Holiday Sparkle

This month's Christmas stamp-a-stack cards are super-easy to make.

Firstly I've cased my own card and made another Christmas Cuties card using more traditional Xmas colours. We'll be doing some watercoloring on this one.

Materials used:

• stamps - Christmas Cuties
• card - real red, gumball green, whisper white, watercolour
• other - aqua painter, markers, Softly Falling embossing folder, Big Shot, dimensionals 

And our second card uses the gorgeous new red foil card that's available in the holiday mini. Here I've paired it with a PTI stamp set and die with some star shaped sequins for added sparkle.

Materials used:

• stamps - Papertrey Ink Holiday Additions
• card - island indigo, real red, whisper white, red foil
• other - sequins, craft glue, PTI die, Big Shot

Hopefully my ladies will like adding these to their collection.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers

Kez

Slightly Past Mid Year Resolution

People make new year's resolutions all the time and I was thinking to myself today - when I realised how long it had been since I'd done any posting here - that maybe I should make a mid year resolution. Then it occurred to me that today is the first of August and we are well past the middle of the year! So here's a slightly past mid year resolution - to try to update here more often and post photos of my cards and other creations. Please note the use of the word 'try' as I make no promises!

You see, my ladies tend to get just a teensy bit antsy (yes, I'm being rather conservative with the measurement of antsy-ness) if they don't get to see a sneak peek at the cards we will be making in class BEFORE the class. I don't understand the problem, myself - doesn't everyone love surprises, after all? No, it seems not. And seeing as how I have gotten decidedly slack (it's true, I cannot deny it) with posting my class cards up here over the last month or maybe ever-so-slightly more, I have been on the receiving end of QUITE a few pointed comments and emails! You know who you are.

So, here you are ladies - in the better-late-than-never category (yeah, we have class tomorrow!) - the very first of our Christmas cards for 2015. I know, you didn't realise it, did you, but it's time (past time, really, I had to postpone the class after a slight accident) for us to begin our Christmas Stamp-a-Stack classes, making 10 cards each month in preparation for the arrival of the jolly weight-challenged fellow.

We make five of each design, including inserts and envelopes. Sometimes they are completely SU products and sometimes not. For this month, we fall into the sometimes not category.

Materials used:

• stamps - Friendship Jar & Friendship jar holiday additions - Papertrey Ink
• card - Sahara sand, whisper white
• other - markers in real red and Sahara sand, stylish stripes embossing folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals

The gold card on the die patterns looks much better in real life, trust me.

Materials used:

• stamps - More Merry Messages
• card - crumb cake, cherry cobbler, very vanilla, gold metallic
• other - Dimensionals, Big Shot, gold cord, Elizabeth Craft dies Ornament Set 2

Phew! All this posting has left me exhausted! But I am looking forward to seeing my ladies tomorrow and making some cards, and soon - if I am any good at all at keeping resolutions (which I haven't been in the past, so for goodness' sake don't hold your breath) - I will be back to show you the goodies we made at Stamp Camp recently. 

If there's anyone out there still tuning in to this channel, thanks ever so much for stopping by!

Cheers

Kez

Cutie Pie Colours

You all know how much I love watercolouring so it will come as no surprise that that is exactly what I have been doing with the cards I have to show you today. Well, okay, it's not all strictly water colouring per se, since some of it was done with blender pens, but let's not nit pick!

The first card showcases some of SU's new in colours for 2015-2017; the card base is tip top taupe and some of the flowers are watermelon wonder (the others are crushed curry), while the leaves are cucumber crush. Stamps are from Papertrey Ink.

Materials used:

• stamps - Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar Spring Fillers (PTI)
• card - tip top taupe, whisper white
• inks - black StazOn, watermelon wonder, crushed curry, cucumber crush, whisper white
• other - blender pen, aqua painter, acetate, crushed curry 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, sticky strip, jar and lid die (PTI)

I stamped the image onto the taupe and gave it a watered down whisper white wash first before colouring using a blender pen on the leaves; then the image was stamped again on whisper white and the flowers coloured with a blender pen, cut out and stuck on top of the taupe layer. I didn't do the leaves on whisper white because I wanted the flowers to really pop and be the star attraction. The jar is stamped on acetate and attached over the top. It's nice to have another gorgeous neutral colour as well as crumb cake and how vibrant do those colours look against it? Yum, yum! 

Second up is a stamp that embodies adorableness called Nice To See You Petunia from Stamping Bella. Check it out:

Are they the cutest or what?!

Materials used:

• stamps - Nice To See You Petunia (Stamping Bella)
• card - watercolour, basic black, pool party, retired SU designer papers
• inks - crisp cantaloupe, blushing bride, so saffron, soft sky, pool party, pumpkin pie, Sahara sand, wisteria wonder, garden green, strawberry slush, lost lagoon, 
• other - ovals framelits, Big Shot, Lawn Fawn alphabet die, rhinestones, Dimensionals, aqua painter, markers

And last but not least is a sweet little number which could have been used for an engagement, wedding or anniversary card - but which I managed to get a dirty mark on right before photography! Clever me (not!) - but I thought after all that work I would show it to you anyway.

Materials:

• stamps - Lily of the Valley
• card - white, marina mist, watercolour, lost lagoon, designer paper from Kaisercraft XO Collection
• inks - crumb cake, blush blossom, strawberry slush, hello honey, smoky slate, lost lagoon, night of navy, cucumber crush, soft suede, close to cocoa, Sahara sand
• other - soft sky ribbon, Dimensionals

That's it for today! Hope you like 'em! Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

Kez

NSU - Berry Sweet

A fun bit of colouring today as I got out my (now defunct) Blendabilities pens to play with one of my new PTI stamp sets (birthday pressie from hubby). It's the first time I've used the melon mambo markers - you know how much I usually avoid brights - but I am very happy with how the strawberries turned out. Almost good enough to eat!

I stamped a second jar on a piece of acetate and placed it over the top to give that genuine glass look and used some extra thick bakers twine around the cover and tag for added authenticity. The faux stitching on the background paper and the cute button help give a homely touch, don't ya think?

Materials used:

• stamps - Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar Summer Fillers (Papertrey Ink)
• card - naturals ivory, whisper white, soft sky and wild wasabi patterned papers
• other - paper doily, Dimensionals, Blendabilities (melon mambo, wild wasabi, soft sky), extra thick bakers twine (white and strawberry slush), very vintage button, mini glue dots, acetate, black marker, ruler

I was lucky enough to get a number of stamps and dies for my birthday, so no doubt I will be playing with more of them very soon!]

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Stitched With Love

I found some stamps with sayings on them related to sewing and quilting so got them to team up with the Sew Suite range of products in the new mini.

Here's my first card made with them. I hauled out the sewing machine again and even added some buttons. I have a HUGE stash of buttons and hardly ever use them!

Materials used:

• stamps - Pattern Pieces (SU), Quilter's Sampler Sentiments (PTI)
• card - Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Sweet Stitches DSP
• other - scallop border punch, buttons, dimensionals (all SU); sewing machine

My second card uses one of my fav colour combos - black, cream and pink - in a much more shabby chic style card. Sorry about the night time photography!

Materials used:

• stamps - Sew Suite (SU), Quilter's Sampler Sentiments (PTI)
• card - Blushing Bride, Basic Black, watercolour, Love Letter DSP
• punches - 32 mm circle, 35 mm circle, scallop circle, scallop trim border
• other - very vanilla satin ribbon, dimensionals, sponge daubers, aquapainter, crystal effects

Thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez