Friday, August 31, 2012

The Birds And The Bugs

It's been a week of bugs around here. Gastric bugs, that is.

DD14 got it Sunday night and I nursed her through Monday and Tuesday; DD20 (home for a week) got it Tuesday night, so I nursed her through Wednesday - and then, of course, I got it Wednesday night and the girls nursed me through it yesterday! Poor DD20, seems every time she comes home she gets sick!

So there hasn't been a lot of time or energy for card making and those 21st birthday cards aren't finished, but I did luckily get time on Wednesday to make a card for my very first DT project at the new SU challenge blog, Color Me Beautiful.

Later today you will get to meet the Design Team and then tomorrow our first challenge will go live. I do hope you will all pop over and take a look - and hopefully be inspired to make something for the challenge.

Here's a sneak peek at my offering for this week:


Yes, it's a new set from the 2012-2013 Annual Catalogue - something else that goes live tomorrow! - and yes, I did some brayering. To see more you'll have to come back!

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Colour Me Excited!

OHMYGOSH! I am sooooo excited! I am thrilled to announce that I am now a Design Team member for a new challenge blog called Color Me Beautiful. Using all SU products, we will be challenging you each week with gorgeous colour combinations to try on your cards, scrapbook pages, 3D items and other paper crafting projects. The Design Team will post samples to give you some inspiration and we hope to see MANY of you taking part. Each week a 'Color Conqueror' will be chosen and it could be YOU!

The first challenge will be up on Sept 2nd (Sept 1st in the US), so call back then won't you?

Click HERE to be taken to the challenge blog for more information and why not sign up as a follower while you are there?

Cheers
Kez

Edited to add: OK, my skills at counting back in time aren't that great, so make that call back after 2 pm on Saturday 1st Sept!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Team Edward

A quick post today as DD14 is sick, but I have been commissioned by DD20 to make a number of 21st birthday cards for her friends. This is the first and it is for Bec, who is a big Tim Burton fan and especially loves Edward Scissorhands.

I downloaded an image from the internet, added some dsp, lace and ribbon, a sparkly 21 and a pun for the sentiment inside; it says "Hope your birthday is a cut above the rest". LOL




I'm a bit behind with my posts and do have plenty to show you, so will hopefully be back in the next day or two.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Monday, August 13, 2012

Serene Butterflies

Are you a Pinterest fan? I love it! So many amazing ideas being shared; I love to have a browse last thing at night and save lots of ideas to my boards for looking at later.

One of my boards is Cards I Want to Case and today's project is my first attempt at one of those! This was inspired by a totally GORJUS card by Vicki Dutcher - many thanks for sharing your talent Vicki.




After I brayered I sponged a little extra ink for greater depth. Love this colour combination, so vibrant. It is so much more gorgeous in real life; I think we might have to make this one in class next month!

Materials used:
  • stamps - Serene Silhouettes (new IBC), Kindness Matters, My Friend
  • card - perfect plum, whisper white, basic black
  • inks - tempting turquoise, perfect plum, black StazOn
  • other - windows framelits (new IBC), dimensionals, brayer, sponge daubers, blender pen

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez

Friday, August 10, 2012

A Heartfelt Day

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I attended the Melbourne Heartfelt Stampin' Event (previously called Regionals) last weekend. Around 350 SU demos and their guests were treated to a wonderful day full of inspiration and ideas - plus a couple of freebies! - and the chance to meet up and share the fun of stamping and crafting. There were lots of new products from the 2012-2013 Catalogue and the Holiday mini there for us to play with and some great classes that left my mind reeling with ideas and enthusiasm to come home and MAKE THINGS!

I was honoured to be asked to do a presentation of a tip, technique or wow. The format was to present repeatedly over a 2 1/2 hour period while people wandered by and - hopefully - stopped to look and ask questions. Although I had presented brayering last year at the Sydney regionals, I picked it again for Melbourne because people always comment that it is something they have trouble mastering and I love doing it and feel confident in demoing the technique.

SU generously supplied some brand spanking new product for me to use (playing with new things! happy dance!) and I am now allowed to share my samples with you. I chose to feature the five new in colours predominantly, with some existing colours thrown in too.


My first card uses summer starfruit, whisper white and basic black together with a new stamp set called Serene Silhouettes and a die cut shape from the Apothecary Accents die set. The brayered panel is raised on dimensionals.


Next is a card I cased from the Queen of brayering, Michelle Zindorf. I have long admired this card and as my SIL has the Zoo Review stamp set, I had the perfect opportunity to attempt it myself. I brayered with summer starfruit, calypso coral, pool party, island indigo and a touch of midnight muse. The lovely die cut shape is made with the Windows Framelits dies in the upcoming Holiday mini. The base card is midnight muse.


Not a lot of brayering in my next sample, but the idea was to show that it isn't just for sunsets and silhouette stamps, so I added a touch to this cheerful Christmas card. Gumball green, cherry cobbler and whisper white were my colours and I've used a new stamp set called Bells and Boughs. Framelits dies again, this time used to make a window and as a stencil for my brayering.



Next up a card with some sparkle. I brayered with summer starfruit, primrose petals and raspberry ripple and stamped with Serene Silhouettes again. Champagne shimmer mist covers the main panel, while my background has some shimmer too with irridescent ice embossing powder. Another die shape from Apothecary Accents.


And last but not least is the card is used for my demonstrations. A fun Halloween card with primrose petals, raspberry ripple and rich razzleberry in the sky; basic grey and basic black for the hills. Old faithful Lovely as a Tree makes an appearance with new set Wicked Cool and another die shape from Apothecary Accents.


I was lucky enough to meet up with some lovely demos from Melbourne and surrounds who helped make my day wonderfully fun and friendly - thanks Teresa, Kathryn, Susan and Evelyn - and I can thoroughly recommend the day if you have the opportunity of attending.

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Keep Calm

I'm sure most of you have seen the Keep Calm and Carry On motto everywhere these days. If you don't know the story behind it, click here to watch a short video history (it's interesting, I promise). Some of the variations that have appeared really tickle my funny bone and some are just cute, so when DD14 and I saw a stamp set recently with LOTS of different Keep Calm mottos, she twisted my arm until I ordered it (OK, I didn't need much persuading!).

Here's my first card, made to send to DD20 who I know will get a laugh out of it as she calls me a LOT when she is in need of motherly advice or just to chat (which I love, of course).


Materials used:
  • stamps - Carry On (Justrite stamps)
  • card - midnight muse, whisper white, retired Xmas dsp
  • other - Apothecary Accents die, cherry cobbler seam binding, dimensionals

I kept it fairly simple cos she's not a fussy frills kinda gal, but she does love her some polka dots!

And naturally I had to make one for DD14 too, who as you know is totally in to all things tea related. She really loves this card.


Materials used:
  • stamps - Carry On (Justrite stamps)
  • card - gumball green, whisper white, Domestic Goddess dsp
  • other - Windows framelits die, MFT tea die, white embossing powder, heat tool

Thanks for stopping by and ... carry on!

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Melbourne Choco-lot!

On Sunday DD20 and I did a small chocolate tour of Melbourne. We didn't want to completely overdo it, so just kept to a few places. We began at Haigh's where DD tried a champagne truffle and I picked a lemon truffle. Both delicious, we then headed over to Laurent Patisserie to look at their amazing cakes. Drool had to be wiped off the glass!


We didn't indulge here but tried some chocs at Ganache, DD the elderflower and I tried grapefruit and ginger. Mmmmmmmm!


On our way to the next shop I spotted the street sign below which made me smile. Love the lights!


Our last stop was the Chokolait Hub where we had a hot chocolate drink; I stuck to white hot choc and DD tried chilli hot choc. The chilli was delicious but a little spicy for DD, who couldn't finish it but managed to polish off my white instead!


While we were in the city we HAD to call in to La Belle Miette and get some of their delicious macarons - some for our supper later and some for me to take home to the hungry folks left behind!

Then we caught the tram to Lygon Street and snuck in another movie - Hysteria this time. We were interested to see this as we saw the stage play it is based on a year or two ago and I am glad to report it was very entertaining. Too late for the art gallery now, we just went home for dinner.

Yesterday I flew home, sad to leave DD20 and the fun I'd had in Melbourne, but happy to be back in my own bed.

Coming soon, some crafting goodness!

Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Update from the South

Good morning from sunny Melbourne! I thought I'd pop by and share some titbits of the last few days.

On Thursday after I arrived DD20 and I went exploring Chapel Street, poking into the most fascinating shops full of second hand stuff and quirky collectibles. One shop in particular was incredibly fascinating and I took this photo of part of their shopfront display as it tickled my funny bone.


Then we stopped at the Yellow Bird cafe for some late lunch and I had the most delectable Pumpkin Toast and couldn't resist taking a photo for you - it was roast pumpkin, spinach and fetta on toast with a poached egg on top. It was so yummy that DD stole half!

L

That evening we strolled around to Fitzroy Street and found a traditional British pub called the Elephant and Wheelbarrow (!!) where we enjoyed a pint of Guinness in front of a roaring fire.


On Friday we did a little shopping and had Yum Cha in Chinatown before relaxing at a movie, then dinner at home later and a Cougar Town marathon!

Yesterday I had the most amazing day at the SU Heartfelt Stampin' Event - more on that later as it is a whole blog post or two just on its own!

Today we are off to La Belle Miette to get some macarons (naturally!) and do a quick chocolate tour in the city before we head off to Lygon St for ... well, more shopping and eating! If we have any energy left we want to catch the Napoleon art exhibition at the National Gallery. How am I ever going to want to go home again tomorrow? LOL

Hope you're all having a great weekend. Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Here I Come, Ready Or Not!

Tomorrow I am off to Melbourne for a few days to visit my gorgeous DD20 and have some time in that lovely city. DD wanted to plan out what activities we would be doing as there are so many things she wants to share with me but just not enough time to do it all! I will try to get on here each day or two and share what we get up to - there will probably be yum cha and macarons involved. Probably. Just sayin'.

I am also taking the opportunity to attend Stampin' Up!s newly-renamed regional event, the Heartfelt Stampin' Event. It's the same weekend AND (and this was a big plus!) I will get to see lots of new goodies waaaaaaaay before the Sydney event, which isn't until November! Too good to resist!

Now, as I don't know any Melbourne demos DD offered to come with me, but she is NOT in ANY WAY crafty and I just knew she would be bored and probably end up reading a book. Total waste of stamping time! So I put the call out on our demo chat group and a number of lovely ladies offered to adopt me for the day. Now I will have someone to sit with and share all that stampin' goodness! Aren't they sweet? Naturally I wanted to make a little something as a thank you for these kind samaritans and I couldn't possibly resist my current favourite Big Shot die - the petite purse. Here they are, fairly simple but cute!


We also have to create our own name badge for the event, so here's what I came up with - an SU demo owl, complete with brayer!


Looks like me, don't ya think? LOL

Back soon with Melbourne cavorting! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez