Pink Daisies

This is an effective way to use your Stampin' write markers. Using a larger detailed stamp such as the Daisies from Upsy Daisy start by using the lightest colour markers to colour in the stamp. I started with Regal rose on the flowers and then added the rose red to the centre base of a few daisies before colouring the stems in old olive. By this time the ink has dried a little so you need to give a good warm huff with your breath all over the stamp to moisten it. Then stamp onto some whisper white cardstock. The card was finished with some pink pirouette cardstock and 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon and a Kiwi kiss base. I stamped the greeting also from the Upsy Daisy set in Old olive as I don't yet own the Kiwi kiss ink.

Enjoy and Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

Something bright and cheerful!

This is a sweet little card using a new set from the Summer Mini. It's a happy little card which can be changed to suit the occasion by your choice of greeting. The stamp set is called Hello again. The card is whisper white with Lovely Lilac and Kiwi Kiss cardstock. I used markers for the flower in Pumpkin Pie and Old olive and the Lavender Lace for the butterfly and greeting. The greeting comes from the Upsy Daisy set but you could also use the 'Hello' which comes in the Hello again stamp set. The ribbon is the 5/8" Striped grosgrain in Kiwi Kiss.

I hope this is a little bit of inspiration for you!

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire

I'm back!

And I have lots to show you :) I took a bunch of stamping things up North with me and had lots of fun creating. It was lovely to have the opportunity to have a stamping night with some of the MAF ladies in Nhulunbuy before we flew out to the little island of Milingimbi. A couple of the girls were keen to make a Tri shutter card and I just happened to have just enough cardstock and patterned paper to make another version of this card using the Butterfly Prints stamp set from the Summer Mini. We had such a great night together.



We used a kraft background with Washington Apple papers, Bashful blue, Real red and Pumpkin pie ink, Bashful blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and the beautiful Butterfly prints stamp set. It would have saved us a fair bit of time if I had received my butterfly punch in time... but now I have it and it's wonderful! I love it! And it also co-ordinates with the butterfly images from Flight of the butterfly (p. 82) in the Idea book and catalogue.

I only have a couple of dates available for workshops in January. Contact me if you would like to have a workshop with some of our lovely new products from the Summer Mini.

Also, until January 24th there is a great inventory clearance sale on with Stampin' Up! There are some awesome reductions! Check them out at http://www.stampinup.com.au/

Happy Stamping!
Love,
Claire

PS Stay tuned for some scrapping layouts and more cards over the next few days!

Faux metal effect

Hi girls!

This will probably be my last post until I return from NT. But I just had to share this fun technique with you! This is my latest swap in my Artist Trading Card (ATC) techniques swap and the technique is Faux metal. If you are into heat embossing then you must try this... if you are not yet into heat embossing then you must get into it and try this because it is such fun and a great effect!
There is a tutorial here on Splitcoast. Basically you use versamark ink and Silver embossing powder on cardstock and heat set four layers or so. Then you quickly whilst the embossing powder is still wet press a stamp into it. This is how I made the silver flowers on the ATCs. The recipe is below.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper white

Ink: Versamark, Certainly Celery, Basic Black

Accessories: Heat tool, Silver embossing powder, Old olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Snail adhesive.

Stamp sets: Eastern Blooms and Best Yet.

Enjoy!

Love, Claire

Love Album

This is just a little album that I made for my lovely husband for our 7th Wedding anniversary... how time flies when you are having fun! I can't believe we're at 7 years already :)

It was a fairly simple process to make. It starts out as a 12"x 12" piece of Cardstock which you score at 4" and 8" both ways so you end up with a grid of 9 squares. Then you cut out the 4 corner squares and embellish. I trimmed the front flap a little and used the corner rounder punch to neaten it up.

I plan to make a few of these for family for Christmas in colours from the Bold Brights family - such as Real red, Tempting turquoise and Only Orange. But I will put photos of our children in them instead for a little keepsake for the grandparents!

Recipe:

Cardstock/Paper: (I am so naughty... that blue - the base of it all is not a current colour... I'm off to the naughty corner)... Kraft CS, Bordering Blue CS, Very Vanilla CS, Urban Garden DSP.

Ink: Versamark, Bordering Blue and Basic Black Stampin write journaller.

Stamp sets: Big deal alphabet, Always

Accessories: Kiwi kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, Mat pack, 1 3/8" circle punch, Corner rounder punch, Stampin' dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!

Claire xo

Something a little different

In just over one weeks time we will be heading off into the sunset on a special mission! My husband Julian will be doing some relief work for an organisation called MAF - Mission Aviation Fellowship - for three weeks during December. This work involves him flying between remote Aboriginal communities in North East Arnhem Land. He will fly local people, doctors, nurses, teachers and others in this time. Ethan, Levi and myself will be accompanying him!

We lived in Arnhem Land a few years back when Ethan was a baby so we are really looking forward to returning and seeing what has changed, what is the same, catching up with people and especially seeing how the community we will stay in is going. We hear there has been quite a revival in the church there so we are looking forward to opportunities to just spend some time with them.

The island is very remote. We will travel into Gove (Nhulunbuy) on Qantas, spend a couple of days there whilst Julian does some flight checks and I do some grocery shopping and catch up with some girls. Then we will head off to the island for 2 and a half weeks. There is not a lot on the island - just a small shop and a take away. There is an art centre but I am not sure if it's operating at the moment, we'll see when we get there - it would be nice to be able to get some local artwork to bring home with us though. There is also a school, the airport (obviously) and... um... a health clinic. I think that just about covers it!

I hope to do some blogging of projects before we go... but with one week left.... and lots to organise.... I know you will all forgive me if I don't quite get there!

Blessings to you all,
Claire xo

Brayering

I find that as I spend more time practicing techniques and making cards that I am really enjoying the creative side of stamping. Something I love right now is using a brayer. The brayer is like a smooth rubber paint roller. You ink it up and apply the ink to gloss card stock to acheive a gradient look like you can see on the card here. I love my Owl together now stamp set and it was fun to use it on this little card. The cardstock colours are Not quite navy, Summer sun and Ruby red. The ink colours used for the brayering were Ruby red, More mustard and Summer sun. The branch, owl and greeting are stamped in Basic black and then coloured using Chocolate chip, More mustard and Always artichoke with the blender pens. The greeting is from the God's blessings stamp set.

Happy Stamping!

Love, Claire.