Just Add Ink Challenge #14

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Nothing like a challenge to get someone back into blogging is there! I umm-ed and ahhh-ed about whether to post this page, as it didn't come out as 'heritage' as I would have liked, but thought I would share anyway, as part of it has a really nice collage effect.


This page showcases my gorgeous god-daughter, Carla, who has (surprisingly!) graced the pages of my scrapbooking pages (and blog) many times before! Last year she was finally old enough to travel up from Auckland to visit me in Whangarei, and we had plenty of photo opportunities when we visited Mair Park and she started climbing the old trees!!

I wanted to capture the timeless nature of this park, and to also show that this was an historic visit for us both. Hence the heritage-style page! I bought the twill tape ages ago when I saw how cool it looked stamped, but haven't managed to pull it out of my stash until now. I love it! To make the title shown below I first wheeled the Very Vintage jumbo wheel using Soft Suede, then randomly stamped the vine, from the de-vine (hehe) Vintage Vogue set in the new Autumn/Winter Mini, using Old Olive ink. I then stamped the title and flowers using Rich Razzleberry (or Rich Raz as I call it!), frayed each end of the tape and attached with brads. A few buttons cut out using the Buttons #5 Sizzlet and a bit of linen thread and Crystal Effects, then my title was completed!



I also stamped some flowers from the Vintage Vogue set onto vellum cardstock using the Rich Raz, cut them out and adhered to the page. A bit of faux-stitching using the mat pack, piercing tool and white gel pen to tie the Cottage Wall DSP together gave the page a nice collage feel. I know that the faux stitching and hand-cutting of the flowers takes time, but I love how the detail gives the page a real 'hand made' feel.

So, that's my take on the Just Add Vintage challenge! It's so nice to be blogging again - this will be a regular thing, I promise!! Go and check out the other great entries at Just Add Ink - there are some stunning ones this week!

Recipe (all products by Stampin'Up! unless otherwise noted):
Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Paper: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Kraft, Vellum Cardstock, Cottage Garden DSP
Stamps: Lovely Letters alphabet, Vintage Vogue
Other: Vintage brads, Top Note Die, Buttons #5 Sizzlet, twill tape, glue dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Mat Pack and piercing tool, white gel pen, linen thread
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Converting Cardmakers to Scrapbookers??

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Hooray, I've managed ONE blog post in September!! Sorry I have been such a slack blogger - as usual, life happened!

This month the Creative Inkers Team Challenge was to create a scrapbooking layout or project that would appeal to scrapbookers using Stampin' Up! products. One aim of this was to maybe convert some of our cardmaking customers into scrapbookers. Personally, I have had no problems converting the cardmakers to scrapbooking, but converting scrapbookers to cardmaking is another story! For that reason I created the following page which I cased (an anagram for "Copy And Share Everything") from the Spring Mini Catalogue (page 17) using the wonderfully masculine set Uncharted Territory ($40.95).



To get the effect shown on the card I was casing I firstly stamped the images onto acetate using StazOn Cotton White ink, then stamped the highlighted areas onto colored cardstock before cutting them out and adhering to the back of the acetate. I used a torn piece of Pacific Point cardstock to make the ocean and there you have it - a scrapbook page cased from a card!

I also used the stamp set Enjoy Every Moment ($62.95) to create the title and journalling block, and the background card is the very funky Ballet Blue - not a very masculine name but a very masculine colour!

I am holding a scrapbooking class this Sunday, 4th October, so please contact me to book in if you would like to become a scrapbooking convert!

When the cat's away....

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The mice make cards!! The last 'Cat's Away Challenge' was to make cards for the three lovely ladies who have been away in Noosa, and what better than some cat cards! You may recognise one of the cards - it was my entry for the Corrosive Challenge #25. These are the three cards I made for Jacque, Patrice and Rachael:


All materials are from Stampin' Up! except for the Penny Black cat stamp. The greeting and background stamped on the Kiwi Kiss card here are from the set Cheers To You, which goes perfectly with the cat sipping a mocktail.


In the next two cards I changed around the layout and colouring, using my aqua brush to get a cool (and easy!) watercolour effect from my ink pads.



I haven't decided who is getting which card yet, but I sure hope Jacque, Patrice and Rachael enjoy them and that they bring back fond memories of their time in the sun!

Corrosive Challenge #25

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A very hurried post as I am late for my scrapbooking class! This card is part of two challenges; one for our demonstrator forum and the other for the Corrosive Challenge #25. Gotta love those cats ay!! More later, gotta run!!

Very Popular Workshop Card

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My lovely upline Jacque and two other members of the Creative INKers team earned an all-expenses paid trip to Noosa through their hard work demonstrating Stampin' Up! products last year, and while they are away the rest of the team is keeping busy with challenges to do in their absence. Our first challenge is to blog a popular project from one of our workshops, and this one immediately sprung to mind!

This card was a very popular one at the two workshops I demonstrated it at. It features the classical set Baroque Motifs ($46.95), a stunning set for use in both scrapbooking and cardmaking.


This card was shamelessly CASED off Splitcoast Stampers, the fountain of a lot of my inspiration for the projects I make. Here is a pic of the card partially opened - I just love gatefold cards!

This card has inspired many of my customers to buy the Baroque Motifs set, and also the Chocolate Chip cardstock ($12.50 for 24 A4 sheets). Actually, Chocolate Chip is my favorite cardstock, as it goes with any other colour; it's practically neutral! The other colours used are Almost Amethyst and Very Vanilla, and I used the slit punch to create the closure for the gatefold bar. I even managed to type out some instructions for this project, so if you want a copy then please feel free to email me!

My latest Heritage Page

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This is the page we made at May's scrapbooking workshop held at Christine's lovely home. I wish now that I'd taken a photo of the view from her deck, but alas I didn't!!


This page was inspired by the Monthly Challenge on my upline Jacque's blog (click here to view the other entries). It is a page by Becky at PageMaps.com - great for inspiration if you are ever stuck for ideas! Although I haven't stuck religiously to the sketch it retains the main elements. And I love the title, made with my favourite Heritage alphabet, Lovely Letters.

This page was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle to make, as all the paper pieces had to be placed in the exact order to get the overall effect. The blank panel in the middle is for the journalling, which I am yet to do!! This page used the following items:

Paper: Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Close to Cocoa, Bella Bleu DSP
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Close to Cocoa
Stamps: Lovely Letters, Echoes of Kindness
Accessories: Spiral punch, Photo Corners punch, Piercing Mat, White Gel Pen, Scallop Edge punch, Eyelet Border punch.

A Real Challenge

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This page was made for the Scrapbooking Shed Cooper's Beach Camp challenge. They hold two camps a year, one in Autumn and one in Spring, and each time they have a challenge pack consisting of different materials that you must use to make a page with. Although you can use your own stamps, inks, punches etc, you are not allowed to use any other materials! AND... you have to use at least some of every different item in the pack!


It was really interesting to see what everyone else made with their packs - they were so different! I am thinking of hosting a challenge of my own, using only Stampin' Up! materials just to see what everyone else makes. Packs will be no more than $5 - let me know if you want to join in!

The Stampin' Up! products used in this page were the Always set, Round Tab punch, Photo Corner punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1/2" Circle punch, Chocolate Chip ink, Piercing Mat and white gel pen. Btw, the two stamped panels open up using the Round Tab hinges to reveal hidden journaling inside!

Stamp Happy Challenge of the Month - February 2009

I have been doing a few challenges lately, and this is one from Jacque's blog. She got this sketch from Becky at Pagemaps. If you're ever stuck for inspiration for scrapbooking layouts then this is the site to visit!

Using the sketch as my inspiration I made the following page about me and my baby, Lil' Missy. I didn't have three small portrait photos of her so I modified the sketch so that I could use the photos I had. It looks kinda collage-y which also captures her personality. She's a real witch, but I love her anyway!

Here is the recipe:
Stamps: Warm Words
Inks: Pretty In Pink, Wild Wasabi, Pixie Pink
Papers: Afternoon Tea DSP, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories: Aluminium-edged circle tag, cat punch, silver foil tape, white gel pen, Bella lettering, Making Memories rub-on letters, Bradletz flower brads, Groovy Guava double-stitched ribbon