A package came yesterday in the mail and it was a new stamp set (and a free one too that I earned during a recent promotion - gotta love freebies!)  After much perusing, I chose Artfully Asian and after having a play with it last night am very pleased with my choice.  It wasn't a set that caught my eye on my first few looks through the catalogue but I have seen some lovely cards made with it so went back for another look.

Here is what I made last night.  Did 2 versions of the same card but they look quite different - one in the soft Bashful Blue and one featuring the vivid Real Red.

To make this card I stamped the blossom image in Basic Black then used my aquapainter and ink pad to colour it in.  (An aquapainter is like a little brush and it has a reservoir you fill with water.  You squeeze it to let a little of the water down into the brush part, then dip it in colour - for example some ink on the lid of your ink pad or a Watercolour Crayon. If you have too much water on your brush, you just brush it onto a scrap of paper to remove some.)  I used Bashful Blue for the flowers and Black for the leaves (although I only used a little colour so they have come out grey.) 

I matted the white card with the blossom image onto black card and trimmed it so only a little of the black showed to make a frame.  I used an A5 piece of Bashful Blue card for the main part of the card.  I stamped the leaf image in the top right and bottom left using Bashful Blue ink.  Then I had my first go at sponging around the edges of the card.  (Just got a piece of sponge, pressed it into the ink and blobbed it around the edges until I was happy with the result.  Hmm there is probably a better term to use than blobbed but am a bit tired today so that will have to do!)  I stamped the Thank You in black ink then attached a piece of organza ribbon (from my stash - got it from a craft store somewhere.)  Glued on the white/black blossom stamped piece of card and voila.  I am going to like this set I think.

Here is the same card but this time using Real Red in place of the blue.  And another ribbon from my giant ribbon basket!

And while I was unloading the camera I found the only two photos that I managed to snap while we were in Seymour over Easter.  A nice shot of the kids with their Maddy and Poppy perhaps, or of them opening their Easter Eggs, or playing in the pergola.  Nope ......  All I took were two photos of the delicious fish we had for tea!  (I have a bit of a strange habit of taking photos of food at family events.  I have a great collection somewhere of tables all laid out with food, not exactly sure what I think I am going to do with all these snaps.  Will have to make a giant food album one day?!) 

Dad went to Tassie recently with some mates on a fishing trip and caught about 14 fish - I think mostly rainbow trout - so mum and dad's freezer is well stocked.  We had one for dinner and it was delicious .....  Here it is before we set into it. 

Thanks Dad - yum!

And that might be about it for me until next week.  I think I am banned from my craft supplies until then or I'll never get my list of jobs crossed off my to do list!  We have some relatives arriving tomorrow (hmm - so I'll be off tidying up a bit!) then we all fly up to Rockhampton on Friday to visit John's dad for his 70th birthday.  Back Sunday.

Have a lovely week and weekend til I check in next!

Cheers,    Sue 

Hope everyone had a great Easter, and that Easter Bunny was kind! 

We had a nice time visiting mum and dad in Seymour, but had to cut our visit short by a day as the kids were a bit crook.  Jack ended up with a nasty case of croup and a quick hospital visit.  (Lovely people there at Seymour hospital.)  He is much better now, and Hannah is pepping up again too.   We are off to Rockhampton on Friday to visit John's dad for his 70th birthday so fingers crossed that they are well and truly better by then.  A coughing bug would not be a good birthday present!

Have had a few site visits from family and friends lately (hi everyone - thanks for stopping by) so thought I'd add a couple of snaps.   Jack might not appreciate me adding this photo but it cracks me up.  He just loves putting Hannah's silvery flowergirl sandals on and doing a bit of mowing!

Now for a quick card.  These two are just very quick and basic ones I made using Greetings Galore.  Quite a versatile set with 8 different picture/greeting combos to cover Christmas, new bubs, weddings, thank yous and more. 

I stamped the greeting/picture on Very Vanilla card then added some colour with my Rich Regals markers.  I used a few layers of coloured card to frame the stamped image - some narrow, some a little wider.  The card on the right also has some patterned paper (Recollections set - its retiring end of March.)   I hope to get back into my inks and papers tonight so hopefully will have a few more creations to add in the next few days.  Have been learning lots of new techniques that I can't wait to try out.

And before I go - not long to go now until the end of March.  I have had quite a few people put their email address into the box and click on the subscribe button down the left column there - so they will be receiving an email to let them know when I add a new post here.  They are also going into the draw for a new 2008/2009 Idea Book and Catalogue.  Hannah is looking forward to being a barrel girl.  We'll draw a name out on April 1st so subscribe by the end of March if you'd like to be in the running.    (Aust residents and non SU demonstrators only for the catalogue comp please.)

Happy back to work after Easter all - better go and do some washing and finish unpacking before its time to pack again.

Cheers,  Sue 

Hi Everyone,

Thought I'd pop a card on quickly before I head off to watch Jekyll. 

This one uses a technique called Poppin' Pastels.  First the card then I'll tell you about it.

I stamped the flowers from Bodacious Bouquet onto Whisper White cardstock using Versamark.  Then I used a piece of sponge (or you could use a cotton ball) and dabbed it onto the colour I wanted from my set of Stampin' Pastels ®.   The good thing about these is that you have all 48 colours plus neutrals in one set.  I used some of the colours from Earth Elements - Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red and Old Olive.  Pat the sponge or cotton ball onto the versamarked image and voila - your colour.  You can start off subtly then add more to make the colour stronger if needed.   I like the smudgy type effect.  (There is probably a better way of phrasing that but hey its Sunday night!) 

I matted the white card with Ruby Red and a thin layer of Basic Black (should have used Choc Chip actually but nobody is perfect!) then tied some Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon around.  This whole strip was then adhered to my Pumpin Pie card.  I stamped Happy Birthday in Chocolate Chip ink using Warmest Regards hostess stamp set to finish it off.

Oh and I should also add that I got the basic layout design from a card by Jenni Oliver - check out her work.   

And while I was unloading card photos I came across this cute one of Jack playing with his car.  He drives them all over the house saying 'Brum brum .'  I think this balances nicely with his habit of trying on Hannah's silvery sandals and clip clopping about!  Anyway here is my little guy - 18 months.

And that is it for today.  I'm putting the finishing touches on my first newsletter, which I'm hoping to make a monthly happening.  If you'd like a copy sent to your inbox email me and I'll pop it over when it's done.  I'll get one of those little 'Subscribe to my newsletter' boxes happening soon but have to figure out how to do that first so that'll have to be another day!    Cheers all,    Sue

Hi everyone,

Two birthday parties to go to this weekend so have been making kids' cards today.  Thought I'd do some personalised ones.

and

The colours haven't quite photographed well today (and it is too hot to go try again - phew!) They are a little brighter in real life.  Ally's uses Pink Passion, Perfect Plum, Bashful Blue, Pale Plum, Whisper White cardstock and inks.  Zachary's uses Brilliant Blue, Real Red and Bashful Blue ink and cardstock.  Stamp sets were Best Friend's Alphabet Upper and the SaleABration set Birthday Whimsy. 

Happy birthday Alexandra and Zachary!

Now back to my first time being tagged: 

Apparently, the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

So here goes - my tagger is Rebecca.

Random facts ...

* My dad was in the army and I was a pretty rare army kid - we lived in Seymour the whole time while our neighbours came and went every couple of years.  (Dad was a mechanic on the Leopard tanks so stayed where they were based in nearby Puckapunyal.)

* Both our children came about with the assistance of the wonderful people at Melbourne IVF.  Cheerio Dr Hale!

* I used to LOVE Fizz Wizzes til I got a box of about 80 for my 21st and ate them all in about a week.  Don't think I've had one since!  (There was a watch in the box too in case you are thinking that was a bit of a weird present!)

* I use exclamations marks all over the place and can't seem to write a paragraph without one!

* Not long after I started teaching one of the children in my grade vomited on me and I had to duck home to get changed. (Well it did say some weird facts.)

* My favourite day of the week is Saturday when John gets up with the kids and makes us all pancakes for breakfast - and I have mine in bed with a book or magazine.  Aah - is it Saturday yet???

* I have a 200 litre tropical aquarium with 29 fish (rummynose and cardinal tetras, cories, a bristlenose catfish, and 3 lovely little otos that go on clean up duty and eat algae.)  Wish I could find a pet that would eat dust!  (PS John made the stand that it is on. Isn't he clever!)

OK so that's that part done.  Now off to find some new bloggers to link too.  Might have to save that for another day - its nearly time to wake up Jack and pick up Hannah. 

Cheers,  Sue

At Claire's place the other evening I had a chance to stamp some images from sets that I don't own - very handy.  I wanted some that would be suitable for cards for Hannah's age group - 5. 

Pretty Princess stamp set fitted the bill nicely.  Stamped a few onto white cardstock and brought them home.  Hannah and I had fun on the weekend using the blender pens and Stampin' Pastels ® to colour them in.  Here are the cards we made.

Hannah's uses Brilliant Blue and Pretty in Pink cardstock.  Mine is on Pink Passion with some YoYo Yellow and Whisper White.  I also used the set Itty Bitty Backgrounds  with Pink Passion ink for the spotty background.  Dug out some fancy scissors I'd bought eons ago when I first got into scrapbooking (and have hardly used since - just about had to dust cobwebs off!) to make the edging on the card and the pink ribbon with a little gold for some sparkle is from my stash.  (And Hannah's is from her stash!)  She had such a good time colouring the princess - might have to get this set. 

I've been tagged by Rebecca (check out her site - lovely cards) so I have to write 7 facts about myself but will have to get to that tomorrow - its a busy day today.  School run, Gymbaroo for Jack, tap dancing for Hannah, and John and I are celebrating our 9th anniversary so I'd best go make an anniversary card too, and tidy up a bit!  Got bits and pieces for a nice tea but it will be a bit more pleasant not surrounded by toys and ink pads!   

Cheers,   Sue

PS - OK back again.  Just finished the card and thought I'd pop it on before I tackle the tidying.  (The last of the great procrastinators!)  Cardstock: Night of Navy.  Ink:  Encore Gold.   Stamp Sets: Stem Silhouettes and Mostly Flowers.   Gold ribbon and gold paper from my craft supplies.   

And a quick peek at the inside.  Stuck a few bits on the left side to cover up the ribbon ends.  The sentiment is from Stem Silhouettes.  I like it - it says 'Blessings brighten when we count them.'  How true.  I have lots of blessings to count and be thankful for today.  Hope you do too!

Hello again,

Hope your long weekend was fun and relaxing.  Ours was - well throw in a little bit of hectic here and there.

I had a lovely evening of stamping at Claire Daly's on Saturday night with some of my Stampin' Up! cousins.   Learnt heaps of things and had lots of fun.  (Did you know you could stamp onto candles?) 

Claire showed us all how to make Easter baskets.  Didn't have any Easter eggs in the pantry (bother - I could have eaten the props) so haven't taken a photo of that one yet - stay tuned.   Hannah (my 5 year old) and I have been having a great time making baskets together following Claire's terrific tutorial.

Here are a couple of mine:

This one uses Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Whisper white cardstock and inks.  Stamp sets used were Simply Said, and my Watercolour Joy Stampin' Around ® Wheel.  (Next time I will choose a coordinating soap when I am looking for photo props!  That one is annoying me.)

My sister came over today to join Hannah and I for a bit of creating (while Jack took a nap and John was off pedalling.)  She brought her Stipple Shells stamp set and By The Sea Wheel so we had fun making baskets with them.

(And you might spot Sincere Salutations 'Birthday Wishes' making another appearance .)

Always Artichoke, Naturals Ivory cardstock and Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip ink for those playing at home!

And of course couldn't go to bed without popping a photo of Hannah's creation onto the page.  I promised I'd show her tomorrow online.  I got the basket template cut out and ready and she assembled it all herself and decorated it with her own design - even tied the bows.  Using her own ribbon I should say - she chose that as a star chart reward.  Think she might take after her mum!  We had a lot of fun creating together (which was nice after a few days last week of cranky daughter and grumpy mum!) 

Cheers,   Sue  (or Susan for mum and the family and anyone I knew pre about 1990!)

Hannah has a few birthday parties coming up so I've been coming up with some young girl designs!  (Does anyone else find their children have a busier social calendar than themselves?  Hannah's diary is filling fast!!) 

This birthday card uses the hostess stamp set Reason To Smile and also Lots Of Thoughts.  I used Pink Passion  and Orchid Opulence cardstock from our Bold Brights colour family.  Plus some Whisper White and Confetti White.  I used my square punches too.  To make the butterfly I coloured the stamp in with a mix of colours from my new Watercolour Crayons - Bold Brights then brushed on some water with an aquapainter before stamping the image. Once it had dried I stamped over the top with Pink Passion.  Since girls like a bit of sparkle I also added some rhinestones.  Here is a closeup.

Happy Birthday Cassandra! 

Friday afternoon at last and a long weekend to look forward to.  Gotta love it.

Cheers all. 

Reason To Smile is one of our soon to retire hostess stamp sets, available exclusively to hostesses when workshop sales reach $300+. 

I like the sentiment on this stamp set - 'Life gives you many reasons to smile.'  Sometimes we forget! 

Amidst the usual rush and bustle getting ready for the school run this morning I remembered to take a moment to stop and grin at Hannah and Jack sitting together on the bath ledge brushing their teeth.  (Now I don't really know why this was amusing but they did look cute brushing away.) 

Here is one of the cards I made this morning using this set.  (I just unpacked it and had to have a play!)   

This one didn't use many supplies - nice and simple.  Perfect Plum and Pale Plum cardstock, plus Confetti White. (Confetti White has a few flecks of colour through it - quite a nice effect.)  I used my Perfect Plum ink pad.  I don't know that you can see it in the photo but I ran the edge of some old scissors down the side of the darker strip to add a little texture.  I also scraped the edges of the Confetti White square onto the ink pad to give it a little extra impact.  Some Snail ® Adhesive to attach it all together and that's it. 

And of course while I was there at my desk thought I may as well make a bunch!

Stampin' Up! has several stamp sets available exclusively to workshop hostesses.  You can find these on pages 12 - 17 of the current catalogue - see the side menu to browse through our Catalogue and Idea Book online.  If you think you might be interested in hosting a workshop, check the side menu for a page about what is involved and get in touch if it takes your fancy! 

Coming soon - Some more cards from Hannah too.  She is pretty keen to pop her creations into cyberworld!

Don't forget to subscribe if you want to go in the draw for a brand new 2008/09 Idea Book and Catalogue - released in April.  See Subscribing and Commenting on the side menu for more info.  It is free and only takes a click or two!

Cheers for today!  Back soon with more cards.  (Have more goodies to experiment with!) 

Hello, hope your week is starting out well. 

I've been busy at my craft desk this weekend and have a few new creations to show you, and a tidy desk as well - amazing. 

As well as making cards I really enjoy looking at the cards others make and post online.  I have found some terrific talented people by browsing through the blogs and links to other blogs and links to other blogs....  Marelle Taylor is one person whose creations really caught my eye.  Just stunning.  Would recommend a visit to her site.  (Click on her name to go straight there, or she is on my links list - you guessed it - down that left hand column - if you'd like to check it another time.)

These designs were cased (copied) straight from her and I love them. 

This card is on Brocade Blue and uses Stem Silhouettes, plus some retiring ribbon.

I've decided why make one card when you can make a bunch at the same time quite easily so did a few variations!

While we are in blue mode, here is a card I made using the stamp set In Full Bloom and the retiring hostess set Warmest Regards.  I made it for a cyberchallenge our friendly group was having last night online.  The challenge was to make a monochromatic card (using mainly the one colour in different shades.)  We posted our creations in our forum gallery and had fun checking out what we all came up with.  Here is mine ...

Made another bundle of cards in Real Red, Always Artichoke and Sahara Sand.  These ones were based on another design by Marelle Taylor. The stamp sets are Bodacious Bouquet and Warmest Regards.

And while I am here thought you might like a quick giggle at Hannah and Jack modelling their new Thomas PJs and Dora singlet.  Had to go shopping on the weekend - these kids grow so fast! 

I have been busy this morning making a bunch of cards using my Bodacious Bouquet stamp set.  I used Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory cardstock and ink pads.  Here they are ....

To create the main flower image I stamped the large flower onto Very Vanilla, then stamped it again onto a post it note.  Then I cut out the post it note flower and popped it over the stamped image.  I could stamp the leaves then and they appear to be in the background.  Nifty!   

The greeting on the Perfect Plum card at the right looks like a shadow effect.  It was stamped in Basic Brown and in Very Vanilla.  I actually managed it by winging it (after a couple of tries) but next time I will use the StampAMaJig ® - much easier.

Cheers!