kwerner colour challenge 42

OMG!! I had so much trouble with this challenge because even though I own all these papers, (substituting olive for kiwi kiss), I only have olive ink. So I left the paper out on the table for a while, and FM said - it looks like a tiger! So.... I remembered the art lessons we did at Teacher's college using this as a starting point. So that's what i did!! I'm not thrilled with it, but it definitely took me out of my comfort zone! I used my punches to create the cat, and then used the scallop edge for the tail. The grass is cut freehand, and then the off cut is layered under the first cut, so there is grass in front and behind the cat.

The sentiment uses say it with scallops and versamark ink on really rust.

The kids in the house like it anyway!! lol

marker storage

I recently posted my home made stamp pad storage, and said how I needed something for my markers. Well, this isn't exactly what I had in mind, but hey, it works! This is a CASE from the US catalogue - no idea what tins they used, but I used nesquik tins :) The kids in this house think Christmas has come early! I had to go out and buy 5 tins especially, because I have NO patience, and couldn't wait til we actually HAD 6 empty tins! The guy at the checkout thought I was nuts! :)

These are covered using the Ginger Blossom DSP from the Summer Mini. J turned round once it was made and said if I wanted here to drink 6 more cans of nesquik so I could make another one, then she supposed she could do that. And if the next oen I amde was in the Bali Breeze paper, and HAPPENED to find it's way up to her room, well she could probably live with that too :) A for effort darling!

NZSU blog challenge

another challenge on the NZSU blog - this time for a cami trifold card, from this tutorial on splitcoaststampers.

I had a pack of afternoon tea paper out from making up the sample for my stationery box class coming up soon (contact me if you want to join us!) - so I decided to use that as my base. Then realised that probably wouldn't be strong enough, so grabbed the nearest colour that went with it, and wild wasabi was it!

I also don't own the slit punch (I KNOW!!! how do I cope?? well, I'm telling you it's next on my list - however (digression ahead!) - it bugs me, because the main reason I wanted it to start with was to make matchbook fold cards, where you fold the bottom bit up, and use it to tuck the bit in, but it is the wrong way round, and that made me mad!! So I have avoided it. I am over it now. My therapist says I am doing a LOT better ;) ) so, anyway...... I used the horizontal slit punch instead, and if I do say so myself - I like it! :)

This uses Live your Dream, which is one of the Bushfire Appeal sets at the moment. This generated a LOT of discussion this afternoon at $3 cards, as some of my customers tried to work out if it would be in the new catalogue, as it didn't have an asterisk next to it, but it DID specify that it was in the summer mini! phew, too complicated!

Personally, I hope it sticks around - we got it free at regionals, and I was gutted, coz I didn't like it! Now, it is one of the first sets I reach for! :) Funny how that happens.

kwerner challenge 41

ok, so i saw these colours and thought yes! nice, easy, classic, simple....... yeah right!!

The card itself was easy and simple, but it took ages to get to it!! I ended up with all my stamp sets out on the table (and the floor and the couch! - and seriously, I don't have THAT many!) with a sheet each of the colours. Then the stamp sets I liked I couldn't reconcile with the colours - so in disgust, I flicked through my catalogues! yippee!! This is a case of the card on page 16 of the summer mini, but I turned it round and made it into a notelet (that to me is a quarter A4 folded in half). The "ribbon" is basic grey, and the say it with scallops is stamped with real red, as we don't have riding hood red (yet!! I hope it's coming!!)

So, anyway that's the card - taking the photo added even more drama! So yes, it's wonky, but hey - it's legible!! sun glare, shadows, you name it! I have one pic of it that makes the grey look orange! nasty!! :)

new header :)

ok.... so I haven't got much stamping done, but I have been playing with my stash! (that isn't as dodgy as it sounds!!)

I decided my header was really boring - well non-existent actually, and I wanted something that would reflect the name of my blog a bit :) So I rummaged through the drawers of the one year old living here, and pulled out his teeny tiny denim jeans, and thought AHA!! Then, finally, after lots of giggling, and moving stuff around, my new header was born!
FM helped me, and at one point we were going to use my jeans, with me in them, with stuff stuck in the pockets and through the belt loops. Thank your lucky stars THAT one didn't eventuate ;) We did one photo of it, but my bum with full pockets is NOT a pretty sight! She refuses to delete it though..... keeps muttering something about potential payback in the future ;) lol

Anyway, hope you like my header!

Stampin' Up! to donate to Bushfire Appeal

From 12 February through 31 March 2009, Stampin' Up! will donate 50 percent of the retail value of all sales from a select group of 10 stamp sets to the Australia Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal.

These sets are:


Priceless 57.95 NZD
Seeing Spots 35.95 NZD
Baroque Motifs 46.95 NZD
Live Your Dream 66.95 NZD
Looks Like Spring* 68.95 NZD
The Snowflake Spot* 46.95 NZD
Bodacious Bouquet* 68.95 NZD
Polka Dots & Paisley* 42.95 NZD
G'day Mate* 42.95 NZD
Be Happy* 46.95 NZD

*These sets will appear on the upcoming list of retiring products, so they will only be available for the Bushfire Appeal--while supplies last.

Contact me to purchase any of these sets and help raise more money for this worthwhile cause.

Snappy birthday

This is a set I never liked . . . . . . . until I used it! I still don't own it, but I do like a lot of the stuff I see done with it. I must get a decent boy set though!

This card is one I did through another demo. Another "Notting Hill inspired card" obviously ;)

Another CASE

This is the card I did for the valentine challenge that my upline Sharlene set our team.

I CASE'd Gretchen - I love designer series paper, and she had a series of posts showcasing a different paper each time - this is a black and white one that I SO hope we get!

I am so not into bling and stuff - well I am on other people's cards, but it tends to look like I dropped the pot on mine! lol. I know this card needs something else, but I just can't bring myself to add anything! it seriously looks like a kindergarten kid made it when I do!!

So this is another real plain card.

The cardstock is real red (honestly!!), and basic black. I wanted to use black embossing powder but I couldn;t find it ( MUST TIDY UP!!!), so I used versamark and black ink with clear embossing powder instead! This is an amazing technique! you can have ANY COLOUR embossing powder you like!! Just make sure you ink the versamark first, or it's really messy!!

So, anyway! I stamped the heart from polka dot punches in black and versamark, then clear embossed it, and cut it out. I did the same with LOVE from the hostess set so many sayings, and punched it with the word window punch. Scallop edge the basic black, and stick it all together!

TADA!

more case-ing - then case-ing a case!

haha - that title is so confusing!!

this card was originally done by Alisa Tilsner

This is my version minus the ribbon and the inked edges. It uses eastern blooms stamp set with occasional greetings, and bali breeze paper. cardstock and ink are tempting turquoise and old olive.
Then, here's my case of the case!

This card uses the same colours as this card for the kwernerdesign challenge. I love them together and can see myself doing lots more!

The stamps are embrace life, and occasional greetings.

The flower from embrace life is stamped on to DSP and cut out. The ribbon is 5/8 inch choclate chip grosgrain. I don't normally like that size, but it works for this.

thank you scallops

This was originally done by Diane Pappas - using the US in-colours. But we don't have them! So I used our in-colours. I made one using soft sky and blue bayou, with bayou ribbon, and one with purely pomegranate, and pretty in pink with pomegrante ribbon. I have all the bits cut out to make all sorts of colours - old olive and certainly celery, close to cocoa and chocolate chip, pumpkin pie and apricot appeal - lots more too! The best way to do this for cards with two shades of the same colour is to use the colour coach from SU. So easy!

Embrace Life

This is the card that sold me this set! I first saw these cards on Angie Juda's blog (she is so talented! I love her! - in a non- stalker non-scary way!!) Her cards are so simple and streamlined.

I dont know what it is about these cards that made me want the set, but I just love them. Still do.

So, I admit, I copied this absolutely word for word - well actually, everything BUT the word!! Angie used the "thankyou" from artfully asian, but I had a few situations where "embrace life" was absolutely the right sentiment, so I went with that!

These are another of those cards that just by changing the colours, and the sentiment you can give it a completely different tone.

The flowers are stamped in the darker tone, and then coloured in using the Stampin' Pastels, with a cotton bud.

It's hard to see coz of the lighting, but the card below uses certainly celery and old olive.

The others are bashful blue and soft sky, and chcolate chip and pretty in pink, all on a whisper white base.

end of school holidays!!

Well..... these holidays went sooo fast! I can't believe it's back to shcool and work tomorrow!

During the holidays, my daughter had a few of her friends over, and they were going through my non-SU stash of goodies, and my templates - and decided they wanted to make stuff! LOTS of stuff!!

These are made using a template from Mel (seriously check this blog out! she has lists galore of templates and tutorials on all sorts!)

Some of the card stock is Stampin' Up! but most is $2 shop packets. The embellishments are mostly non-SU too.

I did play with my embossing powder though. On this white bag, that tag is actually a piece of cardstock that has been cut out using a cuttlebug die, and then embossed using silver embossing powder two or three times, to make it look like metal. So cool! So easy!! There is a tutorial on splitcoast :) (Obviously!! lol) 'scuse the photo! the girls were bouncing around wanting to take them home!