Word Play Christmas Circles

Here's a super fast card that is perfect for making multiples of for Christmas time. What really makes this card special is the designer paper - Mocha Morning - it's so beautiful, the double sided sheets all have a gold metallic sheen and then there are 4 sheets that are flocked - so pretty and a pack goes a very, very long way! If you need any supplies for this card, don't forget to contact me to place an order.

Stamps: Word Play
Ink: Basic Black & Crumb Cake (marker)
Card Stock: Early Expresso, Very Vanilla & Morning Mocha
Accessories: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1/4" black grosgrain ribbon & Crumb Cake seam binding.

Fathers Day Wallet

I am running a bit behind in my blog posts (as you can see) This was a card wallet made from an A5 size piece of card stock and designed to hold a gift card on one side and a greeting card on the other. These were made for Father's Day, but they can be made for any occasion.

Most of the embellishing on this one was via sponging and the hand drawn stitching with a stamp 'n write marker pen. It was held shut via a small piece of velcro.

Stamps: Word Play & Teeny Tiny Sentiments

Card Stock: Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: 1" circle punch, corner rounder punch, metallic brad, 

Non SU! velcro

Brayered Dry Embossing

I recently did a Big Shot techniques class - which could have easily filled about four time slots as there is so much cool stuff you can do with this die cut machine! One of the techniques was brayering the top of an embossing folder and then putting the card stock into the machine - so you get an almost letter press effect. The brayering can be done on either side of the embossing folder so you would get a positive or negative effect. Of course the best part is the brayer and embossing folder clean up super fast with water as the Classic inks are water based so no staining! (this might not be the case with the black ink though as that is water proof - but i haven't used black for this technique yet so can't comment on the staining of it, although that wouldn't effect the performance of the folder or brayer).

Stamps: Word Play

Ink: Baja Breeze & Early Expresso

Card Stock: Whisper White & Early Expresso

Accessories: Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Big Shot, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Organza ribbon, paper piercer.

Masking Trees

Another of the cards we did recently at the masking class was this one - with one of my all time favourite stamps sets - I confess to being very happy when this one did not retire in August!

The mask was cut using a window sheet and the largest oval in the ovals die. It didn't show up in the photograph, but there is glitter on the large tree to add highlights. This would look great made up for Christmas - just change the sentiment and maybe the colours if you wanted to.

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Word Play
Ink: More Mustard, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler & Chocolate Chip
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard & Very Vanilla
Accessories: Bog Shot, Ovals die, Window Sheet, stamping sponge, basic rhinestone, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds.

Some May swaps............

Here are some of the swaps I received back from our demonstrator swap last month - the theme was anything from the new Autumn-Winter mini catalogue.

This first gorgeous card was made by Charmaine, using the new Motorbike stamp, the sentiment is from Word Play and the textured background is the carry over textured impressions folder square lattice. The accessories are the awesomely versatile basic rhinestones, a clip from the clip assortment and linen thread.

A very different motorbike by Maryanne, stunning isn't it? I have always loved this technique - simple using white and black embossing powders and also efficient as you automatically make two cards not one. The sentiment is from the hostess level 1 set, Afterthoughts. 

This card made me very happy - why? Because I demonstrated lots of Big Shot tips and ideas at our April demonstrator meeting and Tracie used one of the things I demonstrated for her swap card the following month. She has extended the tulip border embossing folder to make a square rather than the standard rectangle. The stamps are from a really nice set called Morning Cup.

Check back later in the week and I will share some more swaps from our May meeting......of course if you would like to join our team and be part of our monthly meetings which include swaps, training, business ideas and social chat, then contact me and of course you also get lots of other benefits like a permanent discount of your stamping and papercrafting supplies, incentives and other terrific benefits!

French Foliage Christmas

I am a big fan of leaf stamps - always have been and by now you would honestly think I had enough in my collection - but then I saw the French Foliage Set and went ekkkkkk!!!! It's just so nice and as I am finding - versatile! I love Christmas cards that you are able to make using non-Christmas stamp sets & that are simple enough to mass produce and the below fulfills both these criteria. Of course what would a Christmas card be without some sparkle, so I added Dazzling Diamonds to the bauble in the centre of the wreath.

Stamps: French Foliage & Word Play
Ink: Old Olive, Real Red & Basic Black
Card Stock: Old Olive, Real Red & Whisper White
Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Crystal Effects, dazzling diamonds glitter.

Sick Owl!

Isn't it true that it never rains but it pours? (well in our case we'd love it to pour with rain actually, but you know what I meant!) I knew I would be making a get well card for a relative this month who had a knee operation, but would you know it the same week another relative had a fall and broke his ankle so I needed two get well cards. I should listen to my own advice though, as I always tell class attendees to make two cards in duplicate at a time as one A4 piece of card gives you two card bases - but who listens to their own advice??? Anyway I did a Google for ideas and there were a tonne of cute medical staff made with the two step owl punch and I had to CASE them as they were too cute! 

Stamps: Word Play & Dotted Lines jumbo roller wheel

Ink: Real Red & Basic Black

Card stock: Real Red, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Whisper White & Baja Breeze

Accessories: Scallop Trim border punch, two step owl punch, Tombow glue, mini library clip, Dimensionals.

Stamps: Word Play & Dotted Lines jumbo roller wheel

Ink: Real Red & Basic Black

Card stock: Real Red, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Whisper White & Baja Breeze

Accessories: Scallop Trim border punch, two step owl punch, Tombow glue, Spiral border punch

Masculine Star Card

Well another of the projects that the ladies at our World Card Making Event Made was one using all new stamp sets - Word Play, Wonderfully Worn and Elements of Style. It was a CASE from Kristy Brown's, but modified slightly to accommodate new and retiring items. It has a LOT of paper piercing around both the Sahara and the Whisper White card stock pieces, but I think the final effect is worth the effort, don't you?

Stamps: Word Play, Wonderfully Worn & Elements of Style

Ink: Early Expresso, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard & Sahara Sand

Card Stock: More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand & Whisper White

Accessories: Hemp twine, Paper piercer, Dimensionals, Regal Brads, SNAIL, Star Punch, paper snips & Mat pack

Thanks A Million

Well there are an awful lot of people that help behind the scenes and up front at an event like our World Card Making Day last month and without them not a lot would have happened! So for those special people who so generously gave their time and talents to help us we gave them a little token thank you gift and also a card.

How gorgeous is the new Word Play stamp set - so much fun! I also have a confession to make about this card, it did use retired Regal Rose double stitched ribbon and the watermark ribbon image in the background is contraband - i.e. it is not available (yet) in Australia, but an extremely generous friend in America brought it with her when she had an unexpected return trip here (thanks Kate!) Here's a close up of it - doesn't the rhinestone in the 'o' really set it off a treat!

Stamps: Word Play & Ribbon of Hope

Card stock: Regal Rose, Whisper White & Chocolate Chip

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Basic rhinestones, Regal Rose double stitched grosgrain ribbon (retired), Polka dot embossing folder, SNAIL, Dimensionals