Sanisi Scribbles

Lovebird nails: tutorial and TotallyCoolNails contest entry

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001Z

Emeral Green (284) by BarryM
LaffyTaffy Cherry
Apricot Punch (053) by Rimmel London
Clear by Natural Collection (Boots brand)
I'm Exquisite (350 Gold) by No7 (Boots brand)

I chose Lovebirds for my Love/Valentine's Day contest entry because I don't really like pink, or hearts really. My husband bought me a couple budgies several years ago, so sweet little parrots remind me of him. LOVE HIM!

This is my first Nail Art video; it's so much harder than it looks to make a nice video. Sorry for the interruptions from my son. PLEASE give constructive criticism. Thanks.

Green birthday card

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000Z

I made this in 2010 for my brother's birthday. I used scrap paper, stickers and 1/2 of a stamp (said 'Happy Birthday!' but only used the second word). Ridiculously easy.

Princess Aurora - quilling card

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000Z

Here is a card I made 2 YEARS ago for my niece's birthday. I do quilling rarely, but it's quite simple if you can get the hang of it; I just played around until I got some flowers I liked. I added doodles before I glued the flowers down. I used colored pencils and glitter for the Princess Aurora stamp.

Wow. Long time, no see...

2012-01-21T10:00:00.001Z

Being pregnant and having a kid hasn't stopped me from being creative, but it's definitely been fewer and further between. I usually have to fit anything creative during naptimes or after "Mr. Maverick" (aka my son) goes to bed. And I haven't had the drive or energy to blog. Sorry. But I have been taking pictures of things that I've made. There have been fewer papercrafts and more random crafts.
The most recent thing I've been learning about is nail art. I get the opportunity to spend time with the teenage girls at church; I'm one of the Young Women's leaders so I'll teach an occasional sunday school lesson and go to their activities on a Wednesday. I saw one of the girls nails a couple weeks ago and I thought, "Cool. I can do that." She had put 6-10 tiny dots on each nail; when I did it I went a little crazy and went for a bubble look with 2 colors.
I then spent time on the internet and youtube learning different beginner nail art techniques. So when my nails were looking worn out I did this. I'm not sure of the technique name, but it's like 'dry marbling,' but only in one direction to look a little like feathers; it was actually called 'peacock technique' in one place so I used colors similar to an actual peacock feather.

A little update...

2010-08-06T09:00:00.002+01:00

Here's baby's 20-week scan. I've got two months before my baby boy is due. He's due October 8th. We haven't picked a name yet, but we've got a short list. My Lilypie ticker says he weighs about 4 pounds, so he's getting bigger faster.

I'll be moving from a flat to a house this month. I'll definitely still have a designated crafting area, but I imagine my card-making won't be as frequent as it was in 2009. Hopefully, after I move I'll be able to make some baby-theme cards; they'll definitely come in handy.

25th Anniversary card

2010-08-04T09:00:00.006+01:00

      I made this for my parents' 25th anniversary. I didn't want to make an all-silver card (because it's the silver anniversary), so I decided on blue with silver.
      I inked the chipboard numbers with silver ink and covered them with glitter. Then I put them on a textured black paper and did some doodling with a blue Sakura gel pen. The light grey paper is stamped in blue with a Stampin' Up mesh-looking stamp.
      The ribbons look really pretty, but it's really easy to do. I added a few eyelets, threaded the white ribbon through, and tied the silver ribbon on with blue thread. It made the silver ribbon look very neat and tidy, because there was no knot to make it go wonky. On the inside the white ribbon is glued down and then covered with a plain piece of paper (to hide the ends).
      This card looks cooler in real life. The colors aren't quite right because it's hard to photograph holographic paper (or glitter). And the black paper looks blacker.

Materials:
Holographic blue, black, and grey paper
Chipboard numbers
Sakura gel pen
decorative scissors
white and silver ribbons
blue thread

Never-ending card

2010-08-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

This card works better with fewer embellishments, so I just used stamps and stickers (and a pen for doodling).

Fairy card

2010-07-30T09:00:00.001+01:00

Details on the inside of card and envelope:

Materials:
Inkadinkado Fairy stamps
Stampin' Up stamp (criss-cross texture behind main fairy)
Whisper markers
Sakura gel pens (Tiara range)

Whiff of Joy Waterfall card

2010-07-28T09:00:00.000+01:00

Click on the pic to see each image close up:

The castle is on the inside of the card.

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamps: Draco the dragon, Charlotte's horse, Rogue Charlotte, Knight Charlie, and castle (all from the Medieval collection drawn by Alison Acton)
Inque Boutique swirl stamp
Whisper markers
Color pencils
Stampin' Up Spritzer
eyelet
ribbon

AWOL - for a reason

2010-03-07T09:00:00.000Z

Ok. I said I was going to get back to blogging after Christmas, but I didn't. Sorry. I haven't stopped making cards, but I've had a lot on my mind in January and February: I'm PREGNANT! It's my first and I can hardly think of anything else right now. I'm due ~11th October.

Cards and crafty projects should return soon. Hopefully once a week.

2009-12-10T09:12:00.002Z

I probably won't make any more posts in December. I work at a card shop, so I get really stressed at Christmas.

A few Christmas cards

2009-11-13T10:30:00.004Z

Materials:
Magazine freebie stamp (snowflake)
Stampin' Up scallop punch
HOTP paper
silver embossing powder

Materials:
buttons
embossing powders (clear with glitter and gold)
Magazine freebie stamp ('Merry Christmas' and ornament - mostly covered by the buttons)

I used masking and 2nd generation stamping
Materials:
Magazine freebie stamp (tree and 'Merry Christmas')
Sakura gel pens (Tiara range)

Song Lyrics Penny Black Card

2009-11-13T09:59:00.002Z

This week's challenge at Penny Black Saturday challenge is song title/lyrics. I knew I had to use this sentiment stamp; it's one of my favorite Christmas songs, especially when it's Dean Martin singing.

Stamps:
Penny Black: Holly Day Critters, and the Wonder
Hero arts: snowflake

Bronte as a Black Cat

2009-10-19T09:00:00.004+01:00

I loved coloring this MDP image; it's just so cute. I love how Bronte the dog is dressed as a cat for halloween. Now that it's finished I've got to post it quick, so it'll get to my neice in the states in time.

And since everyone seems to be challenging 'Halloween' and 'Fall,' this card meets the challenge at Mo's Digital Challenge (only buttons and ribbon), Papertake weekly, Cute Card Thursday, OneStopCraftChallenge, and Stamp with fun. (Hope it's ok to combine. Let me know if it's not.)

Materials:
Mo's Digital Pencil image by Maurie J Manning
color pencil
Whisper markers
chalk
message from Penny Black clear set 'Spooky'
Inque Boutique star and swirl stamp
Scenic Route paper
buttons
ribbon

Penny Black dotty Xmas card

2009-10-04T17:00:00.002+01:00

Just a simple card, but it meets 3 challenges:
Pink Elephant's "something with dots, punch and tag."
A Spoon Full of Sugar's "Christmas challenge."
Simon Says Challenge: "Red and green."

Materials:
Penny Black clear set 'Holly Day Critters' (cat) and 'the Wonder' (message).
Papermania paper
Quickutz spiky circle (from Reuse set) and label
red ribbons and thread
glitter
color pencil

Age 1 card

2009-10-02T09:00:00.000+01:00

One Stop Craft Challenge this week is die cuts (and my favorite die cuts are always my alphabets). Cute Card Thursdays' challenge was to make something celebrating a first. And Stampavie and more's challenge was to make a card with animals (did I do enough animals, you think?).

Materials:
Penny Black clear sets:
"Every which way" (Dog and bumblebee)
"Bubbly" (cat with balloons)
"Critter Party" (two butterflies, hedgehog, mice, kitten with present, and 'happy birthday')
"Garden Friends" (ladybug and one butterfly)
"Hugs" (just the little bird)

Quickutz "Bright" alphabet
DCWV papers Nanna's Nursery 'Baby Boy'
whisper markers
color pencils
teal glitter

Black and yellow bird card

2009-09-30T09:00:00.000+01:00

I made this card these colors for the challenge at Cute Card Thursday. And I used a sketch from Friday Sketchers. And I tried my hand at decorating the inside of this card.

Materials:
Inkadinkado ('Quartet' and 'A little bird told me')
Penny Black Salutations (happy birthday)
Papermania paper
crochet flower (made by me)
ribbon
whisper markers
Sakura Tiara pens
button
black cardstock

Cotton Candy Bird Card

2009-09-25T22:00:00.002+01:00

It might be hard to tell but I colored the birdies with Sakura Tiara gel pens, so they're very sparkly. I also stitched along the bottom paper, as well as doodle stitched. I'm really loving making crochet flowers; I've even made a little leaf for this one as well.

I decided to fit this card for Basic Grey Challenges (embossing) and Simon Says Challenge (stitches). It was a pleasure to use this fabulous sketch from Mojo Monday; it's a fabulous sketch.

Materials:
Inkadinkado stamp (Duet 98419-K)
Basic Grey papers (Two Scoops)
Sakura Tiara gel pens
Cuttlebug folder (Swiss Dots)
crochet flower and leaf (made by me)
circle punch (1.5")
ribbon
buttons
***If mixing challenges is not allowed, please let me know; I'm pretty sure it's ok for these challenges.***

Penny Black lace and pearls

2009-09-25T09:00:00.003+01:00

The challenge over at Penny Black Saturday challenge is lace and pearls. I also used the sketch from icsketches.

And as I was aiming for those I also met the challenges over at Color Create (pinks and chocolate), Our Creative Corner (pinks, white, and chocolate), Whimsy (buttons), and Secret Crafters (for the girls).

Materials:
Penny Black stamp set "Critter Party"
Autumn Leaves paper
Prima pearls
crochet flowers (made by me)
flowers
lacy ribbon
buttons
***If mixing challenges is not allowed, please let me know; I'm pretty sure it's ok for these challenges.***

Happy Halloween: Knight Charlie card

2009-09-23T09:00:00.002+01:00

The "happy halloween" and the pumpkins are on light green foil (I hope you can tell- it's very shiny and looks mint chocolate chip ice cream, mmm). I made this for the "neon and black" challenge over at Color Create challenges.

Whiff of Joy stamp: Knight Charlie
Inque Boutique stamps: Happy halloween set (swirls/stars and pumpkins)
Quickutz Bright alphabet dies (from Merry & Bright set)
Sakura pens
gems stars (colored with green Sharpie marker)
Whisper markers
color pencils
the striped black paper is the kind designed for gel pens
Stampin' Up color spritzer

One Color Card: Purple

2009-09-20T19:00:00.004+01:00

Here's my purple one-color-card using the sketch from Stamp with fun. This sketch was really fun but a little to simple for my small image, so I added a little variation with a shorter front of the card.

Materials:
Penny Black clear set: "Critter party"
DCWV papers
various ribbon
lilac pearl card blank

Cute Christmas card

2009-09-19T18:40:00.000+01:00

Bentley Bear is adorable; I especially love the little cat in this stamp. And since he's a teddy bear it fits today's One Stop Craft challenge of "Beary Nice." Gotta love teddy bears!

Materials:
Bentley Bear clear stamp set from "Cardmaking & Papercraft" October magazine
Studio g "Happy Christmas" stamp
Scenic Route paper
cardstock
ribbon
glitter
color pencils
whisper markers

A husband is...

2009-09-19T10:00:00.003+01:00

A husband is someone you can give candy to even after it's been in your mouth.

My cards and my style

2009-09-18T21:00:00.003+01:00

ABC challenge is looking for new additions to their design team. Check it out. So I've picked three cards of mine to highlight. It is such a challenge to choose favorites from my cards. When I finish a card, it usually becomes my favorite until I make the next card; I've picked three cards that have been favorites of mine for a while.

I chose the card on the left, because I love how it came together. This orange card is the first of my self-imposed challenge of "One Color Cards." So far I've made 5 out of 7 Penny Black "one color cards" this summer - It's going to make a rainbow when it's finished.

The middle card is one of my top-three, because it's exactly as I pictured it when I first got the idea. Perfect for my little niece. And it was so much fun to color a variety of animals for the same card.

The card on the right is nearly a year old, but it sits out on my desk because I love it so much. My favorite color is orange - seeing it anywhere makes me happy. Orange and blue - that's just classic!

Looking at all my cards, I would say my style is definitely colorful, mostly cute, and pretty tidy (I think a lot before gluing anything down).

Whiff of Joy: Rogue Charlotte

2009-09-18T09:00:00.004+01:00

This sketch was the challenge over at Whiff of Joy challenge blog. It was difficult for me to use - way too many layers for me (so I took one out). This is the first time I've used Rogue Charlotte; coloring her was fun.
Materials:
Whiff of Joy: Rogue Charlotte
Scenic Route papers
Prima flowers
buttons

HoHoHo card

2009-09-17T09:00:00.000+01:00

This is the first time I've tied string around ribbon, instead of knotting it.

Materials:
Hero arts sparkle clear H and O
QuicKutz holly leaves
red buttons
ribbon

My crochet flower - check it out!

2009-09-15T10:00:00.000+01:00

I'm really pleased how I colored Willow. I mainly used colored pencils, but a little bit of marker, too. However, I'm really happy with my crochet flower; I'm definitely going to make more of these. I chose orange and teal to fit the challenge at Whiff of Joy challenges; I love orange!

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Willow with cookies
Stampin' Up stamps (message from 'Delight in Life', texture on teal from 'A little bit of happiness')
Daisy D's paper
color pencils
Whisper markers
2.5mm crochet hook
embroidery thread
flower pattern from Jan Eaton's 'The Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques'

Willow with Umbrella

2009-09-01T10:00:00.001+01:00

I made this card to fit two challenges. The Whiff of Joy challenge was to add bling to my project, so I used glitter and gems. I also used (and tweaked) this sketch from Friday Sketchers:

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Willow with umbrella
Dovecraft/Studio g stamp: star from mini Xmas set
October Afternoon paper
Whisper markers
various cardstock
glitter
gems
red sharpie marker (to color gems)

Off to Uni - good luck card

2009-08-28T09:25:00.006+01:00

I used this sketch from CPS. It was very fun and easy to use. Since this card is about going to Uni, it also fits this weeks Simon Says Stamp challenge of "Back to School." And I added some bling to play along at Whimsy Stamps Challenge; I colored the gems with a sharpie marker. (I love doing that!)

I'm most proud of the "good luck" with the swirl around it.

Materials:
QuicKutz Paige and Paige mini alphabets
Chatterbox papers
Alphabet stamps
Swirl stamp (Elusive Images: Here be Dragons)
Stampin' Up scallop punch
circle punch 1.5"
corner rounder
ivory satin ribbon
Kaiser Craft gems
Sharpie blue marker

One Color Card: Pink

2009-08-18T09:01:00.004+01:00

Here's a close up of the coloring and glitter on the cake. It's colored with Whisper markers and colored pencils.

I was making my One Color Cards in an order, but I had to skip ahead to pink for the challenge over at One Stop Craft Challenge. Their challenge for the week was a pink and black card.

Whimsy Stamps Challenges this week is ribbons; I've had the polka-dot ribbon for ages, but haven't been able to use it until now.

Sinatra (Mo's Digital Pencil)

2009-08-14T17:35:00.004+01:00

This is an adorable image and so much fun to color. The drawing is fabulous: the position of the ears and back foot is so believable. Very feline!

Materials:
"Sinatra" digital image (Mo's Digital Pencil)
colored pencils
Whisper markers
papermania paper
various ribbon
blue staples

One Color Card: Blue

2009-08-10T10:01:00.004+01:00

Here's a close up of the speckles I created and the Friday Sketcher's sketch that I used:

I used my Stampin' Up color sprizter and the same blue marker that I colored the balloon with to add the speckles. Isn't the mouse just darling? And the sketch was really fun to use.

This is my 4th One-Color-Card, so I'm exactly half-way through the basic rainbow. It's definitely going to be an all Penny Black set, but I might start on Whiff of Joy next, since this is so much fun. Have YOU ever tried a One-Color-Card? I'd love to see, even if it's not a new card.

Materials:
Penny Black: "Hugs" clear set
Close-to-my-Heart papers
black brads
Whisper markers
Stampin' Up color spritzer

Christmas Card: Nativity

2009-08-09T10:00:00.002+01:00

I'm a little late for Christmas in July, but I've got a 2 month break from birthdays. So I thought I'd start making Christmas cards now. Here's a really simple one to get me started; very traditional theme and colors, too.

I've used the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday. It's a great sketch, but I did a star instead of a circle. I'll definitely be trying it with a circle soon.

Materials:
Nativity stamp (company unknown)
Papermania Medallion stamp (INTERLINKED STAR 39361)
Hot Off The Press papers
green gosgrain ribbon

Willow with Umbrella

2009-08-08T09:00:00.002+01:00

I used paper piecing to put Willow together; I used pink patterned paper for the umbrella, blue cardstock for the jean, and white cardstock for the rest of her. Then I used my markers to color the pieces before gluing down.

For those who don't know what paper piecing means: It's essentially cutting paper into shapes and putting them together to make an image. For stampers, it's a cool technique to add color to lined images with paper instead of ink. It's also a popular technique for quilters.

When my husband saw the finished card he said, "Looks nice. Very British with the umbrella." Am I the only one that thinks that response is humorous? It's like he thinks the UK is the only place that gets rain. LOL.

This card also manages to meet 3 challenges:
Papertake Weekly: 4 Seasons (I picked Spring: April Showers... and spring colors)
Simon Says Stamp: Ribbons and Buttons
Sugar Sweet Paper Treats: Splish Splash (anything with water)
*** If combining challenges isn't allowed, please let me know. I looked, but I didn't see anything against it. ***

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Willow with Umbrella
Papermania papers: Sweet Nothings
Whisper Markers
various buttons
white ribbon
green 5x7" cardblank

Creatalicious Challenges

2009-08-06T20:21:00.006+01:00

Here's the sketch from Bizzy Bec's Creatalicious Challenges (they're looking for DT for the new challenge site):

I've made this card in ~15minutes because I just discovered the new challenge site. Hope I'm not too late. I've not added flowers since I wanted to make a more masculine card this time; I'm always needing more guy cards.

Creatalicious Challenges is also giving away a blog candy to celebrate it's "Grand Opening."

Materials:
Inkadinkado stamp ("Birds Galore" clear set)
Penny Black stamp ("Salutations" clear set)
Creative Imaginations patterned paper
brown button
brown ribbon

One Color Card: Green

2009-08-03T10:10:00.001+01:00

Since I made a yellow card this week, I thought I'd follow on with a green card. I've used a Penny Black stamp, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, and Stampin' Up paper. The base of the card and the buttons are a light green, but they look white in the photo.

This is the sketch from Papertake Weekly Challenge blog for this weeks challenge. It was not an easy sketch for me to work with this week; I don't know why.

One Color Card: Yellow

2009-08-02T10:00:00.001+01:00

The challenge over at ABC Challenge blog is to make a yellow card. This is perfect for me to continue with my personal challenge of one-color-cards. So here's a simple yellow card with some cute Penny Black mice.

Whiff of Joy Video #1

2009-07-07T19:40:00.004+01:00

Here's my card for Katharina's Whiff of Joy guest designer call. I gave this card 100% of my creativity this past week. I even made a short video of the how to make the best bits of this card. It measures ~ 6 1/4 x 8 3/4" and it's pink! I'm not usually a pink person, but I was lucky enough to win these lovely Papermania papers from docrafts.com monthly prize draw (May's draw).

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Penny black stamp "Thinking of You" from clear Salutations set
Papermania "Touch of Pink" patterned paper
Plastic flower shapes bling
Prima flowers
White ribbon
Black eyelets
Fiskars circle cutter

One Color Card: Orange

2009-06-30T20:00:00.001+01:00

I've decided to set myself a goal this summer. I'm going to make at least 7 cards in one color only (one for all the colors in the rainbow). I might do them all with Penny Black stamps, but I'm not sure yet.

This is the first One Color Card made using a sketch from Friday Sketchers challenge blog. I chose orange first because it's my favorite color.

Materials:

Penny Black "Garden Friends" clear set
Prima flowers
Quickutz die
Stampin' Up papers
colored pencils
Sakura pen

Cute Penny Black Age cards

2009-06-24T10:00:00.005+01:00

Here are some super cute number cards for the challenge over at One Stop Craft challenge blog. I've got two nieces birthdays in July and I figure that by making them matching, but personalized I can't go wrong. If I were to do two completely different cards, I might make one better than the other; this way I know that they are equally cute.

If you'd like to find out which stamp comes from which clear Penny Black set, click on the photo, then hover over the image you like.

I used ALL 6 of my Penny Black clear sets to make these two cards.
Bubbly, Critter Party, Every Which Way, Hugs!, Garden Friends, and Salutations.

I used Quickutz alphabets Paige Mini (Natalie) and Merry (Chloe).

Bernie birthday card and video

2009-06-23T10:00:00.001+01:00

Here's a video of me making a card for my brother's birthday.

I also made it only green, black and white to fit with Stamp Something's black, white, and ONE color challenge.

Materials:
Stamps:
Heidi Swapp (Smile)
Penny Black (it's your birthday- from clear "Salutations" set)
Inque Boutique/See-D's ("Post it" set)

Scenic Route paper
Quickutz Merry alphabet (from the Merry&Bright set)
White Uniball Signo pen

Father's day cards and video

2009-06-21T10:51:00.002+01:00

Here's a video of me making this cool Father's Day card.

Here are the other two I made this month. Hope you can get some inspiration for other men's cards from these.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T09:00:00.001+01:00

A cute card for Easter. Penny Black stamp with doodlebug flocking. Quickutz Merry alphabet cut 'Easter' in foam.

Have a happy Easter everyone. God bless.

Whiff of Joy - Stamp Something challenge

2009-03-11T19:29:00.009Z

I've only made a handful of cards this winter; I can't wait for it to be spring. I hope that it will help my craft mojo.

The challenge over at Stamp Something this week is Favorite Somethings. My favorite is always what is newest to me. The newest things in my stash is an Argyle Cuttlebug folder and a Quickutz flower die. Both are birthday presents (my birthday was last week.)

Another present I got for my birthday was a food processor and blender set. I LOVE IT. I've only had it a week and a half but I've used it so much. I love that all I have to do is push a button and I've saved time!

Would anyone care to read blog posts about different things my food processor can do? Or videos? Please tell me yes or no. Thanks.

Material:
Whiff of Joy Stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Cuttlebug folder - Argyle
Quickutz flower die
Whisper Markers
Crate paper (I think)

2009-02-08T09:22:00.005Z

I love all the cute Valentine-style cards I've made this year, but this one is my favorite so far. Sugary-sweet cute cards are so much fun for me.

Materials:
Penny Black stamps - 'Every Which Way' set (cat and message)
Whisper markers
Stampin' Up Color Spritzer
October Afternoon paper
Maya Road chipboard hearts
Fiskars circle cutter

Medallion card

2009-02-07T11:47:00.004Z

Medallion stamps are lots of fun. If you've never tried them, it's really easy to make a 3 demensional card like this one.

Materials:
Papermania medallion stamp
Penny Black stamps - 'Salutations' set
Sakura Tiara pens
red and blue cardstock

Cute Valentine

2009-02-04T18:59:00.005Z

Here's a quick one for the Cute Card Thursday - Valentine Challenge.

Materials:
Penny Black Stamps - 'Every Which Way' set
Whisper Markers
Fancy Pants paper
various ribbon/ric-rac

Seeing Spots Challenge

2009-02-02T15:45:00.007Z

A simple and cute card for the challenge over at Caardvarks.

Materials:
Penny Black cat stamps ('Bubbly' and 'Critter Party' sets)
Hero Arts flowers
Papermania paper (purple)
Making Memories paper (orange)
cardstock- orange and purple

New Year... new card

2009-01-30T23:04:00.006Z

A new card for the new year. I'm so far into January that it's already the Chinese or Lunar new year as well. So... happy new year!

I had a lot of fun coloring in this dragon using my SU color spritzer and the masking technique.

The card was created using a sketch from Sketch Saturday.

The fun dragon is from Elusive Images - 'Here be dragons' set. (View it at Graphicus.co.uk)

P.S. Now that December and January are over I should go back to feeling like my crafty self again. Sorry about the lack of posts.

Smile birthday card

2008-12-06T12:25:00.003Z

A cute card for CUTE CARD THURSDAY hearts challenge.

Materials:

Heidi Swapp "Smile" stamp
Penny Black stamps
- cat - Bubbly clear set
- it's your birthday - Salutations clear set
black glitter
heart gems

Whiff of Joy Guest -Design-Team Call!

2008-12-05T20:55:00.005Z

Whiff of Joy stamps are having a call for a new guest design team member and I'm adding my two cents to all the great applicants out there. I ADORE these stamps! Pick me! Pretty please!

P.S. Sorry about the blurry photo.

Materials:
"Melinda helping Angel" Whiff of Joy stamp
"Thinking of You" foam stamp
SU spritzer
Whispers markers
October Afternoon paper
green cardstock
SU dots stamp (from 'Delight in Life' set)
gems (blue ones colored with Sharpie marker)

2008-12-01T13:14:00.002Z

Check out the Whiff of Joy Advent Calendar over at http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/ They're giving away prizes!

AFK

2008-12-01T12:47:00.005Z

AFK means "away from keyboard" if you've never heard that before. I've been playing the new Tomb Raider game! My husband surprised me with it the day it came out. He had reserved a copy for me!

So I've been having fun playing that instead of making cards. I'm nearly done with my first time through the game, so I'll get back to my craft desk soon.

P.S. On the level with the tigers I used a tranquilizer gun. :)

What happened the year you were born?

2008-11-21T09:00:00.000Z

In 1986 (the year you were born)

Ronald Reagan is president of the US

The US officially observes Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday for the first time

The space shuttle Challenger explodes moments after lift off, killing 6 astronauts and a teacher

A major nuclear disaster occurs at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union

Japanese video game maker Nintendo introduces its games to America

US warplanes bomb Libyan headquarters in retaliation for terrorist attacks

The Soviet Union launches the Mir space station

IBM unveils the PC Convertible, the first laptop computer

Charlotte Church, The Olsen twins, and Lindsay Lohan are born

New York Mets win the World Series

Chicago Bears win Superbowl XX

Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup

Top Gun is the top grossing film

"That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends spends the most time at the top of the US charts

ALF, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and Pee-wee's Playhouse premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Happy 30th!

2008-11-19T21:33:00.004Z

I love the colors on this card. Those micro beads really dress up chipboard so well. I hope she'll like it.

Materials:
American Craft Thickers (Black Tie - they're fuzzy!)
Chipboard 30 (I'm not sure yet, Scenic Route, maybe?)
micro beads
Anita's 3D Clear gloss finish (for liquid embossing)
May Arts ribbon
blue textured foil paper
ChatterBox patterned paper
black cardstock

Animals birthday card

2008-11-19T09:00:00.001Z

I used this sketch from stampchallenges.blogspot.com to make this card. It was very easy to use. Don't the chalks give these images the perfect look? I love it!

Materials:
Stampin' Up 'Wildlife Reserve' stamps
Creative Cafe alphabet stamps
FancyPants paper (light green)
cardstock (brown, dark brown, and cream)
Pebbles Inc chalks
Whisper brown marker
brown brads

Quick card

2008-11-17T12:33:00.006Z

Q is for... Quick card challenge over at abc-challenge.blogspot.com.
Making a card under 20 minutes is really hard.

Materials:
Penny Black candles (from 'Salutations' set)
See-D's alphabet stamps
Creative Cafe alphabet 'I' stamp (for the dashes)
gems

I'm an Orange!

2008-11-16T16:00:00.001Z

You Are an Orange

You have a zest for life, especially for anything colorful, wild, or dramatic.

You have a unique take on the world, and you're not afraid to be a little funky.

You are a bit reserved toward people who don't know you well. (Very true.)

You have a thick skin, which can protect you from anything that goes wrong in your life. (Definitely not true; I'm too sensitive.)

Once someone does get to know you, they totally get and appreciate you.

Your friends see you as a bright person with a refreshing take on life. (I hope so.)

What Type of Fruit Are You?

Birdy Birthday card

2008-11-14T09:00:00.004Z

I made this card for my friend Stefanie. She's only 7, so it also works with Spoon Full of Sugar's challenge to make a card for a child. I don't really make cards any different for kids, but I do like to think of the person who will be receiving it when I make one.

Materials:
Inkadinkado Stamp
Quickutz alphabets (Paige mini and Bright)
October Afternoon paper (dots)
Crate paper (red)
Sakura pens
Whisper markers

Simple thank you card

2008-11-13T10:01:00.005Z

I made this card for the challenge over at Stamp Something. The challenge was to only use one layer of cardstock. Boy, that is difficult. To me this card doesn't look quite finished. If I had a silk or paper flower in the right color, I would have added one on the bottom right. Or something like that. Or maybe I should have added a third color.

Materials:
Inkadinkado 'Birds Galore' stamp
Penny Black 'Salutations' stamp
Hero Arts (the four flowers around the thank you's)
lilac cardstock
blue ink
blue ribbon

So exciting...

2008-11-08T13:17:00.004Z

Craft Stamper magazine has a new blog and they mentioned me! Check it out: here. I am so THRILLED!

I used their strawberry stamp on this card:

Happy Birthday, Lou!

2008-11-06T12:15:00.002Z

Happy Birthday, Lou! I love you! Have a great day!

Ok. I made a card, but haven't mailed it. (The post office is my nemesis. I hate going there.)

Materials:
Penny Black stamp
Stampin' Up celebrate stamp
FancyPants paper
Crate Paper
fuzzy white Dovecraft ribbon
black May Arts ribbon
Whisper markers
brown color pencil

I live in England...

2008-11-04T14:30:00.004Z

"So what are you doing over here?"
When I first moved to England, I got asked this question a lot. Mostly from strangers. I think it's funny how people can ask me such a personal question just because I have an American accent. I don't mind, I'm a naturally curious person myself.

I tell them in the simplest way that I married an Englishman. I'm not very good at reading people, but I think a small portion that ask are surprised that I'm married at all; I think that to them it would make more sense if I were studying at the University. That's because I'm young (22) and to most people I actually look younger than I am.

"Do you like England?"
This is a funny question. Do you know how you would answer if you were asked if you liked where you lived? I always answer that I think England is normal. I mean life for me is work, eat, sleep, etc. Everyday life in England is only slightly different than in America. At least it is for me.

The biggest differences for me: snack food and sweets, and I don't drive over here. I really miss crackers, but I don't really miss driving.

"How did you meet your husband?"
Whenever I answer this one, I grin like crazy.

My husband was studying International Business at University and got the opportunity to study for a semester in Moorhead, Minnesota just across the river/state border where I was living/studying in Fargo, North Dakota (my hometown). The two cities are squished right together with only the river seperating them.

NaBloPoMo

2008-11-01T21:53:00.005Z

November is NaBloPoMo (which means National Blog Posting Month). I'm not going to be able to post everyday (my life is a little too slow for that), but I will make a huge effort to make lots more posts this month. And hopefully, I'll get into the habit.

I'm going to start today, by going over the basics:

I'm 22 year-old American, married to a great English guy.

My favorite color is orange (blue is 2nd). I have a weird dislike for pink; it's just not for me. I'm trying to overcome it little by little, but something all pink puts me off.

My favorite foods: pepperoni pizza, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and mashed potatoes. (But not all together; that would be weird.)

I love animals. I have two budgies (Jack-jack and Mater). I love them to bits.
Here's an old scrapbook layout showing them:

I'll do a post later all about my birds soon.

I love crafting. Scrapbooking, card-making, and cross-stitch are the main ones right now, but I love trying lots of different crafts. I dabble in drawing, watercolor painting, beading, and quilting, and probably some more I'm forgetting at the moment.

I also love baking. Cookies, brownies, pies, tarts, and other desserts are my favorite things to make. I like trying new recipes all the time. Desserts are the most fun, but I try different meals, too, sometimes. Making the same things over and over again frustrates me.

That's all for now. I should write more about each of these topics soon. (and with photos, don't you think?)

If you have any interesting questions I could answer, I would be grateful.

Blue & Orange Whiff of Joy card

2008-10-27T11:00:00.002Z

Close up of the image:

I love coloring this stamp. It is so much FUN! I made the card blue and orange for the challenge at artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com. I left the card without a message, because the image is so versatile it could be several things; a thank you or a thinking of you card are my first impression.

Materials:
Whiff of Joy stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Whisper markers
Chatterbox orange patterned paper
Penny Black flower stamp (from Salutations set)
silver glitter
blue inkpad
ribbon

Halloween cards are TRICKY! :)

2008-10-27T10:30:00.000Z

Halloween cards are not easy. I have one halloween set, so that doesn't help. Does anyone else have this Inque Boutique set? It's great; I got it for the star border really. I made this one for the Halloween challenge at A spoonfull of sugar challenge.

One tip: I used my SU scallop punch to take a notch out of the corners.

Materials:
Inque Boutique stamps - Happy Halloween set
Happy Halloween foam stamp
Stampin' Up scallop punch
Whispers markers

Nature Thank you card

2008-10-27T09:54:00.003Z

I made this simple card for the Nature challenge over at abc-challenge.blogspot.com. If anyone has used this stamp, or seen it used, I would love to see what others have done with it. I struggle with the size and shape of it.

Materials:
Stampin' Up - A little bit of happiness
Stampin' Up buttons
Prima flowers
Whisper markers

My first Whiff of Joy!!!

2008-10-23T23:35:00.007+01:00

This is my very FIRST Whiff of Joy stamp. I am so thrilled. I have been drooling over these stamps ever since before they came out. I was so lucky to win one off of Katharina's blog last week. I used her sketch to make this card for Stamp Something's challenge.

Whiff of Joy stamp: Melinda Helping Angel
Patterned paper: FancyPants (purple) and Basic Grey
Bazzil Cardstock
Making memories ribbon
Prima flowers
papermania eyelets
Whispers markers and aqua-pen

Sketch by Katharina:

Blue butterfly card - baby wipe technique

2008-10-22T14:00:00.001+01:00

I used the baby wipe swipe technique to make this card. If you don't know what I mean, I found a youtube video that shows this technique. I don't have any re-inkers, so I just colored the baby wipes with my whisper markers.

I liked adding more and more 'waves' to this card. Ric-rac, decorative scissors, and a wavy stencil with a marker. This was a very quick card; very little thinking involved. :)

Materials:
Stampin' Up stamp
clear embossing powders
white and blue paper
blue card blank
decorative scissors
ric-rac
PaperCraft Inspirations magazine stencil
Sharpie markers

Rach is giving away a blog candy.

2008-10-22T09:30:00.006+01:00

over at: http://papercraftsbyrach.blogspot.com/

Isn't it just scrumptious???

And if you've never visited her site before, check out her amazing cards.

Whiff of Joy blog candy at Le blog de Scrapmumur

2008-10-14T19:13:00.002+01:00

I can't speak French, but the cards over at Le blog de Scrapmumur are gorgeous. At the moment, she's got a lovely blog candy: check it out!

<----

Penny Black Suspension card

2008-10-14T08:46:00.002+01:00

Here's another creation I made for World Card Making Day and the challenges over at In Love With Stamping (a UK stamping community). Their challenge was to make a card that moves; I chose to make a suspension card, because the middle part can spin. (And because I only know a few techniques to make a card move.)

I've never made a suspension card before this, so I'm happy about how quickly I was able to put it together. I usually have to mess up a few times with new techniques. Even cutting out the green paper with the decorative scissors, I did it in one go. I did have to color the mouse twice, but that was a quick mistake to fix.

It says 'Thinking of you' on the opposite side.

Materials:
Penny Black 'Bubbly' and 'Salutations' sets
Fiskars circle cutter
SU scallop circle punch
decorative scissors
hole punch (crop-o-dile)
Basic grey patterned paper
coloured pencils
Whispers marker (for the bowl)
Sakura yellow glitter gel pen
embroidery thread
ribbon

Burgundy Birds Card and matching Box

2008-10-12T14:25:00.001+01:00

I had a busy World Card Making Day (last Saturday). The first things I made using my new Cuttlebug folder (Birds and Swirls).

I have a Quickutz Revolution so it's not designed to be compatible with other companies; I used thin bits of plastic instead of the embossing mat (which is too thick) and had to run it through the machine twice, embossing the top first and then the bottom the second time through. (If I had the new 12" platform, I would only need to run it through once.) It's no problem, however; it just takes 2 minutes instead of 1 to emboss.

So here's what I made:

1- I embossed cream paper with the Cuttlebug folder and then I used the Brilliance inkpad and a sponge to highlight the embossed parts.
2- I used a black pen for adding shadows and white uniball Signo pen for highlights. Then I rounded the corners and matted the paper.
3- I stitched the left and right sides with burgundy coloured embroidery thread. Then I glued the papers down and added a bow (which is easier to say than do).
4- For the message, I used SU scallop punch once with black and twice with the burgundy paper. Then I added rub-on letters and drew a small swirl and dots.

I used the same techniques to make this mini box out of a card blank.

The box holds ribbons and buttons for my friend.

Materials:
Black, cream, and burgundy papers
Pink card blank
Cuttlebug embossing folder 'Birds and Swirls'
Brilliance Inkpad 'Crimson Copper'
Black pen
White pen (uniball Signo)
corner rounder
embroidery thread
black ribbon (sheer)
SU scallop circle punch
Doodlebug rub-ons
Foam dots

More projects coming soon.

Another blog candy find.

2008-10-06T09:50:00.000+01:00

Lim has got a great blog candy over at her blog: lim-thevoicesinmyheadlimblog.blogspot.com
She's also looking for help to store her stamps. I've shared with her my current method and there have been plenty of other good ideas in her comments section.

Happy World Card-Making Day!

2008-10-04T10:46:00.001+01:00

I didn't even know until I opened a crafty email this morning. Luckily, I am SO ready to make some cards today. I went to The Paper Mill shop yesterday. Look at all the goodies I got (and it was under £20)! *I got the sharpies at another shop for 99p.

You can't tell, but three out of the four ribbons that I bought are FUZZY! I got 5 yards on each roll, so I couldn't fit it all on one of my embroidery thread spools. So I did two yards on each and set aside a yard (in the baggies) to give to my friend.

I'm sorry you can't see the cuttlebug embossing folder pattern. It's called 'Birds and Swirls' and it is so pretty, and perfect for me (I've got two budgies, so I love anything with birds). I'll be making something with it really soon.

It's also my very first embossing folder. I have a Quickutz Revolution, so I wasn't sure it would be compatible. It doesn't work with the embossing mat, but I've gotten around that little detail. I'm planning to do a video showing how I made it work for me.

Leave me a message if you make anything for World Card Making Day! I'll make sure to comment. :)

Butterfly house mini album

2008-09-27T23:12:00.001+01:00

This is pretty much the second mini-album I've ever made. I've learned a few things I wish I knew before I started.

Cutting and sanding around the scallops took ages, but the finished product is totally worth it, because scallops and sanded edges look so pretty.
Smaller photos are easier to scrapbook (I cut these ones down from 4x6).
Stamps and inking are great - looks cool, but doesn't make the book un-closeable. (I know that's not a word, but you know what I mean.)
It takes me twice as long to make a mini album as I thought it would.
Finding room for a lot of journaling was the hardest, until I added the journaling pages.

This butterfly was very active. It flitted in our faces several times. It was also bigger than most of the other butterflies that we saw. And so pretty.

"All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream. -Edgar Allan Poe"
It was so much fun watching this butterfly flying around this flower. I tried to catch it in action but it moved to fast for me.

Our trip to the Southsea Natural History museum was on a lovely warm summer Saturday. It was extra warm in the butterfly room to keep them nice and cozy.

This one was resting on the underside of a potted plant.

This butterfly is the same as the one from the previous page. It decided to move location when I was photographing it.

This was my first trip to the butterfly house but it shouldn't be the last. Ian and I had a lovely day going around Southsea on Sat. July 26th.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been. -George Eliot"

Materials:
Magistical Memories chipboard album

Papers:
Black, white pp -> pinkpaislee (vintage moon collection)
orange stripe -> Fiskars Kimberly Poloson
orange bazzil

Stamps:
diamonds, butterfly and dotted lines -> Penny Black 'Salutations' clear set
Arrow -> hero arts letter S set

brown, black, and white inks
clear embossing powder
Basic grey chipboard alpha
various ribbons and rub-ons

Money LO and money wallet card

2008-09-21T10:13:00.001+01:00

Click on the photo if you would like to see it larger.
Materials:
Basic Grey pp
pink and yellow cardstock
Inque Boutique stamp (lines)
QK file flap die
QK alphabet Pheobe mini
Paper Salon alphabet stamps
pink and dk blue inkpads
corner rounder
pink eyelets
teal ribbon

I made this LO for'Economics' class at the Nook 'University.'
The goal was to use this sketch to do a LO about what I love and hate spending money on.

I also did the Extra Credit for Ecomics by making a birthday card with a money wallet and a matching envelope. And because I thought it would be more 'economical' to use the scraps from the LO.

Materials:
Basic Grey pp
Stampin' Up stamp
QK Pheobe mini alphabet
black satin ribbon
green ribbon

Here's inside. I didn't have any £5 or £10 notes so I used a dollar I had left over from my visit to California. I'm going to use the pocket for strips of stickers when I give it to Keris. I hope she likes it.

My great-grandmother Olga

2008-09-21T09:37:00.001+01:00

Click on the photo if you would like to see it larger.
Materials:
Prima felt
Scenic Route pp (polka dot)
FancyPants pp (flowers)
beads

This challenge was for 'History' class at the Nook 'University.'

A layout about my history.
The story must be at least 20 years old.
And the layout must contain something old!

I chose a photo of my great-grandmother Olga. I never got to know her, so it was nice to do some background research about her. She died before I was one, so her story is definitely more than 20 years ago.

The 'old' thing on this LO is the beads. I've had them since high-school (5+ years ago), and for a 22-year-old that's old. I don't really have anything else in the house that I could use that is older than 3 years. Isn't that funny.

More projects coming soon.

This week...

2008-09-14T08:32:00.005+01:00

I've been making scrapbook layouts!
For the rest of September, my favorite scrapbook site (www.myscrapbooknook.com) is having a really fun challenge called "Nook University." All the challenges are school related. You'll see what I mean when I show the three layouts I made for this week.
------------------------------------------------------------
This one was for "Math" class. The challenge was to have lots of multiples of three.
Doing threes was easy but having 6,9, or more was difficult. So I have:

9 materials:
Fiskars Kimberly Poloson Patterned paper
Prima ivory felt ribbon
Quickutz Paige and Paige mini alphabets
Stampin' Up Scallop Circle Punch
Making Memories Journaling Pages
Antique brads by Buttons Galore
Tim Holtz distress ink - antique linen
Corner Rounder
Misc. Ribbon

3 photos, 3 patterned paper, 6 brads, 3 scallop circles, 6 scallop edges total, 9 inches felt ribbon, 33 cm brown ribbon, 9 cm teal ribbon, 3 ribbons total, and 15 QK die-cut letters

This is my brother. He's in Australia right now, if you can't guess.
------------------------------------------------------------
The next LO I did for "Intro to Art." The challenge was to choose a choose a piece of artwork and use it to inspire a LO.

I LOVE art nouveau.
I chose Alphonse Mucha's 'Moon.'

I just want to show these other two, because they show the curved lines and circles typical to art nouveau.

So here's my attempt at an art nouveau layout:

Materials:
Tinkering Ink patterned papers
Inque boutique chipboard - 'Bee' and swirls
American Crafts thickers - 'bumble'
blue/purple cardstock
SU Scallop punch (punched twice to make the smaller scallops/spikey circles)
1.5" circle punch
Purple and dark blue inkpads
------------------------------------------------------------
And my last LO for this week was for "English" class. The challenge was to make a LO about reading, including a photo of myself reading a book and at least 50 words of journaling.

Please forgive the night-time photo. (It makes the photo have glare - it looks like scratches.)

Journaling reads:
"I love reading. As I was growing up there were always books in our house.
When my sister, Leah, was in first grade, she loved reading so much she tried to teach me at age 2! I didn't take to it then, but her love of reading has definitely influenced mine.
I was a big reader in school and even now I'm always on the lookout for a new author or series.
Here I'm reading one recommended by Leah: Stephanie Meyer's Twilight.
September 2008"

Materials:
Prima papers, and flowers ('Tea & Silk')
Prima journaling sheets ('whisper')
Imaginisce Crystals (inked black with Sta-On)
crystal brads
May Arts black ribbon
twined thread ribbon
Studio g alphabet stamps

Wedding card

2008-09-02T10:35:00.002+01:00

I needed to make a wedding card, but realized I didn't have any wedding-style stamps. I find theme stamps are better for theme cards (makes life simpler).

So I did some research and found this lovely set of Inkadinkado clear stamps. I love getting sets; they are usually better value. (Click on the photos if you want to see them larger.)

Inkadinkado stamps (wedding/marriage),
cardstock, eyelets, ribbon, and Doodlebug paper.

Love hearts card

2008-08-27T09:41:00.001+01:00

Stampin' Up 'A little bit of happiness,' Stampamajig,
Fancypants patterned paper, silver foil paper,
Versamark, silver embossing powder,
Sakura Tiara pens (red and silver),
and whispers markers (red and pink)

Blue birds

2008-08-25T08:15:00.001+01:00

Inkadinkado 'Birds Galore' stamp set
Black inkpad, versamark inkpad, clear embossing powder
Sakura pens (white souffle, blue tiara)
corner rounder, PaperCraft Inspirations stencil (May '08 freebie)

Inkdadinkado birds card

2008-08-19T09:46:00.002+01:00

A close-up of the glittery Sakura Tiara gel pens:

Just a quick and simple card for any occasion.

Materials:
October Afternoon papers
Inkadinkado stamp
Sakura Tiara gel pens
Whispers markers
red ribbon

Phil Collins singing 'You can't hurry love'

Get Happy!

2008-08-14T21:18:00.002+01:00

Just a short video with a quick card.

This would be a really great for a man. Don't you think?

Materials:
October Afternoon patterned paper
black ribbon
black chipboard
American Craft Thickers (white vinyl)

Frank Sinatra singing:
I've Got the World on a String
Get Happy

Whiff of Joy / Katharina's blog CANDY!

2008-08-07T21:11:00.000+01:00

Here is the deal:

The winner of the blog candy give away gets the complete Whiff of Joy Guardian Angel Collection by Elisabeth Bell ( 4 stamps ) for free
AND Katharina (or better Whiff of Joy Stamps ) will host a blog candy give away on the winners blog. You can choose the terms and I will sponsor your blog candy with another complete set of the Guardian Angels

More info on Katharina's blog.

Goofing off

2008-08-05T09:02:00.002+01:00

I've been goofing off at my craft desk instead of actually getting around to making something. One reason for this is because I WON A BLOG CANDY from Jenny over at Stamping Moments! I was so excited to get it in the mail. I played around with it straight away, but I haven't created anything yet. However, I did have to reorganise most of my work space to accommodate the new stamp set. I had a blast doing that (you know how much I love organising)and now my desk looks great.

Here's one thing I did manage to make. I bought these 'Wildlife Reserve' from Stampin' Up and I've had them a few weeks. It's a set of 14 and as you can see most of them are on the small side.
I haven't quite figured out how to use small stamps. PLEASE, let me know if you have any tips.

I stamped the animal, punched it out with the circle punch, masked the animal and spritzed the background. Then I took chipboard letters and painted them with Distress crackle paint

Stampin' Up stamps (Wildlife Reserve), spritzer, 1.5" circle punch,
Distress crackle paint, Whispers markers, various cardstock, and alphabet chipboard (American Crafts???).

Inkpad Poll Comments

2008-07-28T12:57:00.000+01:00

I'm planning on getting a nice red inkpad soon, but I don't have any idea of which brand would be the best. (I really like pigment ink pads by the way.)

If you have the time I would really love it if you could help me out. Or you could give me a comment here.

Strawberry card

2008-07-27T18:13:00.004+01:00

Craft Stamper magazine strawberry stamp, Quickutz Alphabet: Merry, Studio g clear alphabet stamps, star punch, cardstock (red, cream, blue and light blue), red patterned paper, and Whispers markers (black and dark green).

This card was based on Katharina's sketch for Papertake Weekly Challenge.

Blog candy at Artfully Ila

2008-07-27T14:41:00.000+01:00

Blog candy is the best to introduce new readers to a blog and to reward those who have been watching all along. Ila at artfullyila.blogspot.com is offering some lovely stamps to one of her lucky readers. Check it out here.

I love Katharina's sketches!

2008-07-26T17:52:00.001+01:00

I have recently found a fabulous card blog: Katharina's Creative Place at http://katharina1704.blogspot.com/

I've made a couple cards this week based on one of her sketches. I love her sketches; they are so easy to use and fit my style so well. Here's the sketch I used:

Detail of the wood-like paper and speckles on the blue paper:

Here is a pic of the materials I used, excluding the paper and ribbon.

The animal stamps are Stampin' Up (I used the ram one for more grass); the trees are from a Close-to-my-Heart set. And a foam sentiment stamp.

Inkpads, sponges, Whispers markers, 1.5" circle punch, Stampin' Up scallop punch (I got the fun shape by punching it twice), and Stampin' Up spritzer.

This little photo shows the coloring better.

Inkpads, sponges, Whisper markers, Stampin'Up Spritzer, Inkadinkado bird stamp, and a foam sentiment stamp.

What do you think of the supply photos? If you want to see any of the photos larger you can click on them.

New starts...

2008-07-25T19:14:00.000+01:00

I have decided to stop fighting with blogsome, so I'm switching to blogger. I am feeling very less stressed noticing all the little improvements that make my blogging easier.

I have decided to blog more regularly now. After I post the few videos I have made on this blog, I will start fresh.

I hope everyone who visits will have a good time and get some inspirations from my cards and ramblings. As always, I would love to have a few comments. I promise to visit the blog of anyone who posts a comment. Seems only fair, doesn't it?

I love organising

2008-07-25T16:28:00.000+01:00

Ever since getting back from visiting my sister, I haven't been making very many cards. I have been organising and re-organising my crafting stash. I've put all of my unmounted stamps into a A5 binder; it's the perfect size for most stamp sets.
Another thing that I've done is make a catelog of all my inks, pens, punches, die-cuts, and stamps. I think the photos explain better. It took a very long time to stamp out all of my stamps, but it makes it so easy to flip through a choose one for a card.
I used skinny little photo albums and file cards. It might seem peculiar, but I really loved doing this. Organising can be really fun for me. Now that I'm finished, I'll be back to making cards and hopefully some videos.

Metallic Effect Dots

2008-07-11T16:40:00.002+01:00

Sassafrass Lass Blue Boutique papers, Penny black stamps, homemade embossing stencil, Fiskars circle cutter, and corner rounder.

I'm not very pleased with my video - the coloring part turned out very blurry. I hope it doesn't bore everyone; if it is boring skip to the middle. Let me know if you enjoyed the video!

Video 2: Home-made embossing template

2008-06-06T13:35:00.003+01:00

Materials:
plastic (not too thick), embossing stylus, hole punch (I used the smallest I have), Inkadinkado Stamps (96699 Pets set), multicolor ribbon, Whispers markers

Songs:

A Spoonful of Sugar ~ Julie Andrews (from Mary Poppins)
The Spectrum Song ~ Paul Frees (from Walt Disney's Wonderful world of color)
True to your Heart ~ 98* and Stevie Wonder (from Mulan)

My First Video!

2008-05-29T11:45:00.001+01:00

My very first video. :) Boy, am I going to mess up a lot!
I'm making a card using rubber stamps.

1st technique: dual color stamping.
2nd technique: making a frame with L-shaped stamps.
3rd technique: distressing with ink and sponges
4th technique: cutting with decorative scissors

Materials:
Inque Boutique stamp (from the Boho Frames set)
Happy Anniversary! stamp
Hobbycraft inkpads
Hobbycraft decorative scissors
Prima patterned paper
WHSmith flowers
black ribbon

Music by Queen:
Don't stop me now
Somebody to Love
Crazy little thing called love

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