Fish Kisses

Wow, doesn't time fly? I hope you all had a wonderful Festive Season, and that 2012 is treating you well thus far. We had a lovely trip away visiting and family and friends, and I didn't realise how many activities we participated in until I printed all my photos today - it was a lot!! Hopefully I'll be able to get some scrapbooking done soon to share the memories with you.

Valentine's Day is almost upon us, and many of the challenge blogs have Valentine's/love themes, including Stampin' Royalty. Due to being away, it has been quite some time since I've been able to sit down at my craft desk and participate in a challenge, but that has mow changed. I think it's a bit cute, and Luana came up with the title of Fish Kisses :)

We used a window shade with a fish on it while we were away, which inspired my punch art fish for this card. These little fishies were made using the Ornament, 5 Petal Flower, Small Heart and Owl (for the eyes) punches; the ends of the fins have been popped up with dimensionals.

Must head to bed, but hopefully I'll be able to share a few more projects with you over the next few months.

Thanks for visiting!
Natasha

Love is in the Air!!

There are so many heart, love and Valentine related challenges around at the moment, you can't help but smile! I haven't yet made Paul's card and the day will be lucky to be acknowledged in our house as it will be a SUPER busy day for us (we're moving into our OWN home!). However, I do have a love card to share with you that fits a number of challenges....

I have used the hearts, Rose Red and chocolate elements of this weeks Stampin' Celebration inspiration - don't those cakes look scrummy?! And the colours also fit the first challenge for jac-inks Papercraft Challenges (neutrals plus one) - go check them out!! Just Add Ink, Stampin' Royalty and Pixie Dust Studio all have love and heart challenges this week, so I just had to throw my hat in the ring too.

I am really happy with how the card turned out. I have previously only used Sense of Time for masculine cards, but thought the clocks were perfect for this sentiment from Occasional Greetings. I turned my hand to collage stamping again and distressed and inked the edges to keep with the vintage theme. I highlighted the key words of the sentiment using my Rose Red marker, and coloured the rest with the Chocolate Chip one. The main heart was stamped off in Rose Red then rock'n rolled to give a bit of dimension and 'warmth' and a couple of stamped off hearts were stamped on the clock and background. The brads in the corners and the middle of the clock added the finishing touch.

I'm doubt I'll get back on here over the weekend, so I wish you all a wonderful Valentines Day with those you care about.

Thanks for visiting!





Stamps: Sense of Time, Occasional Greetings, I {Heart} Hearts
Card: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Rose Red
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red
Other: Brights Brads, Jumbo Brads

Helping Hudson Challenge 8 - Technique

Here we are, post #2 for tonight. Challenge 8 over at Helping Hudson is a technique one where we were challenged to use embossing AND sponging as they were the two most favourite techniques in response to a question posed earlier in the fundraiser.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with this challenge, but was inspired by this fabulous card by the very talented Kim Badelt. A good friend of mine announced her engagement a few weeks ago, and I hadn't yet made a card for the lovely couple, so decided to use this challenge to do so. What is more romantic than Paris?!

I pulled out my brand new Artistic Etchings set and paired it with Newsprint DSP - both are from the new Catalogue coming out 1st September! I clear embossed the Eiffel Tower and sponged Melon Mambo over it. I second and third generation stamped the round stamp around the edges and also lightly sponged them. This panel was mounted on an angle on a panel of Melon Mambo the same size which had the edges distressed. I also frayed the edges of some Melmon Mambo ribbon and attached it with staples to a Basic Black card base.

Thanks for visiting!


Stamps: Artistic Etchings
Card: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Newsprint DSP
Ink: Melong Mambo
Other: Clear Embossing Powder, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Curtain Call Colour Challenge Act 16

I'm not missing the submission cut off this week for Stacey's Curtain Call Colour Challenge :) Although I will try to take a better picture tomorrow when the sun is up instead of the moon. (ETA: done!!) I didn't realise until just now that the sweet pillow in the inspiration picture is very similar to my card... oops.

Being so close to Valentine's Day, and considering the colours included Real Red, I thought I'd go with a Heart card. I've already made Paul's Valentines Day card, but our anniversary is in a couple of weeks, so I'm getting in early. This card therefore also qualifies for this weeks Stampin' Royalty Challenge of Love/Valentines theme.

These colours made me think of the Bella Bleu DSP almost straight away, and I think the pattern in the heart from I {Heart} Hearts just compliments it beautifully. I've been playing with easel cards too - they're fantastic!! I'll post another I did for my latest workshop tomorrow. I didn't want to take the focus off the big heart with the 'stand' so have kept the red to an absolute minimum for that part.

Wishing you all a wonderful Valentines Day!! XXXXX

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts (Summer Mini)

Card: Kraft, Very Vanilla

DSP: Bella Bleu

Ink: Real Red

Other: Real Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Heart to Heart Punch

It's Simple.... Love You

Super simple card for the latest Scrapmaster's Paradise Colour Challenge. I'm actually trying to think ahead a bit and have been hiding this one from Paul as it is likely to end up being his Valentine's Day card!

I fuddled around a little bit with stamping the hearts (from Wagon Full of Fun) on Pretty in Pink and Apricot Appeal card in the respective colours, and then the centre part on Whisper White, but it just didn't work for me... hmmm. As you can see, I ended up stamping in those colours directly onto the Whisper White card base, having the focal heart in Real Red. I thought I'd try out using rub ons directly on to ribbon - very easy and a nice effect! For the folded part of the ribbon, I used glue dots and sticky strip in strategic locations to keep it all fastened!

What a challenge Samantha!! I really have to think with red and orange tones :)

Stamps: Wagon Full of Fun (Summer Mini)

Card: Whisper White

Ink: Apricot Appeal, Pretty in Pink, Real Red

Other: Fashion District Rub ons (retired), Real Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon

Two in One

Isn't is great when you can combine two challenges in one project, and it works out?! Plus, with this card I'm getting in my entry for Makeesha's sketch challenge well before cut off (lately I've been scraping it in by the skin of my teeth - thank goodness for time differences!), but Stacey's Jewellery Colour Inspiration entry will be true to form and cutting it a bit fine...

I was SO stoked to see Perfect Plum in Stacey's inspiration this week. It seems AGES since I've used it - Perfect Plum was the very first ink pad I bought!! I never would have thought to pair it with Really Rust and More Mustard, but I think they look great together. And when I saw Makeesha's latest sketch, I just knew I had to use the two challenges together.

This sketch is fabulous! I have a few more ideas floating around, so I may get another card or two made with it this week.

I made a few wedding cards for a friend last week, and have a couple I need to make for myself for weddings in the next few weeks, so Always is living upstairs for the moment. I just stamped the heart three times in Perfect Plum - one for the base, one I used pastels with sponge daubers to colour the middle part with More Mustard and Really Rust, and the third I cut out the little flowers (that are still vanilla in the middle). I attached the coloured heart tothe base with dimensionals, and the whole heart was eventually popped up with dimensionals too. The More Mustard flower with the half pearl added just a little something extra. Keesh's sketch had quite a few rows, so I tried to have each one different, but the top one didn't look right without the Always in Bloom like the bottom panel. Both those panels had their edges swiped in Perfect Plum to soften them. I also sponged the edges of the base card with Perfect Plum. A few more pearls from the Pretties Kit were added to finish.

Close up of the coloured heart, daubed with More Mustard and Really Rust. I quite like the effect. I don't use pastels anywhere near as much as I do my other toys!

We have a lovely relaxing weekend planned, before the busy-ness that comes with show weekend. Hope you have a great one too!

Stamps: Always, Always in Bloom wheel

Card: Perfect Plum, Really Rust, More Mustard, Very Vanilla

Ink: Perfect Plum

Other: Stampin' Pastels, Pretties Kit, Scallop edge punch, Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon

Goodies from Nerine

My sister stamper Nerine holds a regular Virtual Night where she puts challenges on her blog and gives you an hour to post your entry. She also had an alternative this last time where you could submit entries through the week and be eligible for blog candy. I had to attend a birthday party the night of the Virtual night, but still entered and won the blog candy!!

Her first challenge was a Valentine's card. I had already made mine for Paul, but stretched the concept a tad and made an anniversary card for him (which isn't too long after Valentine's Day anyway)...

...which was based on this Sweet Sunday Sketch.

I used a card base of Chocolate Chip and layered Close to Cocoa which had been wheeled with the So Swirly Jumbo Wheel, and a strip of Purely Pomegranate. I punched 8 1 1/4" circles out of Purely Pomegranate and layered these with hearts from Priceless (part of the Bushfire Appeal - 50% of the price of this set, and 9 others is being donated) stamped in Purely Pomegranate, Rose Red and Regal Rose. The '8' logo is Close to Cocoa 1 1/4" circle punch layered on Chocolate Chip 1 3/8" circle punch. The 8 is from On Board Lots of Letters. This was finished with a little bit of Chocolate Chip Taffeta ribbon (another product I wonder why it took me so long to get...) and a run on from the retired A Perfect Day rubons.

Earlier that week, Nerine had posted a card using an emblem made with the scallop edge punch. Using a 'scallop edge emblem' was the second challenge.

I had to make a card for a gorgeous 3 year old girl, so used the very girly colours in Makeesha's Inkspirations Colour Challenge #4 (but obviously didn't get it finished in time to enter that challenge).

I wheeled Perfectly Pretty in Sage Shadow on Whisper White card and coloured in the flowers with the blender pen and Rose Red and Regal Rose ink pads. The feature emblem was a base of Sage Shadow, edge in the same ink, layered with a scallop circle punch of Regal Rose, a 1 3/8" circle punch of Rose Red and a 1 1/4" circle punch of Whisper White. Once again, the number is from On Board Loads of Letters and was wheeled in Perfectly Pretty in Regal Rose before being covered in Dazzling Diamonds. The greeting is from Family Phrases, stamped in Rose Red and punched with the word window punch before being edged in Rose Red and adhered with Dimensionals.

Lucky me received my blog candy last week!!


Thanks so much Nerine! You made my day (and you know why in particular!!).

I think the next Virtual Night is the first Saturday in May, but head on over to Nerine's blog to check out more of her fabulous work!!

Bushfire Appeals and For my Valentine

I'm sure you can understand I really haven't felt much like doing anything this week. It feels like every time I watch the news or read the paper I cry at the moment. However, in true Aussie style we have rallied together with people contributing what they can. I was in Darwin Friday (yes, we did our shopping at Coles) and was warmed to hear a bloke in his 20's tell the food attendant to put his change in the Bushfire Appeal jar - almost as much as what his milkshake cost! Also, one of our local eateries today put on an appeal with the fire-ies (I can never figure how to spell that), which was fantastic - thanks June and guys! I even went on a ride in the fire truck with Luana:

Stampin' Up! has also announced they will be donating 50% of the price of the following stamp sets to the Bushfire Appeal until March 31st:
Priceless
Seeing Spots
Baroque Motifs
Live Your Dream
Looks Like Spring*
The Snowflake Spot*
Bodacious Bouquet*
Polka Dots & Paisley*
G'day Mate*
Be Happy*
*These sets will appear on the upcoming list of retiring products, so they will only be available for the Bushfire Appeal while supplies last.

I will also continue to contribute 20% of all orders placed 15th Feb and 10% of all other orders placed in February.

Onto cards. Mel's challenge last week was to make a Valentine's card using Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Ruby Red and More Mustard, so I thought I may as well make Paul's! Here 'tis. Very, very simple but he liked it:

I used the Priceless set (one of the sets in the Bushfire Appeal selection) and Short & Sweet, and Chocolate Chip 1" Double Stitched ribbon from the Summer Mini.

I hope you were all thoroughly spoiled today!