Three Challenges

The SBS Challenge for this week was to use ovals on your card. What a great excuse to get out my CM Custom Cutting System again. (I really do think this is the best cutting system you can get.) When I saw that Nerine's Layout challenge for this week also included an oval I was tempted to make one card to cover both challenges but I got on a roll this afternoon so I have two separate ones. All these cards use watercolouring techniques. I have used Watercolour paper from SU for my watercolouring. I find it is far superior to other watercolour papers I can buy in our limited shopping centre and Whisper White cardstock just doesn't work half as well.

The first card (below) is for the SBS challenge. The stamp is from Big on Spring. I was practicing watercolouring using the Stampin' Write markers. I'm afraid I didn't do a very good job of staying within the lines! The main colour is Real Red. I wanted to make a Valentine's Day card but it took ages to choose a background. This DSP is from East Coast Prep. I was worried that it was too bright but my husband assures me that it isn't.

After that card I did stick to Nerine's layout. I only recently purchased Sassy Stems and I am loving it! It is fabulous to watercolour - using Watercolour Wonder crayons or Stampin' Write markers with an Aquapainter. The colours here are Always Artichoke, So Saffron and Regal Rose, all from my favourite SU colour family - Rich Regals. I usually mix up my colour families but today I felt like sticking within the one family. The DSP is from the Le Jardin pack. I roughed up the edges of the ovals using the Cutter Kit.

Now for a third card I made this afternoon. This one used the Friday Sketchers sketch # 37. Again I stuck with colours from one colour family - this time Earth Elements. I used Sassy Stems again! The flowers are coloured using Watercolour Wonder crayons and an Aquapainter with Summer Sun, More Mustard and Pumpkin Pie. I traced the flower stems with Old Olive and then coloured the vase very lightly with Not Quite Navy. The base cardstock is Not Quite Navy. I used Pumpkin Pie DSP from the Bali Breeze pack for the bottom half. Over that is More Mustard textured cardstock. The ribbon is Old Olive 5/8' grosgrain. The image is mounted on Old Olive cardstock with Stampin' Dimensionals. The buttons are from the SU Earth Elements buttons mix. I tied a small piece of Linen thread through them before adhering them with Crystal Effects.

Whew, what a productive afternoon! You know, I might just keep going into the night. I cooked a very good steak for dinner tonight and becuase I cooked I don't have to wash up! Look out for more creations tomorrow!

12 Months of Christmas

My SBS sister Janet has started a challenge called 12 Months of Christmas. Each month she will give us a simple layout and we are challenged to make multiple copies (as many as we wish) of the layout as a Christmas card. This way, we won't be in a rush to make all our Christmas cards at the end of the year.

This is the sketch from Leslie for January. Below is the card I made.

The base cardstock is Mellow Moss. I used the Christmas trees from "Figures of Speech", coloured direct to rubber with Stampin' Write markers - So Saffron, Mellow Moss and Close to Cocoa. I punched out the image with a 1 inch punch and mounted it on a Square Scallop punch. The sentiment is from Occasional Greetings, gold embossed on So Saffron. This is mounted on Regal Rose and then Close to Cocoa. The ribbon is Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain and Mellow Moss Taffeta.

I was looking for an un-traditional colour combination as I'm really over Red and Green for Christmas all the time.

I hope you like this one.

Debby's Challenge

There is a challenge in blogland at the moment and I have been tagged!



The challenge is to go to your My Pictures folder, select the 6th folder and then the 6th photo within that folder. You are then to post that photo on your blog and give the story behind it.

This is the photo:

Yes, that is me, belly dancing! Not much of a story really - this was our end of year "dance". I really enjoyed belly dancing but haven't been able to keep it up since we moved as there is no teacher here. By the way, the top I am wearing was hand-beaded by me! Pretty clever aren't I! It took ages and I haven't done any more beadwork like it since.

I am supposed to pass this challenge on to 6 other people:

1. Nerine

2. Mel

3. Karen

4. Natasha

and there I run out of people I know in blogland who haven't already participated so 4 it will have to be.

SBS25 Challenge 10 - Candy

This is the fabulous candy that my SBS sister Janet sent me for winning our CASE Challenge over Christmas. It arrived yesterday.

There are some great embellishments, 2 oversize clothes pegs just begging to be decorated, a pack of alphabet on chipboard and another of alphabet brads, a scallop rectangle punch and an SU stamp set which I didn't previously have! How lucky am I!?! Thank you Janet so much. You are awesome!

Below is the card that came in the box with the candy. Just beautiful. Once again, thank you Janet for all the hard work you do with our group. I really appreciate it.

Bubble Bath Jan 2007

I have finally completed a scrapbook page!

Today is a public holiday here in Australia so I had lots of time to play with the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets. If I am lost for inspiration I use our SU catalogues as a starting point. This 12x12 scrapbook page is based on a 6x6 one in the Sale-A-Bration catalogue.

I had to use Sahara Sand for the base instead of Kraft. The letter "C" comes from the On Board Simon Lower set. It is covered with Certainly Celery DSP. The stamped heart is from the SAB set Polka Dot Punches. The other hearts come from On Board Accents and they are covered with So Saffron. The blue is Bashful Blue. This is such a peaceful colour combination! I love it.

I used the scallop border punch for the Certainly Celery border along the bottom.

These are some of my favourite photos of my daughter. They were taken at my Mum's house 2 years ago when we discovered that you don't need to use much bubble bath mix when the spa jets are on!

Gable Thanks

I made this little box using the tutorial from SCS this week in Weekly Inkling. It is a perfect size for a little thank you gift I had to give.

The base cardstock is Pink Passion. I wheeled it in Whisper White with the Bodacious wheel.

The image on the front is the larger flower image from Bodacious Bouquet inked in Pixie Pink and then rolled in Pink Passion. It was stamped on Whisper White, cut our and Dazzlin Diamonds applied in the centre using the Tombow Multi-purpose adhesive.

I then stamped the flower a second time on another piece of Whisper White. This time I added the 3 leaves which were stamped in Green Galore. I adhered the cut out image over this, but offset the petals it make a "fuller" flower. I mounted this on Green Galore for a final, bright touch.

The sentiment is from Short and Sweet and is attached with Silver Cord (retired, sorry). I finished it up with Taffeta ribbon in Whisper White. I love this bright little box.

I hope this little gift is well received.

Sketch and Stash Challenge #2

I had to make a card for a wedding acceptance this week. I was at a total loss as to what to do. Usually I take the colours from the wedding colours but this bride is not having any bridesmaids! Anyway, I decided to start with the image and work from there. I have only just purchased Sassy Stems after admiring many creations made using it for months. When I chose this image I knew that the flowers had to be red (Rose Red), the vase blue (Brilliant Blue) and the stems green (Garden Green) - of course. The rest just flowed from there.


I used this weeks Sketch and Stash Challenge card layout - I just made a mirror image.

I didn't have an appropriate sentiment for an acceptance but decided that Thanks (this one from Live Your Dreams) was close enough.

I hope that my friends like this card. I'm not really sure. What do you think?