A Card At Last

Did you miss me? Did you miss me? Did you miss me?

(Yes, channelling some Moriarty there 'cos my girls have gotten me totally hooked on the BBC Sherlock series)

Sorry I haven't been crafting much lately - I have taken on some study as well as working more hours (temporarily, at least) and I'm so tired at the end of the day that there is no mojo or energy for crafting! But with all that left-brain logical stuff going on, the right-brain creative side of me has been CRAVING a bit of card making. I had a free day yesterday so finally sat down and made one - took me hours to decide on a design though, lol!

It's a simple little number that can be used for a variety of occasions and I absolutely love it - so it will definitely be going in to my "to be given only to special people" box!

Materials used:

• stamps - Perfect Pennants
• card - coastal cabana, basic black, whisper white
• other - non SU embossing folder, Big Shot, rhinestones, dimensionals, chalk talk framelits

The sentiment was stamped with black craft ink and clear embossed, which gives it a teeny tiny bit of dimension and shine to match all the bling. I hand cut the black matting behind it, so don't look too closely for the uneven bits!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Autumn Splendour

It's not long now until March and here in Australia that heralds the arrival of Autumn, my favourite time of year. Here in the Blue Mountains the colours on the deciduous trees will be just stunning over the next few months - it always makes me wish I had some talent as a painter to capture that glory of nature. So I do the next best thing and stamp!

The projects for this month's classes feature Autumn colours and here they are:

Inspired by Patty Bennett, this one was a ton of fun with sponging and emboss resist.

Materials used:

• stamps - Magnificent Maple
• card - Sahara sand, whisper white, pumpkin pie
• inks - crushed curry, pumpkin pie, cajun craze, early espresso, Versamark
• other - sponges, brayer, clear embossing powder, heat tool, honeycomb embossing folder, Big Shot, dimensionals

The next card is more fun with sponges and ink, CASEing a glorious card by Tricia Traxler. I am especially pleased with how my leaf turned out! Take a lookie:

Materials used:

• stamps- Magnificent Maple, French Foliage, Best Yet
• card - cajun craze, very vanilla, naturals ivory
• inks - so saffron, crushed curry, calypso coral, cajun craze, tangerine tango, early espresso
• other - sponges and sponge daubers, embossing stylus and mat, dimensionals, non SU scalloped rectangle die

For our third card I borrowed the beautiful Simply Sketched hostess set from my SIL and went to town with watercolouring. Sanding the core'dinations card (in glorious cherry cobbler) made the perfect background.

Materials used:

• stamps - Simply Sketched
• card - cherry cobbler (plain and core'dinations), watercolour, more mustard
• inks - crushed curry, more mustard, cajun craze, old olive
• other - lace ribbon, aqua painter, dimensionals, mosaic embossing folder, ovals framelits, Big Shot, sanding block, sponge daubers

I love, love, love how this one turned out, the colours are so rich.

Have fun playing in the Autumn leaves and thanks for calling in!

Cheers

Kez

You Stole My Heart

I make a point of telling my two girls all the time how much I love them, so I don't usually join in the Valentine's Day hype - but this year I had an idea for a card so I ran with it. I also made them a gift bag of sweet treats.

As the card was very simple, I kept my gift bag simple also and just carried through the colours and motif. Here they are:

I printed the sentiment and stamp twice (created in MDS) and simply cut out the second heart with the matching die, layering it on top with dimensionals.

Materials used:

• stamps - Hearts a Flutter (MDS)
• card - pool party, real red, whisper white
• other - dimensionals, Big Shot, hearts a flutter dies, pool party seam binding, Sweetheart treat bags, computer and printer

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

80 Years Young

I was asked recently to make a card for a gentleman about to celebrate his 80th birthday. My brief was that his favourite colour is red and he really likes stripes - so naturally, the Nautical Expedition papers came immediately to mind. Assured that he does like boats, I went with that theme and paired it up with a great quote from the Daring Adventure set. It's an A4 sized card (ie four times the usual size) so that all the people at the celebration event can sign it.

The stamping part was done on MDS so I could increase the size enough to suit my large card. It also gave me the advantage of being able to really get the effect of that great ship graphic. I added a couple of retired brads and a chipboard anchor.

Materials used:

• stamps - The Open Sea, Daring Adventure (MDS)
• card - nautical expedition dsp, whisper white, midnight muse, purchased A3 navy card
• other - deco labels framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals, cherry cobbler bakers twine, brads, chipboard anchor

On the inside I put a message that continues the adventure theme:

When I took it around to my client I was given three excited hugs, so I'm assured that she likes it! Hopefully the birthday boy will too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Friends

In a complete change of pace from my cards over the past week or so, today's project is a soft and feminine shabby chic offering using a number of old favourites I just can't bear to part with. Hopefully trends in the papercrafting world will return to these pretty florals and elegant fonts, cos I miss them!

Materials used:

• stamps - En Francais, Best Yet
• card - blushing bride, soft suede, very vanilla, pear pizzazz, Springtime Vintage dsp
• punches - hexagon, bird, itty bitty
• other - designer frames E/F, Big Shot, rolled rose die, pearls, sponges, dimensionals, hot glue gun

To get the patchy look from your background stamp like I have, lay the stamp rubber side up on your table and ink it up then lay the paper on top and just press lightly in random spots (not all over the paper) - add some sponging around the edges and your shabby background is complete.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kez

NSU - Love You Honey

Today's card is my second offering with copic colouring - I'm very new at this but am loving the challenge. I think I enjoy it as much as watercolouring, although it is a bit more difficult I find!

Anyway, one of the images I couldn't wait to colour was this totally adorable Mo Manning drawing of Baby Fairy Bee. Sooooooooo cute! The curly hair gave me some problems and I can see I'm going to have to look up some tutorials on that, but otherwise I am quite happy with it for a beginner.

Check out this sweetie:

 Materials used:

• stamps - Baby Fairy Bee (digital stamp - Mo Manning), Lovely Little Labels (SU)
• card - perfect plum, whisper white, basic grey, pumpkin pie polka dot dsp, XPress It
• other - SU jewellery tag punch, Cheery Lynn honeycomb die, paper flowers, mounting tape, copics, SU 1.6 cm organza ribbon, SU ovals framelits, Big Shot, hot glue gun, Spica glitter pen

I coloured the hair last and one of my brown pens leaked two HUGE blobs of ink! Luckily for me, they were right on the hairline, so I cut around the image and stuck it over a second one to save me having to start all over again! There was a fair bit of muttering going on, as you can imagine! LOL!

Well, hope you like my offering. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Make A Wish

A fun birthday card for you today using the cute Retro Fresh papers from the new Occasions catalogue. I used a fancy fold that I've used before (on this card) but turned it the other way and added the cut off piece from the top to the bottom for another layer (idea from Beth Beard).

My pool party piece is embossed with the new arrows embossing folder, also from the OC, and inked around the edge. The sentiments on both front and inside of the card come from new set Perfect Pennants (OC) and I used the SAB freebie pennant punch to make the ends of my so saffron piece. The calypso coral and pool party arrows are made with dies from the labels card thinlits set.

Materials used:

• stamps - Perfect Pennants
• card - so saffron, pool party, calypso coral, whisper white, Retro Fresh dsp
• other - chalk talk framelits, labels card thinlits dies, dimensionals, pennant punch, 1/2" circle punch, arrows E/F, Big Shot

It's going to be a really hot one today, so I do hope you are staying cool!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

No More Sleeps!

YAY! There are no more sleeps to go until DD15 returns from her fabulous trip to the UK and France. We are off to the airport tonight to collect her and I can't wait to hear all her stories and experiences - and most of all, to give her a BIG hug to welcome her home! (Well, maybe more than one hug!)

While she was away, my SIL and I have been painting her room and for a bit of fun, I painted the inside of her bedroom door a special way - check it out:

It wasn't until I had completely made both "windows" that I discovered I have the wrong number of panes - but I wasn't prepared to start from scratch, so she'll have to deal! The cavity in the wall for the door to slide into is very narrow, so I had to make sure all the embellishments are nice and flat.

Naturally, I made her a card for her homecoming (hey, it's what we crafties do!) so I carried the Dr Who theme through on that as it goes so well with travel, lol. There wasn't much mojo going on so it's a bit plain, but I am pretty sure she will like it nevertheless. (Photo taken on my phone, so not the best, sorry!)

Materials used:

• card - pear pizzazz, whisper white, basic black, Pacific point, real red
• other - dimensionals, copics, banner punch

DD's door has an extra bit - the St John's Ambulance sticker - this is from Matt Smith's TARDIS. Did you know that the TARDIS is different for each new Doctor? Learnt that from watching Graham Norton! I made my windows from gloss card, so when they catch the light they shine and look a bit like real glass - clever little vegemite, aren't I? LOL!

And I must wish a Happy Australia Day to all fellow Aussies out there. We are saving our BBQ celebration until tomorrow, so DD15 can join in too.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

NSU - Caffeine To Go

Today's card is a fun little salute to all of you who are coffee addicts! I've had this Kraftin' Kimmie stamp for a while but never gotten around to using it, so yesterday I inked it up.

I've used SU's Perfect Blend in my background and you may recognise that the KK sentiment is very similar to the SU one.

And on the inside:

Materials used:

• stamps - Perfect Blend (SU), Coffee Crusader (KK)
• card - pear pizzazz, whisper white, crumb cake, XPress It
• other - dimensionals, oval framelits, Big Shot, sponge dauber, copics

The picture of the coffee bean I got off the internet; my stamped images are coloured using copics. I did fussy cut around the main image and attach it over another stamp - very fiddly, but worth it, I think!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Multi Flip Mini Album

In between various household duties and trying to keep cool in the heat over the past few days, I had a lot of fun making up a mini album suitable for anyone between 10 and 25. This one is destined for DD15 to put photos of her gang of friends in, but with a change of accent colours it could just as easily be for a boy instead.

I came across a wonderful video tutorial for making this album by Rachel Tessman (the link is here) and immediately had the idea for this bright, cheerful version. The dies from both flip card framelits and the new word bubbles framelits (in the upcoming Occasions catalogue) were the perfect embellishments.

The main disadvantage is my limited photography skills! Anyways, take a lookie. Here's the front cover with it all closed up, then a view from the top so you can see how neatly it all folds in.

And here are the two insides - the pieces of card are places for photos to be added.

Materials used:

• stamps - Extreme Elements
• card - Bermuda bay, crushed curry, strawberry slush, wisteria wonder, whisper white
• other - circle flip card framelits, label flip card framelits, word bubbles framelits, chevron punch, strawberry slush ruffle stretch trim, timeless type alphabet dies, Big Shot, sticky strip, 2 1/2" circle punch, itty bitty punch (star)

You could make the album up and cut all the embellishments and give them separately too, so that the recipient could add them wherever they wish. The perfect gift for hard-to-buy-for-teens! Lol!

This project is my challenge entry at Just Add Ink this week; to use one of the flip card thinlits.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Being With You

Phew! It's 36 degrees C here today - I've just had a dip in the pool and am sitting in my togs (swimmers) and towel enjoying being wet and cool for a while. I have no doubt at all that I'll have another dip before bedtime!

DD21 is melting in 41 degree heat down in Melbourne, while DD15 is no doubt enjoying her much more manageable 13 degree day in London! Not sure who's got the best of it!!! lol

Luckily I spent the afternoon in an air conditioned room showing one of my lovely ladies (and her helpful DH) the basics of MDS. As part of my preparation I created a simple scrapbook layout so I thought I may as well show it to you.

This layout covers basic techniques of:

• adding designer paper as a background
• adding designer paper as a page layer
• adding and resizing embellishments 
• inserting, positioning and matting photos
• adding a punch
• using paper fill in a punched shape
• adding a stamp
• grouping elements together
• saving and printing

I do find MDS pretty easy to get to know and have used it a number of times to make hybrid cards in class, which always impresses my lovely ladies! 

Hope it's not too hot (or too cold) where you are! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Sweetheart Sunshine

I bought the Sweetheart Treat Bags to play with and although I love the little tags that come with them, I wanted to brighten it up a bit. I tried some daffodil delight (inspired by DD15's formal outfit - see this post) and boy! does it pop!

Take a lookie:

I've used Starburst Sayings for my sentiment - this is a new set coming at the end of this month in the Occasions catalogue. This little gift bag is just perfect for Valentines, anniversary, birthday - or just every day!

Materials used:

• stamps - Starburst Sayings
• card - daffodil delight, whisper white, real red
• other - Sweetheart treat bag, chalk talk framelits, Big Shot, starburst framelits, daffodil delight and real red taffeta ribbons, glue dot, dimensionals
• non SU - 38mm circle punch

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Birthday Blooms

The heat is back today and I think I'll be popping in the pool before long! It's quite humid and I'm hot even under the fan.

But earlier I was in my craft room and had the urge to make a floral card. I really wanted to use the lovely Stippled Blossoms set and was looking for a colour combination that's a bit different, so this is what I ended up with:

The ribbon is very vanilla seam binding which I coloured with my wisteria wonder ink pad. It came up pretty dark, surprisingly, but I think it really pops and also goes well with the sentiment (which is actually elegant eggplant!). The flowers are crisp cantaloupe and calypso coral, with pear pizzazz and wild wasabi for the leaves.

Materials used:

• stamps - Stippled Blossoms, Wetlands
• card - wisteria wonder, very vanilla, wisteria wonder patterned paper
• other - doily, seam binding, circles framelits, Big Shot, dimensionals, hot glue gun, bow tying machine, stamp-a-ma-jig

We've had a few emails from DD15, enjoying the cool weather and sights in Europe. She had a great time in Paris and a few days in Belgium, but today they are heading over the Channel to London - so I hope to goodness the storms have abated! Luckily she has good sea legs! No photos yet, unfortunately.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers

Kez

Here For You Retro

Well, today's card is one of those ones that surprises you when you've finished it and take a good look - partly because it's completely different to the card I had in my head when I went into my craft room, and partly because it is a departure from my usual style. However, I quite like it, so that's a happy outcome at least!

The base is pool party core'dinations cardstock and I embossed my top piece with the new arrows embossing folder then sanded it down. A strip of paper from the cute Retro Fresh dsp has some Retro Fresh washi tape over it, then is layered on baked brown sugar. I made the tab portion with my bff, the Envelope Punch Board, which gave me the perfect platform for my cute clip.

Then the search was on for an appropriate sentiment which had to fit the style, size and mood I was after. I thought the one I picked was just perfect to go with all those arrows (here for you …. arrows pointing … "here", get it? lol!) but unfortunately the new starburst dies didn't have the right size for my space - one size was too small and the next size up too big. Improvise! I punched with the 1 1/4" scallop circle punch, then attached that to a narrow strip of card (for purchase only) and re-punched it, turning the scallops a little so they bit in to the original scallops and created this starburst shape. I tried a number of different colour combinations of ink and card to find the one that "pops" the most - and there you have it.

Materials used:

• stamps - Petite Pairs
• card - pool party core'dinations, baked brown sugar, tangerine tango, very vanilla, Retro Fresh dsp
• other - envelope punch board, Big Shot, arrows E/F, sanding block, cute clips, Retro Fresh washi tape, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" scallop circle punch, dimensionals

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Another Sneak Peek

More new goodies for you this morning - some products from both the Sale-a-bration and Occasions catalogues in a simple card.

Materials used:

• stamps - Perfect Pennants (Occasions)
• card - pool party, basic black, whisper white, crisp cantaloupe, Sweet Sorbet dsp (SAB)
• other - chalk talk framelits, Big Shot, pool party embossing powder, heat tool, decorative dots embossing folder (SAB), dimensionals

I love the sentiment on this one and also love the effect of the pool party emb powder on the black! Yum!

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez