Sunshine's Stamps and a Happy 18th!

I get a kick out of introducing one of Sunshine's Stamps new images for the week to you. This is Tipsy McStagger and I think he is a wonderful image for an 18 year old male birthday - the fact that my daughter has lots of friends turning 18 this year has a lot to do with me choosing to show off Tipsy instead of one of the other new releases for the week - Clammy Pete or Herky Bird. You can check these other guys out here - and see what the DT do with them by checking out the links on the side bar.

I do want to add that here in Australia the legal drinking age is 18 - so I'm NOT endorsing underage drinking. Most young guys get a little rough around the edges on their 18th - so I used my distressing tool to roughen up the edges of the image layers and sentiment - thought it would fit the mood. Tipsy was a lot of fun to colour - and I nearly made the foam 3D and covered the glass with Crystal effects - maybe next time - or maybe not - not sure an 18 year old would appreciate the extra effort!!!

Here's hoping there's a little Sunshine in your week too...

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #21 - A Card Recipe

This week at Magnolia Down Under Challenges Kellie has set us a Card Recipe to use. We need to include 1 flower, 2 ribbons, 3 brads and 4 colours/papers. I've gone back to a watercoloured Tilda this week - mainly because she was already coloured up and I haven't been well - how slack!!! I'm glad she came out to play though as I'm really happy with how she turned out and reminded me why I like watercolouring! I did cheat a little on the 2 ribbons though - I counted the one in her hair!

Here's what I used - 1 layered flower, 2 ribboons - in her hair and Riding Hood Red Taffeta, 3 SU rhinestone brads and 4 Papers - Bashful Blue Card base, Riding Hood Red Layer, Watercolour Paper and both sides of some Washington Apple DP. I also used some Crystal Effects on the balloons and Tilda's ribbon and boots, as well as some Stickles on Tilda's wings.

Don't forget to pop over to MDUC and see what the other DT members have come up with - and hopefully be inspired to give it a go yourself!!!

I'd also like to thank everyone for their get well wishes - it was heart warming and better than a cold and flu tablet!!!! Love you guys!

xXx

Apologies

Just a quick note to let you know I'm a little under the weather - nasty last minute Winter cold before Spring starts here next week - aaaaagh. I apologise for not catching up on my blog visits - and have a few blog awards to pass on too - will be here for my DT work commitments for now and hopefully I'll be back in tip top condition and stampin' away again soon!

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods....

xXx

It's Raining Hanna Stamps at The Stamp Spot

Hi Guys - it's Wednesday and that's my DT day at The Stamp Spot!

I recently bought this fabulous set from The Stamp Spot Store - it's Rainy Day Hanna from Hanna Stamps. You get several co-ordinating stamps in the set. I've used 2 here - the main image and the splash by her foot. The DP is Sweet Nothings from Pink Paislee, also available at TSS store. I thought it went beautifully with this image. Maybe I'm showing my age but it reminds me of the old Gene Kelly movie "Singin' in the Rain"! Actually I just googled the movie and it was made in 1952 - several years before I came along - but I grew up enjoying old musicals! Phew - maybe I'm NOT that old - LOL.

I've cut my main image out using a labels nestability and the red layer was originally cut as a rectangle. I decided it needed a little more shaping so I traced waves from the corners of the nestie I used for the main image before cutting them out. A few rhinestones added a little bit of bling!

And don't forget Marcia's August Special - you've still got time!!!

All orders made from August 1-31 go into the draw for the chance to win 20% off your next order. Multiple purchase during August from the same customer will gain you multiple entry into the draw.
Good luck!

xXx

Meet Sunshine's Stamps Hayseed Hank!

This week Sunshine's Stamps have released 3 new fabulous images - this is one of them - Hayseed Hank! He has such a cute expression on his face! You can check out the other images at Sunshine's blog here.

I've used some mesh ribbon across the card - it almost looks like a bumpy dirt road or a ploughed field - OK - you may need to use a little imagination there - LOL. I've also used some DP that looks a little like gingham - something I always associate with a country theme. And apologies for Hank's terrible spelling in the sentiment - he only thinks "HAY" is spelt one way - LOL.

Here's hoping there's a little Sunshine in all of your days!!!

xXx

Keesh's Inkspiration Sketch Challenge #12

WOW - I can't believe how fast August is going!!! This is my third Guest DT week for Keesh and I can't believe I only have one more to go!!!

I really couldn't make up my mind with this sketch - my fabulous Holiday Line-Up stamps were calling out to me - but I also wanted to play with my as yet uninked set, Spring Song. So what's a girl to do??? Make 2 completely different cards using the one sketch - LOL.


I've gone for the soft look of Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip for Soft Summer. I used my blender pen and inkpads for the flowers and my Touch and Copic markers for the bird. I cut the oval out using my nesties - after making sure to trim the wings so I could pop them above the nestie and not cut them off! I've also layered the main flower for some extra dimension. Some beautiful Bella Rose DP added to the garden feel. I haven't added a sentiment - it's one of those cards that just speaks for itself and can have soo many uses!!
My second card is a lot brighter!!! I've used my SU markers and my pale blue Copic marker to bring the colours of the Ski Slope DP to life on the snowmen. Instead of flowers I've added some punched and layered snowflakes with a rhinestone in the centre. A fairly simple card but soooo much fun - I LOVE these guys!!!

Kellie's Sketch Challenge #2

Yay - I finally found time to play along with a challenge that's not related to my DT work. Kellie has come up with another fabulous sketch and is offering some cute Motivet stamps as a prize - but hands off - they're MINE - LOL

This cute little baby having all the fun in the fall leaves is a digital stamp from Mo's Digital Pencil. Kellie showed me a couple of Mo's designs at Stamp Camp and I couldn't resist getting a couple for myself. I did colour up one of Kellie's but haven't had time to card it up yet - poor neglected thing!!! The images at Mo's have to be seen to be believed - if you can't find something you LOVE there you're just not looking properly!!!

And don't forget to give Kellie's sketch a go too - you have until midnight Sunday, 30th August - Melbourne Oz time!!!

xXx

Do You Want To Win Some Sunshine Stamps??

This week Sunshine's Stamps are sponsoring Priscilla's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge and up for grabs are some free images and some blog candy - check it out here. This was meant to be posted earlier but somehow it just didn't happen - not sure why - I thought I had it scheduled properly - ah well - it means you have 2 posts from me today - LOL!!!

I've used the sketch on it's side, and one of the new "About the House" series of stamps - Burnie Toaster - to make a fun and quirky engagement card.

Once again I had all sorts of fun suggestions for sentiments, it makes for lots of laughs with family and friends - but decided to go with something a little tamer than some of the suggestions - LOL. It's another aspect of these fun images I love - the creativity of finding a fun sentiment to go along with the image - and then seeing what the other Sunshine Gals get up too with theirs - they are all linked in the sidebar here if you want to check them out - soo much fun!!! I really enjoyed this sketch - I love the look of the panels behind the main image. Hope you want to give it a go too...

xXx

Fairy Chloe flies into The Stamp Spot

Wednesdays are my days to post at The Stamp Spot! This is the super cute Fairy Chloe from The Greeting Farm - I LOVE their stamps. Little Chloe looks so happy and carefree and ready for a hug - and that hug is going Marcia's way to help her feel better after she hurt her back!!! Marcia had sent me this beautiful DP (Lime Rickey - Banana Frost) and I knew it would be perfect for a garden fairy! I also managed to punch a heart out of the scraps to use in a build-a-brad in the centre of my flower. I have glittered up Chloe's wings and the punched butterfly to give the card the sparkle every fairy needs.

Sending you all fairy wishes and fairy kisses...

Edited to add - I forgot to give you a reminder - All orders made in August at The Stamp Spot Online Store go into the draw for the chance to win 20% off your next order. Each order made during the month gets one entry into the draw. Enter as many times as you like, with a valid purchase. Good luck!

xXx

Sunshine Stamps Flying By!

Sunshine Stamps have released 3 new fabulous images - a school bus, a steam train and a helicopter. I love these guys they are soo much fun to colour and create with! This is HockerDocker Helicopter and I have put him to use pulling along a birthday banner - hope it's not too big for him - LOL. The banner was printed on my computer and cut with my MM wave cutter. I also ran it through my crimper and then flattened it out a bit to look like it's moving in the windstream. HockerDocker has Crystal Effects on his eyes, nose and the rotor base (sorry not sure of the technical term!) - it gives him a bit of dimension. I was also lucky to find a fabulous DP in my stash that looks a bit like the sky - although not the dark, stormy skies we've had in Melbourne today!!!

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #20 - Father's Day

Here in Australia we celebrate Father's Day the first Sunday in September - so that's the theme for this fortnight's challenge over at Magnolia Down Under. I know a lot of our international friends celebrate this day at a different time - but why not get a head start for next time - or just send a card to your dad to let him know you're thinking of him!!!

Now here I may lose a friend or two...I'm not a huge Twilight fan - I have tried to read the books and have seen the movie twice, and own it!!! - but it's just not ME. I do however admit to being a Harry Potter fan - and this little Edwin has always reminded me of him - I am always tempted to add a little zig zag scar to his forehead! I haven't added the scar but I did add his owl Hedwig to my card - LOL.

My dad would have loved this card were he still with us. He was a professor - not from Hogwarts - but the theme is there! I've used my brand new Stars embossing folder - 'cause my dad was the biggest star I know! And because he was larger than life to me the letters had to be too. It's times like these I think of my dad and all the things I miss about him - so a little bit of fun with some cardstock was a great way to enjoy some of the fun memories.

Hope you can spend some time honouring your dad and join us over at MDUC.

xXx

Keesh's Inspiration Challenge # 11

This is my second week with Keesh as her Guest DT and I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful comments of support. The blogging community is an amazing one - I just wish I could spend the hours commenting on blogs that everyone deserves! I think my family would complain a little though if I forgot to feed them - LOL.

And that segways nicely into Keesh's Inspiration picture this week - a gorgeous kitchen in muted browns and clean whites. I think I would almost enjoy the daily chore of cooking dinner in this beautiful space - but it wouldn't look this tidy for long - LOL.


I've chosen to use the Hostess set Window Dressing for my card - to mirror the glass doors of the kitchen cupboards. I also chose to use one of the SU Chef's menu selections from Voila - much more suited to a kitchen window! It's also one of the fabulous things about SU sets - the way you can mix and match!

Another example of mixing and matching comes from Annette from My Pommie Purple Patch. She made a wonderful Shoebox Swap for our Stamp Camp using the Choo Choo set from the Spring Mini and the presents from Loads of Love Accesories to create a wonderful Santa Express Christmas card - check it out here.

I also want to take this opportunity to wish Keesh a speedy recovery from torn ligaments in her ankle - I always knew exercise was bad for you - LOL. At least her incentive trip next week will give her a chance to relax and heal properly...take care and ENJOY!!!

xXx

Peek a Boo for The Stamp Spot

Here's my latest DT card for The Stamp Spot - Marcia has these wonderful fresh and bright papers and this adorable stamp (Rachelle Ann Miller's Peek a Bunny) in stock at her online store.

I've used my ink pads and aquapainter to colour her in - and have gone with SU's current Australian In Colours - Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss. This card was designed around a sketch Marcia sent to all the DT members and this week she is showcasing the cards we all made. Marcia would also LOVE to see any creations you come up with using her sketch and will be happy to post it on her blog too... just email it to her. As you can see I've flipped the sketch on it's side.

Marcia also has a special running for August.....check it out!

August Special

All orders made from August 1-31 go into the draw for the chance to win 20% off your next order. Multiple purchase during August from the same customer will gain you multiple entry into the draw.

Good luck!

Bunny Card - Sketch
DPs - Pink Paislee, Scenic Route (stripes)
CS - SU Tangerine Tango and Whisper White
Sentiment - SU Best Yet
Embellishment - paper flowers and Kaiser pearls

xXx

Delicious Diva Sketch Challenge # 1

Well Kellie and Kristy have been up to all sorts of fun together again - but this time with a purpose - LOL. They have created a new challenge blog - Delicious Diva Challenges. They will be running fortnightly sketch or colour challenges with no restrictions on which stamps you like to use!!! This is their very first one - and to celebrate the launch they are offering some fabulous blog candy to the winning entrant!!!




Kristy designed this fabulous sketch - which I decided to flip on it's side! I've used one of my Gorjuss Girls and done her in greens - I do like green - LOL. The punch is a new one I got for my birthday - thanx Deb - xXx. It's by Marta and you can easily do all kind of shapes with it - using the templates and magnetic stoppers - only problem - it doesn't really like CS! It does the SU Whisper White OK though. I'm really looking forward to having a play with the different shapes! We found it at HeavenScent Crafts.

The gorgeous charm in the centre of my flower is from Bizzy Becs.

xXx

Sunshine Stamps Go Underwater!

Hooray for Sunshine and Robbie - their Sunshine Stamps on Etsy Store is officially OPEN FOR BUSINESS...

These gals are 2 of their new images - Big Bertha and Francine Flounder. After all those fabulous masculine images it was sooo much fun to play with them. Francine reminds me a bit of Dory from Finding Nemo - she has that same innocent expression. I think Bertha has seen more of the world and gets a little frustrated by it, and Francine - LOL. I just couldn't help putting them together. I had originally coloured Bertha in purple - but she looked waaaayyy too much like a ribena berry (ie blackcurrant) - LOL. I think the overlay of turquiose calmed her down just enough!

I hope you get a chance to check out the store and give some of these images a go - I know Sunshine would love to hear from you if you do!

xXx

Keesh's Inkspiration Colour Challenge #11 and a Guest DT Spot for August!

I can't begin to tell you how honoured and gobsmacked I was when the amazingly talented Makeesha Byl sent me an email asking if I would be the Guest DT member for August for her Inkspiration Challenges!!!! I have admired Keesh since I joined SU and was ecstatic to meet her at Convention. Her regular DT girls are all amazingly talented too, and some of my SU gurus - LOL. I was determined not to let Keesh down - but my word she threw me a curve ball with this colour challenge!!!! I LOVE all of these colours - but together - hmmmmm! I ended up making 3 cards - one of which made it all the way to the paper recycling bin - the others are here - although I was awake at 5.30am tossing and turning and trying to re-design to no avail - LOL.

This first card was inspired by the wonderful new things I learnt at Stamp Camp last weekend. Both the butterfly and the rose are made from the same SU DP and the SU 5-Petal Punch - how cool! The butterfly is simply 2 flowers each with one petal removed, folded in half and attached - they look so light and gentle IRL. I don't know who came up with these but they were flying all over the room at camp.

I had also asked the amazingly talented Kellie Winnell to show me how she made her roses, see her post here - based on this tutorial. I don't have the blossom punch she used so I used my 5-Petal Punch and my corner rounder (to take off the flower points) instead. It worked a treat! These roses were a hit at Camp too - I'm sure they'll be popping up all over the place soon!

My second card uses my poor neglected Always set - I love the heart from this set but keep forgetting it's there! I've popped the top heart up on Dimensionals for added effect. This one was the card of choice from my daughter and hubby - but my son and I preferred the previous card - so you get to see both - LOL.

I hope I've done Keesh proud - I'm sure I'll see soooo many wonderful entries I'll be kicking myself I didn't think of them first - LOL.

xXx

Stamp Camp Shoe Box Swap

Last weekend I had a fabulous weekend away with 21 other very talented SU demos. We were all asked to provide a shoe box swap to keep us busy over the weekend - I managed to finish them ALL - but 1 - woo hoo. This is the one I came up with. I used the gorgeous new Soft Summer stamp set from the new Spring Mini. The colours I chose were Basic Black, So Saffron and Sage Shadow - the softness of the stamp and the subtle cardstocks went well against the dramatic black.

The flowers were coloured using my SU markers - the only added colours were a touch of Pretty in Pink in the flower centres and Creamy Caramel for the stem. The larger flower was also popped up on Dimensionals. I also added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flower centres and the 2 Saffron "brads". The sentiment is for the hostess set Best Yet - I LOVE this set!!!!

Hope you all have a FABULOSO wekend....the sun is shining here this morning so I'll be able to think of Spring while I do my housework - I wonder how much extra family and creating time we could have if houses were self cleaning - LOL.

Edited to add - A shoe box swap is this - everyone designs a card/project and has their finshed card/project in a box - along with all the CS cut to size, stamps, ink pads and accessories needed to create that card/project. These boxes are then placed on a central table so the other swappers can take them to their work station to complete. Hope that makes sense!

xXx

Mr.Smoothie Thinks You're Sweet!

Mr.Smoothie is another fantastic digital stamp from the garage of Sunshine's Stamps. I had originally decided to colour a Mrs. Smoothie, but she ended up looking more like a Mr. - a quick change of eyeshadow was needed to replace the pink I had started with - LOL.

I've used him here on a belly band for a clear noodle box full of chocolates - Yummoooooo. At least I put the belly band around the opening so I'm not tempted to sneak off with one - LOL. I also added a tag to the handle - I think I may do something similar for my son's party favour boxes - hmmmmm - got me thinking!

I've also just got some new images to play with - they are from a whole different world - I'll be posting a new project soon so watch this space!!!

xXx

Ballet Anya and The Stamp Spot!

Last week all the DT girls from The Stamp Spot got sent a wonderful little parcel of goodies - there were stamped images, DPs and some embellishments, all available over at The Stamp Spot Online Store - now that's the kind of mail I like!!! I chose to use Ballet Anya for my first DT card - and so did Sue - so check out how different she can look by visiting The Stamp Spot and seeing Sue's card too. Obviously she's a popular little image - LOL.

Ballet Anya Recipe
DP - Basic Grey
CS - SU Soft Sage and Rose Red
Sentiment - SU Best Yet
Cuttlebug folders - Swiss dots, Divine Swirls
Embellishment - Satin ribbon, Kaiser pearls, Rhinestone brad

xXx

Sunshine Stamps - Nurse Chrissy

Here is one of the fabulous new stamps from Sunshine Stamps - Nurse Chrissy will be available for sale from August 5th when the brand new Sunshine's Stamps Digital Store opens August 5th - that's a mere matter of a few hours away now - woooo hooooooooo. There are other new images too - you'll have to pop over to some of the other Sunshine Stampers DT to check them out - they're linked here.

I coloured Nurse Chrissy up while I was away at Stamp Camp over the weekend - so had some great advice from one of the nurses there as to what colour a stethoscope was - apparently they can be any colour under the sun - LOL. I decided there was sooo much red and blue that I needed to add in another colour - and for some reason I chose Orange - don't ask me why - maybe it was the couple of wines I'd had - LOL. I hadn't taken much with me to camp - mainly images to colour - so I had to win this DP (from SU Walk in the Park) during a quick quiz on camp to get working on the card. I also then pinched some Pumpkin Pie CS from Princes (aka Kristy Young). The rest was mine!! Only problem - no embellishments :( - so I knotted some 1/4" strips of CS and used them to add some interest - was quite pleased with myself actually : )

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #19 - Winter

It's Winter here in Australia and that's the theme for this week's challenge over at Magnolia Down Under. I've come up with a fairly simple scene to set my skating Tilda. My daughter is a figure skater so this image was a "must have" in my Magnolia collection. The DP is from SU's Ski Slope series - I LOVE this series!!! It will be available from August 1st here in Australia in the Spring Mini. The trees and snowflakes in the background are from a retired SU set called Trees Three. I've used white EP for the snowflakes. I also added some snow in the trees with my white gel pen and Dazzling Diamonds. The "ice rink" also have Dazzling Diamonds on for extra bling. The sentiment is from Warm Words and just seemed to fir the sparkle of the card.

Most of us are counting down to Spring now, it start September 1st here - the tree in front of the house opposite has started to bloom - it's always early but it signals the beginning of the end of Winter.

Hope you can have a little bit of Winter fun using stamps, cardstock and some embellishments to join in the fun at MDUC too...

xXx