Soulology Title Page

I was trying to find a photo for my 10 Positive Attributes page last night when I remembered this one. Whilst Alan was away for 6 months this year. I arranged for Charis and I to have some "glamour" protraits taken. This is one of the ones I chose to be printed and framed. I managed to prise it out of the frame without damaging either, scanned it and saved it to my computer. Then I printed it so I could use it.

Having worked so hard to get the photo to a point I could use it, I decided that it would work better for a title page so I still need to find one for the Positives page!

Nevermind, I'm really pleased with how this page came out. I'm not new to scrapbooking but I'm very new to using stamps on my scrapbook pages (until May this year I was a Creative Memories Consultant). The cardstock base is Brilliant Blue. The stamp sets are Whimisical Alphabet(retired), Jumbo Outline Alphabet and Scribble (Doodle) This. I just used Whisper White ink to stamp the images on the blue base. The letters S O U L are stamped in Brilliant Blue on Whisper White and cut out roughly. I mounted the photo on Whisper White cardstock before adhering it to the page.

Hope you like it.

Soulology Week 1

This is my layout for Soulology Week 1. Soulology is an online scrapbooking course which helps you to scrapbook about yourself. Every Monday a new task is released. Last Monday we were asked to write a list of 100 things - 50 we liked, 50 we disliked - and then to make a layout with those lists. It was very difficult! I got to about 34 in the list of things I like quite easily and hard a very difficult time coming up with the last 16. Don't ask about the list of things I dislike. It actually took me 8 days to complete the lists and then another 2 to do the layout. I decided on a double page because it just seemed to fit better than incorporating both lists into one page.

Here is a closer look at each page.

The background colour is the first item on list of 50 things I like - Teal (Taken with Teal). I used the Its Beautiful wheel in Whisper White on both sides of the Like page and Night of Navy for the Dislike page. The flowers are from Bodacious Bouquet. I printed my 2 lists on vellum and then tore the edges. The titles are chipboard letters covered with Whisper White and Night of Navy textured cardstock. I attached the letters with mini glue dots and the vellum with brads (Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue).

Quite simple layouts really but they work for me. Do they work for you?

Very Merry!

This week's challenge on SBS#25 was to make a Christmas card without using red or green! How is this possible? Well, I did it.

The base of this card is Bashful Blue which I stamped randomly using the tiny snowflake from Short and Sweet in Versamark ink.

The main images are from Hung Up on the Holidays stamped on Whisper White. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the hangers and then extended them using a Stampin' Write Marker. The inks colours are Close to Cocoa and Brocade Blue. I had to add some sparkle (it is a Christmas card after all) so I used my 2-way Glue Pen and Dazzling Daimonds on the patterns on the baubles and the gingerbread man's buttons. This panel was mounted on Close to Cocoa and then adhered in the top left-hand corner of the card base.

The sentiment is from Short and Sweet, stamped in Close to Cocoa on Whisper White and punched with the small oval. I was going to mount it on a Close to Cocoa large oval but that didn't look right so I chose to use the oval frame from the Syled Silver Hodgepodge. The ribbon is Bashful Blue striped grosgrain.

I really like this card - the soft colours really appeal to me at the moment.

Christmas Snowflake

I made this gorgeous Christmas decoration following Monica Gale's video on UStamp 08 Holidays. It is really easy and looks great.

If you want to participate in projects like this, just go to http://www.ustamp.blogspot.com/. It is a fabaulous program with heaps of projects. I participated in the first UStamp and then signed up as soon as the Holiday program was released. UStamp uses all Stampin' Up products and the design team consists of a representative from each country/region where SU products are available.

Enjoy your Christmas projects!

Card by Charis

My daughter's friend is having her birthday party on Saturday. Charis wanted to make a birthday card for her. They meet at the busstop every morning so yesterday, Charis asked Julianna what were her favourite colours. Julianna pointed to the purple and blue that were painted on Charis' bike.

The closets I could come to those 2 colours was Bashful Blue and Lovely Lilac. We added some Lavendar Lace to give it some depth.

The stamp set Charis chose to use is one of the birthday sets that SU has for 20% off this month - Pretty Princess. She stamped the images in Basic Grey. The DSP is Lovely Lilac.

I'm sure that Julianna will love this card. What 10 year old girl wouldn't?

Torn Peaceful Wishes

Where have I been for the last 6 days? You may well ask. Well, I am a Girl Guide leader and we took 11 of our 12 girls on their first (for most) overnight camp over the weekend. I spent every night last week preparing for the camp. I had done no stamping all week until last night.

The camp went really well, except for the weather. I was extremely hot!!! I didn't hear a weather report while we were away but I have checked our Bureau of Meterology website and it tells me that we reached a maximum temperature of 38.2 degrees C on Saturday! For those of you more familiar with fahrenheit, I believe that would be 100!!! I don't think I have ever been so hot in all life! The girls coped pretty well, considering. The owners of the property we were using for our campsite had begun digging a fish pond. Greg was super kind to us and put the liner in and filled it from the bore pump so we could cool off mid-afternoon. I think that is the only thing that saved us from going insane.

Sleep was difficult, to say the least. I don't sleep well when not in my own bed, let alone on an air mattress in a tent. We had to call one girl's parents' to come and pick her up as she had a mega-headache and started vomiting a little. She was back bright and early in the morning, ready for our pancake breakfast so there were no lasting ill effects.

All the girls sais they would definitely go again they just didn't want it to be so hot, or have to dig a hole for their toilet! Next year we'll go earlier when the weather is cooler.

I finally had a chance to stamp on Sunday night.

I made this card for a small swap I'm in with 3 other Australian SU consultants. The theme was "Ripped or Folded". When I saw the next challenge for SBS25 was to "try a technique you have never done before" I knew what I was going to do.



The "new" technique was faux tearing. I thought it would fit with both the swap and the challenge. For good measure I threw in some corrugations made with my crimper.



The colours here are Kraft, Very Vanilla and Old Olive cardstock, Chocolate Chip classic ink pad, Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write markers and Real Red grosgrain ribbon. I used the brayer to add the Chocolate Chip ink on the background, using 2 halves of a torn piece of scrap paper for the mask.

I really like this card. It is loosely based on a card from our 08-09 IBC but I did change a few things. This is the first time I have made a card the opens at the top and I quite like that idea too.


All in all, I'm pleased with this card. I hope you like it too.

Tag, I'm It!

I've been tagged by Michelle, one member of the faabulous SBS#25.

Here's how it works...

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Answer the five sets of five (these are easy)
3. Tag 5 people in the last section by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are the 5 sets of five...

Things you love...

1. My husband
2. My daughter
3. Getting together with my sisters and their other halves for some laughs
4. CRAFT
5. My dog, DJ

Things you don't love...

1. People who think they deserve to be treated differently to everyone else
2. No being able to get together with my family as often as I like becuase they live at the other end of the country
3. Paying inflated prices for things because I live in a "remote" area of Australia
4. The fact that there is no craft shop in the town I live in - the closest one is 350kms away
5. The emphasis placed on having the "perfect body" by society today

Songs on your iPod/Playlist

I'll list the artist instead of the songs.
1. Petra - the original Christian rock band
2. Colin Buchanan - Aussie singer (sorta country)
3. High School Musical soundtracks - 1 and 2 - 3 hasn't been released here yet
4. Shania Twain
5. Elvis

Favorite Foods/Drinks
1. Fresh seafood (isn't it the best Michelle?)
2. Champagne
3. Any drink with Vodka in it
4. Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate (count me in Michelle)
5. Cheesecake

People you are tagging...

1. Pia
2. Vanya
3. Joan
4. Nerine
5. Karen

Bye for now!

SBS25 Challenge No 1

The first challenge issued to the members of SBS25 was to make 5 cards using the same image and the same colours. Didn't sound too hard. Then why did I find it so difficult?

I decided to make Christmas cards as I have a Christmas Stamp-a-Stack coming up at the end of August and I needed samples. I just love the Season of Joy stamp set so that choice was easy. Then I had to select the colours. I wanted to use at least 2 of the current (Australia-NZ) In Colours so I went to the '08 In Colour Combo chart that SU has for demostrators. I chose Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa and So Saffron. I added Brushed Gold to the mix for a bit of sparkle.

Here's the cards I came up with.

I used Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon on two of the cards and the retired Gold Organdy ribbon on a third. I used a different colour base card for each card. I'm not 100% happy with all of them but I think, as a group, I like them.

What do you think?

Baby Gift

I finished it! My neighbour, Andrea, was booked in for a C-section to have her twin girls yesterday. I offered to make birthday announcements for her as a gift. This is what I came up with.

The folder was designed by Alisa Tilsner for UStamp. I used Blush Blossom for the folder and 2 stamp the images on. The sentiment is from For a Friend (Hostess set) and the flower is from Priceless. The images are layered on Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink. The DSP is from a retired SU pack, Loves Me. The ribbon is Regal Rose wide grosgrain.

Here's the inside.

I made postcards (or card fronts) instead of full cards to save time and cardstock. There are 2 designs with 2 variations and a total of 16 cards.

The base for the cards is Regal Rose. I made the medallions to match the one on the front of the folder. I printed the space for details (x2!) onto vellum - I didn't have a stamp to do the job so I usesd my computer.

For the first design (on the right) I layered the vellum over more of the DSP and used silver eyelets to keep them together. The variation of this one uses silver brads instead of eyelets.

The second design (on the left) I stamped the swirl from Priceless in whisper white craft ink randomly over Pretty in Pink cardstock. The vellum was then layered over this an attached with silver brads. The variation uses silver eyelets.

Next time I'll make the cards before the folder so I can alter the folder to make sure all the cards fit easily (it is a tight fit on this one).

I know there is a lot of pink in this project. That was deliberate - Andrea has 2 older boys so I wanted to celebrate the fact that she was having girls.

That's it for now. I have to go and finish getting ready for work. See you later.

An apology and lots of creations!

I must apologise for my long absence. I have no excuse and not even a reason. However, I have been busy whilst not posting. So grab a cuppa and get comfortable. This is a long post.

1. This card is my first try at a new technique. I'm not sure what is called. First you brayer over a piece of vellum and then stamp with an uninked stamp to lift off some of the ink, leaving a lifhter image behind. I combined this with two-step stamping. The colours are Old Olive, Always Artichoke and Very Vanilla. The stamp set is A Beautiful Thing from our Spring Mini Catalogue.
2. When tidying my stamping cupboard I found three long, skinny tags made from Very Vanilla cardstock. Of course, I had to use them. I chose the hostess set In the Spotlight. The small flower was stamped on the tags using So Saffron ink and then on scrap Very Vanilla cardstock using More mustard. The sentiments are from another hostess set, So Many Sayings, and were inked with an Old Olive marker, stamped onto Very Vanilla and punched using the Word Window. The base card is Very Vanilla. Layered on that is old Olive DSP. The large flowers were More Mustard stamped on So Saffron cardstock. I layered one small flower on each large one with Stampin' Dimensionals and then adhered everything to the card.
3. Christmas cards are moving up my list of priorities. I am absolutely loving the Season of Joy set from the Spring Mini Catalogue. Both these card layouts were CASEd from the SU Demo page. The first one used Real Red, Bashful Blue and Confetti White cardstock with Certainly Celery ribbon.
These 2 are the same layout mirrored. The first time I stamped "joy!" it was not at all straight. So I started again. When I had completed the card I decided to make another, mirrored, so I could cover the crooked word. The colours are Old Olive and Bashful Blue with Confetti White cardstock.
4. A week or so ago we had a Demo get-together here to say goodbye to one of the girls who moves to QLD in a few weeks. These are the two cards Natasha had prepared for us to make. The first one use In the Spotlight with Cameo Coral, Ruby Red and Old Olive. What a fantastic colour combination. I think this one would do for any occasion, including Christmas.

This small, square card only uses stamps for the word. The shirt is folded from Spring Showers DSP. I placed faux buttons down the centre of the shirt, made with the Crop-a-dile.
5. Another card using In the Spotlight. I CASEd this one but I can't remember who from - sorry! The colours are Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive and More Mustard. Paper piercing around the inside of the Confetti White rectangle adds another dimension.

6. The next 2 cards resulted from me "playing" with the hostess set Oh So Lovely. I love this colour combination - Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla - which was usggested by Angela Sargeant. I used the stipple background stamp to create the horizontal stripes. The DSP is from Berry Bliss (yummy!). There are 2 ribbons along the bottom - Purely Pomegranate wide satin and Chocolate Chip taffeta.

I also love this colour combination - Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss, Handsome Hunter and Apricot Appeal (thank you Colour Coach). I used by CM oval templates to cut the ovals. There is a lot of sponging on the edges of nearly every piece on this card - it gives a much richer look.

7. On the right are 2 brag books I made using the instructions from UStamp. Each of them will hold up to 8 photos. They are just so cute. Perfect for gifts for grandmas, aunts, etc. Below I have pictures of each of them open.

I'm really pleased with how these turned out.

Well, that's it. I hope you are satisfied with my output this week. I don't think next week will be so productive as my husband and daughter have been away this week and they come back tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.