Christmas Stamp A Stack

Hi Everyone.....sorry it's been a while....busy busy.

Thought I'd show you a couple of the cards that we made at my Christmas Stamp a Stack on Friday.

Here is the first one.

Stamps:  Medallion, Contempo Christmas (sentiment - sneak peek)

Ink: Stazon Black and Riding Hood Red

Card stock: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black

Other: Black Grosgrain ribbon, Red Fire Brad, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punch.

This is another card, and can I say that the photo's really don't do it justice, as it is stunning IRL. 

Stamps: Season of Joy

Ink: Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Versamark

Card stock: Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Other: White Grosgrain Ribbon, White embossing powder, Orange Fine Supernova Glitter.

And here is a photo of the little somethings that everyone received as a gift from me - you can't have Christmas without pressies!!

Fantastic little test tubes that I found online.  They are filled with Mint M & M's and stamped with Wild Wasabi ink on Whisper White card stock, or the reverse ones are white embossed on Wild Wasabi Card stock. Stamp is a sneak peek from the upcoming Contempo Christmas set - which is just gorgeous.

Happy Stamping......Manda

Grown Up Colouring In

One of the newest trends in card making and scrap booking is the use of a colouring system of pens, known as Copic Markers. 

Being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I went looking for a way to create the same look with our own products.  Here are two of my colouring attempts, using the oh so cute images from Pun Fun stamp set.

Personally, I think that they are a fairly good alternative to the Copic look,  but I'd love to know what you think.

Here are the two cards that I created using these images.

Stamps:  Pun Fun, Tiny Tags, Big Bold Birthday

Ink: Pale Plum, Elegant Eggplant

Card stock:  Whisper White, Watercolour Paper, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum

Ribbon:  So Saffron

S'n'W Markers: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant

Other: Aqua painter, Tag Punch, Dimensonals

Stamps: Pun Fun, Big Bold Birthday

Ink: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue

Card Stock: Whisper White, Watercolour Paper, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue

S'n'W Markers: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy

Other: Aqua painter, Small, Large and Scallop Oval Punches, Slit Punch

But I'm sure the question that you all are asking is how did I do it?  Well I found (thanks to Linda) a tutorial!  I watched this and then I just started practising.  You will find the link to the tutorial here. 

Happy Stamping......Manda

Lunch time activities surprise!!

Every crafter knows this feeling.  You create something that you are really not happy with, but because of time constraints, you have to use/give it anyway.  Then when you present it to the person, they love it! LOL!!

Well this happened to me this week. 

I had grand plans for these door hangers for the children to make at lunchtime activities, and in my head they looked great.  Then I put it together and it just didn't work.  Or at least I didn't think that it worked.  I had run out of time though, so I presented it as the last activity for this term, hoping that there wouldn't be too many disappointed faces.  Low and behold, this seemed to be the project that the girls loved the most.

Here is the door hanger.

And here is a close up of the flowers.

I've brayered the hanger with Bashful Blue.  The stamp set is Petal Pizazz and the colours are Riding Hood Red, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss and Pumpkin Pie. The gemstone is from my stash.  The vase I've used a Big Shot Vase Die that I picked up on the throw out table at my local craft shop for next to nix, and I've cut Riding Hood Red DSP to form the vase.

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Scrapbooking 20

Another page with no stamping.....Oh well. 

Colours are Ballet Blue and Sage Shadow, both of which are beautiful colours and they are both retiring.  The ribbons are from my retired SU stash. 

Happy Stamping......Manda

Scrapbooking 19

This page uses the retired stamp set Carte Postale, but I had to use this as the photo is of the French side of the family.  Colours are Old Olive, Really Rust, Whisper White and Cool Caribbean which is a retired in colour from many moons ago (I can't throw anything out, cause one day I'll use it - which I've just proved as it matches the t-shirt in the photo).

Spiral punch has added detail to the centre strip, which I promise is straight IRL, I've obviously held the camera at a slight angle while taking the photo.  LOL.

The buttons are from the Earth Elements set from last years catalogue, and the tread is actually just a really thin piece of Cool Caribbean card stock, that I've attached at the back of the button using a glue dot.

Gotta love the Stamp-a-ma-jig for lining up all those Fleur-de-leis.

Happy Stamping......Manda

Scrapbooking 18

This is a page of my wonderful mum, taken in my sisters uni apartment kitchen. 

I've used Lavender Lace, Old Olive, Perfect Plum and Real Red inks and card stock.  The stamp set is called Heartfelt Thanks, which was a set that I got in my starter kit when I joined SU as a demonstrator.  Sad to say that it is retiring soon.   The leaves are one of the Sizzlet dies from the current mini, which also finishes at the end of August. 

Happy Stamping.....Manda

Scrapbooking 17

Another page with no stamping on it......Whoops. 

This one uses a texture plate with the Big Shot.  I've used Gable Green and Basic Black card stock, basic black thin grosgrain ribbon and a green Ice Rhinestone brad.

(sorry - for some reason that I can't work out this photo has distorted.)

Happy stamping.....Manda

Scrapbooking 16

This page came together really quickly.  I knew that I wanted to do a ruffled ribbon to reflect the ruffles on the shirt. In hindsight I would have ruffled the ribbon a bit more randomly, cause as it is it looks like I've tried to ruffle it straight, and gone crooked.  Next time!! LOL.

Colours are Apricot Appeal and Regal Rose, and the stamp set is Cottage Garden.

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Scrapbooking 15

A very simple page, with not much stamping.  This is a set that I borrowed from a friend, and have since returned, so I'm sorry that I can't tell you the name of it.  Colours used are Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa and Sage Shadow.  Sad to say that two of these are on the retiring list - they will be missed. 

Happy Stamping......Manda

Scrapbooking 14

Some more scrap booking for you.....

This is another bright page to match the netball uniforms (you have seen the first netball page here). Because these pages are next to each other in the album, I've used Circle Circus and the same colours to keep the uniformity, but I've used a different sketch for this page.

Colours are Green Galore, Brilliant Blue and Whisper White.  The blue gems are from my stash. 

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Bag Tags.

This is another school activity, which the children loved.  I found these self laminating pouches at the local dollar shop and they came pre-punched with a slot in the top for the ribbon to attach to the childrens' bags. 

Stamping with 20 children in 30 minutes can be a bit challenging at times, but if you keep it simple and have a production line going, it all seems to work. 

I've used Garden Whimsy and Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets, and the colours are Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red and Regal Rose.  Card stock is Whisper White and Certainly Celery.  I've taken the opportunity to use up some of the Certainly Celery Poly Twill ribbon from the SU ribbon bundle promotion from late last year, that has been sitting in my stash. 

Bag Tags will swing on the bag, so I've stamped the back as well as the front of the tags.

Here is the back of the boys tag.

And the front of the boys tag.

The back of the girls bag tag.

And the front.

Happy Stamping..........Manda

Scrapbooking 13

This page is another of DS's.  I've used Loads of Love again, this time to match the cars and trucks on his shirt.  You can see below how I've stamped the ute both in a row along the Night of Navy strips, as well as on the top corner of the Sage Shadow rectangle.  I've also added the Loads of Love sentiment from the set to the bottom of the rectangle.  The build a brads have a Sage Shadow circles in them, which has been stamped with the small heart image from I {Heart} Hearts, with LOVE through the middle of the heart.  I have used my circle scissors to cut out the circles of the photo and the mat. I have distressed the edges of all individual pieces of card.

Happy Stamping........Manda

Scrapbooking 12

DD1's next page.  This one is based on a sketch challenge that I've had bookmarked to do for a long time.  Of course, I'm way to late for the challenge, but it is one of Makeesha's Inkspiration Challenges.

The base is Pretty in Pink card stock and the paper is from a retired collection called Berry Bliss.  I've also used Bashful Blue and So Saffron, and some stickers from a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit. The pearls are from my stash.

The bunny is from the retired set Forest Friends.  I'm hoping that this one makes it into the new catty in September, as it is a gorgeous set, and so useful. 

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Scrapbooking 11

This is another page of DD2 for my sisters' scrap book. The stamp set that I've used is a retired SU! one from about 18 months ago.  It's called Live Your Dream.  It's one of those sets that I just can't let go of. 

The colours used are Sage Shadow, Pretty in Pink and Brilliant Blue.  I've used markers to rubber for the flowers, and the blue gems are from my stash.  I've hand cut the flowers and mounted them up on dimensionals. I think this page is another favourite. 

Happy Stamping.....Manda

A Friendly Birthday

I thought I'd give you a change of pace from scrap booking!  This is a card that I've designed for the children at school to make.  This term I have some boys in the group, as well as girls, and a wide age range, from 5 to 10 years.  This makes it a little difficult to come up with a single birthday card.  But I think that I've succeeded.

The card itself is quite simple.  I've used a Whisper White card base, and then had the children stamp the images from Fox and Friends on a strip of Whisper White, which they have then punched out with a 1 1/4 inch circle punch.  These are then stuck to the card base, to provide a bit of texture and then the sentiments from a Little Birthday Cheer are stamped top and bottom.   Inks used are from Earth Elements - Old Olive, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie and Not Quite Navy. 

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Scrapbooking 10

Here is another page of my DS.  This one's photos were taken a little while ago, but I love turning the ute from Loads of Love into the Big Red Car from the Wiggles. 

I've stamped the ute onto watercolour paper, and then coloured it with the aqua painter and Stampin' Write markers.   I've also stamped the back of the ute twice more and coloured them to get the wings for the back of the BRC.  I've used my journalling pen to add in a couple of extra lines where I've made the ute a convertible.  I've used Basic Black, Yoyo Yellow, Real Red, Brilliant Blue and Lavender Lace markers. I have done all the yellow first and then added the darker colours.  As you can see, you need to be careful, or else the darker colours can leach into the lighter ones. 

The 'automobiles' word is from a Sizzix die that I ran through my Big Shot.  This die is from my stash.  I've added journalling around the edges of the Yoyo Yellow card stock.  I've backed the photo's with Real Red card stock.

Scrapbooking 9

This is DS's first page in the scrap book.  I've used Always Artichoke, Real Red and Ballet Blue card stock.  The curly label punch has done double duty as the background for the little boy from All in the Family, as well as the feature border on the right hand side of the ballet blue section.  The background stamp in an image from Big Pieces (retired).

Here is a close up of the journalling. 

I think this one of the better pages - I'd love to know what you think.

Happy stamping....Manda

Scrapbooking 8

This is DD2's first page in the scrap book.  Again, you see how well Purely Pomegranate matches the school uniforms.  I've teamed it with Wild Wasabi, which is coming back with the colour renovation. Yay!

I've used the swirl from Baroque Motifs, and the flowers and leaves are from Petal Pizazz.

The green circle in the middle of the flower and the '&' sign are from a retired Simply Scrapping Kit.

Happy Stamping.......Manda

Naughty Me.

I have been very naughty in not getting around to photographing a card that I recieved for my birthday from the lovely, wonderful and very generous Jan, one of my stampin' sisters. I love this stamp set, which Jan knows, and she has incorporated lots of my favourite things into this card.

Love the stamp set, love the top note, love the polka dots, but most of all I love the happy mail.  Thanks so much Jan, and I'm sorry to be so long in posting.

Happy Stamping......Manda

Scrapbooking 7

This page shows photos of the area in France where my sister is living.  This is probably my least favourite page.  I'm really not sure why, I'm just not happy with it.  I love the scenery though. 

I've used Whisper White Textured card stock, and Really Rust and Whisper White card stock.  I've stamped with Really Rust ink an image from Sprinkles stamp set on the edges.

Space for journalling is in the middle.

I'd love to know what you think I could have done differently.  Please give me some suggestions. 

Happy stamping.......Manda

Scrapbooking 6

Another quick scrap book page.  This is a photo of my wonderful mum and me, taken at my birthday lunch recently. 

There is no stamping on this page (shock! horror!), but I still like it.  The paper is from my stash, but the card stock is SU! Rose Red, and I've also used Rose Red 1inch ribbon and SU! 1 inch clear circle button.  The string is cotton kitchen string, a fantastic and CHEAP embellishment.

Happy Stamping......Manda