Happy birthday Wendy, Lee & Kathryn

Wow 3 girlfriends having birthday at the same time. Thank heavens for home class as I got to make lots of the above card, with slight variations. I just love the effects of using the watercolour crayons directly onto a solid stamp & then wetting with a mist of water & stamping. I think this was the card that made me fall in love with watercolour crayons, they are so versatile.

Happy Birthday & tri-fold card:
Stamp-set: Petal Prints, Warm Words, Canvas & It’s Your Birthday
CS: Rose red (RR) , Very vanilla (VV), Garden green (GG)
Inks: Chocolate Chip (CC), Close To Cocoa, Creamy Caramel or Rose Red (RR).
Watercolour Crayons: Rose Red, Cameo Coral, So Saffron, Always Artichoke.

Remove ^6/8 inch from end of RR Card Stock leaving 8 ¼ x 11 inch piece of card. Cut in half vertically to give 4 ^1/8 x 11" piece of CS.

Score at 3 ½ & 7 ^1/16 (I found if you do the 2nd score line at 7" it doesn’t fold perfectly).

Using the Canvas background stamp & either CC, Close To Cocoa, Creamy Caramel or RR ink lightly stamp one side of CS.

Sponge edges with ink of choice. Add eyelet to panel that is biggest, stamp large birthday greeting with CC – remembering to leave room for clean outer edge. Stamp the tri-leaves from with RR randomly over outer 2 panels (leaving edge clean).

Stamp the open leaf around edge of 3 ^3/8 x 3 ^7/8 GG mat in an oval shape.

Using the pointed end of watercolour crayons colour in the solid flower, mist lightly with water ~12 inches away & stamp twice in middle of Very vanilla cardstock. Spritz with markers (Creamy caramel & Old Olive), sponge around edges with Creamy caramel ink. Remove an oval from centre panel. Stamp be merry or HB to middle panel. Attach all layers & thread an Ivory organdy ribbon through eyelet into a bow. Viola!!

First Home Class - watercolouring

Wow what a busy Sunday I had my first home class & was happy with the samples but enjoyed seeing the variations that were created by all. Must admit I liked my sister Tracey's colouring of these very cute reindeer from Sleigh Full of Toys. She coloured hers totally in bashful blue & also Jen's total black & white card - the snowflakes from Snow Flurries looked rather cool as plain black with glitter. A sterling effort done by all & a BIG thank you to my friend Judy who helped me with this layout which was cased from a card we made at class last week, let it SPARKLE!

Sparkle Card:
Stamp-sets: Sleigh Full of Toys, Snow Flurries & Warm Words
CS: Whisper White (WW) & Bashful Blue (BB)
Ink: BB & Basic Black.

First cut for “sparkle card” is at 4 ¼ horizontally using WW CS (4 ¼ x 8 ½) , when folded in half we have a 4 ¼ square card.Inner mats 2 ¼ square WW & 2 ½ square BB. Stamp snowflakes with BB randomly.

Stamp reindeers onto 2 ¼ square WW with Basic Black (permanent ink – so can water colour inside without the ink running) & either the penguin or present inside the card or BOTH. Colour using watercolour crayons or pastels (blender pen), sponge edge with BB & distress. Stamp the word sparkle using Basic Black.

Add glitter to snowflakes & mount up inner mats using dimensionals.

Demo swap/training again

The challenge for this Saturday was to make a card using an item from the new Summer Mini Catalogue. I have real problems with masculine cards (don't we all - why don't they like flowers!!) & felt this monogram stamp from Carte Postale was very regal/masculine. I used Night of Navy & Brocade Blue card stock & inks with the Oxford designer paper to add a bit of emphasis & finished off with a Rivetting - enjoy your day button.

Happy Birthday MUM!!

It's my mum's birthday today & she loves butterflies. The scan doesn't do justice to this card which has been made using a solid butterfly stamp which has been clear embossed on a fancy paper with small gold flowers on it. Then spritzed/sprayed with Willow & Cherry Blossom Walnut Inks. Gold glitter has been added strategically & then mounted up on a piece of mulberry paper which has also been spritzed with the same walnut Inks & then all mounted up on white card stock.

Luck me has the day off work, so spending the morning on a few projects, then lunch with mum plus doing odd chores with her. I hope she has a very special day.
Love Karen!!

Christmas crackers with a POP!

Cassie & myself started making up Pop Cans for Christmas this weekend, very easy once you get yourself organised. I used the lovely double dipped paper Holiday Thyme that is on special at the moment plus ribbons, snowflakes from Snow Flurries. Closer to the big event we'll add individual tags as each can will be personal. As you can see we've already been to the $2 shop to get goodies to go inside.

Going to be a busy week for me; scrapbooking tomorrow night; wine tasting Tuesday night; card class Wednesday night; my mum's birthday Thursday (as yet haven't made her birthday card or my next card for demo swap on Saturday). Saturday demo training & swap plus class plus off to see WE WILL ROCK YOU at the Civic.

Sunday I have my inaugural FIRST stamping class in my house - hopefully going to pass on some of the skills I've learnt & inspire others - going to do a pop can (as above), a decorative candle & a gift box.

Wow that's a lot even for me!