Highlighting Sandra Fullerton

A fabulous card from Sandra Fullerton today. Sandra is the master at photo stamping and taught me all I know. I love the background flowers as well on this card.

In my underwear

I really am enjoying my digital stamps this year - now that they are finally all organized into folders on my computer. The beauty is being able to resize them to whatever size you want.

Materials required: Flower punch, Brown cardstock, cream cardstock, Pink bazzil cardstock, pink pattern scrapbook paper, pink organza ribbon, clippola, rose, Cuttlebug embossing folder, pink color box ink pad, copic pens, stickles glitter glue, Digital image by Cute Daisy May

Method: Fold brown cardstock to create 15 x 15 cm square card. Go around edges of pink pattern scrapbook paper and pink bazzil cardstock with pink color box ink pad and attach to cardfront as shown. Print out digital image onto cream cardstock and color in using copic markers and use stickles glitter glue to highlight areas of image. Go around edges of image using pink color box ink pad. Run strip of pink cardstock through big shot using swiss dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and attach to cardfront as shown and then attached coloured image. Use flower punch to punch out three flowers and then run through big shot using Cuttlebug embossing folder and go around edges of petals with pink color box ink pad and then curl up the edges of the petals and attach to cardfront and attach rose in the centre. Attach clippola and ribbon.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.I am sure my Puppy Princess has lots of plans for me to play with her.

Highlighting Salome

Now isn't this a fab card - I got it from Salome and I just love the shoes and hat and the dance steps in the background. The card is beautifully glittered as well.

Angel kisses

Todays card uses a digital stamp from Charmed cards and Crafts. Isn't she adorable.

Materials required: Black cardstock, gold cardstock, cream cardstock, digital angel stamp by Charmed cards and crafts, cream roses, Angel kisses metal word, Clear glitter, copic pens, glue pen, gold pen, Cuttlebug swirls embossing folder, brown swirl/tan swirl papers - CD Download, Ranger white pen.

Method: Fold black cardstock to create 15 x 15cm square card. Attach gold cardstock and then print out tan/brown swirl papers and attach as shown. Run strip of gold cardstock through big shot using swirl Cuttlebug embossing folder and attach to cardfront. Attach roses and word charm as shown. Print out digital image onto cream cardstock and go around edges with gold pen. Color in image using Copic markers and Ranger white gel pen for highlights and then use glue pen and clear glitter for wings and to highlight the flowers in her hair. Attach image to cardfront.

Stampington Mannequin Card

Another Mannequin card today - adore this stamp. I wanted the stamp a bit larger and whilst its easy to make stamps smaller by using Shrink plastic method, its hard to make a normal stamp larger. So what I finally did was stamped out the image and then scanned it into the computer and enlarged it and then printed it out like a digital image. That way I got it quite a bit larger and it was easier to color and fitted my card better.

Materials: Black cardstock, white cardstock, Pink Bazzil cardstock, Black/white cardstock from Pink Petticoat CD, rhinestones, rose, Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder, Stampington stamp, Black Brilliance ink pad, pink color box ink pad, copic pens and sakura glitter pens.

Method: Fold black cardstock in half. Print out black/white paper onto cardstock and attach to cardfront as shown. Stamp out Stampington image onto white cardstock using black brilliance ink pad and then scan it into computer and enlarge image in a graphics program and print it out again onto white cardstock and go around edges with silver pen and then mount it onto pink bazzil cardstock and go around edges of that with pink color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Color in image using copic markers and Sakura glitter pens. Use flower punch to punch out three flowers and then run through Big Shot using Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder and then curl the edges of the petals up and attach each layer as shown onto cardfront and add rose in the centre. (Doesn't it make a super flower - love this new punch) add rhinestones and you are done.

Scorepal Project

Today's project is a very cute little box with three cards and envelopes in. For the instructions see the Score-pal website. Its very quick and easy to make and it makes an ideal gift for someone. For the little cards inside I just used some of the same scrapbook paper that I used for the little box and went around the edges with a color box ink pad and then I attached a charm - dragonfly/heart and starfish. I also stamped a little flower on back of card and on the envelopes.

Alternatively I also did some boxes where for the cards inside, I just ran the card through a cuttlebug embossing folder and added the charm.

Go on why not try make one today. If you don't have a scorepal then don't worry as you can use your trusty ruler and pencil and just mark at the measurements that they give and then score it with a scoring tool.

Mannequin

Ooh late again today - my puppy is taking up a lot of time but I am loving it.

Today's card is a nice quick card using an image from B-Line stamps and background paper from Pink Petticoat CD.

Materials: White cardstock, Black cardstock, Bline stamp, rose, diamante, black and white dot ribbon, bling buckle, black and white background paper - Pink Petticoat CD, silver pen, Black brilliance ink pad

Method: Fold white cardstock to create DL card. Print out black/white backing paper onto cardstock from Pink Petticoat CD and then take dot ribbon and thread bling buckle onto it and wrap it around cardstock and attach to cardfront. Use Black Brilliance ink pad to stamp mannequin image onto white cardstock and go around edges with silver pen and mount onto black cardstock and then to cardfront as shown. Add rose at waist and a tiny diamante to the necklace.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Highlighting Penny Klopper

This is an old card but still a favourite that I have kept. Got it in a swap years ago from Penny Klopper. Love what she did with the gold embossing powder.

Hope your day is the Sweetest ever

Today's card uses a printed image from the Johanna Sheen Precious Petals CD. The Floral backing paper is from the same CD. The CD has the cutest pictures of children and some lovely matching papers.

Materials: White cardstock, Pink Bazzil Cardstock, Silver pen, Flower punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Rose, word stamp, brown brilliance ink pad, Johanna Sheen Precious Petals CD, Pink color box ink pad

Method: Fold white cardstock in half. Print out Girl image and floral paper from CD onto cream cardstock. Trim to size. Go around edges of girl picture with silver pen and go around edges of floral paper and pink bazzil cardstock with pink color box ink pad. Attach Pink bazzil and then floral paper and then picture to cardfront as shown. Stamp words Hope your day is the sweetest ever onto a strip of Pink bazzil cardstock using brown brilliance ink pad and attach to cardfront. Use punch to punch out 3 flowers from Pink Bazzil cardstock and run through Big Shot using Cuttlebug embossing folder and then go around edges of the petals with the pink color box ink pad and then shape the petals by rolling over a pen or use your fingers (just to make them a bit more dimensional and so that they don't lie flat) and attach them to card as shown and add rose in centre.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend - I of course will be playing with Princess.

Highlighting Chris

I got this card last year from Chris Marshall who is the only man in the RSA group of stampers. He has done a fab job with this collage card. Love the colors.

Can I Tell you a secret - Sarah Kay

Today's card uses a Sarah Kay image. You can buy Sarah Kay stamps and I was contemplating buying some but fortunately I managed to find this image on one of the colouring in sites on the internet and saved it to my computer the same way you would save a digi stamp. Saves a lot of money when you can find images like this for free. Sarah Kay images are just so cute and I remember them from when I was a child.

Materials: White cardstock, Blue Bazzil cardstock, blue pattern scrapbook paper, blue color box ink pad, Sarah Kay image from colouring in site, copic markers, White ranger gel pen, stickles glitter glue, Prima flowers, butterfly cream organza ribbon, small blue buttons, turquoise strip of bazzil cardstock, cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder, Stickles glitter glue

Method: Fold white cardstock to create 15 x 15cm square card. Go around edges of blue pattern scrapbook paper and Blue Bazzil cardstock with color box ink pad and then wrap organza ribbon around scrapbook paper and attach bazzil and scrapbook paper to cardfront. Run strip of Turquoise bazzil cardstock through Big Shot using Cuttlebug embossing folder and attach to cardfront. Print out Image and color in using Copic markers and highlight with Ranger white gel pen and stickles and then go around edges with blue color box ink pad and attach to cardfront as shown. Attach flowers and buttons.

Bathtime

Today's card features a digital stamp from Cute Daisy May. Do check out their blog (see link below)- they have great stamps and she often has freebies for you to try.

Materials: Black cardstock, Pink Bazzil cardstock, Pink floral downloaded paper, pink organza ribbon, cream cardstock, Cute Daisy May Digital stamp image, copic markers, Stickles glitter glue, Flower, 3 small pink buttons, Copic pens, Glue Pen, Clear glitter, Pink color box ink pad

Method: Fold black cardstock to create 15 x 15 square card. Go around edges of floral paper and pink bazzil cardstock with pink color box ink pad and attach pink bazzil to cardfront. Take glue pen and highlight areas of flowers on floral paper and then throw on clear glitter. Wrap organza ribbon around cardstock and then secure to cardfront. Print out Digital image and trim to size and go around edges with pink color box ink pad and attach to pink Bazzil cardstock and go around edges of that with the color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Color in using Copic markers and touches of Stickles glitter glue. Add flower and buttons.

Go on, take a look at the adorable images at Cute Daisy May.

http://countrycraftergooglemailcom.blogspot.com/

Princess's first day

Princess arrived safe and sound on Saturday afternoon and wow has she grown in the past 5 weeks. She was born on 29 December so she is exactly 7 weeks old today. She is just so adorable and already has her own fan club of people coming to visit her. Helen was her first visitor (see picture above)

I can see this little one is going to change my life. At the moment she plays like mad for about an hour and tries to chew everything in sight and then she flops down and does her sleeping beauty impression for an hour.

Sitting on a pile of books

I hope that everyone got thoroughly spoilt yesterday on Valentine's day.

Today's card features Tilda sitting on a pile of books. I used a gate fold card for a change.

Materials: Black cardstock, flowers, rhinestone, Tilda and books stamp by Magnolia, Words stamp by Stampers Anonymous, copic markers, Turquoise color box ink pad, black brilliance ink pad, Pink petticoat turquoise paper from CD.

Method: Make a gate fold card using black cardstock and then cut turquoise paper to fit the two front panels and go around edges with turquoise color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Use Black Brilliance ink pad to stamp books and Tilda onto white cardstock and color in using copic markers. Cut out images and attach to cardfront as shown. Stamp words as shown and then add flower and rhinestone.

Have a great week everyone.

Highlighting Paola

Now isn't she just so cute. I received this beautiful card from Paola last year. For more of her beautiful cards see http://paolaspaperhaven.blogspot.com

Its Princess Arrival day finally - Happy Birthday card

So Excited counting the hours now. After card class this morning, I am going to fetch my new Baby - Princess Puppy. I think my life is about to change in ways I don't even know yet. I had to go around the house this week on my hands and knees to try and puppy proof it. Mother of course had decided she wanted to put in an irrigation system in the garden this month but fortunately I managed to talk her out of it as I believe that is one thing puppies are keen on destroying. I will take lots of pictures this weekend and load some next week.

Today's card uses a download that I purchased of backing paper with matching images. It makes for a quick and easy card.

Materials: Black cardstock, pink woman download backing paper with birthday words and topper, cuttlebug embossing folder, flowers and rhinestone, foam tape, Pink color box ink pad.

Method: Fold black cardstock to create 15 x 15 square card. Print out backing paper with matching topper and words and go around edges of backing paper with pink color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Run strip of black cardstock through cuttlebug/big shot using embossing folder and attach to cardfront. Attach word topper on to that. Add main topper to card using foam tape and then add flowers and rhinestone.

Have a super weekend everyone.

Highlighting Niki

Fabulous card from Niki today. Love the colors used.

Girls just wanna have Funds

Today's card features a digital stamp from Charmed cards and crafts and the writing stamp is by MFT.

Materials: Black cardstock, pink pattern scrapbook paper, strip of pink bazzil cardstock, flowers, white cardstock, pink color box ink pad, black brilliance ink pad, Digital woman shopping stamp by Charmed cards and Crafts, Tombow pens, Words stamp by MFT, Flowers, Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder.

Method: Fold black cardstock to create 15 x 15cm square card. Go around edges of pink pattern scrapbook paper with pink color box ink pad and attach to cardfront. Print out digital image onto white cardstock and trim to size. Go around edges with pink color box ink pad and color in image. Run strip of Pink Bazzil cardstock through cuttlebug/big shot using swirl embossing folder and attach to cardfront. Attach coloured in image and then use black brilliance ink pad to stamp MFT words onto cardfront. Add flower.

Remember the beauty of digital stamps is that most often they can be resized to suit your project.

Make a wish

Todays card uses a vintage photo that I bought from Johanna Sheen. She is so adorable with her angel wings.

Materials: Black cardstock, Pink pattern scrapbook paper, Photo from Johanna Sheen, Pink organza ribbon, pink flowers and rhinestone brad, swirl stamps, Hero arts writing stamp, butterfly charms, Chocolate brown brilliance ink pad

Method: Fold black cardstock in half to create top fold card. Mount vintage photo onto black cardstock. Take chocolate brown ink pad and stamp words/swirls onto pink scrapbook paper. Go around edges of paper with pink color box ink pad and then wrap organza ribbon around and secure to cardfront. Attach photo, butterflies and flowers with rhinestone brad.

Only a couple more sleeps till Princess arrives.

Ooh my lucky day today - an award from Hayley with a note to say I love your blog and I don't have to pass it on to anyone else or do anything. I like awards like that - less thinking.

Thanks Hayley I really appreciate the award.

Mother and Child

Ooh I am late in posting today. Thinking about puppy princess arriving on Saturday instead of getting down to work.

Today's card features a photo stamp from Toybox.

Materials: Black archival dye ink pad, glossy white paper, black cardstock, black and white dot cardstock, silver magic tape, silver Cherish word, Image by Toybox.

Method: Fold black cardstock in half to create base card. Add a strip of black and white dot paper to the left hand side of card and a strip of silver magic tape to the right hand edge. Take the stamp and make sure that it is entirely clean of any specks. I normally do this by taking double sided tape and taping it across the stamp. Its amazing what little specks it picks up. Then ink up the stamp well use the dye ink pad and stamp onto white glossy cardstock. Remember when photo stamping slow is better - you need firm pressure and allow time for the image to transfer to the paper. Lift off stamp carefully as you will find that photo stamps tend to kind of want to stick to the glossy paper and you practically have to peel off the stamp. Once dry mount onto black cardstock and then to cardfront. Add Cherish word charm and you are done.

Butterflies

Today's card is an old favourite of mine. I have used Pearlex palette to color in the butterflies.

Materials: Black cardstock, selection of butterfly stamps, chinese writing by Penny Black, Pearlex palette, waterbrush, gold encore ink pad, clear embossing ink pad, black embossing powder.

Method: Fold cardstock in half to create base card. Use clear embossing ink pad to stamp butterflies directly onto front of card. Emboss using black embossing powder. Color in using waterbrush with Pearlex Palette. Once dry take Encore gold ink pad and stamp chinese writing over front of card and you are done.

Have a good week everyone - only 5 more sleeps till Princess puppy arrives - can't wait.

Highlighting Hayley

Fabulous card today from my friend Hayley in Durban. Love the travel theme and the distressed look. I think it was made for a slide swap.

An Award from Ursula

Gosh I am a lucky girl. Another award this time from Ursula who said my cards have been an inspiration to her. That is so nice to hear. It really made my week when I got the award.

I am meant to list 10 things that make me happy

1. The smell of rain

2. Making cards

3. Watching series on tv - busy watching 24 at moment - quite thrilling

4. Spending time in the garden

5. Teaching card class

6. Travelling overseas

7. Colouring in images - I find it very peaceful and inspiring somehow - counted last weekend and have coloured in over 200 images so far this year and now they are sitting in their little box ready to be made into cards. Got some new Whiff of Joy/Sarah Kay and MFT to color in this weekend.

8. Eating candyfloss and toffee apples - always makes me feel like a child again

9. Reading

10. Playing with my new Puppy - even though Princess only arrives next Saturday I know I am going to love spending time with her.

Now I have to pass this on to 3 other people. This is the difficult part.

Jowilna, whose work is always an inspiration to me

http://jowilnanolte.blogspot.com

Paola, who recently was chosen to be on the design team for Whiff of Joy, clever girl

http://paolaspaperhaven.blogspot.com

Cariena, whose work inspires me to try new things

http://carienna.blogspot.com

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Highlighting Debbie

Whoops made a mistake - I originally credited this card to Debbie Harris but it was actually from Debbie Luker. Proud to say she is one of my card class pupils.

So simple but so effective.

I am in the bath - Do not disturb

A real cute image today from The Angel Company.

Materials: Black cardstock, lime green bazzil cardstock, mauve cardstock,white cardstock, foam pop up dots, stamps by The Angel Company, tombow pens, Rhinestones, Glitter, Black Brilliance ink pad

Method: Fold black cardstock to create base card. Stamp woman in bath image onto white cardstock and also words and flower background using black brilliance ink pad. Trim images to size. Mount words onto black and Mauve cardstock and attach to cardfront as shown. Color in lady in bath image and go around edges with color box ink pad and then attach to mauve cardstock. Color in floral background image and then attach to mauve and then lime cardstock and then to cardfront. Attach bath image using foam dots as shown and then attach rhinestones.

Daisy Girl

Today's card uses a favourite image from Sugar Nellie - Daisy girl. She's just so cute.

Materials: Black cardstock, olive green Bazzil cardstock, white cardstock, red and white dot cardstock, red butterfly ribbon, clippola, label punch, nestabilities labels dies, buttons, word charm, copic pens, glitter, red and greem color box ink pads, Cuttlebug embossing folder

Method: Stamp image onto white cardstock using black brilliance ink pad and heat set. Color in with copic pens and highlight areas with stickles glitter glue. Fold black cardstock to create 15 x 15 square card. Take piece of green cardstock and run through Big Shot using a cuttlebug embossing folder and then use punch to punch out two labels from red cardstock and attach to green cardstock and then attach to cardfront. Go around edges of red dot paper with red color box ink pad and then attach to cardfront. Cut out a label die using Nestabilities die from red and then a smaller one from green cardstock and attach to cardfront as shown. Attach strip of green cardstock to cardfront as shown and attach buttons on top of it. Attach image to nestabilities labels. Attach word charm and clippola with ribbon and you are done. She is just so cute.

Oh my gosh

A real model pose. Today's image is a card I made a few years back for a "Using Office Supplies" class that I taught at Stamp Camp.

It's always amazing just what you can find at a Stationary store for use in your cardmaking.

Materials: Black cardstock, white cardstock, silver pen, black brilliance ink pad, Girl image by The Angel Company, Letter B alphabet sticker, Dymo machine word spelling out Beauty, rhinestones, silver scroll cardstock, stapler, pink legal tape sold by stationary shops, vellum

Method: Fold black cardstock to create DL card. Add strip of silver scroll cardstock to cardfront as shown. Use Black Brilliance inkpad to stamp image of girl onto white cardstock and then go around edge with silver pen and wrap vellum around bottom half of image and attach to black and then silver cardstock and then to Cardfront as shown. Use Dymo machine to make the word Beauty and add to cardfront. Cut pieces of pink legal tape and staple onto card as shown. Add rhinestones and Letter B alphabet sticker.

Note You also get yellow and red tape and it works out very reasonably priced and it's probably cheaper than ribbon to use.

Gilden Glitz Technique on Acetate

Today's card uses Gilden Glitz flakes on acetate. It is a very easy but very effective technique.

What you need to do is take a piece of acetate and stamp your image carefully onto it using Black Staz on ink pad. I use Staz on as it dries quickly on acetate unlike many other ink pads. Once it is dry turn the image over and you are now working on the reverse side. Place double sided tape side by side to cover the back of the image - try not to have gaps between the tape and then lift off the backing paper off the tape and take a handful of the glitz flakes and press down onto the tape. Once you have covered the image, then use a stiff brush to brush off the excess flakes back into the packet. Then turn over your image and viola. A beautiful gilded image.

Materials required: Gilden Glitz flakes, Acetate, black cardstock, Sun/Moon stamps, mesh, Double sided tape, stiff brush, copper stars, Black staz on ink pad

Method: Follow technique above to create three different sun/moon images. Attach piece of mesh to cardfront and then attach your 3 images and add a copper star in the corners and you are done.

Note you do get several different brands of these gilded flakes - I have purchased some from Niki Zipp at Paperchain before and also from Frantic stamper website.