Blooming Pink

I made this card using the colours of CC38 on SCS. The colours were Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Black and White. I think this colour combination is very sophisticated. The layout was SC118 on SCS. I can't thank enough the ladies who put together the Challenges on SCS. I have printed the summary documents and keep them on my stamping table for inspiration whenever I need it.

The base card is Pretty in Pink. I used Certainly Celery Textured card stock for the middle panel. The image and the sentiment are from the retired Hostess set Blooming with Happiness. They were both stamped on Whisper White card stock. I then sponged Pretty in Pink over the skirt on the dress and used the Pretty in Pink marker to colour the bodice and shoulder straps. Then the edges of the image base were sponged with Certainly Celery. This was then layered on Black card stock and adhered using dimensionals. I attached a black brad to each corner of the sentiment piece before adhering it.

I'm really pleased with this one. What do you think?

Saffron Cameo Garden

This card was made using one of my favourite sets - Bud Basics. The colours are So Saffron, Garden Green and Cameo Coral. I stamped the flowers at random on Whisper White using Timber Brown StazOn. The leaveswere stamped in Garden Green. I then coloured the flowers using Cameo Coral inkpad and an Aquapainter for a soft watercolour effect. I placed a clear rhinestone brad in the centre of the centre flower and then tied some Olive Organdy ribbon around the image. Then I mounted it all using SNAIL.
I'm really pleased with the colour combination on this card. What do you think?

I've been Tagged!

This is my first time! Teresa (http://www.craftingtheweb.blogspot.com/) has tagged me with the "7 Things Game".

The rules are:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Well, here's my 7 things:

1. I truly was "Sweet Sixteen and never been kissed".

2. When I was a child, we cat a ginger cat who was named Ginger Meggs. I had never heard of Ginger Meggs so my Dad had to explain the reference to me.

3. If I had a choice between going to the park and reading a book, the book would win every time.

4. I have tried most crafts at one time or another.

5. I need, but don't have, a separate very large room for all my crafting gear.

6. My husband and my daughter are the most precious things in the world to me.

7. My nickname at school in Grade 6 was Brainwave.

Now I have to tag 7 other bloggers:

Nerine (http://www.stampinaddiction.blogspot.com.au/)

Karen (http://www.karenmrobinson.blogspot.com/)

Mel (http://www.melhanlon.blogspot.com/)

Natasha (http://www.natashamurraystamping.blogspot.com/)

Kristine (http://www.inksomething.blogspot.com/)

Cass (http://www.cassandragrambau.com.au/blog.htm)

Jayne (http://www.jaynemercer.com/blogs/index.php)

I haven't spoken to all these ladies but I do visit their blogs every day and they always inspire me.
I'll be back later today or tomorrow with a new card I've made using the new textured cardstock from SU.

Finally, Some Scrappin'!

Yes, I know the blog is called Stampin' and Scrappin' but I've been so into making cards lately that I haven't done any scrap booking. However, last weekend I held my monthly CM workshop and I finally had inspiration. Mind you, with the absolutely gorgeous paper packs that CM has released in the last couple of months in Australia, it is not hard to get inspired.

As I don't have any more recent holiday photos left to scrap I decided to start on my husband's Ministry Album. He has been ordained for a bit over 10 years (it might even be 11) and I though it was about time I started the album.

I began with just before his Ordination. This is the first page I have complete - it won't be the first page in the album but it was as good a place to start as any. These are the 4 seasonal stoles that he designed and my mother and I made for Alan just prior to his ordination. For those who are unaware, the red stole is used for Pentecost and Baptism/Christenings, the white is for celebrations such as Easter Sunday and Christmas, the purple is for the seasons of preparation (being Lent and Advent) and the green is for all the other Sunday's in the year.


The paper I used is from the new True 12x12 Power Palettes - Jewel and Primary. I just love these new Power Palettes. They are so versatile on their own but in the collections and with the Power Palettes Seasonal Additions, it is sure easy and super fast to create beautiful pages. For more details you can go to http://www.mycmsite.com.au/sharonwilliams.

A Busy Stamping Day

I spent yesterdayafternoon stamping and am quite pleased with my efforts. These are criss-cross cards I have made to send to Alan for our troops. It is quite quick to make them when you use a production line. They all use paper from the Summer Flowers SU pack. The cardstock is So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip. I used the Spring Flowers punch for the flower embellishments and the Round Tab punch for the tabs on the top of the card inserts.





This next card is one I've been wanting to try out for a while - the Big Buckle card. It was CASEd directly from the tutorial on SCS. My changes were using Stampin' Pastels to colour the images on the "belt" and the rhinestone brad in the centre of the large flower. Colours are Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip.



Lastly, another card with using a brayer. The multi-coloured stamp pad is the Country spectrum pad from Kaleidacolour. The tree is from Lovely as a Tree. I inked it with Versamark then used the SU markers (Choc Chip, Old Olive, Always Artichoke) to colour it by "Thumping". It was then stamped and clear embossed on the brayered glossy cardstock. I cut it and the 2 mats (Pumpkin Pie and Ruby Red) using my CM Oval templates. The Base card is Always Artichoke which I stamped with a small stampe from Lovely as a Tree using Versamark. The ribbon is Olive Organdy and Moss Gingham.

All these cards will be on there way to Alan soon for our troops.

Thanks for looking. Catch ya next time!

More Reflections

How hard it was to take a photo of this card! I tried at least 10 times and finally gave up trying to get one that showed the true colours and had no flare from the flash.

This was my attempt at the Reflection technique using acetate on a glossy brayered background. The reflection is very faint on this one!

The colours are from a colour challenge in SCS - Only Orange and Ballet Blue. I stamped the group of trees from Lovely as a Tree on a background that was glossy white brayered with the Celebration Spectrum ink. I embossed the image in gold then applied the reflection using a piece of acetate. The sentiment is from Warm Words and is stamped on Only Orange and layered on a scrap of the brayered background. I added the Orange ribbon for just a bit more orange.

I am disappointed that the reflection is so faint but otherwise I quite like this card.

By the way, I shall be sending another parcel to Alan this week so if you have any cards you would like to send (see previous post) please contact me ASAP.

Bye for now.

Trial Reflection

I played around with the reflection technique using vellum a couple of days ago and this is what I came up with.The base cardstock is Night of Navy. I then brayered some Glossy White with the Blue Frost Spectrum pad. I stamped the group of trees from Lovely as a Tree on one side of the vellum with embossing ink and heat embossed them with silver. I then turned the vellum over and stamped on the reverse with Black Staz-On using the Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line up the image and not inking the bottom section. I attached the vellum image over the brayered background with a Bashful Blue eyelet in each corner then adhered it to the base. I wasn't totally happy with the way it was so I added the blue gingham ribbon where the two images join.
I think this is OK. What do you think?

Happy Anniversary to Me!

It is our 17th Wedding Anniversary today and Alan is I-don't-know-how-many thousands kilometres away. Oh well, I guess that's life in the defence force. At least he didn't forget (he never has!). On Friday at work I received a huge arrangement of tropical flowers (see below). It did make me a bit emotional, I'll admit. He is very thoughtful, isn't he?

Even slacker!

I'm sorry it has been "so long between drinks", so to speak. I don't really have an excuse - just feeling lazy. Charis and I went to Melbourne last weekend - just for 3 days, yes, 3 days! We had medical appointments and tickets to see High School Musical - The Ice Tour! We are all, including my husband (!), big HSM fans. We know all the words to all the songs from both movies so Charis got some odd looks from the little girl sitting next to her (Charis doesn't know how to sing quietly!).

Anyway, I have made a few cards during the time I have been silent. This one was for a friend for her surprise baby shower. She knew she was having a boy so I didn't have to choose a neutral colour scheme. I used Greetings Galore set from SU for the main image. The background is stamped with the "baby heart" from Tagger's Dozen in Bashful Blue on the same colour cardstock. I watercoloured the main image and cut the arch using a CM circle template for the rounded top. It is mounted on Night of Navy and more Whisper White which has the edges sponged with Navy. I used 2 ribbons - white organdy and blue gingham to tie the bow. I've discovered that you can use the SU horizontal slot punch on the very edge of the folded edge of the card to make a small slit to thread ribbon through. It does make it easier than adhering the ribbon just on the card front.

This card was made using the Card Candy that

my good friend and SU Demo, Nerine, gave me after I entered her Boy's Birthday card challenge.

I used Barely Banana for the card card base and layered it with Certainly Celery. The ribbon is Very Vanilla wide grosgrain layered with Celery narrow grosgrain.

This card I made tonight. I realised that I hadn't used the All in Family set I purchased in November last year when it was pre-released for just one month. I decided to make my little family. It is not quite accurate though as Alan has a lot less hair in real life, Charis is much taller and my hair isn't quite so orange. I used 2 SCS challenges for this card - Sketch Challenge SC21 and Colour Challenge CC52K. Taken with Teal is my favourite colour so I just had to use it and the Navy, Lavender and Orange were in the challenge too. I used the Paisley background stamp on the Lavender squares as I felt the layout needed "something" when I was putting it together. I also left the small gaps between the layered pieces to let that beautiful Teal show through.

Hopefully, it won't be so long before I post again - but that means that I need to stamp again! I have printed the full list of Sketch Challenges and Colour Challenges from SCS for inspiration. I have also organised all my Techniques Tutorials, Ideas sheets and Templates so I can find whatever I need. I think I might work through all the Techniques Tutorials I have accumulated just so I can say I've used them all - maybe I'll find something to replace Faux Silk (only kidding)!

Bye for now.