Kellie's 1st Challenge - A Sketch

My amazingly talented friend Kellie Winnell has decided to celebrate her recent achievements by posting a sketch challenge - with a secret surprise prize!!!! Well how could I not play along and support her wonderful blog and talents! You have until Friday, 25th if July at midnight Australian EST - so why not drop everything and give it a go!

I actually made my card up last Sunday - but didn't get a chance to post it until now thanx to some dodgy prawns!!!

The image was stamped off for me by my friend Deb A - she bought the stamp recently and thought I would like a couple of images to play with - I did!! Not sure which stamp company he belongs to but he is rather cute!

The large circle has been cut from a sheet of Whisper White that I stamped with the SU Gratuitous Graffiti background stamp. I also cut a smaller circle out of an offcut to stick behind a SU Clear Button, after I tied a piece of embroidery floss through the holes. A smaller circle of DP was popped into a Build-a-Brad, this little guy just didn't seem to need flowers in the layout! The sentiment is from my favourite hostess set - Best Yet.

I hope you get a chance to check out the challenge - or give it a go yourself!!!

xXx

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #15 - All About a Boy

I knew exactly what I was going to do for this challenge - and got it done ahead of time for a change!! This week's challenge at Magnolia Down Under is "All About a Boy" and I bought this wonderful car stamp from Alota Stamps with Edwin in mind! How perfect is it for the men in your life!!! I had expert advice from my 10yo car fanatic son on where to use my silver glitter gel pen for the chrome - you should see how it sparkles IRL - a finish any man would be proud off - LOL. My son's only criticism was that I should have clipped Edwin's wings NOT glittered them up with Dazzling Diamonds - ah well - he'll have to put up with his mum's love of bling! The "Eddy '09" number plate was my daughter's contribution - but the possibilties are endless!

The background is the gorgeous new SU Gratuitous Grafitti stamp inked up in River Rock - so perfect for boys! The "tyre tread" in the middle of the sentiment is from SU Circle Circus. The car windows and lights have had Crystal Effects added - it really is amazing how much this card shines! The star brads are from the SU Hodgepodge set and the Real Red strip has had Real Red ink thumped onto it directly from the ink pad - I LOVE the texture this easy technique adds!

Don't forget to pop over to MDUC and check out what the rest of the DT did - and we look forward to seeing your entries too!!

Another Teenage Birthday!

Here is another teenage birthday card using the Miss Anya Collection from The Greeting Farm. This one is for my friend Deb's daughter, her last year as a teenager!!! Once again I've been playing with my copics and other markers. I also wanted to add some colour behind the sentiment but because we don't have the large oval scallop punch yet here in Oz, I've layered 2 wide oval punched pieces behind the sentiment piece - it added just the right finishing touch! The colours here are Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White.

Happy 19th Birthday Jacinta!!!

xXx

A Birthday Card for my Sister

My sister loves this stamp from Stampavie so it was the perfect choice for her birthday card. Her birthday was actually a couple of weeks ago and we've been trying to catch up in person, but sometimes things get in the way. Both Sharon and her son Liam have been unwell and then my work and Liam's schedule got in the way! In the end I popped it in the post!

I used the largest Nestie for the image so I cut another one out in brown to sit behind it - all I did was split it in half and nestle it underneath the main image - I did have to trim off the "points" to make it sit better - but I'm happy with the extra definition it gave the card! I've used Crystal Effects on the owl's eyes, it really makes them come to life! I've also used Dazzling Diamonds on their little tummies and the stars.

Sharon called me today to thank me for the card so I know I can post it now! She guessed I had used the owls - she knows me to well!!!

Luvya Sis!!

xXx

An 18th Birthday Card!

This Saturday marks the 18th birthday of one of my daughter's friends. The girls have been friends - on and off like most kids! - since they were at kindergarten together 14 years ago!!!! Boy does that make me feel old!!!! I recently bought the Miss Anya Collection from The Greeting Farm after being enabled by my friend Lisa over at Craft's Meow - she sooo had to twist my arm ; ) - LOL! This set of 3 is sooo perfect for teenage girls - my daughter loved them so figured her friends would too. I've coloured this with a combination of Copics and a cheaper version of marker - I need to hone my skills before I go all out with buying Copics! I've used my Cuttlebug to emboss the background, and to cut the numbers and purple flower. Colours are Cameo Coral, Real Red and Elegant Eggplant.

Bizzy Becs Whiff of Joy Challenge

Bizzy Bec has a challenge running until May 22nd using a Whiff of Joy stamp and lace. I only have a couple of Whiff of Joy stamps and the other one is a chair - may try that one another time! I love this image from the Winter Collection and with the cold weather outside it certainly felt like the right stamp to use. I've played with my Copics again - am loving these! I also masked the little girl and stamped the large snowflakes in Soft Sky (retired) and Versamark so I could add some glittery EP. The smaller snowflakes are just in the Soft Sky. These stamps are from the retired SU set The Snowflake Spot. I've used my Eyelet Border punch to fulfil the lace criteria. This is soo sparkly IRL - with the snowflakes and Dazzling Diamonds on the girls ear muffs, muffs and boots!

And can you tell - I have some new Nesties - Labels 2!!!

In Sympathy

Last week I had the misfortune to have to make a sympathy card for a new friend and my husband's colleague who had suddenly lost a family member. This really is NOT the type of card anyone likes to make and I really struggled with it. I usually tend to "be there" for friends in this situation and not send cards - I prefer the personal touch. However a trip to Toronto, Canada was out of the question so I had to knuckle down and create something special. Recently I had seen the type of card I wanted to do on Michelle's blog - Stamp and Smile - check out her gorgeous card here. Unfortunately we didn't have the stamp set Michelle used, but it will be available in April in the new catalogue. I ended up using my Fantasy stamp from Penny Black and used black embossing to put it on some BoBunny DP. I layered my image onto Basic Black and Sahara Sand. The sentiment was also embossed. I then sponged some black under the tree to "ground" it. I was pleased with how it ended up - just wish it was for a happier occasion. Hopefully it will bring some comfort knowing that people are thinking of them from across the world!

High Hopes Challenge #17

Ever since I saw Amy Wegener's site Stampin' Stuff several weeks ago I knew I would have to get me some High Hopes Stamps. Amy is the most amazing artist - you just HAVE to check out her work!! Luckily for me I had ordered a stamp from a local stamp shop and when I went to collect it she had just received a new shipment - and had High Hopes Stamps - Yippeeeee. I bought this little fella and then inked him up for this challenge - from the High Hopes Blog. I've stamped him in Versamark and used black EP before colouring in with my SU Watercolour Crayons and Aquapainter.
This little guy has a Going Gray embossed strip to simulate his rough hide - though he looks too cute to have anything rough!!! I gave him a yellow ribbon because it historically signifies homefront support for troops - and these fires have been likened to devastation left by wars. A bit deep there - but my intention was to make a gesture of support to our fire victims.

Cuttlebug Be Inspired #17 Challenge

The theme for this challenge is LOVE and luckily for me the pre-stamped images I'd ordered had arrived on Thursday and these cuties from Magnolia Stamps were among them - talk about perfect timing! I sat down yesterday and coloured these guys in using my SU Watercolour Crayons and Aquapainter - I just love the look I get from these. I also used the same colour crayons to add some dashes of colour to my Pretty in Pink heart before I sent it to the Cuttlebug for embossing. The folders I've used are Divine Swirls, Swiss Dots and Forest Branches. Everything was layered onto Ballet Blue CS and a Certainly Celery card base.

This is also the first opportunity I've had to post a card with my new watermark - thanx again to Nancy!

On a Sad Note -

Yesterday was a great day to be sitting in my house with the air con going and colouring - Melbourne recorded it's highest temperature on record with 46.4 oC/115.5 oF. Unfortunately in the extreme conditions bushfires have caused loss of life and devastation to many families in areas close to the city. I was a volunteer fire fighter in my teens and early 20s - and fought in the infamous Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983. Yesterday's fires have brought back many memories I thought I had long forgotten! My heart and thoughts go out to those affected by fires and those still battling on the fire fronts.

If you want out help please support the Salvation Army who are in there trying to help those in need. Donations can be made to The Salvation Army’s Victorian Bushfire Appeal by calling 13 SALVOS (137258) or by going online to www.salvationarmy.org.au/donations. Donations are tax deductible.

Katie's Card

This card all came about because I treated myself to Tilda's little pet cat - I just had to ink it up straight away! I was also having some quiet ME time while waiting for the kids to wake up - and it's waaaaayyyy too hot here to do anything silly like housework - even with the air con running - LOL. As usual I coloured my designs using my aquapainter and water colour crayons - I'm loving these! The layout "just happened" - the way soo many of mine do! Plan ahead you say! I do have an idea in mind when I sit - but things always change along the way.

As this card was taking shape I realised it was "the perfect" card for my niece Katie - although I'll have to remember I've done it when her birthday comes around in August!! I'm also hoping I remembered her age right - hmmmm!

Recipe:
SU CS - Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Kraft
Stamps - from Magnolia Stamps and SU Short and Sweet
Ribbon - SU Choc Chip Grosgrain
Other Bits - Nestabilities, Cuttlebug - folders and Hippy Chick alpha

Tilda and Edwin

Yesterday I saw a very cute card on Kellie's blog using a Tilda image. It reminded me that 2 of the images I had stamped to take away were from the same family - so I snuck away from the washing for a bit and pulled them out to play! I had also promised to show Kellie which stamps I had - so what better way?? All the supplies are SU with the exception of the Magnolia Stamps, the big green rhinestone and the 3D flowers.

I love this little Edwin - he's soo neat and tidy and yet I felt I had to use torn and distressed edges because all little boys have a little devil underneath the angel. I used a combination of water colour crayons, markers and inks to colour him (and Tilda), I don't have all colours in all mediums so I had to adapt. I used some Crystal Effects to pop lenses in his glasses - don't you hate the movies when the glasses are obviously fake?? This added such a cute dimension to his face as the lenses now catch the light and makes him look like he's watching you. The main colours here are Brilliant Blue and Certainly Celery - an old playground saying of "blue and green should never be seen" comes to mind - but I LOVE the mix.

This little Tilda was meant to be sitting on the bench instead of Edwin originally - but things never turn out the way I first see them! I had this idea of having Edwin sitting on a corrugated iron fence - but felt he was too neat and his mum would get mad at him if he got rust stains on his clothes - LOL. So little Tilda got the iron fence! I used some Brushed Metallic Silver CS and sponged on some Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip to give the appearance of rust. I then ran the strip through my crimper - I know - NO CUTTLEBUG!!! LOL. I gave her a sunset background using brayering and sponging - see Michelle Zindorf's blog if you want to know how to do this - she's the brayering guru!!! I started with a sheet of So Saffron, brayered on More Mustard and then sponged on Pumpkin Pie and Ruby Red. I gave the sun some Dazzling Diamonds rays - I wish you could see it sparkle IRL! Tilda's little wings are also coated in Dazzling Diamonds. I found these perfect little 3D flowers in my stash and popped them behind the Hodge Podge Hardware and sentiment - their stems were too delicate to be left out! I few Antique Brass Brads for fence nails and I think she came together very well. I layered her onto Basic Black and then onto a Ruby Red card

Some quick Christmas cards

I was recently asked if I could make some ice skating based cards for my daughter's figure skating club as they run the little shop at the rink. Last week I sent down some cards using Glideabella from Stamping Bella - as shown in a recent post. Today is the club's Christmas show so this morning I also thought I'd whip up some Christmas cards using this little fella from Penny Black. I coloured him up using a mix of my SU markers and SU watercolour crayons. The star and the fur on his hat have been blinged up with Dazzling Diamonds. The Whisper White layer has been stamped using the snowflake from Snow Swirled in Real Red and then run through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder. The sentiment is from Short and Sweet.

I was amazed how quickly they came together once the colouring was done - and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Playing with Colouring In

I have recently spent some time playing with different ways of colouring in my stamped images. I have used ink from the stamp pads, markers, watercolour crayons, water colour pencils, blender pens and aquapainters. I have done quite a bit of folk art in the past so colour and painting has always interested me. The different techniques I tried are all more subtle than the acrylic paints I'm used to using - but I have really enjoyed trying them out.

I spent a bit of time today cutting up my designs and turning them into cards - here are a few of my favourites - sssshhhhh non of the images are SU - but then I haven't really been into coloring before and these images have been great to play with. I've also used SU cardstock, ribbon and punches; nestabilities and my cuttlebug.

This lovely lady is Glideabella from Stamping Bella - as mentioned in a previous post I have a daughter who figure skates so this stamp was a "must have" - I think she's adorable! The silver ribbon is very sparkly in the light - I wish it would show up in the photos! It really complements the Dazzling Diamonds on her "fur" and ice trail.

This young girl is from Magnolia Rubberstamps - I actually coloured her in at a watercolouring class I did on Sunday - using aquapainters and watercolour crayons - it was great fun. I ruched the SU Taffeta ribbon to mirror the ruffles of her underskirt - it's a great way to add texture.

These little fellas are from Whipper Snapper Designs - I found this stamp in a Bargain Bin - how could I go home without them - LOL - look at those faces!!!

I'm not exactly sure who's design this is - it was another stamped image we were using at the class on Sunday. We used a "wet" technique to colour the butterfly - the image was embossed to create walls for each section.These were then gently "flooded" with water using the aquapainter to layer water into each section. Dots of colour were transferred from watercolour crayons to the puddle via the aquapainter. These dots used the water to "bleed"out and fill the area. It was a fascinating thing to try - apologies if it doesn't make sense - I think it's a more visual technique!

What can I say - these little guys just are just way too cute! I love owls and couldn't resist these little fellas who are from Stampavie. The soft pastel colours just added to the "cute factor" - I also added some Dazzling Diamonds on their little tummies. I'll certainly be doing these again but might see how they look in more vibrant colours!

Rubbah-dultery

When I saw the term

"rubbah-adultery" on a blog it made me smile - how apt is the term!?!?! As a Stampin Up Demonstrat-or I feel I should only showcase our own wonderful stamps - but what can I say - there are other lovely stamps out there and this one (Daisybella) from Stamping Bella was just perfect for what I had in mind.

Since I had seen the term rubbah-dultery used on several blogs I decided I could use it to show off these cards I made for 2 gorgeous girls who are about to sit their year 12 exams - GOOD LUCK JACINTA AND DAISY - not that that you'll need it!!!

The cardstock I used was Stampin Up's YoYo Yellow, Carbon Black and Brilliant Blue. I also used Dazzling Diamonds on the t-shirt and Crystal Effects on the flower. Some Cuttlebug embossing and black rhinestones finished off the cards.