Emboss resist with Darkroom Door

This was a fun card to make!

 I started by clear embossing the Bold Blossoms image from Darkroom Door onto white cardstock. I sponged some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink over the top of the embossing. I splashed some water droplets over the sponging, and let the Distress Ink work its magic. Love this technique!

The patterned paper is Echo Park Spots and Stripes, and it matched the colour of ink beautifully! I stamped the sentiment with Frayed Burlap, and made a little tag out of it. A little seam binding and a brown button complete the card.

This card was part of a Card Maps class at Little Bits. I'll edit and show you some other photos from the class soon.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Spellbinder Thank You Card

Here's a long tall card I made using some of my favourite Nestabilities:

The gorgeous papers are from an 8x8 pack put out by Bazzill called Divinely Sweet. Lots of gorgeous patterns and colour coordinated too with sheets of Bazzill cardstock. I love it when all the colour matching has been done already!

The pink strip down the middle has been embossed with an Impressabilities die. Must remember to use these more often - I love the effect.

A list of products can be found at the DownUnder Direct Inspiration Blog. Thanks for dropping in on this hot humid day in Melbourne!

 

Oooh - hang on! More published!

Serve me right rushing! I really should sit down, relax, enjoy a cup of tea while I flick through magazines, instead of trying to do everything quickly! I totally missed another two cards that are in the current issue of Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft. 

This one was made for a Cards for All Occasions special feature. I made a New Home card using Purple Onion Designs stamps:

 

These images are beautiful to paper-piece. I enhanced the patterned papers a little with Copic markers. Here's a close up - see under the fence palings:

This next card was for the new Designing with Sketches feature. I think you all know by know how much I love a good sketch!

Oh look - Purple Onion Designs stamps again! The sentiment, the frame under it, and the damask in the lower right hand corner. This is one of my favourite companies.  Here's a close up of the sparkly interesting bit with resin flowers and seam binding:

Thanks for listening to me toot!

 

Published with Field of Flowers

I've got some work in the current issue of this:

 I was sent the Field Flowers set by Stampin' Up to play with as part of Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft's Stampers' Challenge.  Here's the card that made it to publication:

And here's the one that didn't:

 I had fun playing with this set - I had a chance to get reacquainted with my stamp positioner. After a little moment of frustration, we sorted out our differences and now have a healthy respect for each other. The results were worth it - the detail in these stamps is beautiful.

Thanks for looking!

 

Miss Independent Layout

A bright summery layout:

Banners - LOVE EM! I've used heaps in this layout, and I made them with Nestabilities

The photos are of Elouise at a swimming lesson a few days after she cut her own hair. I was worried at the time about our future - I thought she would be one of those kids who gets up to mischief as soon as I took my eyes off her. Turns out I was only half right!


 All the materials can be found listed at the DownUnder Direct Inspiration Blog.

Thanks for looking!

 

Kite flying layout

This is a layout I did of my little niece Isabel. She's flying a kite at their local park on a bit of a windy day:

The journaling reads: "On this day the kite nearly flew Isabel!" She's my little Thumbelina - she's the tiniest, most delicate thing you'll ever see.

I used some denim fabric from an old pair of jeans as a mat for the photos to bring out the denim skirt Isabel is wearing.  It also adds some dimension and texture to the layout.

Because the kite didn't appear in any of these shots, I made one using some of the dies from the Nestabilities pennants sets:

The tail of the kite was made with cotton twine.

This scallop edge is so pretty - it's one of the Edgeabilities dies.

 You'll find all of the materials I used listed at the DownUnder Direct Inspiration Blog.  Thanks for looking!
 

The Crafter's Workshop Roadtest

I had the chance to try out a couple of 6x6 templates from Crafter's Workshop for Cardmaking, Stamping and Papercraft. The cards I made appear in the latest issue (click on the image to be taken to their website):

For the first card, I used the Branches template with some modeling paste. I made a little nest of raffia and put a little purple glittery bird in it:

The second card was printed on its side (hahaha!). I used gel medium through the Brocade template, and sprayed it all with some Chalkboard Glimmermist. I made the flowers with some black zips. This card could probably to with a word or sentiment in the upper left hand corner (that would have prevented it being printed on its side I'm sure!)

Thanks for looking!


 

Fun felting

You'd be forgiven for thinking I had taken a little break from crafting over December, but I've actually been indulging another love of mine - felting.

I took another class with the amazing Elizabeth Armstrong together with my friend Greta, and I got hooked on scarves. I made each of the children's teachers a scarf for their end of year thank you gift, plus one for dear Lesley (owner of Little Bits). In the inevitable Christmas panic, I only managed to take a few (bad) photos of a couple of them. Here they are:

And this one didn't felt in parts, so I had to add some machine stitching with lime thread - love this!!

Here's another work in progress - a nuno piece all laid out:

I've got another couple of projects to photograph, so stay tuned for more felting from me :)

 

Kaiser Sweet Nothings birthday card

I had wanted to make one of these step cards for ages, and I found some spare time just after Christmas and got stuck into it. What came out was a card for Mum's birthday:

I used papers from the  6 ½” paper pad and some die cut shapes from the ephemera pack. The happy birthday stamp is from Darkroom Door's String Sentiments set. Almost too easy!

 Thanks for dropping in today!

 

Crafty Secrets Car Classics

These are some cards from a class I taught last year. It was a Stamp of the Month class, and the stamp set we used was Car Classics from Crafty Secrets.

I was a little excited to hold a class with this set because our customers often comment that they are stumped when it comes to making cards for men.

This first card uses paper from October Afternoon, with a little sponged ink and some layering onto black cardstock. We stamped onto cream gloss cardstock with black StazOn ink.

This next card has Graphic 45 papers from a couple of different ranges on it, and some light colouring with Copics to match the King of the Road emblem to the papers:

This next card has paper from Teresa Collins, some sponging with Distress Inks and spritzing with water. Love this technique to really age a piece:

This last card is the more technically difficult card (I like to include one in most classes).  The paper is October Afternoon, and the car was coloured with Copics before being fussy cut.

 We made the car pop through the paper - love how this turned out:

Thanks for looking!

 

A family layout

This is a layout I did using a photo of my three kids after Rachel's First Communion last year:

A bunch of circles and scalloped circles piled up on top of each other make a nice border for the photo. It also helps that the colours match so well, especially with Elouise's striped dress.

The chipboard alpha was coloured with a W-9 copic marker to match the dark grey/almost black of the papers. The banner was made with the little dies from the Nestabilities Pennants sets.

A full materials list can be found on the DownUnder Direct Inspiration Blog.

Thanks for looking!

 

I'm baaaaaack!

Three and a half wonderful weeks - Christmas then seeing in the new year, and then just hanging with the family, learning to rest again.
I've got heaps to catch this little blog up on, which is going to be difficult with a shaped internet service. That's what you get when three little children get iPods for Christmas and discover YouTube I suppose!!
I'll start today with this canvas I put together for an ArtyOz 1-4-1 swap. It's a 5x7, and it was for Lucy who likes reds and creams:

I started with some Teresa Collins papers, a dressform by Collections, some red flowers from Prima and some wings and white flowers I had in my stash. A bit of modelling paste, buttons and acrylic paints and the canvas was done.

Lucy tells me I accidentally signed the back "Teresa - 2010" which is just an indicator of where my mind was! Eck! I do hate that stress I put myself under every December. This year will be different - I've promised myself.

Before I go, I'll share some of the insanity that goes on around these parts. This is my mate Max, who thought it was a little unusual for me to be taking pictures of something other than him.

Sniff sniff, what's this?

That would look awesome in my kennel!

How heavy is it?

Quick, before she catches me!

I got it back pretty bloody quickly! He thought it was just hilarious - I'm sure he was laughing at me, the cheeky mutt!