Guest Designer for Annabelle Stamps :)

Hi all, I am super excited to tell you that I am to be a guest designer for Annabelle Stamps for the next few months.  I have been a huge fan of Annabelle Stamps and frequently participate in their challenges over at Annabelle Stamps blog and they also have a community over at Stamp Embellish Create.
To kick things off Annabelle has a great colour challenge for you to do and you have 2 weeks to complete it ...

and here is my card using the flowers from Ballerina Rose and the tag from Shape it Up stamp set and Cuts by Design Shape 1 dies

materials used - AC olive, melon cardstock, smooth white cardstock; Annabelle Stamps 'ballerina rose' and 'shape it up' stamps; Staz On jet black, Versa Color canary inks; Annabelle Stamps Cuts by Design 'shapes 1' dies; Prisma colouring pencils; Couture Creations tied together embossing folder; 10mm yellow satin ribbon.
If you are struggling for inspiration then why not pop over Annabelle Stamps Challenge blog to view what the wonderful DT girls have made using these 3 colours.
Thanks for looking.

knit happens

Just before Christmas I did a little bit of retail therapy online and I picked up this stamp set from MFT 'knit happens' I love the sayings that goes along with this set and in particular the 'knit happens' :)  I have finally got round to playing with it this afternoon.  I have followed the sketch from MFT Wednesday stamp club, used something 'new' for Crafty Creations challenge blog and Papertake Weekly challenge blog.

It is a nice and simple sketch

materials used - AC cricket, Bazzill marmalade cardstock, smooth white cardstock; Jillibean Soup 'watermelon gazpacho' papers; MFT 'knit happens' stamps; MFT mini tab quartet dies; SPB labels 18 nesties; Prisma pencils; Staz On jet black ink; Kaisercraft rhinestones; orange daisy trim.
Thanks for looking.

hello

Hello everyone, Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge blog has a great challenge this week ...

At first I thought oh yeah a dial phone and then I saw the word Vintage ... and I thought crikey I remember the dial phone and we had one when I was younger and now it is regarded as Vintage ... OMGosh I must be old!  It also bought back fond memories of a situation I was in when my nephew who was then around 8 and I was only 36 and I took him to a 'hands on type museum' and it had a dial phone there so I told him to jump on and ring me on the other phone ... he promply starts to push the numbers and he says it doesn't work and continued to push the numbers ... for a split second I thought that is he stupid or what and then I realised he has never seen a dial phone before :)  I laughed and showed him what to do ... he thought what a stupid phone to have!  Anyway here is the card I made ...

I even made it so that it 'dials' ...

some how giving this to anyone that is under 35 years old might be lost on them!
I would also like to submit this to the Vintage challenge over at Kaboodle Doodles ... albeit a little retro vintage!
materials used - smooth black, red and white cardstock, Bazzill Kraft, Kaisercraft coconut cardstock; Cosmo Cricket 'tea for 2' papers; Paper Smooches alphadot and vogue abode stamps; Versa Color black ink; Creative Memories circle cutters; Carl 10mm circle punch.
Thanks for looking.

The Stamp Spot DT post - If friends were...

Hi all, recently I have discovered a sure way to have my stamps aligning correctly when they have matching dies.  The Stamp Spot recently had a great stamp sale and in the CC Designs category there are the stamp sets 'umbrella logos' and 'watering can logos' and both had their respective dies to go with it ... so me who can't resist a bargain went ahead and bought them ... well for those that know CC Designs they are rubber mounted and after a few attempts at aligning the stamp and die together via a  stamp positioner and failing miserably ... I proceeded to look on the internet and couldn't really find a solution. 
Dismayed but determined to come up with a solution it just hit me to use the equivalent of a stamping mask ... instead I termed it a 'die frame' ... after the first attempt there was a rather LOUD woo hoo coming from the craft room and the only person I could share my joy with was poor Neil :)
So I set about to make a photo tutorial to show you the way to stamp and diecut successfully ... now I am not sure if this is the way that everyone uses ... if so, then I am very slow in the uptake LOL!
Here is my card using the CC Designs watering can logos and die ...

If you would like to know how I used the watering can stamp and die together then just click HERE ... it will take you to my post where there is a short photo tutorial.
materials used - smooth black and white cardstock, C'D kiwi, AC spinach; CC Designs watering can logos; Color Palette summer blue, Versa Color pacific, black, Staz On jet black, Versa magic night sky inks; CC Designs watering can and grass border dies; Crayola pencils; Tombow grey N75, Marvy leaf green 48 pens; Kaisercraft pearls
Thanks for looking.

Home is where the heart is ...

One thing I love about cardmaking is making another version of a previous card ... for this step card the original version took me nearly 8 hours to make (... I need to get a life!) but for this one I learnt my lesson and did far less fussy cutting (ie. got myself a 'grass' die!) and omitted people from it just so it didn't take me so long ... this one took me only 2 hours to make!

and a side view ...

I enjoy making step cards and this is perfect for the anything goes challenges at The Pink Elephant, Through The Craftroom Door and Crafty Catz and also for the 'new' theme challenge at Cute Card Thursday.
materials - AC spinach and white cardstock, Bazzill Whirlpool cardstock, smooth green cardstock; Echo Park 'so happy together', Jillibean Soup 'apple cheddar' papers; MFT woodgrain fence, flat bottom clouds dies, CC Designs 'grass' die; Paper Smooches 'spring groves', Maya Road 'home is where the heart is' and MFT mini banner day alphabet stamps; Versa Color black and turquoise inks, Brilliance red ink; Kaisercraft flowers and pearls; Acetate.
Thanks for looking.

get well soon old girl

Hi All, I am suppose to be doing birthday cards lately but I haven't been inspired to do so.  So since my eldest sister is going to have an operation to 'cure' her snoring problem I thought I would make her a get well card ... and I decided to really emphasise that fact that she is getting older I added 'old girl' to it :) .... don't you just love sibling rivalry?  even if we are both over 40!

I have followed the sketch from Feeling Sketchy but I was too late to link it up! and I would like to submit it for the anything goes challenges at Through the Craftroom Door and Crafty Catz.
materials - red cardstock, Bazzill whirlpool card, smooth white cardstock; Echo Park so happy together paper; Paper Smooches alphadot stamps; Bugaboo hurt a little digi stamp; Versa Color black ink; Prisma pencils; MFT royal leaves dies; Spellbinders standard circles large nesties; Paper flowers.
Thanks for looking.

A 21st birthday card!

Hello everyone and Happy New Year to you all.  2013 is going to be a big year for me travel wise and I (actually 'we') a super excited that we will be going to a place that is probably regarded as one of the most remote inhabited islands on this wonderful earth of ours ... Pitcairn Island.  For those that haven't heard of it ... it is the place where the mutineers from the Bounty landed and inhabited ... why you ask are we going there?  well it is my mothers birth place and it has been over 50 years since she has been there and 3 of her daughters are going back there with her!  Unfortunately to get there is upto 14 days on a  supply ship that leaves from Tauranga (NZ) and then another 14 days back - this is the cheapest way to go - the alternative is a $16,000 plane and boat journey - quicker but way to much 'potential' craft money used!  Well that is my exciting news!
So onto my efforts in the craft room lately ... there is a deluge of birthdays in my family throughout January, February and March so I made a birthday card for my nephew who turns 21 mid Feb.

Retro Sketches has a wonderful sketch this week that I have followed:

I would also like to submit it for the following challenge sites that have 'anything goes' as their challenge - Cute Card Thursday, Kaboodle Doodles and Paper Take Weekly and Party Time Tuesdays whose challenge this week is 'celebrate'. On this card I have used washi tape to create my patterned background. 
materials - Kaisercraft coconut card, C'D atoll aqua cardstock; Annabelle Stamps 'boys party' stamps, Lawn Fawn 'admit one' stamps; Versamark watermark ink, Versacolor black ink; White embossing powder; Teresa Collins 'spring fling', Echo Park 'so happy together' papers; Kaisercraft small number chipboard; Kaisercraft acrylic paint 'sea breeze'; Washi tape; Spellbinders standard circles large nesties; Liquid pearls - buttercup; Inkssentials glossy accents.
Thanks for looking.