Thursday, September 30, 2010

Boo!


Just for a something completely different and a bit of fun, I decided to make a Halloween card for the Just Add Ink sketch challenge this week, but unfortunately I missed the deadline! Here's the sketch:


And here is my card:


I've used the Scary Skulls wheel on the Rich Razzleberry and the pumpkin face in the build-a-brad is from a set called Sweeter Treaters (very old SU). I added the Cuttlebug cobweb embossing folder and used bats because the spider in the set was way too big to put two!. The sentiment (which I moved) comes from Tiny Tags and the satin ribbon (love it!) has a "Teneale bow".


Hope you like this little touch of Halloween! Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Let's Play Doctors and Nurses

Quite a few of my Lana ladies are nurses or nurse aids, so when I saw a nurse owl made by Theresa Romani using the new Owl Punch, I just had to have a go at creating a card for my ladies. I created a doctor owl too, wearing his blue surgical scrubs and stethoscope!

Here's my card:



The paper comes from Newsprint DSP. I punched the edge with the spiral punch and added a miniature medical chart complete with mini library clip.


How cute is that clip? I hope my nurses are going to love it!

Thanks for calling in. Have a great day.

Cheers
Kez

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Dusky Pink

I love it when you can make a Wow! card very easily and simply - well, who wouldn't? Today's card I especially love because I've used watercolouring (which you all know I just adore) and not much else!

Elements of Style is the stamp set used, which I don't have yet but a friend let me stamp some of hers to tide me over until I can call it my own! This is a great image for beginner watercolourers, I reckon, because the detail on the stamp is so good that the shading part is pretty much foolproof!


I have tried Blushing Bride for the first time and as I've always been partial to dusky pinks, this is one I can see me using quite a bit. I teamed it with Pear Pizzazz and Very Vanilla and of course the beautiful scallop trim border punch (love it!). The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny Sentiments, a very versatile set.

Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back at the weekend with the cards for my beginners class.

Cheers
Kez

Monday, September 20, 2010

Amour

Just when I thought Spring had arrived, along comes a cold, grey day to trip me up. Brrrr! So I've been sorting and tidying my craft stuff - a job well and truly overdue, I must admit! And, well, you just can't be sorting papers and ribbons and things without being sorely tempted to sit and make something with them. So I had a play with the gorgeous Artistic Etchings set and new colour Marina Mist.

I had found some papers at my LSS that are similar to SU's newsprint DSP but printed in French, so of course I had to snap them up, didn't I? Obsessive Compulsive Crafter's moral obligation! LOL (I'm sticking to that story!) So here I've teamed them with some lace, satin ribbon and vintage brad. This is my first time using Marina Mist and I am rather taken with it ... it's no Cherry Cobbler, but it's getting there!

Enough rambling, here's my card:


Hope you "amour" it! Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Sharing in Your Sorrow

The current challenge at Just Add Ink is a sympathy card and I unfortunately had need of one this week, as my boss's mother passed away. They are never an easy card to make. Here's my offering:


And on the inside:


Materials used:
  • card - Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, watercolour paper
  • inks - Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Pear Pizzazz, Timber Brown StazOn
  • stamps - Every Moment, Thoughts & Prayers
  • other - Early Espresso satin ribbon, Vintage brad, Lots of Tags die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, wide oval punch, dimensionals
Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Friday, September 17, 2010

A Little Ray of Sunshine

A gorgeous yellow is always uplifting, don't you think? Makes you think of Spring and flowers and sunshine ...

My new core colours card and ink pack finally arrived and I just had to play with them. Inspiration came in the form of Daffodil Delight combined with black and vanilla - take a look:


My sentiment comes from the Life Definitions set, cut with (non SU) dies and embossed with vintage wallpaper. Add to that a vintage brad - these are soooo gorgeous! - together with Newsprint DSP and stripe ribbon (to blend with the music lines).  Shame this didn't arrive before my wedding anniversary two weeks ago! Never mind, there's always next year's, LOL!!!


Hope your day has had some sunshine in it. Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ink Wash

I wanted to try out a new technique that I found while surfing on SCS. It's called Ink Wash Faux Embossing (although personally I think Faux Bleaching is more accurate) and WOW! I love the effect!

For my first card I used the medallion stamp with Concord Crush, one of the new In Colours. Here's how it turned out (excuse my crappy photo; looks much nicer IRL!):


Next I tried it on Night of Navy and added touches of Sahara Sand. The sentiment feature is from Just Believe, rapidly becoming one of my new favs.


Of course, the medallion makes any card look great, but this is a really pretty effect. Like it? Here's how I did it:
  • I began with a piece of whisper white card
  • I applied my Concord Crush or Night of Navy ink pad directly to the white card, covering it entirely
  • I inked my medallion stamp with Versamark ink
  • then I sprayed Stampin' Mist liberally over the medallion stamp (you've got to be generous or it doesn't work as well)
  • I stamped the medallion down on to the inked up card and pressed firmly
  • I used my heat gun to speed up drying
Why don't you give it a go yourself? I think you will love experimenting with a variety of colours and seeing how different they all look.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Monday, September 13, 2010

New Stuff

NEW STUFF! I have been preparing cards for classes and having soooooooo much fun using new stamps and my new love - yup, you guessed it! - Cherry Cobbler.

The first card is a case from a gorgeous card by Lynn Pratt which I simplified. Crumb cake, cherry cobbler and always artichoke are the colours used and the stamp set is Just Believe.


GORJUS!

Next up I have used Bella Toile, a new background stamp that I have been totally in love with for over a year and am sooooooooooo glad it finally made it to our shores. I stamped it with - yes, you're right again! - cherry cobbler, then embossed it. The flowers are made from the new Flower Fusion die and there's touches of crumb cake again for accent. (Seriously, all this talk of cherry cobbler and crumb cake makes a person hungry!) The sentiment comes from Perfect Punches.


Well, more cards to prepare ... how sad! LOL! Hope you're having fun playing with your new stuff too! Thanks for calling in.

Cheers
Kez

Saturday, September 11, 2010

A Creative Opportunity

I am sure you all know the saying, "A mistake is just a creative opportunity". Well, earlier this week I showed you a card that was to be for my beginners SAS class tomorrow. However - and yes, it's a doozie of a "however"! - when I sat down to cut materials today I found that I didn't have enough cardstock in either of the greens! I think I will blame having been so distracted by my order from the new catty arriving and the excitement of so many new things to play with! Yup, that's my story!

So anyways, what's a girl to do? No time to borrow more and no time to design a whole new card, so I'll just have to adapt. So I re-created my card using Wild Wasabi and Certainly Celery, plus added an extra layer of white, and you know what? I like the "mark II" version better!

Here are the two versions:



So I'm thinking this colour renovation business has got some merit I didn't foresee ... LOL!

And completely off topic, I am very pleased and proud to announce that DD12's netball team WON their Grand Final match this morning! Yay! Go team! Woot!

That's all from me.

Cheers
Kez

Thursday, September 9, 2010

New, new, new and old.

Good morning! Just a quick post today as I have a list a mile long of things I have to get done today! Here's a bright and cheerful card using three new products and an old one.

The colours used are three of our new In Colours - peach parfait, concord crush and pear pizzazz. The sentiment is new set Perfect Punches and the pressies are from this year's (old) SAB set, Happy Moments. The punched edge uses the new scallop trim border punch and the DSP is peach parfait patterned paper. I added some matching embroidery cotton to tie my present bundle.

Hope you have a good day and thanks for dropping in.

Cheers
Kez

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Cherry, Babe, You Really Get To Me

(Many thanks to Neil Diamond for such fitting words for my title, LOL!)

Now, you all know how red is my favourite colour, right? I have loved Real Red for years and then I loved Riding Hood Red when it came along, but now a newbie has arrived on the block that has simply blown me away. This red is so gorgeously rich and warm and luscious that I simply ADORED it on sight - blog sight, that is, until today when I got to see the REAL THING in my happy little hands!

Yes, I am talking about Cherry Cobbler.

Here is the second card my beginners will be making at our Christmas Stamp-a-Stack on Sunday. I've been holding off on this one because I wanted to use new things - new colour, new paper, new punch!

Sorry about the photo, but for some reason Blogger doesn't like square photos and turns them on their side, so I have to make it rectangular! The colour also does not look as GORJUS in the photo as it does IRL.

So don't be at all surprised if you see a GREAT DEAL of this colour on my blog for some time to come, will ya?

PS DD12's netball team won their game on Saturday (even without me there! LOL!) so this weekend it's the Grand Final! Yippee!)

Cheers
Kez

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Postie Postie Don't Be Slow, Be Like Elvis and Go Man Go!

Hey ho everyone! I got back from Melbourne last night after a wonderful few days catching up with DD18. She took me to as many of her favourite places as we could fit in and we had a ball. We ate in Chinatown, enjoyed guinness and music at an Irish pub, shopped at the Queen Vic markets, bought cake at Brunetti's and brunched in Brunswick.Yesterday we went to the Tim Burton Exhibition at ACMI - I thoroughly recommend it if you are down that way, it was amazing to see behind the scenes of the creative genius of that man. DD's college show was a roaring success - they put on Stephen Sondheim's 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' - which I really enjoyed and of course am so proud of her efforts.

Today it's back preparing for upcoming classes and waiting very impatiently for the postie to bring me my new goodies! You can probably tell by my header that he hasn't done so yet! LOL So I have just one card to show you. This is one of the Christmas cards for my beginner's class Stamp-a-Stack on Sunday.


A very simple card to make and the masked sponging makes such a lovely effect. I've used Lovely as a Tree and Many Merry Messages in Mellow Moss and Always Artichoke.

That's it! I'll be back tomorrow hopefully - if my postie hears my pleas! - with more. Till then, take care and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers
Kez

Thursday, September 2, 2010

For My Bloke

Thanks everyone for joining us on our Blog Hop on Tuesday night, it was a blast and we hope you enjoyed the ideas and inspiration from all the lovely creations. And thanks too to those who took the time to leave a comment - they are very much appreciated!

Yesterday was naturally all about ordering from the new Idea Book and Catalogue! I had a couple of customers who were dead keen to get Delightful Decorations and the Ornament Punch - I wonder why??!!! (he he! I should charge SU commission, LOL!) I am REALLY looking forward to getting my new things and creating up a storm for you all!

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary (21) and so of course I sat down today to make a card for DH. He likes strong colours and not too fussy, so this is what I came up with:


I've used Sahara Sand with Night of Navy and whisper white, a gorgeous combination. The navy strip has been embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder - one of the few I Must Haves that didn't make it into our new catalogue! So I got one on "that internet site" (you know the one I mean! LOL!). Sshhh! don't tell DH!

Unfortunately, I won't be here for DH to take me out for dinner; I am off to Melbourne for the weekend to visit DD18 and watch the show she is producing at college (you never know, one day you might be able to say you knew (of) her when she wasn't famous!). I'll miss Father's Day too, so my poor hubby will be left to the tender mercies of DD12 and my SIL. I'm sure they'll look after him well!

So I'll catch up with you all next week. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and give your dads a great Dad's Day on Sunday.

Cheers
Kez