Back again..

Hi Guys,

Well I am 5/7 into my first week of holidays (it is flying past, sob) and have done a fraction of what I intended. Work had been so busy and having Convention in the mix as well I think I just got really tired and needed some 'do-nothing' days. Will have to spark up for the next two weeks. I am going to Sydney tomorrow as I am doing a resin bangle & ring making workshop. Should be fun.

My lovely friend & fellow midwife Elise (you might remember her wedding pic, here) is a few weeks away from having her first bub and we had a baby shower for her on Sunday. I had to make a card, of course. She loves neutrals, and has a cream and green nursery. I was low on ideas when I spied the Bugs & Kisses card on p64 of the IB&C. I don't turn to our catty often enough for ideas but it is chock-full of them.

 I used Crumb Cake as the base and Very Vanilla & Pear Pizazz as the accent colours. I still love the retired set 'Wild About You' and had to use the cute giraffe image. The 'Baby' sentiment is non-SU and I printed the 'Shower' sentiment using my computer. The brad is a 'Vintage Trinkets' button. I used twine & Pear Pizazz ribbon (US contraband). Elise loved it, thankfully.

It was also her b'day. I had seen this card ages ago on Sherri Barron's blog & just loved the technique of adhering DSP to CS and running it through the Bigshot with the Lattice Embossing folder. I have now CASEd it twice. I really love the colours that Sherri used but my friends both like browns.

The DSP is from the 'Botanical Gazette' papers and the CS colours are Early Espresso, Very Vanilla & Cherry Cobbler. I used stamps from the Nature Walk and French Foliage sets. The ribbon is US contraband (which I dearly hope will be in our next IB&C). I finished it of with tags stamped with the Tiny Tags set and finished with the co-ordinating punch.

Here is the version that I made for Joy:

It is similar but I didn't use the French Foliage stamps. I used Bravo Burgundy instead of Cherry Cobbler as it seems to go better with this DSP piece. I aded an Antique Brad and a Mini Vintage tag. I was really with how these cards came out. Thank you Sherri for the inspiration!

Must go & hang out my sheets (exciting life I lead!!!),

Cheers,
Fi x

It's been a while...

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the break in transmission but life has been rather busy (& I know that I am so not alone in that). I have been working and getting for Convention, and then going to Convention (and what a fab week that was, I am in love with Melbourne, just not Melbourne weather). I now have just 4 more shifts before a few weeks Annual Leave and I can't wait. Hope fully I can get around to blogging all the cards I've been making.

Anyway, over at the Inkspirations Challenge Blog this week they have the most divine colour combo & I just had to squeeze in some time today to have a play. It is cold, windy & wet so what better time to get out the stamps?

Here are the colours:

Needing to do this in a hurry, and having no mojo to speak of, I went searching for a sketch. I liked this weeks Mojo Monday sketch, #192:

After all that, here is my card. I apologise for the pic quality, it is grey & I took it inside in a hurry.

I used DSP from the Soft Subtles pad in Perfect Plum and added it to Perfect Plum CS, scalloping both with the Scallop Edge Punch. I punched out a piece of Very Vanilla CS with the Small Scallop Circle Punch and another with the 13/8" Circle Punch. For the circle, I stamped an image from the Just Believe stamp set in Sahara Sand and added a sentiment in Perfect Plum. The Main panel uses stamps from the Nature Walk and French Foliage stamp sets. I didn't really like the French Foliage set at first (one of the leaf stamps reminds me of a chickens foot and somehow gives me the horrors LOL). Chicken feet aside, however, the other stamps are lovely, I used the leaf set on a male friend's card recently (hopefully will blog it soon) and I really like the small french text stamp and the droplets. The amazing Teneale Williams has recently been using the droplet stamp a lot. I mainly used my markers to colour these stamps. Finally I added some tags using the Tiny Tags stamps and matching punch & attached them with a Vintage Trinkets safety pin. The ribbon is VV taffeta. I placed it all on a VV CS background, job done!

I must get to the post office to post some left over Convention swaps and a b'day present. Then work tonight.

Have a fab 'rest-of-the week'.

Cheers,
Fi x

A CASE for a friend.

Hi Guys,

One of my dearest friends had a birthday in April. We both love Vintage, shabby-chic, Laura Ashley type style. I first saw this card on Splitcoast and fell in love with it. I own a clock that looks a little like this and, despite that, it had never occurred to me that 'Sense of Time' could be so feminine. I immediately thought of Jenn when I saw the card.

I actually own the 'Baby Blossoms' set thanks to my lovely friend Lavonne. It is quite an involved process to use it, as it is all 2-step stamping with these teeny little stamps, but so worth it. That's why I own the essential 'Stamp-a-ma-jig!!!

The colours are not quite right in this pic. The green is actually 'Pear Pizazz' and not so vivid as in the pic. I have sponged 'Champagne Mist' shimmer paint randomly over the clock face too, which hasn't shown up. I can't remember where I saw someone use the tiny tags on the safety pin. Could you let me know if it was you? It is a fab idea, and not from my brain LOL.

I was really happy with it, just not sure about the 'Rose Red' flower. I love them but thought it might be a bit heavy sitting where I put it. I hope we get these & the Seam Binding ribbon in our next catty (must whisper in Shelli's ear at Convention NEXT WEEK!!!!!!).

Must keep moving.

Cheers,
Fi xox

Super quick post

Hi Guys,

I have about 5 mins before work so here goes.

It is my cousin's son's 9th b'day on Saturday. He is a real water boy and fisherman. A few weeks ago the gorgeous Keesh posted this card (the top one) and I loved it. I asked if she would mind stamping me some images and she was a real sweetheart and did so. I wish my card was as good as hers. It's nearly enough to get me into Copics, if only they were cheaper!!!

Here's my card:

I coloured the Fisha Fella with my markers and blender pen. I Used, of course, the Celebrations DSP and the matching CS of Real Red, Pear Pizazz & Pacific Point. The fish are from a retired set.The '9' is again cut out using my Timeless Type dies & my Big Shot, and it is covered in Crystal Effects. I cut the circles out with punches, and popped it all up on dimensionals.

Whew, I can take a breath. That's it, in about 5 mins total.

A big cheerio to Andrea as she waits for that Grandbaby to come. Hang in there Andrea!

Cheers,
Fi x

A little something for Keesh.

Hi Guys,

Most of you probably know the gorgeous, and very talented, Makeesha Byl, known as Keesh. She is one of the first bloggers that I ever started following and she has been a huge inspiration to me. She does a ton of work with her Inkspirations Challenges site too that is a heap of fun. All that plus she is an absolute sweetheart. Anyway she had a stamp I really liked and she very willingly stamped me off some images and sent them to me. Now, Keesh is expecting a bundle of joy shortly, so I sent her a little gift of a labour pack to use on the big day (I hope she's received it). Of course I needed to send a card. Quite freaky to think of making a card for someone so extremely talented. I also didn't have much time. Anyway, I used the, oh so cute, Baby Bundle stamp set and some SU DSP that my friend Lavonne *waving* sent me last year.

Here is the result:

I didn't want go a definite pink or blue and was thrilled to find this paper in my (ever growing) stash. I used watercolour paper and Stazon ink and coloured in with an Aquapainter and my ink pads. I added some brads and a ribbon also sent by the gorgeous Lavonne. The heart was punched and it, and a bootie, were popped up on glue dots. The little tags were punched out after being stamped with images from the Tiny Tags set. The CS colours are 'Pretty in Pink' & 'Baja Breeze'.

I hope Keesh likes it even though it is very simple. Keesh, wishing you all the best for the best labour and birth that a woman can have, and a gorgeous healthy baby.

Cheers,
Fi xox

Autumn/Winter Mini

Hi Guys,

In my lack of posting I completely forgot to mention the start of the new Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue. It is full of gorgeous products that I hope to be showing you soon (especially as I have another round of birthdays coming up!).  Remember the little cupcake on the card in this post? That is the new 'Create a Cupcake' punch from this mini, soooo very cute and so easy to use.

If you click on the link to the right you can view the mini cat on-line, or send me an email and I'll pop one in the post for you.

Cheers,
Fi x

It's been a while..

Hi Guys,

Where has the time gone? I recently made quite a few cards but they were all straight CASEs due to time, and creativity, constraints so I didn't bother to blog them. It has been a fairly busy time of late. I have been doing evenings and days for the last 2 weeks and have another 2 weeks to go. Those of us who work 'permanent' nights are required to come off night duty for a month each year, but this is the first time in about 3 years that they've enforced it. I am doing a 'rotation' to our antenatal ward at the same time so it has been quite a change. It is interesting seeing how the ward functions and getting to know the patients, some of whom are away for family and friends for months so that they can be near tertiary NICU facilities if they birth. It does mean that I only have 2 days off rather than my usual 3 (although, thankfully I have my ADO these days off so get 3 woohoo). Also Dad has been in and out of hospital with some 'plumbing' disorders, he is a worry. Mum has been absolutely fantastic, she deserves a sainthood!!!

Anyway, onto stamping (it's about time I hear you say). It is my cousin's 40th on Anzac day and my Aunt commissioned a card. I love it when people request a card, it is an honour. I made this card from my parents and myself so had to think of something different. Ad is really into cycling and my Aunt had written a cute poem about a cycling mishap he had as a teen so searched for a bicycle digistamp. I came upon this gorgeous card by Feby MCCann and had to CASE it.

Here's the result:

I made it into a rectangle card so it could fit my Aunt's verses inside. I love this retired SU DSP and took the colours from it, Kiwi Kiss (ret), Night of Navy and Baja Breeze. The bike is a downloaded graphic, the sentiment is from PTI. The Ribbon and brads are retired SU products. I used my spritzer to add a bit of interest to the Baja CS.  I used my Big Shot and my Timeless Type dies to cut out the numbers from Kiwi Kiss CS and then added Crystal Effects.

Here is a close up of the numbers. They looked fantastic and lolly like (IMHO LOL).

My Aunt seemed quite happy with it, and I hope my cousin likes it to.

I must get back to cleaning. I typed this while my floors dry. I bought a new washing machine which arrived today, you should have seen the fun and games as I tried to move the old one, get the new one out of the box and set up. A challenge by myself but it is done!!

Have a fab week,

Cheers,
Fi x