Bright and Cheerful Fish!

I made this card purely for the joy of it, I saw this inspiring colour combination at Diva Coffee Break and just had to try it.  I still remember my first reaction when I saw Stampin' Up!s bright collection early last year and thinking OMG they are so bright, I'll never use those and purchased a pack of Rich Regals instead... and guess what?  Little by little my card collection has grown and now it's mostly brights!!  You just have to love those cheerful colours, so full of life.

When I posted my Eastern Blooms for a Friend card earlier on I was reminded that I could also use my Large Ornament punch to make fish, I had seen quite a few examples of this punch art technique but had never tried it myself until now.  I think they turned out really cute, the scales are made with the 'offcuts' from the scallop punch - I had originally intended using the scallops instead but then chose the 'scraps' to adorn my fishies - the scallop was used at the bottom edge instead!

For the 'fish tank' I embossed the background with dots, then cut wavy slivers of Old Olive and Certainly Celery for the 'seaweed', and finally glued a strip of scalloped Peach Parfait at the bottom for 'gravel' (and to hide the ends of the 'seaweed')

 The fish all ready to 'swim' in their new tank!

The completed card, the fish are popped up with Dimensionals for a slight 3D effect.

What I used:

Card:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Peach Parfait

Ink:  Basic Black Stampin' Write marker

Stamp Set: None

Tools and other fun stuff:  Large Ornament punch, Heart to Heart punch, Scallop Border punch, swiss dots embossing folder.

A different take on Perfect Plum

Now, I'm a lot happier with this colour combination of Perfect Plum, Pear Pizzaz and Pretty in Pink, a lot more 'me' yesterday's one.

I found this colour combination on The Colour Dare's blog and thought it was really pretty, hope you like it.  It is another watercoloured image, a very femenine image of a little girl on a swing.  I used a combination of Stampin' Write markers and watercolour pencils to colour her in which seemed to work well, I thought perhaps one medium may bleed into the other one but it well very well I'm pleased to report.

 Decisions, decisions, this is the cardstock in all three colours plus the coloured image.

 I've changed plan already here as you can see!  I opted to introduce the pear pizzazz in the form of the ribbon, and just left the pink in the coloured image.

Here is the final result, quite different from yesterday!

What I used:

Card:  Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla, Watercolour paper

Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Certainly Celery Stampin' Write markers, Basic Black inkpad.

Stamp Sets:  Basic Phrases, A Kind Word (retired)

Tools and other fun stuff:  Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Pear Pizazz poly-stitched ribbon, Scallop Border punch, Word Window punch, watercolour pencils, aquabrush.

Gray, blue and purple?

I came accross this colour combination at Color Lab and it's one I would never have thought of using of my own accord.

The challenge was to use Bashful Blue, Perfect Plum and Basic Grey.  Now, I've had three sheets of Perfect Plum since May last year and have never used them as purple just isn't really my colour, so today it finally got to see the light of day!  I actually made two cards with it, the second one I will show you tomorrow.  The other colour I've never had a chance to use before is Basic Grey so am pleased I got a chance to try it today.

I really like the stamp set I used, Loads of Love, I used it to make some Christmas cards last year, and my daughter has taken ownership of a Valentines card I made with this set as well, now it's time to make a masculine card with it.

I also love my new Sizzlits die as I'll never run out of co-ordinating "buttons" thanks to it!

I took a series of photos as I made this card to show you how I did the checkerboard background (please excuse the rather well loved aka 'grotty' green cutting mat, after all I've had it for about 25 years..!) - here they are:

 I cut six each Bashful Blue and Basic Grey 1 1/4" squares.

 I placed them in the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder in the order they would be glued onto the base card, I was hoping to achieve a continuous pattern by doing this.

 Here they are after embossing.

 Glueing them down on the Bashful Blue base card, start with the four corners, them fill in the edges and finally the middle two.

 Here is the finalized checkerboard pattern.

 Cutting my 'button's with the Sizzlits die in Perfect Plum.  The black slivers are offcuts from other projects which I kept expressly to thread through the buttons to simulate thread.

First I coloured the pickup truck using watercolour pencils and the truck ended looking rather pink.  I slept on it and this morning I had another go at it and here is the result of my "adjustments":

 I stamped the truck image on a scrap of Perfect Plum card and with some fussy cutting I ended up with a Perfect Plum truck!  Much better I think.

What I used:

Card:  Bashful Blue, Basic Grey, Perfect Plum, watercolour paper.

Ink:  Basic Black

Stamp Sets:  Loads of Love, Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Tools and other fun stuff:  Buttons #5 Sizzlits die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, corner rounder punch, Stampa-ma-jig, Stampin' Dimensionals, acquabrush.

Silhouette notebook and decorated pen

My upline, Keryn Campbell, had a lovely project on her blog the other day where she decorated a notebook and pen with DSP and stamped images and I thought I'd give it a try too.   It looked really effective, here is my version.

I've learnt lots along the way this morning:

1.  Don't choose a DSP unless you have the matching inks and ribbons!  I thought I'd be frugal and use up some of last years Tea Party DSP only to find that what I thought was So Saffron and Bashful Blue turned out to be Apricot Appeal and Almost Amethyst!  Anyway, I stamped the image with Bashful Blue and the ribbon is So Saffron, and it turned out fine in the end after my initial panic.

2.  When sticking the DSP to the notebook cover don't pull it too tight otherwise the notebook will not close properly...

3.  Don't use a 'wet glue' to glue the DSP down - or your inside pages with become nice and wrinkled...

4.  I found inserting the DSP into the pen the easiest part of the entire project thanks to Keryn's very clear instructions.

5.  And finally, if you can find pens with caps that match your colours it would be so much better!

Anyway, here are a couple of photos of what I made.

What I used:

Card:  Almost Amethyst (Retired), White, Tea Party DSP (retired)

Ink: Bashful Blue

Stamp Set: Easter Blossoms

Tools and other fun stuff:  So Saffron 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (retired), Scallop Border punch.

A Valentine Challenge

I am a little over red at the moment after Christmas, so when someone suggested we make a couple of Valentine projects I opted for colours which were a little less traditional - a combination I like to call my chocolate, raspberry and whipped cream delight!  Delicious, and zero calories!

When I mentioned raspberries it reminded me of when I grew up on a farm in Chile and mum had rows and rows of those berries growing in the vege garden/orchard - ah, life was so sweet and simple in those days.  Of course it wasn't so much fun when my three brothers and I were 'conscripted' into picking the darn things to make jams, syrups and preserves... but in the middle of winter we were ever so grateful for all these delicacies, I can almost taste them now!

Anyway, enough reminiscing and here is my very simple card and a small container for chocolates or sweets.

(Yes, you are quite right, I have added a sentiment to the card now as it was looking a bit naked previously!) 

What I used:

Card:  Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rose Red ink pads; Pretty in Pink and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers

Stamp Sets:  Simply Said

Tools and other fun stuff:  Scallop Border punch, Heart to Heart punch, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Stampa-ma-jig, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Sale-a-bration is here! (25 January - 31 March 2011)

This is the biggest sales time of the year for Stampin' Up! products.

Earn a FREE stamp set with every $120 you spend in one order or as a Workshop Hostess earn another FREE stamp set when your workshop total reaches $700. 

Join up as a demonstrator and it gets even better!

There are four beautiful sets that you can choose from, from vintage to modern, really stunning.


Contact me now for more details and to book a workshop!

Baby's first Christmas

Hi again!

A very dear friend had a wee baby boy just before Christmas and I thought I'd combine a baby card with a Christmas card and this is the result!  I had this adorable stamp set on my wish list for a very long time and now I finally have it, I think it will be well used and loved by myself and master 3 as well!

He is reasonably well trained not to touch 'mummy's things' as I have a workstation set up in the living area, but every now and then he just can't help himself!  I've had a jar of glitter emptied on the carpet (some of it is still embedded in the carpet...), and some of my nicest Stampin' Up! cardstock has been punched by him - right in the middle as well - but even though I growl at him at the time I can't help but smiling after as I remember these mini disasters... who can blame him for wanting to play with all my stuff!

What I used:

Card:  Pacific Point, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Ink:  Pacific Point, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Sets:  Fox and Friends, Sweet Sentiments (retired)

Tools and other fun stuff:  Large Ornament punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon, Swiss Dots embossing folder (non SU), Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Stampin' sponges.

Regal Rose Butterfly

I was actually planning on having a day off from cardmaking today, but it dawned dark and drizzly, just the perfect day to craft really!  So I made a couple of projects, here is the first one.

Once again I used a sketch from Diva Coffee Break Design plus the colour scheme came from The Color Dare - I must say I found it a little bit tricky to work with these three colours, but I think I got there in the end thanks to the use of lots and lots of layers (tt's six layers deep by the time you get to the butterfly!).

You can see lots more of my cards on my Facebook page.

What I used:

Card:  Pacific Point, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, White

Ink:  Regal Rose, Pacific Point

Stamp Sets:  Butterfly Prints

Tools and other fun stuff:  Scallop Edge punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Butterfly punch, Scalloped Oval pund, Wide Oval punch, Paper Piercing tool and mat, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' sponges, Basic Pearls.

Eastern Blooms for a friend

Hi again!  Hope your weekend has started well.   Carlos has been busy this morning finishing off the first coat of paint on the house as they have announced heavy rains for later today, it's looking rather grim out there right now actually, dark clouds everywhere.... good day for crafting though!

I've just finished this card 10 minutes ago, I followed another Clean and Simple sketch AND a Color Lab challenge as well - this is incredible!  From being totally fazed by sketches I've embraced them wholeheartedly - after all they take the hard work out of card making, which for me is coming up with new ideas all the time!  ( Sorry Color Lab, I don't have any More Mustard ink but thought the Pumpkin Pie was a pretty good substitute in this case).

I really enjoyed making this card, I must use that {friend to friend} sentiment more often!

If you'd like to join me on my Facebook page click on this link - look forward to seeing you over there.

What I used:

Card:  Pacific Point, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Ink:  Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write markers, Old Olive ink pad.

Stamp Sets:  Eastern Blooms, Teeny Tiny Sentiments.

Tools and other fun stuff:  Large Ornament punch, Scalloped Edge punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampa-ma-jig, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.

My first CAS Challenge card

There seems to be a lot of 'firsts' going on in this blog - and I guess part of the reason of starting a blog was so I could participate in challenges but the main reason was I seem to have a lot to type about Stampin' Up! and Facebook was somewhat constricting at times.

Without further ado here is my first CAS (Clean and Simple) card.  There are various degrees of CAS and I think my card may be pushing the boundaries today a little as it has a couple of layers, but there are no ribbons, embellishments, frills etc, so I feel it qualifies - at least I hope it does!

Ever since I started this blog I'd been wondering how to link pages to this site and it finally occurred to me to ask my teenage son!

 You can view the CAS challenge here.   (Thanks son for showing me how to add links to my blog!)

What I used:

Card:  Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Play Date DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Stamp sets:  Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Fox and Friends

Tools and other fun stuff:  Stampa-ma-jig, 1 3/4" circle punch, corner rounder punch, 2" circle template and cutter (non SU)

Vintage Love Letter

Hello again, well I finally figured out how to change the reactions on my post, now only have 'feel good' ones - well, it is my blog after all LOL!!

I've had a busy morning today, thought I would have got a little more done by now but can't really complain...

Here is today's card - followed a sketch this time from Stamping 411 which was quite straight forward so all's good.  Can you spot the difference???  Of course you can!  The first card looked a little naked so just had to add the greeting, now it's ready to give to someone!

What I used:

Card:  Riding Hood Red, Black, Very Vanilla, Love Letter DSP

Ink:  Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede

Stamp sets:  Easter Blossoms, Sincere Salutations

Tools and other fun stuff:  Large Oval punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Buttons #5 Sizzlits die, Stampin' Dimensionals, stamping sponges.

Valentines' Day is getting closer

Well, it has dawned a stunningly cloudless day, hard to believe after the rain and wind last night - master 3 and I will be off to the park for Push Play in a couple of hours so thought I'd get this posted early.

......................................

Some of you may have already seen these cards on my Facebook page, but thought I'd share them again - just in case you missed them.

I like the simplicity of the first one, and the Saffron/Poppy Parade colour combination is slowly growing on me!  I made it earlier this month and I feel would be appropriate for a number of occasions, anniversary, Valentines' Day, even as a wedding card.  You can see cards with similar colours here at Color Dare.

The second card I made for my husband for our anniversary and uses the same colours, as well as a hint of Old Olive in the punched leaves, I also added some tiny pearls to the 'leafy heart' though you can't really appreciate them in the photo.  Once again, by using a different sentiment you could use it for various occasions.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my cards today!

A little Pizazz for you

I am really liking this colour combination of Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and Olive Green, with Very Vanilla to cool it down a little.  When I first saw the Pumpkin Pie/Rose Red colour in a Stampin' Up! DSP I thought it was rather bright but now I'm really loving it!

I am just starting to get the hang of challenges or sketches and I saw a very do-able sketch this morning on Mojo Monday which I thought I'd try interpreting - hope you like the results!

What I used:

Card:  Old Olive, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla

Ink:Old Olive, Rose Red

Stamp sets:  Petal Pizazz

Tools and other fun stuff:  Scallop Border punch, Spellbinders Scallop Circles, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Buttons Sizzlits die, Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon (retired), Old Olive 1/4" taffeta ribbon, Stampin' dimensionals.

Welcome baby Sofia!

(First of all an apology - as a new blogger I got a bit carried away yesterday and added a 'reactions' area under my posts - as soon as I can find where I can delete it/change it so it's more appropriate I will do so, just can't find the 'layout' area for the life of me!)


One of our nieces in Chile has just had a wee baby girl and even though I'm a little late in sending her a card I hope she likes it.  My Christmas cards to South America took about 6 weeks to get there so hope this gets there quicker!!  At the best of times a letter can get there in 7 days so not sure why it took 6 weeks even allowing for the extra mail over the holiday period....

This little baby will be treated like a princess - so I thought a bit of bling would be perfect for her card.

I used Stampin' Up card for the base and layers (Rose Red, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White). I really like working with this card, it is great to stamp on and takes embossing beautifully and in available in an extensive array of colours.

The letters for the name were cut with a Cuttlebug die (You're not the Boss of Me) and I replaced the dot on the I with another rhinestone.

My first post

Well, welcome to my blog - I've been wondering for ages about starting a blog which allows me to show you what I do in my creative time, and perhaps more.... still not sure!

So to welcome you here is my first "blogged" card - this is so exciting!  I won't go into details on what I used or what I did in this instance - thanks for taking a minute to stop by and smell the roses!

Bye for now

Frances