Inkspirations Inspiration Challenge #17 - Happy Anniversary

Hi all,

This week Keesh had an Inspiration challenge - here is the photo:


I thought of going out for dinner, and decided to make an anniversary card. I decided to use the elements in the photo like a sketch:


For the branch I have used the flourish from Baroque Motifs in Creamy Caramel ink. Some Bella Bleu DSP panels represent the table etc, with a scored line across the top for texture and definition. The kraft ribbon and silver brads are inspired by the napkin and silverware. I was going for a simple elegant look, and decided to use Very Vanilla to bring out the warmth as well.
The greeting on the DSP is from Cheer & Wishes.

The weather has been so miserable and gloomy that I struggled with the photo even more than usual! This one was taken flat, the best I could do - the card fold is at the top.

Supplies:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs (first time I've used it, lol!), Cheer & Wishes

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Bella Bleu DSP

Ink: Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Kraft taffeta ribbon, filagree brad, silver brads, rhinestone brad, paper piercer, mat pack.

Thanks Keesh for a very challenging challenge! :)

Genelle.

Just Add Ink Colour Challenge #1 - Friendship

Hi all,

I needed a super quick card for a friend today, and decided to use the colours from Just Add Ink's first Colour Challenge:


There's still a teeny bit of time left if you'd like to play along too - entries close tonight at midnight, and you can find all the details here or by clicking the Just Add Ink button in my sidebar. There are a heap of talented Australian and New Zealand Stampin' Up! Demonstrators on the Design Team, with lovely creations for you to check out! I am going to make a cuppa after linking up my entry, and have a look at the other entries - there are a ton of them, and I'm sure there will be heaps of inspiration there too!

Here's my quick and fun card:


For this card, I randomly stamped the images (from 'For Everything') over half a sheet of Whisper White A4. I used my Taken with Teal marker to colour the bird's flower and also to ink the oval in the sentiment, and to colour some Whisper White taffeta ribbon - SO quick and easy! The image panel is layered onto some scalloped Taken with Teal cardstock and topped off with some So Saffron striped ribbon, and Chocolate Chip jumbo 5/16" brads. The sentiment has been punched out with the Large Oval punch, sponged with So Saffron ink and layered onto a textured Chocolate Chip scalloped oval, and popped up with dimensionals. To finish the card off I have added two rows of paper piercing to the Rose Red base.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: For Everything
Cardstock: Rose Red, Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip (textured)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, So Saffron, Taken with Teal (marker)
Accessories: Whisper White taffeta ribbon, So Saffron striped ribbon, Jumbo 5/16" brads, paper piercer, mat pack, Scallop Edge punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, sponge dauber, dimensionals.

Hope you enjoy it!
Genelle.

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #17 - Birthday Easel Card & Treat

Hi all,

It's time for the fantastic Inkspirations Challenges to kick off for this year - and Keesh has a wonderful Colour Challenge for us this week. Here are the colours:

I decided to make my first ever easel card - they're everywhere in blogland at the moment! I saw Beate's tutorial on Splitcoaststampers and wanted to have a go. Here's my creation (modified to a standard A6 card):

A bit closer (edited to add this one):

And a view of the card closed:

It's much busier than my usual cards, but it just seemed to take off on its own ;)

I have paper pieced the cupcake (from Crazy for Cupcakes) and used Crystal Effects on the sprinkles. The So Saffron scalloped piece has been stamped with the tiny cupcake image from Short & Sweet. The sentiment is from Sweet Birthday, inked with Chocolate Chip marker and punched out with the Word Window punch. I have sponged the edges and added a row of So Saffron brads.

I have used a new Very Vanilla large grommet to tie the So Saffron ribbon through, topped off with a So Saffron button (from the Button Latte pack) which has been threaded with Choc Chip cardstock 'thread'.

The card front stands up with the help of the layer attached to the base - I have added strips of Vanilla and Cameo Coral DSP and some paper piercing, as well as a greeting popped up on dimensionals.

I also made this cute little treat box to go along with the card - this one contains small Lindt chocolate squares, but you could adapt the size for any small gift:

I adapted this one from Beate Johns, here. I love making little boxes, and once you've found a great template, it's just a matter of altering the measurements to suit your contents. Mine has 4 little Lindt squares inside it.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Short & Sweet, Sweet Birthday,

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (textured), Very Vanilla, Candy Lane DSP, Cameo Coral, So Saffron, Raspberry Tart DSP, Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, So Saffron (inkpads & markers)

Accessories: Corner rounder, Word Window punch, sponge dauber, Scallop Edge punch, So Saffron brads, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, Button Latte button, Grommets - large, mini glue dots, Sticky Strip, dimensionals, Crystal Effects, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, paper piercer, mat pack.

I'm happy with how it all turned out, hope you enjoy it too. Happy Australia Day!

Genelle.

Birthday Cheers

Hi all,

Yesterday a friend came over for some cardmaking - she wanted to do a masculine birthday card with embossing. I decided to try the embossed 'frosting' technique from this month's Impressions (the Stampin' Up! demonstrator's newsletter). I omitted the glitter, and applied the frosting to the froth on the beer:

(Sorry for the blurry photo). Here's the finished card:

We also embossed the birthday greeting in gold. I love this sentiment (from Upsy Daisy) on cards for men.

I am really looking forward to the start of Sale-a-Bration on Monday - the first order will be placed first thing in the morning, so contact me if you'd like to join in, and earn some FREE stamps as well! If you add the lovely 'I {Heart} Hearts' stamp set to your order, Stampin' Up! will also donate $2 to the Red Cross Haiti Disaster Relief & Development Fund.

Have a great weekend,

Genelle.

Calendar Challenge - January

Hi again,

I'm having a great time creating this weekend - it's nice to have some time to stamp (and actually post it here, too!).

I was really excited when I saw that Susan Joyce is hosting a Monthly Calendar Challenge this year - the theme for January is Let's Party - Celebrate the New Year. You can check out all the details here and join in the fun!

I wanted my calendar to be functional as well as fun, so I have decided to make a 6" x 6" scrapbook page to go along with each calendar page. At least then by the end of this year, I will have done a bit of scrapping as well! But to start off, here's my calendar page:

We spent New Year's Eve away on holidays at my parents' place, and watched the early fireworks from their backyard, so I decided to use the little starburst from Hello Again to represent fireworks, and I've added some rhinestones. The colours were inspired from the fireworks colours on the night.

Stamps: Occasions for All, Hello Again

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Confetti White

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Circle punches, star punches, chipboard numbers, sponge dauber, rhinestones, dimensionals, star button (given to me on New Year's Eve!), stamp-a-ma-jig, mini glue dots.

Calendar Template is from Cat on Splitcoaststampers, here.

Thanks Susan for a fantastic challenge,

Genelle.

Gift for a Friend

Hi all,

Something I really love about the stamping community is the generosity of fellow papercrafters. I came across these gorgeous muffin/cupcake boxes recently on Claire Daly's fantastic blog. (You can also find Claire's blog in my sidebar - it's one I read regularly). Not only did Claire share the fabulous templates for these boxes, she's also offering two free tutorials to anyone who uploads their creation using her free templates - make sure you pop over and have a look!

I needed a little gift for a friend, and used the double muffin box template:

I wasn't sure if the recipient would know how to open the box, so I cut a slit in the lid with my craft knife and added a little ribbon tab (secured inside with Sticky Strip and a Kiwi Kiss corduroy brad through the lid).

The lid detail - a chipboard pear (from the On Board So Tweet pack) which has been covered with DSP, sanded, sponged with Kiwi Kiss ink and then covered in a layer of Crystal Effects:

Instead of muffins or cupcakes, my gift box contains some biscuits and tea bags, along with a coordinating Love Note card. I have used the Good Morning Sunshine DSP.

Thanks Claire, and all who share their tips, ideas and projects - it's greatly appreciated!

Genelle.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope that 2010 is a wonderfully happy and healthy year for us all. A friend of mine sent a New Year's Eve message which read, 'Make heaps of resolutions, and stick to one!' So that's my plan - although I have a lot of goals for the year, I am going to devote most of my energy into one in particular! I'll let you know how it all goes as the year goes on.

I have decided to maintain a new business website this year - you can check out the new link in my sidebar. I will be posting my creations, challenge entries and general waffling here on my blog, and my demonstrator website will contain more detailed information about Stampin' Up! promotions, products and information about being a demonstrator.

As far as stamping goes - I carted a suitcase of my stamp stuff across 2 states and barely had a chance to touch it over our holidays! I did get my Christmas items finished though. It was nice to have a break and spend time with my family, even though the weather was dismal most days.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas too,
Genelle.