Thank you Mum!

Stamp set(s): because I care, bliss, curly cute
Ink: crumb cake, raspberry ripple, primrose petals, old olive
Card: chocolate chip, raspberry ripple, primrose petals, very vanilla
DSP: print poetry DS paper stack
Accessories: sponges, very vanilla seam binding, pearls

Here is a card that I've made for my mum to simply say "thank you".  We have just been on an amazing trip to Europe and Italy together, which is why I haven't been around blog-land for awhile...  We had a fantastic 4 weeks away, saw lots, and caught up with family.  So grateful for this opportunity!

Anyway, this project has been CASE'd from Teneale Williams - love her work! I wanted to make mum an extra-special card, and I think the layers, the sponging, seam binding and pearls do it all.  Enjoy!

On a personal note (I seem to be doing a lot of these at the moment!) I saw my oncologist last week, and she doesn't want to see me for another 3 months, unless I need to, and if I start displaying the same symptoms as I was before being diagnosed.  It's been just over a year, which is hard to believe.  I am now working 20 hours a week which feels great, and I'm slowly but surely getting my energy back.  It's all good!  I think the trip was a fantastic way to build up my stamina to cope with extra hours at work.  It's been a long journey, but I'm doing well - yay!

JAI challenge - just add mother

Card: rich razzleberry, old olive, early expresso, whisper white
Ink: rich razzleberry, old olive
Stamp set(s): because I care, well scripted
Accessories: rich razzleberry satin ribbon, dazzling diamonds, frost white shimmer paint

Over at Just Add Ink, the challenge this week was to just add mother.   I wanted to try out the mother of pearl technique, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to create something beautiful to honour my Mum.  I love my first attempt at this new technique - the frost white shimmer paint gives the perfect sheen to the whisper white cardstock.  I decided to give the flower some bling with dazzling diamonds, and I couldn't resist adding some ribbon.  I'm hoping Mum will love it (shhsh! don't tell her!).

Happy Birthday to my twin sister!

Card: rich razzleberry, early expresso, very vanilla

DSP: rich razzleberry patterned dsp

Ink: rich razzleberry, early expresso, old olive

Stamp set(s): bliss, so happy for you, because I care, french foliage

Accessories: silver brads, rich razzleberry satin ribbon

I've created this card before, CASED from Teneale Williams, but I love it so much that I've made another one for my sister for her special birthday. It's slightly different, but I just love the layers and the vintage look, and the colours are perfect for my sister. I've done a panel inside, but I forgot to take a pick before I wrote in it... It's just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside!

Happy Birthday, Ruth!! So glad we share the same birthday, and get along like twins usually do! Love you lots!

JAI Challenge - 108

Card: island indigo, pool party, early expresso, whisper white

Ink: pool party, island indigo, early expresso
Stamp set(s): because I care, so happy for you
Accessories: early expresso striped ribbon, perfect polka dot embossing folder, big shot, dazzling diamonds

JAI challenge us with a colour challenge this week, which I loved, and couldn't wait to enter! Here is my take on this week's challenge. I didn't want too much early expresso, so I kept it to a minimum - the small mat and ribbon where enough to bring out the dark colour. The dazzling diamonds really dazzle in real life - the light was bad when I took this shot. But the main thing was I enjoyed bringing this together!

Stamp Camp - Rotorua!

Card: old olive, rich razzleberry, whisper white
Ink: old olive, rich razzleberry
Stamp set(s): delicate doilies, because I care
Accessories: beautiful wings embosslit, big shot, rhinestone

I've been away in Rotorua at Stamp Camp this past weekend, which is why you haven't seen me here for the last few days... Stamp Camp was fab! Amazing talent, it was lovely to put faces to names, and it was very special to spend time with my upline, Paula :-) I'll be posting pics of the camp, and the projects we completed (um, some I still need to complete -hehe!) over the next few days.

First up, I did swaps with 20 other ladies that I met at camp. I decided to do small cards with the tearing/sponging technique and with some 12x12 cardstock (to make it easier to trim up 3"x6" cards) that I had, which just happened to be my favourite colours - old olive and rich razzleberry. Love how these came out, and I received some amazing swaps in return :-) Thanks ladies!

Where pool party & rich razzleberry collide!

Card: pool party, rich razzleberry, whisper white
Ink: pool party, rich razzleberry
Stamp set: because I care

Accessories: scallop border punch, dazzling diamonds, sponge, pool party ruffled ribbon

When I was catching up with the lovely Sharlene today, she mentioned her new favourite colour combo - pool party and rich razzleberry. I just had to create something to see for myself! I mean, they don't go together, do they?? Oh, but they do - VERY well!

Here, I have punched a border on one side, stamped my image and sentiment and layered it on rich razzleberry. Ribbon and some dazzling diamonds on the flower just set it off nicely. Apologies for the blurry second picture of the inside panel...I'll have to work out what's happening with my camera.

Thanks Sharlene for the inspiration - you're a gem :-)

Just because

Card: concord crush, whisper white
DSP: concord crush DSP patterned paper

Ink: concord crush, pear pizazz

Stamp set: because I care

Accessories: sponges, dazzling diamonds, concord crush 1/2" stitched-poly ribbon, top note die cut, big shot

I wasn't sure where I was headed as I played along with the sketch callenge over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday, but I knew I wanted to make a sympathy card - you just never know when you'll need one... So, using my colour coach, I teamed up concord crush with pear pizazz, and finished this off with some dazzling diamonds. I'm sure it'll be appreciated when the time comes!

Farewell gift

Card: cherry cobbler, blushing bride, whisper white

Ink: cherry cobbler, blushing bride

Stamp sets: strength and hope, because I care, so happy for you

Accessories: brayer, sponge, white embossing powder, versamark, heat gun, cherry cobbler 1/2" scallop dots ribbon, scallop trim border punch, candle, tissue paper, whisper white organza ribbon, pearls

My sister wanted to create a farewell gift for a work colleague, so I helped her decorate a candle and make an easel card. It was lots of fun to create with her, and it looked she was enjoying the process of making something beautiful. I've had word that the recipient loved it!

SUO Challenge - fall colours

Card: crumb cake, early expresso, daffodil delight, poppy parade, very vanila
Ink: early expresso, soft suede, poppy parade, real red
Stamp set: bliss, because I care
Other: petals-a-plenty embossing folder, beautiful butterlies embosslit, big shot, sponges, scallop circle punch, decorative lable punch, early expresso 1/1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon

Over at SU Only Challenges, they had a fall-themed challenge, and this was my take on the challenge. I've rushed to do this before it closes, but hope you like it! Loving the way the colours have come together with the masking...

Will be posting more pojects through the week, so stay tuned!

White on white challenge

Card: whisper white
Stamp set: because I care
Ink: versamark
Other: clear embossing powder, dazzling diamonds, petals-a-plenty embossing folder, big shot, basic pearls, decorative label punch

I decided to play along this week at Craft Room with their White on white challenge. The design team at Craft Room are soooo talented! Check them out for some amazing ideas!

Love how this card has come out, but not so happy about the awful lighting we've been having (due to the weather!) to take this kind of shot... The tag at the bottom of the card has been clear embossed with the 'because I care' stamp. I'm definitely going to use white on white again - it's so elegant and pure!

Just add tearing/distressing

Card: rich razzleberry, concord crush, whisper white
Stamps: because I care (hostess stamp set)
Ink: basic blac, rich razzleberry, old olive
Other: clear embossing powder, heat tool, 1/4" poly-striped ribbon - concord crush

I decided to play along with the challenge at Just Add Ink this week. The JAI team challenged us to add tearing or distressing to our project, which I just love to add some texture and depth.

I don't have my staz-on ink pad yet (coming in my next order!), so I had to use my basic black ink pad, and clear emboss it so I could lightly water-colour the image. I had lots of fun, and the effect was "seriously cool"! The photo hasn't come out very well, and certainly doesn't do it justice, but there is a bit of distressing on all of the panels, and the 'thank you' sentiment finishes it off nicely.

Easel card

Card: old olive, rich razzleberry, whisper white, rich razzleberry dsp
Ink: old olive, rich razzleberry
Stamps: because I care, silhouette sentiments
Other: sponge, scallop trim border punch, rhinestones, rich razzleberry ribbon

This is my first attempt at an easel card - I got inspired by last week's JAI challenge and decided to try out one of the pretty folds that the designers presented. I was too late to enter the challenge, but wanted to give it a go, anyway.

I sponged the whisper white panels on one edge (and made this the top for the front and the bottom for the inside), stamped the flower image randomly across the bottom, then stamped the sentiment towards the top. I placed a strip of card (punched with the scallop border punch) across the bottom of the inside panel to keep the top part up and to create the easel. Ribbon and rhinestones finish it off!

I love the way the easal card is a little interactive, but can also fold away to give to someone, or to send to someone special. What do you think?