Friday 27 January 2012

More Challenge Entries: StampTV & Ribbon Carousel

Hi there and welcome back to my blog. It's still school holidays in NZ until Monday, when most schools start again for the year. I 've been busy this week with birthday cards and challenge entries and will share some of them with you today. One birthday card I'll have to hold back as I don't want the receiver to spot it on my blog before she receives it! LOL I will share it with you guys later on!

The first card is my entry for the StampTV Free For All Friday challenge. This week you have to CASE one of the DT ladies, the very lovely Jennie Harper. Jennie has quite an extensive and very inspiring gallery over on StampTV and I suggest you hop over there and have a look.
The card I CASEd is Jennie's "As for me":
As for Me...
This is my version of Jennie's card:

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK Designs 
Designer paper: Jillibean Soup - Blossom Soup & Home Made 6 Bean Soup
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer & Spin Eco Permanent  Glue Tape
Image & Sentiment: GinaK Designs "Home Is" by Tami Mayberry
Copics: Y15, R27, C-1
Foam Tape

The second card is for this week's Ribbon Carousel Challenge (RCC37) hosted by Suzanne J Dean.

I decided to make a Valentine's Day card using non-traditional colours. This is my card:
This card is more masculine with the ivory and chocolate brown combo (very non-traditional colours!). I really like how the stitching stands out as well.

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Design in Ivory and Chocolate Brown
Sewing Machine
Distress Ink: Tim Holtz in Tea Dye
Jute twine
Ink: Archival Coffee
Sentiment: Sweet Stamp Shop Sentimental Birds
Fiskars Border Scallop Punch
Foam Tape, Zots glue dots
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer
Button: Own stash


My last card this week is for a very special little (almost) 4-year old. Our little friend LOVES horses and the colour pink and I decided to make a birthday card with a difference - maybe something her parents can frame  and hang in her bedroom?
I didn't want to put the words "Happy Birthday" on the card as it's more a 'scene' than a traditional birthday card, but quite like the two charms - her initial and a horse. The horse stamp is from Hastings Rubber Stamps. I stamped it twice on white cardstock, coloured it with Copics and fussy cut it before mounting with foam tape.

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK Designs in Innocent Pink, Black Onyx, Ivory & Grass Green
Designer paper: Clouds - Stash, Sun - Stash, Grass -Echo Park (Victoria Gardens), Jillibean Soup (Blossom Soup) , Mountains - BoBunny (Gabrielle Collection)
Twine: The Twinery - Blossom
Charms & buttons: Own stash
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer & Spin Eco Permanent  Glue Tape
Dies: Die-Namics flat bottom clouds & fresh cut grass
Horse stamp: Hastings Rubber Stamps
Sun: Stamped with the sun image from GinaK Designs "Home Is" by Tami Mayberry

Thanks so much for looking. We're going away for the weekend so I'll be back on Sunday, when I'll be able to respond to any queries/responses on the blog.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Hugs,
M


Friday 20 January 2012

New Creations & Challenge Entries

Hello there and welcome back to my blog. It's Friday already - where has the week gone? This week I've been working on a few creations I would like to share with you.

The first card I made for two challenges:
as well as the

This is my card:

 Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Pure Luxury Black Onyx & White
Image & Sentiment: GinaK. Falling for You stamp set
Designer paper: BoBunny Enchanted
Distress Ink: Tim Holtz - Iced Spruce
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer, Spin Eco permanent glue tape
rhinestones & ribbon: own stash
Copics: R27
Glossy Accents
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

The next card is for the StampTV Free for all Friday 'Pinterest Inspiration' Challenge hosted by Lee Murphy and for this challenge we had to go to Lee's Pinterest page for inspiration. I chose a picture from her "Card Making Design Ideas" page for my card. This is Lee's picture:
Aqua, Black and White
Picture is from Alinskie.com

This is my card:

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Pure Luxury in Black Onyx & White
Twine: The Twinery - Caribbean
Buttons: GinaK. Aqua & Black
Sentiment: GinaK. Vogue Vases
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer, Spin Eco permanent glue tape
Glue dot, rhinestone & foam tape: own stash

The last card is for the StampTV Facebook January 'Plaid' Challenge and this challenge you can only enter on Facebook and you HAVE to use a GinaK. stamp. No other stamps are allowed. This is my card:


Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Pure Luxury in Creme de Menthe, All Spruced Up & Ivory
Designer paper: Cosmo Cricket Social Club
Image: GinaK. Inspirational Blocks
Scorpal, Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer, Spin Eco permanent glue tape
Cuttlebug & Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Squares (L)
Ink: Tim Holtz distress ink in Peeled Paint
Ribbon, foam tape & pearlys: own stash


Thanks for visiting and please don't forget to leave a comment!
Have a great weekend!
Hugs,
M

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Another Entry: Whimsie Doodles January Challenge

Hi again,

I decided to enter another card for the Whimsie Doodles January Challenge. This one uses another freebie image called Mailed My Heart.

The challenge requires you to create a new project for a new event in life. This card focuses on 'New Love'.



Thanks for looking! Remember to check in again soon as I update my blog!
Cheers!
M

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Designs Pure Luxury in Lemondrop
Designer Paper: Echo Park Happy Days (Blue background) and a selection of scrap DP from stash
Sewing machine
Copics & ultra thin Sharpies
Stickles
Glossy Accents
Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer
Sentiment: GinaK. Designs (Sweetest Memories)
Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals (L)
Distress ink: Tim Holtz in Faded Jeans, Scattered Straw and Tea Dye
Red Pearlies & foam dots from stash
Memento Tuxedo Black ink


My Entry: Whimsie Doodles January Challenge #1

Hi again,
I'm back today with another entry. This time it is for the Whimsie Doodles January challenge.

This month's theme is: "What's New?! Create a project for a NEW event in life. New Year, New Age, New Love, New Job, etc..." I created a card for a young girl who has finished primary school and is moving to intermediate school. The sentiment says "Good luck with your move".



I used the freebie Pencil Pixie image from Whimsie which you can find here. The sentiment is from the GinaK Designs Make a 'State'ment stamp set. Whimsie Doodles has a ton of fabulously fun images to choose from so do hop over there and have a look! Don't forget to also check out their freebies page while you're there!

Thanks for looking and don't forget to leave a comment!
See ya!
M

Tools & Products:
Cardstock: GinaK. Designs Pure Luxury in Passionate Pink & Innocent Pink
Designer Paper: Echo Park Victoria Garden
ScorPal
Ledah TM-10 Papertrimmer
Sewing machine
Foam tape
Glossy accents
Stickles
Distress ink: Tim Holtz in Tattered Rose
Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags & Nestabilities Classic Ovals (L)
Pearl Swirley: Zva Creative
Copics & Ultra Thin Sharpies
Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Monday 16 January 2012

Another Entry: Karber Challenge 47

Hi, I'm back again with another entry for the Karber January Challenge (see my previous post for more details):

This image is ideal for a boy's birthday card but adding some 'bling' was a bit difficult. I used a Sakura gelly roll glitter pen (in silver) on the numbers on his shirt and it looks really effective!

Thanks for looking!
Hugs,
M

Tools & Products:
Twine: The Twinery (Charcoal)
Cardstock: GinaK Designs Pure Luxury in Black Onyx, White, Red Hot, Fresh Asparagus & Creme de Menthe
Designer Paper: Grass-Echo Park Country Drive, Clouds-Jillibean Soup Spotted Owl Soup
Die-Namics: Fresh Cut Grass & Flat Bottom Clouds
Distress ink: Tim Holtz in Tumbled Glass & Faded Jeans
Sakura Gelly Roll Glitter Pen
Buttons: own stash
Cuttlebug
SpinEco Permanent Glue Tape
Foam Tape
Copics & Ultra Thin Sharpies
Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer

My Entry: Karber Challenge 47

Hi and welcome back!

I came across the Karber Digital Images website after seeing their Facebook page (and 'Liking' them). They have the cutest digital images! They also run monthly challenges and you can find the challenge details on their blog over here. For this challenge the theme is:

USE SOME BLING
(pearls, dew drops, glitter, rhinestones, etc)
& A KARBER STAMP
Could be Karber Rubber/Clear Stamp or Digi


This is my first entry for the January challenge:

I used a shiny brad in the top left corner and some Stickles on the little girl's glasses.

I purchased a Karber Special Pack of five digital images.

Thanks for looking! Don't forget to come back tomorrow as I'll have some more challenge entries to share with you.
See ya later!
M

Tools & Products:
Twine: The Twinery - Lilac
Cardstock: GinaK. Designs Pure Luxury in Lovely Lavender & Vibrant Violet
Glossy Accents
Designer Paper: Vintage Vogue Collage pack
Distress ink: Tim Holtz Milled Lavender
Spin Eco Permanent Glue Tape
Sewing machine
American Crafts Elements: mini brad
Flowers & flower button brad: own stash
Foam tape
Stickles

Design Team Call

Hi from me again!
I thought I'd remind you of the Design Team Call over at the Sweet Stamp Shop and the Paper Made Bakery. Applications for the Sweet Stamp Shop close on Tuesday, 17 January and the Paper Made Bakery on Friday, 20 January. Also, don't  forget to 'Like' them both on Facebook!!

I'll be back later with some fun stuff I've been working on so make sure you check back!
Cheers,
M

Friday 13 January 2012

Cardfold Tutorial for Valentine's Day

Hi there,
Welcome back and thanks for joining me again as we're looking at an interesting card fold for a Valentine's Day card. I entered a card using this fold in one of the StampTV challenges a while ago and received a number of requests on how to do it. I decided to make a tutorial video (yes, my first!!) and share the technique with you. You can watch the video here (a list of tools and products is at the end of this post):


This is the card I made in the video (with some close ups of the details):
The cardstock is GinaK Designs: Lipstick Red, Black Onyx and White. The DP is Echo Park - Happy Days.

The wave flourishes were punched from different coloured cardstock.

I edged the white cardstock with the Tim Holtz distress ink, then layered it onto the black and white dp and then onto the black onyx cardstock. The sentiment and small hearts were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured using Copic R27 and a Sakura Red Star glitter pen.

I inked the edges of the hearts with Tim Holtz distress ink.

In the tutorial, I mentioned how I made the heart shapes using my Nestabilities ovals. I got the idea from my talented friend Hannelie's blog Desert Diva. You can see her tutorial here.

Thank you for joining me for my very first tutorial video!
Hugs,
M
PS: Yes, I know my shoulder was in the way at one stage but we're working on getting better! :)
PPS: I have to mention that I couldn't have done this without my 14-year old Technical Director's expertise!

Dimensions & Measurements:
Cardstock: 11" x 5"
Score the cardstock at 2.5"(lengthways) to get center fold
Keep cardstock lengthways in front of you so that it measures 11" left to right and measure 2.5" from right hand edge of paper and score from top to bottom (do the same on the left hand edge). Remember to make a pencil mark on the halfway fold as well.
Keep cardstock lengthways in front of you and measure 4" from right hand edge of paper and make a pencil mark on the edge of the paper (do the same on left hand edge)
Score from the 4" mark to the center of the 2.5" mark on the halfway fold. Do this 4 times (once on each side)
Fold cardstock on score lines to desired form

Tools & Products
ScorPal 
EK Success Wave Flourish Punch 
Spin Eco Permanent Glue Tape 
Tim Holtz distress ink in Iced Spruce 
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Acrylic Block 
Cool Scoop stamp set from the Sweet Stamp Shop  
Rhinestones & Pearlies 
Copic R27 & Sakura Glitter Pen in Red Star (for small hearts on center piece) 
Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer 
metal ruler 
pencil 
Gina K Designs pure luxury cardstock in Black Onyx, Lipstick Red & White 
DP - Echo Park Happy Days 
Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Ovals Large
Cuttlebug


Tuesday 10 January 2012

Hello Baby

Hi again,
I'm back with my take on this week's Free for all Friday challenge over at StampTV. My husband asked me to make a baby card for one of his work colleagues and it just so happened that Michelle is running a baby card challenge this week. We don't know the gender of the baby as it's only due in February, so I tried to keep it kind of neutral:

Instructions:
1. Cut your base cardstock to the desired size. Mine is the standard 4.25" x 8.5" scored at 4.25" and folded in half.
2. Trim the DP, layer and machine stitch. (When I know I'm going to do some stitching, I still dab a bit of glue when layering the DP as I do not want anything to move during stitching.) Ink the edges using Tim Holtz distress ink in Milled Lavender and put aside.
3. Die cut the scalloped circles using the Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles, Cuttlebug and the DP. Layer and glue.
4. Stamp small pennants onto the DP using the Perfect Pennants stamp set. Fussy cut.
5. Die cut the lacey pennants using the Spellbinders Lacey Nested Pennants and the Cuttlebug. Glue the stamped pennants onto the lacey pennants.
6. Push the flower brads through the holes in the buttons and secure onto purple trim. (I was able to push them through the trim and secure on the back.)
7. Glue pennants onto purple trim, using a Quickie glue pen.
8. Glue stitched DP onto cardstock. Glue scalloped circles onto DP.
9. Arrange the pennants onto the scalloped circles and secure with foam dots and glue dots.
10. Add glitter dots using a Sakura gel pen in Purple Star.


Thanks for looking!
M
Tools & Products:
Cardstock: Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury in Creme de Menthe (for base card) and Lovely Lavender, Vibrant Violet & Creme de Menthe for pennants
DP: Vintage Vogue (Collage)
Image: Gina K. Designs Perfect Pennants by Tami Mayberry
Spellbinders: Shapeabilities (Nested Lacey Pennants) and Nestabilities (Classic Scalloped Circles Small)
Ledah TM-10 paper trimmer
ScorPal
Quickie Glue
Purple trim, buttons, foam mounting squares & flower brads - own stash
Distress Ink: Tim Holtz in Milled Lavender
Sakura gel pen: Purple Star
Dot 'n Go glue dots
Cuttlebug
Cutterbee Scissors
Spin Eco Permanent Glue Tape

Monday 9 January 2012

Altered Box

Hi again,
We're at the start of another week and hopefully some sunshine! As promised, I am back with detailed steps on how I altered that sweet little box. (Product details at the end of the post.)
A dear friend invited me to a party at her house just before Christmas, where a representative from Phoenix Trading showcased their products. I decided to purchase two sets of gift boxes (among other things). At the time I thought they would be ideal for Christmas or birthdays and and would make a nice change on the usual paper wrapping style. The boxes come in sets of two, folded flat for easier transport.
This is what the box looked like after I took it out of the packaging and 'popped' it open:
This is such a cute design and the lid forms part of the structure, so you don't have to fiddle with extra bits of paper to make a lid! When you want to close the box, you press down on the top with your hand and it forms a lid, like this:
 
I wanted to make a thank you gift but also wanted to change the design on the sides. I really liked the stripes on the lid though and thought I could change the sides to tie in with the colours on the lid.
I matched the cardstock colours to the stripes on the lid and measured the sides before trimming the cardstock. I also 'un-popped' the box so as to work on a flat surface, rather than a 3D surface.
Next I decided to mix and match the existing cardstock using my Spellbinders Labels 16 nesties to create different coloured labels on each side. I stamped two cards with the Cool Scoop stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop  and two cards using their Sweet Tooth set which I glued onto the sides, alternating.
  
When closed, the lid fits snugly behind the coloured panels. The candies on the side were stamped separately, coloured, cut out and individually glued onto the side panels. I also added some rhinestones.
This is the view from the top, with the lid closed and the little card in place. I also added a bit of ribbon around the perimeter of the lid:
Voila! The final product:
The packet of marshmallows fit inside the box and makes a nice gift!
Thanks for visiting!
See ya later!
M


Product Details:
Cardstock: GinaK Designs  Pure Luxury cardstock in White, Sweet Mango, Turquoise Sea & Passionate Pink
Images & Sentiments: Sweet Stamp Shop Cool Scoop & Sweet Tooth sets
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Spellbinders: Nestabilities Labels 16
Distress Ink: Tim Holtz in Tattered Rose, Peeled Paint, Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass & Scattered Straw
Box: Phoenix Trading
Spin Eco Permanent Glue Tape
Copics: BG000, 0, R27, YG06, YR68, RV13, B32, V12, RV10, V15, RV04, G02
Ribbon & rhinestones: own stash





Sunday 8 January 2012

Hello Again

Hello again on a very wet Sunday! It's been raining over here since yesterday afternoon and it sounds like we're in for some more rain later!
I've been very busy working on a few projects using stamp sets from the Sweet Stamp Shop. Nicole and the team over at SSS opened for the first time in 2011 and I've been following them ever since! Just before Christmas I decided to order some sets and received them just in time (together with a beautifully written note from Nicole!). I ordered 2 stamp sets to start with but liked them so much that I soon ordered 2 more! I used the following stamp sets in the projects:

Cool Scoop
Scootin' By
Sweet Alpha Doodles
Sweet Tooth

The first projects I completed were thank you cards, using images from the Cool Scoop set and the Sweet Tooth set:
  
I then decided to work on some 'altered' projects and decided to alter a box and a jar. Here are the final products, again using images from the Cool Scoop and Sweet Tooth sets:
The packet of marshmallows fit inside the box. The little card accompanies the box.
I saw this little jar at the supermarket when doing my shopping this week and it immediately 'spoke' to me!
The jar is filled with a mix of giant jellybeans and Cadbury's pebbles. The gumball machine and little gumballs are from the Sweet Tooth set.

Some of the images on the stamp sets are so cute and versatile that I couldn't resist using them for other projects as well. The following projects include a name tag for a birthday party loot bag and a name place tag.
The 'frame' and letters are from the Sweet Alpha Doodles set. The little candies are from the Sweet Tooth set. I stamped, then coloured and cut them out to create dimension.

The last two projects are cards again. The first one is a birthday card using the Scootin' By set:

The next card is a Valentine's day card using images from Scootin' By on the front and a sentiment from Cool Scoop on the inside. The little frame the scooter sits on is a stamp from Hastings Rubber Stamps 
  
Thanks for visiting! Watch this space for the step-by-step instructions on how I altered the box!
Catch ya later!
M



Saturday 7 January 2012

My Take on Gina's Journal

Hi there again,
After watching Gina's video over on  StampTV I was really inspired to create my own. I don't know about you, but I keep a journal on my craft desk where I jot down things when I create. I know some crafters just create and then write down their tools, etc. afterwards but I find that I always leave something out. Instead, I jot things down as I go and sometimes I use this journal to brainstorm ideas as well. I recently purchased a new journal and haven't had time to embellish it, until today! This is what it looked like before:
This is what it looks like on the inside:
Yes I know, it's very messy! Luckily I can close the cover (LOL)
Gina's video inspired me to use some of the scrap DP I've been hoarding and I started playing around with a possible layout. Looking at my scraps, I decided on a colour scheme and proceeded to cut the pieces to size.
This is what the almost final layout looked like (before gluing anything down):
Because my journal's cover is black, I decided to mat all my DP onto black cardstock. I played around with the cut bits and once I was happy with the layout, I stuck the corner DP down and then sewed around it with the sewing machine. I then added all the other embellishments. The center bits were left overs after using my Labels 16 and Fancy Tags dies for another project.
This is the final product:
I added my name on a piece of cardstock which I heat embossed, using white embossing powder. You'll notice that I changed the layout slightly on the final product.
Thanks for looking and don't hesitate to ask questions.
Have a great weekend!
M

Sweet Stamp Shop DT Call

Hi Guys,
Hop over to my friend Nicole at the  Sweet Stamp Shop if you're interested in applying for the SSS design team. I LOVE the SSS images and now own a few stamp sets myself (at last). I love working with their stamps and the designs are really cute and versatile. Watch this space for a few projects I've been working on.
Catch ya later!
xxx

Hi Again

Hi Guys,
Yes I'm back today with a few things I'd like to share. Welcome to my new followers! It's so exciting to see new faces on the blog every day!
I went over to  StampTV today (as you do when Gina has a new video) and found that Gina has another AMAZING project video up. More on this later.
I also noticed that Melanie Muenchinger (DT member for StampTV) has published a book based on her stamp set A Year of Flowers. I have a couple of Melanie's stamp sets but I do not (yet) own this particular set. I would love to get in the draw for it, so please join me and visit her blog  here.
I have also been working on a few things over the last few days, so keep your eyes peeled for more exciting goodies being posted soon!
Have a great day!

Friday 6 January 2012

Hello

Hi there to all my new friends (and old friends)! Welcome to my brand new blog! I decided that 2012 was going to be the year that I step out of my comfort zone and create a blog (along with a very long list of other things that I still need to try). I decided to share a few things with you in this first post, so you can get to know me a bit better.
I've been a member of StampTV for almost a year now and attempt their cardmaking challenges on a regular basis. I LOVE their Gina K. stamps and can't get enough of them! I have learnt so much from them over the past year and I continue to learn from them all the time! The DT is amazing and so wonderfully creative and talented. Thanks for joining me on this journey.
I've included a few of my creations using Gina K. stamps: