Inkspirations Sketch Challenge - Baroque Bleach

Here is a card i designed for the Inkspirations Sketch Challenge today. We all know that time is limited so today i crossed two things of my to do list with one card. I needed to make the 4th card for my bleaching techniques class that is coming up so i decided to incorporate the challenge.
Baroque Motifs is such a lovely set i have used it with a favourite colour combination of Baja Breeze, Basic Grey and Very Vanilla.
The Baroque swirls have been laid in the background using bleach, i have then used quite a few different tools and prouducts for the rest of the card including the Circle Scissors and some Hodgepodge.



If you would like to make this card and come along to my bleaching techniques class, it is on the Thursday 18th March, email me at Christies_stamps@yahoo.com.au for more details.

Something Sweet for Valentines Day

This is a cute little card i made with Valentines Day in mind. The Something Sweet stamp set has lots of little things that you can place in the lolly machine for versatility. It has love hearts too so i thought that would be cute for a little Valentines Day card. I used the Whimsical Words FREE Sale-A-Bration set for the greeting. I love this set in particular because it just looks great with everything!
I hope you all can make some time to make something to let that special person in your life know that you appreciate them, not only on Valentines Day but throughout the year.

Lollipop Treats and For Everything Post It Note Holders

Recently i held my Sale-A-Bration launch party. It was a good night with a few make and takes and lots of prizes. I always like to give a couple of little treats to my guests at these events and this time it was no different. I made these little lollipop holders using the Vintage Labels Sale-A-Bration set as a frame through which you could see the lollipop. These lollipop holders are really really easy so i thought i would give you the measurements to make them yourself.

1. 1. Cut Designer Series Paper 2 1/4" x 6", score in along the longer side at 2 1/4" and 3 3/4".
2. Punch a hole in one side using the 1" Circle Punch
3. On a piece of scrap, stamp the scalloped circle Vintage Labels stamp. Then punch out the middle of the circle using the 1" circle punch, followed by the scalloped circle using the Scallop Circle Punch.
4. Adhere the Scallop Circle Label to the Designer Series Paper for a frame.
5. Fold along the score lines and adhere the Designer Series Paper around the lollipop using mini glue dots.
6. Decorate the stick with small piece of co ordinating ribbon.

The second little gift i made for my guests was a Post-It note holder. I was inspired by a gorgeous holder i recieved from my upline's upline Joanna Wassens. I made mines using the new For Everything set from the Summer Mini Cataloge. Cute and simple to make.

I hope you enjoyed these little treats and perhaps next time you may be able come along and share in the fun.

A little bit of scrapbooking

Surprise, surprise! I have been doing a bit of scrapbooking lately and really enjoying it. I whipped up these two pages in a flash. They are the kids 2009 daycare photos. Pretty easy because of the layout of the prints themselves but i was thrilled to be able to use some really 'pretty' things on Alyssa's page. I used the gorgeous Crochet Flowers from the Summer Mini Catalogue and popped a Purple Rhinestone brad from the Circle Ice Rhinestone brads in them. I also used some Sweet Sticky Cuts with Fine Supernova Glitter. I love these but seem to hoard them for something really pretty! I have also used the Fine Supernova Glitter on a length of Sticky Strip to divide the photo and the title. I love this effect. It is such a straight sparkly line and so effective. I have used the Outline Alphabet for the title, stamped in Whisper White ink on Rose Red cardstock to coordinate with the textured Rose Red cardstock i have used for the background. I chose the colour scheme of Rose Red, Pretty in Pink and Sage Shadow from the colours in the photo and was pleased with the effect. The last 'pretty' thing i used was a Filigree brad just below the journalling.

I used the same layout for Tyson's page. I used the colours Not Quite Navy, Garden Green and Sage Shadow to coordinate with his shirt in the photo. Once again i used Textured cardstock which creates a lovely look. I have used some Self Adhesive Die Cuts from the Hoppy Memories Simply Scrappin Kit. Tyson was in the Explorers room last year and this fit with one of the words in the set coincedently. I did change the 'e' though. I used a Chipboard letter from the On Board Letters and coloured it in using a Chocolate Chip marker and coated it with Crystal Effects for a glossy look. I still think i need to add some stars to this which i will do with my Star Punches. I do have a few stars from the Starring You set stamped with Not Quite Navy Ink up the top of the page.

I have just invested in a gorgeous Linen 12 x 12 Stampin' Up! photo album for all of the pages i have been making lately. Some of which i will share with you over the next little while.
I hope you enjoyed my pages, let me know what you think.

Male Card Class

Thursday 11th February 2010
7:30pm
$20 including a technique guide and tip sheet

Male cards can often be very tricky so why not come along to this card class aimed specifically at making cards for the males in our lives. Learn some great tips in the tip sheet included in this class and also learn the techniques of Faux Woodgrain and Faux Leather which will include a technique guide for you to take home.

Flower Fancy Inkspirations Colour Challenge

I was hoping to be able to participate in a few more challenges this year and work them into other projects i am doing. I almost missed the first Inkspiration Challenge as it ends tonight but i was able to quickly make a card. The colours for the challenge were indeed a challenge for me. I think i have used Cameo Coral once before in a card.

I have used the Flower Fancy set. I just love using this big flower with the Rock'n'Roll technique. I have used So Saffron and Cameo Coral for the Rock'n'Roll with Chocolate Chip behind for the two step stampin'

Another little thing i incorporated into this card and can tick off the 'Want to Do' list is to use a Half Pear from the Pretties kit inside one of the Large Flower Designer Brads. I have stuck it on using Crystal Effects which is just an all around handy product to have.
Anyway here is my card and entry into the challenge. Still not convinced of the colours but i gave it a go!

Vintage Labels with a Twist

I am sure you can all empathise with me when i say that this is a card that took me 2 hours to make. It may not look like it BUT i had this great idea in my head to use the FREE Sale-A-Bration Vintage Labels set with punches to create a different looking stamped image depending on the punch i used. Well that part actually worked and the Scallop Circle Vintage Label stamp looks fabulous and entirely different when punched out with the Scallop Circle, the 1 3/4" Circle, the 1 3/8" Circle and the 1 1/4" Circle punch. What didnt work was the layout for the card i had in my head so after a while i thought of the flower pot with some layered flowers and this is what it turned out like. I like that it is a different twist on the stamp set but it is entirely different to what i had in mind.
The flower pot is made using the Kaleidescope Designer Series Paper and the Greeting is from the Chit Chat Rub On s both from the Summer Mini Catalogue. The stems are made from the Baroque Motifs stamp set and the flowers are layers of the Vintage Labels decorated with some Designer Series Paper and a Clear Round Button.

Celebrate Sale-A-Bration with an ESAD Blog Hop

Today marks the beginning of Sale-A-Bration and to celebrate we are having a Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop! ESAD (Extra Special Aussie Demonstrators) is a Demonstrator Only forum that i am part of that is a wealth of information, support and all around fun. If you are an Australian Demonstrator you are eligible to join - just click here for more information.
Now let's get the party started!

Today i have a couple of projects to show you. The first is a very simple box in which i have stored a whole bunch of tags made using the Vintage Labels Sale-A-Bration set. I have used the very simple classic colours of Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White and Basic Grey. The Vintage Labels set is fabulous because it co-ordinates with three of our punches - the Scallop Circle, Large Oval and Curly Label. This makes it great for greetings on a card or for simple tags for a small gift. The set also has 3 different greetings, so it can be used for any occassion.
The box is a very simple slider box in which i have placed a divider to divide my tags by occassion.

The second project i have for you today is some cards in a draw. I have used the Kaleidascope Designer Series Paper and mounted it on Basic Grey and Pixie Pink card stock. The colour contrast of the dark grey colour makes the vibrant colours of the Kaleidascope paper really POP! Again using the Vintage Label Sale-A-Bration set you can see that it is so easy to place a greeting on some ribbon on a card to finish it off. Such a simple card to make! I have also made a draw which i have decorated with some matching Kaleidascope paper and some buttons from the Summer Mini Catalogue. I made 4 matching cards and placed them inside the draw and it will be a nice little gift for someone.

For more Sale-A-Bration ideas head on over to Corinna Buchan's blog . It is the next stop on the blog hop. Remember if you leave a comment on each blog and then send an email to leonie@stamp- a-latte.com you will go into the draw to win some great blog candy. Happy Blog Hopping.

Hatian Disaster Relief Special

On 12 January, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving in its wake devastation so overwhelming that the Haitian people and their leaders can only look for help from the outside to cope. As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you can help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of this earthquake by purchasing, and more importantly selling, the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set.

From now until 28 February 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you sell will be donated to the American Red Cross' Haiti Reflief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts	117715	$42.95 AUD/$49.95 NZD

In the past, when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, when a tsunami struck Indonesia, when a hurricane destroyed New Orleans, and when wildfires ravaged Australia, Stampin' Up! demonstrators have stepped forward and showed their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. This time is no different.

To help raise as much moeny as possible i have decided to offer all customers my demonstrator discount on this stamp set. The total costs for this stamp set including postage will be $41.09 so if you were partial to this stamp set and want to help a good cause place your order with me at Christies_stamps@yahoo.com.au

I have really been enjoying playing with this stamp set and the co ordinating punches. Here are two cards to give you some inspiration.

The first card is a very simple card which is decorated with the scallop edge punch and the gorgeous Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon. But where are the dots? The flip side of the ribbon is double stitched, making it extra handy. I have also used a rub on from the Chit Chat Rub Ons as my greeting.


The second card i have used the Big Deal Alphabet set and a Sweet Treat Cup. Inside the cup i have placed some chipboard love hearts (coloured in with a co orrdinating pink passion marker of course) and some of the love hearts from the stamp set that have been puched out with the co ordinating Heart to Heart punch. Turned out pretty cute i think.

Of course this stamp set screams Valentines Day at this time of year but it is also a really great set for engagements, weddings, for that specials someone and also for little girls who all seem to love hearts! I have a few more projects that i have created with this set up my sleeve so check back to see more ideas to inspire you!

Something Sweet for you

This card is made with the great set Something Sweet from the Summer Mini Catalogue. It is on one of the cards we made at my Sale-A-Bration launch last night. We had lots of fun with 3 make and takes, some food and lots of fun. Congratulations to my prize winners too - some of my customers were lucky enough to take home a free stamp set and other product.
If you would like to attend one of my launch nights make sure you sign up to my newsletter at the top of this page.