Clean & Simple Christmas

Hello

I hope you had an enjoyable weekend.  I spent lots of time in the garden, despite the fact that it was dull, grey and cold here in Melbourne.  Filling up the green waste bin with leaves has been an ongoing weekend chore for the past couple of months, but I think we are finally coming to the end.  We also dug out some standard roses that were more possum food that anything else, as they grew to the top of the fence.  They will be going to a good home, hopefully with less possums and I will be replacing them with some shorter roses in the spring.

Today, I have a Christmas card using a Clean & Simple sketch, that I have taken some creative liberties with.  Here is the sketch. Banners seem to be quite prominent in cardmaking at the moment.

This is what I came with.  The brushed metallic mixed cardstock pack is retiring, but will be replaced by gold and silver that can be purchased separately.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Welcome Christmas, Season of Joy
Card stock & Papers	Elegant Eggplant (smooth & textured), Shimmer White, Gold Brushed Metallic
Ink	Versamark
Accessories	White Organza ribbon
Tools	Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, Big Shot, Scallop border punch, Dimensionals, Gold embossing powder, Heat gun

Happy stamping!

  

Clean & Simple 149

Hello

Back to the cold, grey and damp weather in Melbourne today unfortunately, but good for being snug inside my craft room.  It's back to work for me tomorrow, but I've enjoyed relaxing for the last couple of weeks and I'm certainly feeling better for it.  I'm still doing my meditation course and I hope that I can put some of the techniques to good use in the coming weeks to better manage the demands of work.

My card today combines  this week's Clean & Simple 149 sketch with a sneak peak of a new stamp set and the Icecream Parlor buttons and ribbon. With a $100 purchase of Stampin' Up! products this month (to 31 July 2011) you will receive the 48 flower shaped buttons (in Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Pacific Point) and a roll of matching ribbon.  This is $31.95 of product for FREE!

This is the Clean & Simple sketch:

Here is my card.  I seem to be in a 'Brights' phase at the moment or maybe just in a Melon Mambo phase! Either way, it adds some brightness to a winters day. The vase of flowers image is from a stamp set called 'Button Buddies' that is coming in the new Idea Book & Catalogue in September.  I was fortunate to win this set in the 'Prize Patrol' at Convention this year.  The set has 8 images that are designed for use with buttons, but are equally cute just stamped. I'll show you a few more of the images in another post. Aren't those buttons gorgeous colours? The ribbon has the same colours, plus Old Olive.

  

Project Details
Stamps	Button Buddies (New in 2011/12 Catalogue), You're a Gem
Card stock & Papers	Bazzill Textured White, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Pacific Point Striped DSP
Ink	Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo
Accessories	Icecream Parlor Buttons & Ribbon, 1mm Rhinestone (not SU)
Tools	Circle Nestabilities, Big Shot, Small Oval Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Write Markers (Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point), Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Candy Butterflies

Hello

The end of another week and it has been very wintry here in Melbourne - great for hearty soups and comfort food, but not great for the hips!  I'm feeling more refreshed and alive after my first week of holiday, the healing power of sleep is wonderful. I've been out in the garden today as there are lots of leaves and seed balls still coming off my Liquid-amber tree and the end is not yet in sight (sigh).  Not sure why our tree is always the last in the neighbourhood to fall; it must be too well looked after, I think.

My card today is enough to brighten up the dreariest day with candy coloured butterflies from the new 'Creative Elements'  stamp set. This set will be in the new 2011/12 Idea Book and Catalogue in September and was one of the fabulous stamp sets that we got at Convention this year.  Not another butterfly, I hear you say?  This is a really cute butterfly stamp and it is a good size (not too big or small) and it stamps beautifully to highlight the lovely lacy pattern.  This set has 7 other versatile stamps suitable for a variety of projects, which I'll give you a sneak peak of in the coming weeks.

I've used last week's versatile Clean & Simple 147 sketch for this card.  I've got heaps more ideas for this one.

 

Here is what I came up with.  Now aren't those butterflies cute?

 

Project Details
Stamps	Creative Elements (New in 2011/12 Catalogue), Best Yet (Retired, Hostess Set)
Card stock & Papers	Tempting Turquoise (Smooth & Textured), Whisper White, Pretty in Pink (Textured)
Ink	Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight
Accessories	Basic Pearls strip, White Taffeta Ribbon
Tools	Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Tasteful Trim Die Bigz XL Die (Autumn/Winter Mini), Big Shot, Circle Punches, Dimensionals

 I hope you enjoy your weekend!

 

This and that...

Hi there

It was a gorgeous Autumn weekend in Melbourne and I enjoyed a spot of gardening, planting some cute purple violas and a new Gardenia that I struck from cuttings. Speaking of plants, I had to take a photo of my first Camellia of the season. This is a beautiful symmetrical white Japonica, called 'Early Pearly'. I have espaliered  two of these between the metal frame of my clothes line.  Sounds weird when you say it like that, but it does disguise this rather boring but necessary piece of equipment!

 

 If you are like me, you are always looking for new options for your craft storage.  I have tried a few different storage options for my sponge daubers as my collection has grown over the last few years, none of which have been entirely satisfactory . Finally, I came across this acrylic box that is specifically made for daubers and it is fantastic. It holds 40 daubers, which covers all of the main Stampin' Up! colour collections. It is easy to get them in and out of the box and they can't fall over, which sometimes caused the colours to be transferred. I made up a template for  the colour collections, that I've covered in contact as the daubers come in contact with the top of the box.

 

Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to decorate the outward facing side with some of the retired Cottage Wall DSP and matching Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive cardstock.

 

Finally, I also have a card for you based on the Clean and Simple 135 sketch, which is shown below.

  

With Mother's Day coming soon, I have taken the opportunity to make this card for my MIL (she doesn't look at the Internet, so no chance she will get to see it).  I have used the lovely 'Strength and Hope' stamp set which raises funds for Cancer research.  This is very appropriate as she is also a breast cancer survivor.  The base card is my favourite Marina Mist with the lovely floral from 'Springtime Vintage' DSP.  I've sprayed this with Champagne shimmer mist before adding the embellishments. I love the sentiments expressed in the text behind the butterfly.  I hope she likes it.

  

Project Details
Stamps	Strength & Hope, Well Scripted
Card stock & Papers	Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink	Marina Mist
Accessories	Basic Pearls, Blue craft wire (antennae)
Tools	Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, 2 3/8" Scallop Cirlce Punch,  Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Champagne Shimmer Paint, stampamajig

Enjoy your week.

 

Clean & Simple 129

Hi there

Another Friday is here already - can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying by this year. Today I have a card using this week's Clean & Simple sketch.  Although the intention is to produce clean and simple cards, I love the scope that these sketches give you and I've taken a bit more than the usual creative license with one. Here is the sketch: 

 

I've used the spray from the lovely Sale-a-bration stamp set 'Sweet Summer' for the focus panel, inspired by the first card in this post from my lovely friend Christine. I've coloured the spray with Stampin' Write markers and the popped up flowers were stamped with Stazon on Watercolour paper and coloured with Watercolour crayons (Elegant Eggplant and Pretty in Pink). I've added some tiny pearls to the top of the flowers for interest. I think the 'Vintage Wallpaper' embossed panel suits the olde world feel of the floral oval.  This card will be going to a lovely lady who will be celebrating a special '0' birthday next week.

 

Project Details
Stamps	Sweet Summer (2011 Sale-a-bration), Occasional Greetings
Card stock & Papers	Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Whisper White, Subtles Patterns Stack(Perfect Plum), Watercolour paper
Ink	Stazon Black, Old Olive, Perfect Plum
Accessories	2mm flat back Pearls (not SU)
Tools	Oval and Scallop Oval Nesties, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Small Oval Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Stampin' Write Markers (Pear Pizzazz, Pretty in Pink), Watercolour Crayons, Aqua painter

 Enjoy your day.