Thanks everyone and an update!

Hi all. First off, thank you so very much for all the lovely replies and emails about my Grandma's passing. I read each and every one, and they were so special to me. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, and I'm so pleased many of you were reminded of your own loved ones.

Secondly, where have I been?! Well - in the unexpected news front, we got an email (hmmm, yes, apparently this news comes via email now!) recently saying our rental was being put on the market. With our lease due to expire, we were on the lookout for a new house! So that kept us really busy, but I'm happy to report we got our first choice, and so will be making the move into Wellington......THIS FRIDAY! ahhhhh! So does that explain my absence?

I haven't had time for stamping at all, and sadly had to put off plans for this month's classes (watch out for them next month!) I also haven't had time to blog....and really, what would I show you. Oh? That wee teaser up there?
These are a couple of cute wee boxes I made, oh goodness, it's forever ago now. I had to show you something today and these were in my folder all edited and raring to go! Here's the deal, forgive me for the tardy blog posts...and in exchange, I promise a tutorial for these wee babies, as well as lots of pics of all the crafty goodness that will come out of my brand new craft room! Woohoo! Now that's going to be a fun room to unpack! That said, I do have to pack it first! So I'm off, happy crafting till I see you again - send me positive moving karma while you're enjoying all your inks and beautiful stamps!

A Very Special Influence

Hi everyone,

I hope you'll forgive a different kind of blog post from me, I promise to keep it short!

On Friday evening, my Grandma passed away surrounded by family, after a courageous battle with cancer. Of course I've spent the last few days in a bit of a daze, but I've also spent a lot of happy time thinking about her and everything she meant to me. I thought I'd share a little of that with you.

I really think a lot of my creativity can be traced back to my Grandma. I distinctly remember her sitting me down and teaching me lots of different embroidery stitches on a piece of linen. Grandma showed me how to combine satin stitch, and chain stitches, and a multitude of others to create flowers and other decorations. She also showed me how to sew a button, and even how to darn! I've long loved Cross Stitch (it was my biggest crafty obsession before stamping!) and I think this has a lot to do with Grandma, as well as things my Nana and Mum showed me.

I also love jewellery making. I love beads, and anything shiny and pretty really! When I was younger, I could spend hours going through Grandma's stash of buttons, sorting by colour, or type - only to put them all back in a jumble. When I discovered beading, Grandma would often give me an old necklace of hers, or something she'd picked up in a second hand store for me to take apart and use.

Of course, I love paper craft - and Grandma always appreciated the time and effort put into a card or other project. It wasn't unusual to see a card I'd made her on the sideboard months after the fact - and I loved seeing the amazing creations her friends would make her too.

Of course, my Grandma taught me a lot of other things. How to bake - especially how to make piklets on her iron griddle, and although I have her recipe (she'd make them from heart) mine will never be the puffy delights hers were! I remember her showing me how to draw - or at least, trying. I still can't draw a straight line, but I can remember every detail of the wee sketch she showed me explaining perspective and depth. I used to draw that same scene over and over!

Grandma never raised her voice, loved to give little presents, always had lollies in her jar for going home with, gave the best hugs, and somehow made butter and vegemite on toast the most delicious thing you'd ever tasted! She will be missed greatly, but I know that as I have over the last few days, I will always think of her as I use my hands to create something beautiful - and will smile and thank her for her very special influence.

Breaking all the Rules!

The fashion rules that is! Don't mix stripes and polka dots? Red and pink clash? - not today!

I was SO excited to see Pun Fun in the new catalogue, it's a set I've been dying for ever since I first saw American demos getting it inky. The wee animals are so cute, and are great for colouring or paper piecing like I have with the adorable hippo.

The colour combo for this card is Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette and Close to Cocoa.
Don't you love that scalloped border? That's the new Eyelet Border punch, which I'm loving at the moment. The papers are all from the Candy Lane pack. I covered a piece of Whisper White card with the paper I wanted, stamped the hippo twice, cut out the entire image the first time, and just the head the second. Why did I back it with Whisper White first? Just for added stability as I knew I'd pop the hippo up off her background.

The sentiment was stamped separately and punched out with the Word Window punch. I used my 1/16" Handheld punch to create holes in the scalloped circle to mimic the eyelet border. The trick I use to get these even is to go around first with my piercing tool, then use the punch over top.

I made another card using the adorable skunk from Pun Fun last night, I'll share that later in the week.



Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Pun Fun
Ink: Stazon Black
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Candy Lane
Punches: Eyelet Border, Word Window, 3/16" Corner Rounder, 1/16" Handheld, 1/4" Circle (retired), Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage Pewter Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Raspberry Daisy

Happy Tuesday all! Over the weekend I did lots of stamping, so have a few things to share over the coming week. I made this card for a bright and bubbly friend, I'm just loving the new papers, especially these from the Raspberry Tart pack!

The colour combo for this card is Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red and Very Vanilla.
I inked the large flower image from Upsy Daisy using a blender pen and drop of Kiwi Kiss reinker and a Rose Red marker. Now - I'll admit, cutting this out took some time, but I love the way it looks!

The label from the Cute and Curly set (this comes in a bundle with the coordinating punch) was also inked with a marker, so I could omit the sentiment. Instead, I used a sentiment from one of my favourite new hostess sets, Best Yet. I inked this in Kiwi Kiss and used the stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement right. A bit of sponging around the label and it was done.

I LOVE this new curly label punch! I also wanted to show you how I shaped the layer my curly label is sitting on....
Take a strip of cardstock, and holding your punch upside down, insert it into the punch. Once you punch you'll end up with this....
You can try this with lots of your punches to get shaped ends on strips of cardstock. Just another reason to love your punches!

Happy Stampin'


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Upsy Daisy, Cute & Curly, Best Yet (hostess)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red
Card stock: Rose Red, Very Vanilla
Paper: Raspberry Tart
Punches: Scallop Edge, Curly Label, 1/4" Circle (retired)
Accessories: Sponge Dauber, Blender Pen, Rich Regals Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Bright Blooms

Hi everyone! Hope you've had a great week. It's been wet and cold here in Lower Hutt this week, great stamping weather. Here's a card I made last weekend, using some of the new In Colours for this year - which I LOVE! It's so nice to use these bold colours on grey days!
The image from Eastern Blooms was coloured with markers. Now, there are no markers in the In Colours, but this is easily resolved. Simply load a blender pen with a drop of ink refill in the colour you want, and you can use it as you would any marker - even directly on the rubber of your image! Make sure to huff a warm breath on the image before stamping to re moisten the ink.

The colour combo for this card is Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point and Summer Sun.

This image is easier to cut out than it looks, although I did accidentally cut around one flower, removing it from the image - can you see where? The sentiment is from Occasional Greetings, I love it, it's perfect to use for a card that could serve in many circumstances.
Here's the inside of this card, simply stamped with the colours used in the main image.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Mother's Day for Sunday!


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Eastern Blooms, Occasional Greetings
Ink: Versamark, Stazon, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Summer Sun
Card stock: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Summer Sun
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine
Punches: 1/4" Circle (retired), Scallop Edge
Accessories: Mat Pack, White Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!