My own layout at last!

I have been doing so many cards and scrapping for other people, that it was lovely to scrap a layout of my own for a change.

And yes, you guessed it...it is the same patterned paper that I used for my card in the last post.

The photo is of my MIL Rita, Niece Samantha, SIL Gabrielle, Niece Brooke and DD Rosie. All the girls together.

A very special photo in deed.

Just Magnolia Challenge

I really enjoyed doing this Magnolia challenge this week.
I used Little Yellow Bicycle patterned paper, Kaiser flowers and Martha Stewart leaf punch.
Orange is a great colour for me at the moment. Love it!

Mo Manning Digital Images

I just love Mo Manning Digital Images. She has now created a challenge blog, and the 1st challenge is to create a card with one of her images and include the colour purple.

I love working with Purple, so this was a pleasure to do.

I used my Copic Markers to colour the image and Kaiser PP.

I Could Just Eat You!

Recently my Hubby and I celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary. So although we haven't given each other cards for years, I felt the urge to make one for my Soul Mate.

I had just purchased this cute Dinosaur from Dustin Pike Digital Designs and knew that I had to use it on my card. Not that Pete is into Dinosaurs, it just had a good feel about it.

I coloured using Distress Inks and applied glossy accents to the teeth, nail, spots and eyes.
By the way, he loved it.

Wiff of Joy - Take two

My last post (which I have now deleted) was definitely not one of my best!
It was done late and night, and I was so tired, I could hardly keep my eyes open, but I wanted to post my card before the challenge deadline. Reading it when fully awake, made me realise how awful my sentences were and that the picture was shocking as well. So here is my second try at posting this card.

I make this card for the WOJ challenge for the week that had the colour scheme of orange and teal. These are two colours that I really love at the moment, so it was a delight to make this one.
Because of the beautiful colour scheme, I decided to colour my image in grey tone. I also created it as a Tri-fold card. This is the first time for me both with colouring in grey tones and the Tri-fold card.
I also used frosted lace stickles on the wings.

Hope you like it.

Sympathy Cards

Not always an easy thing to make.

My Mum requested a few from me recently for the Granddaughters of a friend of hers that passed recently. She was quite elderly and in a home for the last 3 years, so the family was prepared for the inevitable. Still a sad day when it comes.

I wanted to make a card that would make them smile...so here is what I came up with.

The first card, I used a stamp from my friend Ros. She got them from the UK, I think they are called Popcorn Bears. It is really quite a large stamp, and so cute. I used distress inks to colour the image.





The next card I used an image from Mo's Digital Pencil Too. These are digital stamps designed by Maurie J Manning, a illustrator, who does fantastic hand drawn images and sells them as digital stamps. I just loved the image of the little girl praying and thought it appropriate. The lady that I made the card for has jet black hair, so I tried to make the little girl the same. Distress Inks were used to colour this image as well.

Happy Birthday Heidi!!!

My all time favourite on-line store is Simon Says Stamps. I have been shopping there for ages now and usually get together with some of my scrappy friends and we put in an embarrassing large order! Once we have sent off one order, we are usually already deciding what we want to purchase next!

Anyway, the owner Heidi (who is so lovely to deal with) is having her Birthday. So this card is for you Heidi. Will be popping it in the post tomorrow, so look out for it real soon.

Check out the Simon Says Challenge Blog as there is a great sketch this week and awsome prizes.

Inky Impressions 2nd Design Team Call

Inky Impressions is having their 2nd Design Team call. They are looking for enthusiastic, friendly and talented stampers to help promote their gorgeous stamps and to provide inspiration to the stamping community, through personal blogs and online galleries.

I absolutely love their little girls stamps, Lili and Angelica. They have such expressive eyes and faces.
I was in the process of getting my own, when I saw the Inky Impressions DT Call, and thought I would give it a go.
I thought it would be nice to have an Aussie on the DT as well!
Here is my card. I decided to try a Constantina card for the first time using Magnolia stamps. I have used Tim Holtz Distress Inks to colour the images, except for the bench, for that I used my Copic markers.

As a project with colouring techniques I decorated a Metal Chai Tea can that I had, and now was empty of the tea. I used Rubberneck Elegant Ladies stamps and also used Distress Inks to colour them. I really enjoyed making this and loved result.

Thanks for Looking.

Simon Says Challenge

Here is a sketch that I did from Simon Says Stamps.
I have been playing with all types of colouring mediums at the moment. This card was done using Derwent pencils and a blending pen. Must say...I am not sure if that is my favourite technique.
The stamp is Tara and is from Victoria Case. Only just found these the other day, and love them.
I used Kaiser PP and Glossy Accents to hightlight the wings.

Whiff of Joy Challenge

Here is a card I made for the WOJ Challenge this week. I used the Basic Grey Bittersweet range of PP again! I am just addicted to the stuff!

Painting with Liquid Pearls

Ok, I found this really exciting. The new Thinking Inking classes this week covered Liquid and Dimentional Pearls and Stickles. We learn't how to paint with them when you add water. I also added some Perfect Pearls to add different colours.
Have made this card for my Omi who is in Hospital at the moment after having a Stroke earlier this week.

Whiff of Joy New Fall Stamp Kit

Whiff of Joy have pre-realise Fall Stamp Kits for sale at the moment. They sell at super prices and well worth thinking about. Katharina Frei is giving away 2 complete sets as blog candy. Pop over to her blog to have a look.
http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/2009/07/whiff-of-joy-elisabeth-bell-fall-stamp.html

First time playing with Alcohol Inks

So I was playing with Alcohol Inks yesterday for the first time ever (kindly lent to me by the lovely Ros). Definitely a new technique that I enjoyed playing with. Here is a card I made with some of my bits and pieces. I think I have enough bits to make a dozen cards!

Friday Sketches Challenge

Here is a quick card I made for the Friday Sketches Challenge.

I used Kaiser papers, Tim Holtz Distress ink and the cute little Mouse Image is from a Scrap Pile swap we did recently.

Pay it Forward

I was lucky to have made it into the first three comments on Ros's post and now I get to play along in the pay it forward.

I will make something special for the first three people who comment on this post, and those commenters can do their own "Pay it forward" on their blog.

I will make and send off the goodies sometime in the next 12 months. If you are interested in playing be the first 3 to leave a comment on this post and you can then play "Pay it forward" on your blog. Remember there's upto 12 months to make your goodies and send them off.

Remember there's upto 12 months to make your goodies and send them off.

Thinking Inking

If you love watching videos showing new fantastic techniques then you need to go to http://jennifermcguireink.typepad.com/my_weblog/videos/index.html and check out her videos.
Jennifer McGuire is running a 9 week course through 2 peas in a bucket. This wonder artist is posting 3 videos a week for 9 weeks. A huge 27 videos in all! She is incredibly inspiring to listen to and has fantastic ideas.
She is focusing on all Hero Arts and Ranger products, so that includes all the Tim Holtz products. Love the distress inks.
Here are the cards I have made so far with the new techniques I have learnt in the last 10 days.

Firstly...sorry about the photos. For some reason, I cannot take a straight photo of a layout if my life depended on it.

This is our gorgeous turtle Frank, that just needed a layout all to himself.
I used Cosmo Cricket PP.


Next is a long term Challenge that has been happening at Scrap Pile. Scrapbooking Whispers is where one person (eg. Me), does a layout and then writes the instructions down and sends them on to the next person who, without looking at the original layout, replicates the layout using the instructions. To see all the other layouts just visit Scrap Pile and have a look in the Gallery.

New Wiff of Joy Stamp Release

If you like Wiff of Joy Stamps, you need to pop over to the Whiff of Joy stamps site and see the new stamps that will be released in the night from Saturday to Sunday. They are the Wedding and Baby collection designed by Elisabeth Bell. Just beautiful.
I wish they were around when I had my babies.

A layout and a card

Here is a card I made last night for the Penny Black Challenge Blog. Used the beautiful Basic Grey Bittersweet Range. Love it!


Also finished on Thursday a DT layout for Scrap Pile using the Kaiser What a Hoot range. I learn't a new technique on the Hero Arts Blog about stamping paper with background stamps and then using your die cutter machine to cut out images. I have done this with the tree on my layout. The leaves are stamped with Distress Ink and cut out on my Big Shot.

Just Magnolia Challenge

Just cant seem to get enough of this beautiful Kaiser paper. Have made another card with it for the Just Magnolia Challenge Blog. This week was a sketch challenge. Love Sketches!

Green, Orange and Yellow

Not quite the colours I would chose to combine together...but while I was unwell this week in bed, I did some Blog hopping and found a challenge on the Rubbernecker Blog using these colours on a card.

I had just received some fantastic stamped images from a stamped image swap through Scrap Pile and was inspired to use these flower images in the above mentioned colours.

I was nicely surprised as to how it turned out.

I coloured the flowers in using Tim Holtz Distress Inks and then sprayed with Tattered Angels Mist.

The Simon Says Blog also has a challenge using Tim Holtz products, so I am planning on submitting this card for that as well.

Thanks for Looking

Card Inspiration

After doing my last layout, I was inspired to create a card with the same structure. I used one of the beautiful Sarah Kay stamps. I have also highlighted the kitten with the spotlight technique.
Hope you like it. I do!

May DT Layouts for Scrap Pile

I have got to say...it has not been a very sucessful month. For some reason too many things have gone wrong and not enough has gone right these last 4 weeks.

But... I was able to get my DT layouts done with 1 1/2 hours to spare in the month!

Here they are:

More Layouts

I borrowed a stamp from my friend Ros and copied her beautiful card, to create a version of my own with a window option.
This was for Scrap Pile Monthy Challenge by Linda.
The stamp is Sarah Kay.


This layout was for Scrap Pile DT and is made using Basic Grey Bittersweet.


This layout was for a colour challenge by Kylie from Scrap Pile. The colours were Black and White.

All of these layouts are either challenges or DT layouts for Scrap Pile.

Scrap Pile DT Layout for February

This is my February DT layout for Scrap Pile, which I finished today. This layout came very quickly together. It helps when you are using papers and colours that you love as well.
I used chatterbox papers from the Together Range.

Scrap Pile February Challenge

Here is my example of the Sketch Challenge I set for the Scrap Pile February Sketch Challenge.

I used the Basic Grey Blush Range

New Years Resolutions

Yes, I know we are just about to enter into the 3rd month of the year, and I did set my New Year goals on the New Years Day. It has just taken me a while to get an OTP project done to try and encourage me daily to remember what I am aiming for.