Brayering, salt & snow

WOW this card sort of evolved from what I had originally planned but I'm really happy with it. I'm doing techniques starting with B tomorrow night so one of them is Brayering - I've seen Delys Cram one of the demos in my team create stars in the sky using rock salt but it actually is quite chunky so I thought to myself wonder what happens if you use just plain table salt & even if I say so myself it's perfect!

The steps to recreate the card:
I masked the bottom of the my smallest whisper white piece with a large post-it note (double sized one) to create the snow.

Then sprinkled table salt on the unmasked whisper white & ran it through my big shot between 2 plates on Tab 2.  Brush off the salt (lots of throwing across my shoulder just in case it really is bad luck).

I brayered first with Baja Breeze ink & then Not Quite Navy.

Sponged lightly around the mask with Baja Breeze to make the first snow drift & then stamp the tall tree from Lovely As A Tree in Not Quite Navy (the bottom of the tree is stamped on the post it note mask).

Move the mask & change the angle slightly - sponge very lightly with Baja Breeze. Stamp a few more trees.

Move the mask, again changing angle etc & sponge lightly with Baja Breeze.

Using a 2-way glue pen trace the contours of the snowdrifts. Sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

I've also stamped a star from the Snow Swirled stamp set in the top RH corner with our Illuminate pad (luminescent watermark pad - again a great idea from Delys).

I've matted the first whisper white piece up on another mat (5mm bigger) to make it pop.

The message comes from More Merry Messages & has just been stamped with Not Quite Navy on the Baja Breeze base card.

Well I hope the ladies coming to card class tomorrow enjoy the card I certainly did making it.

Who has the most dazzlingest tree of them all??

No not Snow White but Doug (Pete's dad) who celebrated his 90th birthday yesterday & I hate masculine with a passion - my only brief from Pete was I needed GOLD on the card as such a big no.

I had Pete worried when I just had the pretty piece of acetate which was dazzling & bright but he loved the finished tree I used as an embellishment. So a special thanks to Charmaine Black from Australia who shared her dazzling lights technique.

Stamp sets: Lovely as a Tree, Linen (background - retired)
Ink: Stazon Black, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Summer Starfruit
Paper: Soft Suede, Lucky Limeade, Champagne Glitter paper
Other: Window sheets, microfine glitters including Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects, tinfoil, dimensionals, craft & rubber scissors, Timeless type alphabet dies (retired) & gold tafetta ribbon (retired)
Technique: Dazzling lights

Thank you Charmaine the video is great, for those attempting it for the first time I'd say add a few more "pinches" of glitter, I think I was too stingy & do use your brayer if you own one, so the aluminum foil does stick to the acetate using the Crystal Effects. Look at my tree at "3 o'clock" - it all fall out as not stuck down properly at that spot.

Well I really enjoyed playing with this technique & sure you would too - so have a go!

Looking for the perfect packaging for a wine bottle

Karen's aka Moi on the LHS & Michelle's on the RHS

Look no further than Stampin' Up! & the fabulous wine card holder of Michelle Cave from Hastings (as she's from the wine growing country & her husband is in the industry I think we'll trust her ;-)

This is such a cool idea & so easy you're probably thinking like me why didn't I think of that before!

It's just a piece of 9 x 6 " card stock folded in half & then scored at 6" & one of the top corners removed. Tracy Hanshaw from Aussie has a template on her blog which you can check out HERE to see.

Stamp sets: Lovely as a Tree, Christmas Greetings or Many Merry Messages
Ink: Early Espresso or Basic Black
Markers: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Garden Green
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday DSP, Early Espresso or Basic Black
Punches: 1-3/8" circle, scallop circle
Ribbon: Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain or 1/8" Basic Black taffeta
Other: Basic rhinestones

Such a fabulous project Michelle & I can see the birthday version one coming up real soon !

A different sort of Christmas Card?

Well this in no way could be called a traditional Christmas card but it works & is a take on the lovely Tree Haze sponged bag that Paula Dobson taught me - click HERE to see the original concept.

Stamp sets: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Ink: Soft Suede, Basic Black
Paper: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Punches: 1-3/8" circle, Photo Corners
Other: Sponge, gold brads, dimesionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (lots of it - let it snow!), post-it note

Ann & her friends did this at their workshop at the weekend & they all ended up with a pretty good take on it and we all had lovely messy fingers - so much fun! So if you see something on my blog you'd like to have a go at & get your fingers messy; do contact me as dates are filling fast & Christmas is approaching fast!

New Zealand's Queen of Sponge

is none other than the incredibly effervescent Paula Dobson from Wellington who shared with our team yesterday some of her tricks of sponging - I've cleared the wax out of my ears today so I may hear my sponges squeaking now Paula  - though there was probably too much laughter & gossip which is why I didn't hear it. It's very hard to hear over ~50 of my team mates who got together yesterday for training. I'm calling it playing as it was so much FUN!

Paula taught us a variation of  her lovely soft suede trees card showing us how to make this very gorgeous gift bag.

Stamp sets: Lovely As a Tree, Sweet Sentiments (level 1 hostess set)
Ink: Soft Suede, Basic Black
Paper: Soft Suede, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Punches: Photo corner, large oval, 1-3/8" circle
Other: Gold brads, dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter & SPONGES, post it notes

Thanks Paula you were great & rightly deserve your title of Queen of the Sponge and yes I am impressed, inspired & amazed by YOU!

Design Team Member announcement

I was asked to be on the 2nd design team for Janet Rossi's Corrosive Challenge - after I got over my initial shock & I thought yes I can do this, I know I need to be challenged & pushed outside my comfort zone to grow as a stamper.

The the list comes & yes I'm outside my comfort zone straight away with week one (week 15 for the challenge). The theme is Father's day (I think it's happening in the States soon) or masculine. Must admit this is an area we all struggle with. Lucky for me I've just been to Convention & Nicki Tidbold did a talk on "male projects". She suggested using the following images: trees, stars, circles, spots, sports. Techniques which are good to use: sponging, spritzing, thump & bump (with the ink pad), tearing, crumpling, crimping. Good accessories to include: hodgepodge hardware, chipboard, jumbo eyelets, twine or twill tape, brads and clips. PS lucky for me I also got one of her swaps which I've used as my inspiration.

For Leslie thumping and bumping is just touching the ink pad to the background - I really like the effect & perfect for those that have problems holding a BIG background stamp


Stamp set/s: Lovely as a Tree, Everyday Flexible Phrases (retired)
Ink: Timber Brown Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy
Paper: Old Olive, Watercolour paper, Four Seasons DSP (retired)
Other: Watercolour crayons, aquapainter, word window punch, vintage brads, sponge dauber, crimper, dimensionals

Here's Nicki's inspirational card made using Seaworthy. So we've thumped & bumped, torn, sponged, crimped & used brads. So hope you can play along too - lots of ideas above to use/inspire.
NOTE: Anyone from New Zealand that enters the challenge I'll put you in the draw to win some goodies from ME. Janet also has a random winner every week so what are you waiting for! this week it's a Gina K stamp set of a man & a golf bag sounds worth winning.

You can check out the bios of the rest of the team HERE too.

Yet another lovely tree

Yet another great swap but unfortunately I don't know the demo that created this lovely card (if they read my blog contact me & I can let everyone know).

It uses the versatile Lovely As A Tree stamp set plus Solemn Stillness - the saying matches the majestic tree perfectly.

A chocolate chip marker plus some glitter - MAGIC!

UPDATE: It's thought that this was created by Chloe from Cambridge - sure we'll track her down to claim her kudos.

Tracee's incredibly lovely tree

Tracee Jones from Waihi has made this absolutely lovely Christmas card which I was the very lucky recipient of at our Regional training. It's just perfect for Christmas & has certainly received lots of ohhs at workshops lately when I bring it out.

I just read somewhere recently, that Lovely As a Tree is Stampin' Up!'s no. 1 stamp set & I agree it is extremely versatile stamp set to own & create with.

Non-traditional Christmas Card

The latest challenge from my SBS sisters is to make a Christmas card using non-traditional Christmas colours! No reds and greens!! and Kristina's current challenge is to use reds or pinks.



Ahh (light bulb switching on here!) my Christmas card I sent to my Aussie friends last year - inspired by my very talented upline Jacque Pedersen. Here it is in it's magnificent PINKNESS!


Stamp set/s: Lovely As A Tree, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, All Year Cheer I (retired)
Ink: Regal Rose, Versamark
Cardstock: Whisper white & Regal Rose
Other: White embossing powder & glitter mix, word window punch, rose grosgrain ribbon

The tree has just been stamped off 3 or 4x to create this effect.

PS I love this done in night of navy too - the "snow" looks even more spectacular then!

More lovely trees

Lovely As a Tree must be the most versatile stamp set we have from Christmas to Masculine to a background to stamping on a candle!

I'd just received my new ink colour Hunter Green so used that to stamp my lovely trees & I'm really happy how they turned out plus the gorgeous greeting from Seasonal Greetings - perfect & a bit of cellophane, ribbon & a wee tag to finish of the project.


Anne's asked for a link - just click on stamping on candles above - it's bolder & a different colour which means it's a hyperlink. Re what ink to use think anything goes, something that doesn't run on tissue paper, also can colour in outline stamps with markers etc. Only other hint is to cut away the excess tissue paper too. Have fun!

Is this the loveliest tree you've ever seen??

Don't ask me why it has taken me so long to open my jar of heat n' stick powder as it was so simple to use & I only hope the photo does justice to how beautiful & glimmering the tree is. I am being dazzled by all the iridescent colours that are sparkling at me.

Stamp sets: Lovely As A Tree, Seasonal Greetings
Ink: White Craft Ink, Creamy Caramel
Card stock: Kraft & Real Red or Old Olive
Other: Heat n' Stick powder, heat tool, Dazzling diamonds glitter, dimensionals, sponge

Cutting dimensions:
Kraft: cut an A4 piece in half vertically, & 2-1/2 x 4"
Old Olive or Real Red: 2-3/4 x 4-1/4"

And believe it or not this week's SBS challenge was to do a new technique - so without knowing it I've achieved Challenge 2 (& one day early!) - so I've no excuse not to finish off challenge 1 with two more crab cards.

The reject card on River Rock:
The dazzle is amazing/blinding but the white just isn't white enough!

And the Lovely in Real Red version:


(Debbie stamped hers just on the red card stock mat & that looked pretty incredible or should that be INKredible!)

Is it snowing OR is it magic??

Tonight the Braeburn Paperkrafters had a play with the Magic Snowflake Technique. It's an interesting technique & very simple.
- Emboss an image on glossy card stock (CS) with white embossing powder.
- Slightly wet a cotton wool ball with isoproponal alcohol - also known as rubbing alcohol (it's what you use to clean your heads in cassette & VCR players).
- Add 2 drops of one colour & 2 drops of another colour from re-inkers. In both my examples I used a 3rd colour as well. Dab in a circular motion all over the glossy CS, at this stage it looks really messy.
- Reheat with the heat tool & the colours actually run together & the white embossing becomes clean again as the alcohol evaporates.
- If still messy rub the cotton wool ball some more around CS. Reheat again with heat tool.
- Use an aquapainter to highlight some areas with a complimentary or contrasting colour - HAVE FUN!

See Split Coast Stampers for the full tutorial.



Stamps: Petal Prints, Small Sayings
CS: Glossy White, Bashful Blue, Green Galore
Reinkers: 2 drops of Apricot Appeal, 2 drops of Green Galore, 1 drop of Cameo Coral
Ink: Versamark, Green Galore
Other: aquapainter - painted centre of flowers with Pixie Pink ink, apple green grosgrain ribbon, 1/2 inch circle punch to "pinch out" edges



Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Warm Words
CS: Glossy White, Really Rust, Old Olive
Reinkers: 2 drops of Old Olive, 2 drops of Certainly Celery, 1 drop of Pumpkin Pie
Ink: Versamark, Old Olive
Other: aquapainter - painted tips of leaves & acorn with Bravo Burgundy ink, copper cord

Merry Christmas Australia from the kiwi

Wow I'll have to listen to my own words of wisdom next year & start my cards mid-year, as it was it was 10 days to Christmas & not one card had been sent to Oz so my Aussie friends had to make do with left overs from market day - sorry guys & gals. Saying that I think they actually were rather lovely & nearly made them for all as I was aware that time was rushing by (wish I had but more on that later). This was a quick card but looked really effective!

I used the versatile Lovely As a Tree stamp set & peace was punched out with the window punch from the saying "Peace, Love, Joy" which is one of the stamps in All Year Cheer I. Regal Rose ink & card stock used, then Versamark was stamped on using one of the Itty Bitty Background stamps & embossed with white EP & glitter - looked just like glittery snow.

Merry Christmas from across the ditch!!