart DSP, a punched oval greeting (from 'Best Yet') & some punched Boho Blossoms flowers. It's held closed with an attached tab, word window punched shape & gold brads.

On the inside, it has a section to hold the gift card & space to write a greeting. I scalloped the white panel with the scallop edge punch & then punched it out with the scallop oval punch. The punched flowers are also repeated.Thanks again Leanne for sharing this cool project with us. I think I'll be making lots more before Christmas.

Inky wishes
Di

Christmas Extravaganza Gift Offer Update:

Stampin' Up! have extended the free punch options in the Christmas Extravaganza gift offer. Now you can choose to receive either the Boho Blossoms punch used in this project or the square scallop punch for free when you order $85 of items from the Gift Giving Guide by 14 December. How's that for an even better offer? Please contact me for more info.

Boho Blossoms punch:Square Scallop Punch:Supplies:
Stamps: Best Yet
Card/Paper: old olive, pink pirouette & whisper white card, Raspberry Tart DSP
Ink: rose red
Accessories: gold brads
Tools: punches: Scalloped & large oval, word window, Boho Blossoms, scallop edge, corner rounder

Thursday, 5 November 2009

Walk in the park...or not

Today's cards are ones I considered for my September Spring Mini class, but in the end changed my mind. I just wasn't sure about them & Damien (hubby & card critic) wasn't either. The funny thing is that I displayed them at the class, where it turned out that the girls at the class did like them. Damien was then roused on by all - oops! Anyway, I'll show you both cards & you can make your own decision on which, if any you like too. Here is the first one. The colours are a bit unusual for me – basic grey, cameo coral, going grey, baja breeze & whisper white, but just trusted the pretty 'Walk in the Park' DSP & went from there. I used the 'Great Friend' set again (what will I do without this set...at least until September next year?) & you might remember the layout from this card, which was cased from this one by Shelli Barron. Told you I loved it!

There are lots of layers in the matted section, with two, plus the butterfly popped on dimensionals. I added more 'pretty' with some clear rhinestone brads & basic grey taffeta ribbon. Here is a close up of the panel. One thing that mightn't be obvious is that the grey scallop around the greeting is not a punched scallop. I actually just punched through the DSP before attaching it to the front to show the basic grey card base. The greeting is popped on dimensionals. Anyway, why didn't it make the cut? Well, I thought it may look a little busy, although I do like it a bit more now.

And another one....

This was actually part of the first card I made & then pulled apart (hee hee). The butterfly panel was originally horizontal (like the one above), but I decided it was too big & made the second one (above) smaller. After fiddling around a bit though, I turned this panel so it was vertical & then reversed the paper (this pattern is actually the back of the floral in the first card), to try to overcome the busy feeling. Here's a close up of the main panel: In the end, this was Damien's favourite of the two, but I still wasn't sure about it....so I did something completely different & made the patchwork card instead!
Side story – it was my birthday a couple of weeks after this class & one of my friends gave me a hilarious & very appropriate fridge magnet which says "The opinions of the husband are not necessarily those of the manager." Too funny!

Inky wishes
Di

Supplies:
Stamps: Great Friend
Card/Ink: basic grey, baja breeze, cameo coral, whisper white, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: basic grey, going grey, baja breeze, cameo coral
Accessories: basic grey taffeta ribbon, clear rhinestone brads
Tools: punches: scallop oval, large oval, small oval

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Patchwork friend

Well, here I am again on a much cooler day than the 37 degree oven we had in Sydney yesterday. I still have a cold & my throat has gone out in sympathy today, but at least I don't have to talk to show you the second card from my Spring Mini classes. This time I've used some 'Walk in the Park' DSP arranged into a patchwork grid & the very popular 'Great Friend' stamp set.To make the patchwork shaped piece, I printed a template from the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website onto some cardstock, attached some really wide double sided tape over the whole template (still using it Ngai!), stuck punched squares of 'Walk in the Park' DSP on it (1 3/8 inch-3.5cm punch), then cut the template out. The trick to getting the patchwork centred is to attach the 2 centre pieces first & work out from there. After I made the first one, I found that the Stampin' Up!® glue sticks works better than the double sided tape, as you can wiggle the pieces into place better.

To finish off the piece, I've wrapped some pink taffeta ribbon around the shape & added a stamped 'Great Friend' butterfly & greeting in cameo coral ink (popped on dimensionals). The greeting was punched out with the curly label punch & I've added a little filigree brad & pink brad in the corner. I've layered the finished piece onto the kiwi kiss base & a piece of so saffron card wrapped with old olive grosgrain ribbon.

Raspberry Tart Friend

I thought you might also like the first version of the card, which I made using Raspberry Tart DSP (this is my absolute favourite paper from the current catty & you'll be seeing lots more of it).Anyhoo, I'd better try to get some things done here, much as I'd still rather be on the couch. Back soon with....I haven't decided yet :0)

Inky wishes
Di

PS:I've seen lots of these type of patchwork cards over time, so can't credit anyone in particular for the idea, but one that did stick out in my memory is this cute baby card on the fabulous Karen's blog.

Supplies:
Walk in the Park
Stamps: Great Friend
Card/Paper: kiwi kiss, so saffron, whisper white, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: cameo coral
Accessories: 5/8 inch old olive grosgrain, pink taffeta ribbon, filigree brad, pretty in pink brad
Tools: Curly label punch

Raspberry Tart
Stamps: Great Friend
Card/Paper: rose red, pink pirouette, whisper white, raspberry Tart DSP
Ink: regal rose, rose red
Accessories: 5/8 inch regal rose grosgrain, kiwi kiss satin ribbon, filigree brad
Tools: Curly label punch
Great Friend - 116889 - $31.95

Tuesday, 3 November 2009

Paris in Spring

Well, I've finally made it to my September class projects. This is one of the cards we made at my Spring Mini class on 6 September. Seems like such a looong time ago. It's a very simple layout - one of my go to faves. I've used some oh so elegant & pretty Parisian Breeze specialty DSP, which is actually textured cardstock, teamed with the Fabulous Friend greeting from the 'Oval All' stamp set & some baja breeze double stitched ribbon.

I stamped the greeting in basic brown ink & lightly water-coloured with some baja breeze ink. Then I punched it out with the large oval punch, added a clear rhinestone brad & mounted it on a close to cocoa scalloped oval. Here's a close up of the greeting.

Anyway, I hope you like it. Thanks for visiting.
Inky wishes
Di
PS: Just a quick reminder that the stamps, paper & scalloped oval punch I've used here are only available until the end of this month. They will NOT be carrying over to the Summer Mini.
Supplies
Stamps: Oval All
Card: Baja breeze, close to cocoa & whisper white card, Parisian Breeze DSP
Ink: Basic Brown, baja breeze ink pad
Accessories: baja breeze double stitched ribbon, clear rhinestone brad
Tools: Large oval & scalloped oval punches, eyelet border punch

Monday, 2 November 2009

Snow Swirled SAS

Back again! I don't feel like moving off the couch with my cold, but at least I can be a little bit productive & finally share the second card from my August Christmas Stamp-a Stack (SAS). I used the gorgeous 'Snow Swirled' set teamed with Baja Breeze & Not Quite Navy card. I was overjoyed to see 'Snow Swirled' in the catty this year – you know I can't resist a good swirl & it's such a flexible set. As well as the lovely images, I love that the set includes a greeting for the front & one you can use inside a card too. This first version had 2 clear rhinestone brads, which I exchanged for some sparkly dazzling diamonds glitter in this final SAS version....not that you can see it in the sadly not very bright pics! Trust me, it looks much brighter IRL. You might also notice that I've also created a different edge for the snowflake circle, sing the scallop circle punch.I made a couple of layout variations too. I like the first one, which you can maybe see the glitter better on. I wasn't as happy with the second, but I thought I'd show you both anyway.Finally, while I was playing with the set, I made this very simple card using the same set & colours, which you could very easily mass produce. This also got the glitter treatment, which I hope you can see a bit.

If you'd like any other info or have any questions, just drop me a line. Thanks very much for popping in to visit. Hope you're having a happy Monday.
Inky wishes
Di

Supplies:
Stamps: Snow Swirled, Best Yet (card 5)
Card: Baja Breeze, not quite navy, whisper white card
Ink: baja breeze, not quite navy
Accessories: baja breeze striped grosgrain, 2 way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, clear rhinestone brads (card 1), not quite navy brads (card 4)
Tools: scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch & 1 ¼ inch circle punches, large oval & scalloped oval punches (card 5)
Snow Swirled - set of 6 stamps - Item 115868 - $45.95

Christmas Gift Extravaganza

I'm back with some info on this month's new offer. & it's a goodie if you looove your punches, like me. From now until 14 December, Stampin' Up!® is all about Christmas gifts. Our Christmas Gift Giving Guide includes lots of gift ideas for the papercrafters in your life, as well as gifts you can make to give. What's more, for every $85 of items you buy from the guide, you'll receive a gift of a scallop square punch valued at $30.95.

You can view the guide here & see a list of items included in the promotion below, listed by category:
If you'd like more info or place an order, just drop me an e-mail. Don't forget, you can also ask your loved ones to contact me too if there's something you'd like to see under your Christmas tree.
Inky wishes
Di

PS: I promise I'll be back with more projects soon. It was my wee mum's 80th birthday yesterday, so we've been busy busy busy with that & now I have full blown head cold (despite the hot weather we're now having!), so I'm on a bit of a go slow.

Thursday, 22 October 2009

Christmas SAS 1 – Tree Trimmings

Well, I've been running Christmas card stamp-a-stacks (SAS) since August, so it's about time I started sharing the projects with you all....so here's number 1 from my August class. This is one of my faves...so far anyway. It's really simple & fast to make – just the thing if you need to make lots....but it can be easily stepped up too as you'll see below.

It's a very simple design, & the layout was inspired by these cards I made last year. The star of the card is a gorgeous bauble from the 'Tree Trimmings' set (from the Spring Mini - only available until 30 November) stamped in riding hood red. I've also included a little Raspberry Tart DSP – not a Christmas pack, but I think it works well here. The greeting is from the 'Best Yet' hostess set yet again & is punched out with the large oval punch, matted on a scalloped oval punch (only available until the end of Nov), then popped with dimensionals. I also chose to draw the string with a marker rather than stamping it with the string in the set.
This is another version that I whipped up at the class, using the other two bauble stamps in the set. I also used the noel greeting from 'Many Merry Messages', a perennial Christmas favourite & essential.
Finally, I thought I'd show you a stepped up version that wouldn't take much longer to make. For this one, I've stamped & cut out a second bauble to pop off the card & used some riding hood red taffeta ribbon instead of the cardstock strip. You could also pop the whole panel off the front & stamp the background with a subtle pattern too....but I didn't think of that at the time. & in a bit more detail so you can see the layers:
Another busy day today, so have to run. I probably won't have time to post now until the weekend, but hang in there, lots more to come.

Inky wishes

Di

Supplies:
Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Best Yet, Many Merry Messages
Card/paper: riding hood red, kiwi kiss, whisper white, Raspberry Tart DSP
Ink: riding hood red, kiwi kiss, old olive ink pads, old olive & ruby red stampin' write markers
Accessories: riding hood red taffeta ribbon (stepped up version)
Tools: large oval punch, scallop oval punch
Tree Trimmings: $24.95

Wednesday, 21 October 2009

Petal Party Pressie

Wow, four posts in four days – may have to faint! I'm back with a gift set I gave to a friend for her birthday (still back in August!). There's a little set of 4 love note sized cards in a matchbox style box, with matching tag too. With the exception of the stamped greetings & ribbon, everything I used came from the Petal Party Simply Scrappin'® kit - & only a small amount of the kit at that.
Here is a pic of all the cards. They're quite girly with the pixie pink, but fun too I think.
This is the card I made to go with the set. I added a little Crystal Effects® to the flower centre to add a little extra....even though it looks a little odd in the pic. Here's a funny angle shot so you can see the raised layers.
For those who haven't discovered Simply Scrappin'®' Kits yet, they're designed to make scrapping quicker & easier, but they work beautifully for cards too. The kit come with a selection of textured cardstock, designer series paper & 6 sheets of die cuts. If you'd like more info, just let me know.

Thanks for visiting & hope you like the projects. I'll be back soon with more.
Inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Stamps: Best Yet (L1 hostess), Cute & Curly (bundled with curly label punch)
Card/Paper: Simply Scrappin'® kit
Ink: Old olive ink pad
Accessories: certainly celery grosgrain ribbon
Tools: curly label punch
Petal Party Simply Scrappin' Kit

Tuesday, 20 October 2009

Sunflower Birthday

I'm glad to say that it's a gorgeous sunny & warm day in Sydney today, so it seems a appropriate to show you this happy little sunflower card I made in August.I really love the layout, which was cased from this cute card by Sherri Barron. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Sherri's blog, but I really like her style. The image is from a very cute little set of 4 stamps called 'A Flower for all Seasons', which I received from SU at Convention (you can see the others at the bottom of the post).
I water-coloured the image with my some Stampin' Write® markers & Aqua Painter™ on some watercolour paper & was pretty happy with how it turned out. Here is a close-up of the image, so you can see it better. The colour combo is a different one for me, but I think it works.Anyway, I have to get busy with some housework, so no more time to waffle. If you'd like any more info, please let me know. Bye for now.
Inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Stamps: A Flower for All Seasons, On Your Birthday, Trendy Trees
Card/Paper: Tangerine Tango, more mustard, old olive, watercolour paper, Washington Apple DSP,
Ink: Black stayz on ink pad, Earth Elements® Stampin' Write® markers: really rust, pumpkin pie, old olive, ruby red, summer sun
Accessories: circle rhinestone brads – fire pack, very vanilla taffeta ribbon

A Flower for all Seasons - $24.95

Monday, 19 October 2009

Bella Bleu Blossoms

I'm back with a card I made for a friend in August.

I wanted an elegant & peaceful look, so I thought my fave blues – brocade & bashful - would fit the bill & added some Bella Bleu DSP. The beautiful blossom image is from 'Thoughts & Prayers' & is stamped with bashful blue & brocade blue markers. The flowers are topped with Crystal Effects® to make them shine...& they're not messy IRL like they do in the pic.

I was happy to see that the greeting from Thoughts & Prayers fitted perfectly in my newest punch – the wide oval punch – you gotta love new punches! I think the rest is pretty self explanatory, but just let me know if you need any info.

Amazingly, this was my first play with 'Thoughts & Prayers', even though it was in my first new catty order back in April. Crazy I know! I was actually a little put off, as it's a double mounted set, (2 stamps go on either side of the block), but I finally got over myself & used it anyway. I'm pleased to say it wasn't as inconvenient as I thought....but I still much prefer single mounted ones.

Tip: To make using double mounted sets easier to use, stamp each image on vellum card with your stamp -a-ma-jig, so you can place the image perfectly when you want to.

Anyhoo, moving right along, I'll be back with more tomorrow.
Inky wishes
Di

Supplies
Stamps: Thought & Prayers
Cards/Paper: Brocade blue, bashful blue & very vanilla card, Bella Bleu DSP
Ink: brocade blue, bashful blue Stampin' Write® markers, brocade blue ink pad
Accessories: kraft taffeta ribbon, Crystal Effects®
Tools: wide oval punch, scallop edge punch

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