Thinking of you

I finally got around to christening this stamp set but unfortunately the reason was for a sympathy card for my friend. I have to say I really enjoyed the little bit of watercolouring I had to do and am looking forward to experimenting some more with it.

If you like the look of this set, contact me and I can let you know how easy it is to get this stamp set for free.

Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. :o)

November has just gotten better!

Check this out!
Stampin' Up! is offering an Australian first - you now can purchase Stampin' Write markers individually for just $4.95 each! What a fantastic offer!
Now's your chance to stock up on your favourite colours without having to pruchase the whole colour family. They are so versatile with dual tips that offer different widths. I LOVE my markers as I can also use them to ink up my stamps and add a more personal touch to my work.

Here are the colours (and their codes) of the markers that are available.


But wait there's more!!
Purchase $20 of regular catalogue products and qualify for a 20% discount off all Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons.
The Rub-Ons are a fantastic way to add that little extra magic to your card, scrapbook layout or even glassware. Each package comes with a sheet of white Rub-Ons and one sheet of black Rub-Ons.

Contact me if you'd like to take advantage of one of these offers.
But remember - don't leave it too long as they are only available from November 10th - 30th, 2008.

Blast off!

Having two sons and five nephews, I am always needing cards for boys whether for family or friends. This card was for my eldest son's friend who turned 6 recently.
I think you can't really go wrong with rockets. :o) What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by - don't forget to say "hi"!

A reindeer by any other name...

I am participating in a couple of swaps at the moment, both image and card kits. Here is the card I made for my Chritmas card kit swap. Hopefully those involved will like it. [It is hard to see in the photo but the card is a very vanilla base.] No guessing required on which reindeer this is!?@?! ;o)

Thanks for visiting!
Don't forget to let me know you stopped by and I'll try my very best to return the visit. (I'm hoping I'm not talking to myself. Hee hee!)

All wrapped up!

My upline, Kim made a bag in a box as one of her creations for World Cardmaking Day. (Check it out here.) Lucky for me, she sent me the instructions so I could create my own. It is such a cool thing to make and looks great too. Here is one I made for a friend with a matching card.

This is a fantastic way to individualise your presents even more. I know this won't be the last time I make one of these.

Contact me if you would like to hold a workshop and learn how to make one of these for yourself.

Eden's card

My youngest son had a birthday party to attend for a little girl whom he now just loves! (Sibling of his older brother's friend.) As I am friends with her mother I realised that a very girly card would go down well especially if I included her favourite colour, purple. Both the birthday girl and her mum loved the card (and thankfully it was found before the end of the party as it went MIA for most of the party).

This is a style of card that I think would work beautifully as an invite especially for a 'tea party' or the like. (I especially love the alphabet which was available last year in the Australian Stampin' Up! Summer mini catalogue. Sadly they did not continue it but the reamining sets of the "Scribble" series can be found in the latest catalogue. Contact me for more details)

Thanks for dropping by!

Aaarrrgggghhhhh!

A little while back we went through an avalance of children's birthday parties to attend. (For all those with children I'm sure you understand that "If it doesn't rain, it pours!?!") So here is one that my 6 year old son was quite happy to take along as part of his gift.

Thankfully I was a little prepared and had watercoloured the map for another card at the same time as a week later the same son had a "pirate's party" to go to. This time he wanted the ship, not the pirate as the feature. It doesn't grab me as much but that might be more due to the choice of materials rather than the images. Regardless of my critical opinon both my son and his friends enjoyed their cards.

So what do you think? Arrrrrrgggghhh you a pirate lover or a lover of the pirate's ship? ;o)

Until next time - thanks for stopping by.
Nardi

Birthday celebrations!

Everyone loves celebrating their birthday and being treated like a princess or a prince - I know I am one of them. I have to admit that I was not disappointed last week when I celebrated another birthday with my lovely family. (This included a surprise interstate visit from my sister for a few days.) I still have some presents to redeem and possibly receive ;o) (you know who you are ... hee hee) which is always nice to stretch out the celebrations and give me somem things to look forward to as well.

Another event that we can all join in to celebrate is the 20th birthday of Stampin' Up! To celebrate, Stampin' Up has a great offer for the whole month of October.

To join in the fun, just spend $20 on regular Stampin' Up products and then you can choose from 5 preselected birthday/celebration stamp sets at 20% off the regular catalogue price!

You can choose from:

Page 37 - Big Bold Birthday
Page 38 - Pretty Princess
Page 51- Birthday Best
Page 55 - Crab And Company
Page 118 - Short And Sweet

Contact me if you'd to purchase one or more of these sets or for more details. Deliveries can be made right ot your door, Australia wide.

It's been a while...

It has been quite a while since I have been here and I have been extremely touched by those of you who keep coming back to see me, have contacted me by email, leaving a comment or have even sent me cards. It has really been encouraging in the midst of everything that has been happening. So a BIG thank you to my lovely Blogging friends. (((HUGS)))

No matter what is thrown at you in life, things continue to push on regardless of whther you are ready or not!?! ;o) One practical example of this is the need for cards for various occassions. Hopefully over time I will be able to share a little of what has kept me sane over the past months. :o)

Here is one that I made during my blogging absence for my DH's supervisor. He is in the Navy Reserves and is also an avid ornithologist (bird watcher) and so was happy with the reference to both interests in his card. I have a long way to go in water colouring but I at last giving it a go and hope to one day see some improvement...(she says with fingers crossed.)



Thanks for dropping by!
Nardi

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Boatloads of Love; Ahoy, Matey;
Inks: Basic Black;
Cardstock: Blue Bayou; Night of Navy; Watercolour paper;
Extras: Crop-A-Dile; Round Tab punch; blender pen; mounting tape; eyelets; watercolour pencils;

M.I.A.

Sorry my blog has been so quiet of late. The busyness of family life as well as a big serve of ill-health has delayed me posting. I do have a few creations I am wanting to share so with more energy each day, I hope to update my blog within the next couple of days.
Thanks for stopping by.

Jen-G's Ballet Blue Card

I was recently involved in a Ballet Blue Virtual Swap. It was super easy and fun and we only had to make one card. We then sent a picture of it onto our host who organised for each photo to be displayed on another swappers blog. How simple is that?
This is the 'card' that I received. It was created by Jen-G. Go and check out her blog to see what else she has been creating lately!

You can see the card I made here.
Don't forget to check out the other participants too.
Danyelle
Amber

Want to join in? Sign up here. One of us will then post your creation for a minimum of 7 days on their sidebar.

Thanks for dropping by....

Ballet Blue Virtual Swap

I recently joined a virtual swap where we signed up to create any project that we liked showcasing Stampin' Up's Ballet Blue, White Rub-ons and Silver podge hardware. Lucky for me Danyelle, our host, was kind enough to send me some rub-ons and silver hardware so I could join in the fun. And boy do I love them - they are fantastic to use and look great!

This is the card I came up with for my cousin's upcoming wedding. I love how the tulle works in with the other elements as well as the simplicity of it all.


[Not sure how I didn't see that shaft of light when photographing but it seems to be highlighting the tulle. ;o) ]

Anyway, go check out the blogs of the other participants to see their swaps.
Danyelle
Amber
Jennifer

Thanks for dropping by!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Ballet Blue; Whisper White;
Extras: SU white rub-ons; SU silver podge hardware; white tulle; dimensional tape;

Ahoy There - it's a new card technique!

As previously mentioned - I learnt a new card technique at my monthly stamp club. And as one of my nephews turns five at the end of this month I thought it was the perfect way to meld the two together.

I'm not sure if it has a name for this technique but it does remind me of a Jacob's ladder. To try and show you how it works I have taken a few photos which will hopefully show the card for what it is (though sadly I admit it is better IRL). So here goes with trying to team my photos with corresponding comments.

At first you are presented with a gate fold card. Here I have added a picture to cover over the fold. (This is the first time I've used the pirate but it definitely won't be the last!)

This is the inside of the card when you first open it. (Sadly the lighting today wasn't so great but hopefully you can get the gist of it all.)

This photo is attempting to show how the "secret" message is revealed as you can pull the middle layers apart to reveal an inner message.

And here is the second message. A few of us did ponder what if the person receiving didn't open it all the way up to get to this layer. One idea was to tuck some money in this layer and either tell the recipient so they had an added incentive or else check a little later and if it was still there it was the 'penalty' for not exploring the card properly. ;o) hee hee

This is such a fab card style that my kids are very excited about and I can't wait to hear what my nephew thinks. I think the next one I will try with more of a neutral card woven through so that I can colour my images more and have more choice but I do like the Close to Cocoa and Ruby Red together none the less.

What about you? Any thoughts?

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Ahoy, Matey; Matey's Map;
Inks: Basic Black; assorted coloured markers;
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa; Ruby Red; Whisper White;
Extras: mounting tape;

Blog Candy Winners!

Thanks for those of you who dropped by and left a comment about your favourite RAK either given or received. The lucky winners were "Diane" (diane860 on SCS) and "Bubblefrog". Could you please email me your addresses so that I can get your goodies out to you? Thanks.

Thank you to those who participated. I hope you continue to give RAKs to others to brighten their day.

I hope you drop by again sometime soon... :o)

Blog Candy to say 'Merci'!

Hooray! I finally got to attend my local monthly stamp club (hi girls!) yesterday for the first time this year due to 'life' getting in the way. ;o) This was the first time that I brought my 8yr old dd who just loved it and promptly told me on the way home that she would like to come for the rest of the year and the years after that!? How's that for the seal of approval. She also was able to complete nearly three cards with minimal work needed to have them ready to send.



In comparison , this is the only card that I ended up completing as the social aspect of catching up took hold over me. ;o) (Though I do have a new card technique that I was able to get the instructions for so will aim to have one posted in the next week.) This was the first time I have used this set which was one of the exclusive SAB sets. The butterfly I cut out with a scalpel (need to work on that for a better finish as the antennae were quite tricky), bent the wings and then popped up for a more dimensional effect. And I couldn't have a butterfly without some bling.

Now for some exciting news - I have some blog candy to celebrate your time visiting and commenting on my blog. As a follow up to my previous post about giving (and the positive response I got), leave a comment on this post and let us know what is the most memorable RAK you have given or have received. In sharing these ideas and stories we can encourage each other to go and bless more of those around us. Each individual idea/story posted will give you one entry. I will then choose a winner randomly and perhaps even a few minor prizes depending on the response. To get an extra entry - post a link to my blog candy on your own blog (let me know by way of comment on this post). Entries will close Sunday 11th April (Australian EST) and winners will be drawn and posted on Monday the 12th of April.

I look forward to hearing your ideas. Good Luck and thanks for visiting!

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Merci;
Inks: Bashful Blue;
Cardstock: Whisper White; Bashful Blue;
Extras: DP; mounting tape; Round Tab Punch; Kindyglitz;

Warning...blog candy coming!

I can't believe that I have nearly had 2000 visitors to my blog. I haven't had my blog very long and the counter came after its creation so I am truly amazed. There are so many of you who inspire me on your blogs so I hope that I am able to inspire or encourage you too.

Anyway, as a way of celebrating I thought I might have to dig up some blog candy to celebrate this milestone. What do you think?

So keep your eyes peeled and pop back soon to join in the fun! Have a great day!

A 'Giving ' RAK

Jen recently posted about 'giving' on her blog and sent a challenge out to the world. It was a challenge that is very close to my heart as I love to bless those around me. I was the lucky winner of her challenge and so received the "ingredients" to make my own fabulous [hopefully] scrapped frame. [I will post my take on the frame when it comes into being. :o) ]
And as an added bonus I received this lovely card in the mail today. I love the colours used and how she tied it all together. Check out her blog as she has some great ideas especially for those who love photography and scrapbooking. Thanks once again Jen!
I'd like to challenge you all to get out and give to someone around you whether you give some of your time, love, creations, gifts or money. Take the time to bless someone else. I'd love to hear what you've done, so we can encourage one another to change our world.
Have a good weekend!

Card kit #2

Here is the second card I made for the card kit swaps. It defintely is a different look to the last one (see previous post).

It's hard to tell from the photo but the flowers are popped up. There is also bling in the form of Kindyglitz (Stickles for my US friends) which I used on the cat's collar, the centre of the flowers as well as on random dots of the DP. Any thoughts?

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Cool Cat;
Inks: Pink Marker; Blue Marker;
Cardstock: Whisper White; Ballet Blue;
Extras: DP; mounting tape; flowers; Kindyglitz;

Surrounded by boxes but back.....

Hooray - the moving is complete! But have I mentioned how much I dislike moving? It is so nice to have handed over our keys to the rented property and be back living in a house we can call our own. Now I just have to deal with the boxes and the change of living space. **sigh**



Last night, I finally got the chance to catch up on some card kit swaps I am participating in. The lovely ladies involved have all been very patient waiting for me to get myself together enough to complete the task. Thank you! And somehow amongst the boxes and not knowing where all my things are I was able to create. Here is one of my swaps. I will post the other one when some more time becomes available [read "kids are in bed" ;o) hee hee ].

Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Always Artichoke;
Ink: Basic Brown;
Extras: EK Success DP; Chocolate Grosgrain; CB & embossing folder;

Packing isn't much fun....

Hello!
I hope as you are reading this that your day is going well.

I just thought I would let you know that my blog may be a little quiet over the next couple of weeks. The reason being that we are moving house and that means life is a chaotic chain of events at the moment.

I will endeavour to drop by when I can even if to share some more "oldies but goodies". Come back soon. :o)

Nardi

I've been tagged

Chrissie and Vanessa left this message in my comments section:
You've been tagged:
The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I usually prefer/crave savoury foods over sweet - even chocolate.

2. I married my DH 13 months after meeting him - 11 months of those were spent apart as we lived in two different states. [You should have seen the phone bill!! ;o) ]

3. I really would love a pet cat.

4. I have blue eyes. [my DH says "I have sparkling blue eyes" - guess who has the romantic DH too! :o) ]

5. I love to Latin dance.

6. I love good food and good wine.

7. I am a night person - definitely NOT a morning person. [Just ask my DH!!! ;o) ROFLOL!!]

So now I am going to tag the following:
1. Bronwyn
2. Michelle
3. Joan
4. Danyelle
5. Helen
6. Lesly
7. Natalie
8. Lexie

For those paying attention - yes, I have tagged 8 people not 7 as when I went to leave comments I discovered one of my recipients had a recent tagging so thought I'd another to the mix as I had already struggled to limit my numbers. :o)

One glass too many?? ;o)

This week I got together with some mothers from school for our "regular" card night. [Read glass of wine, chatter and minimum of one card being made. ;o) ] Whilst the other mums worked on birthday cards for my son's 6th birthday party I experimented. This is the result and I'm not so sure I'm happy with it. Oh well, put it down to a learning experience and a social night out!!? hee hee ;o)

Recipe:
Stamp set: Friendship Blooms;
Cardstock: Kraft; Real Red;
Ink: Basic Black;
Extras: dimensional tape; CB & embossing plate;

Happy Birthday Chelle!

It is my big sister's birthday and so I rustled this card up for her to celebrate the day.
The colours are better IRL but this is the best photo I could get. [And heaps better than the ones I took last night. :o) ]

Recipe:
Stamps: EK Sucess;
Cardstock: Mellow Moss; Very Vanilla; Chocolate Chip;
Ink: Basic Brown;
Extras: DP; Chocolate Grosgrain; CB & embossing folder;

Blues, browns & buttons...

Woo hoo! I got some time to stamp. [Granted I had a little boy try to help me when I left the room but fortunately discovered the situation before it got out of control. :o) But hey, you have to grab each chance that comes your way!??!]
This card was made with the Copycat challenge in mind. This week's challenge was "Blues, Browns & Buttons!"
Hard to tell in the photos put flowers "pop" in a couple of different levels through the use of extra flowers stamped out and dimensional tape.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Friendship Blooms
Inks: Basic Brown; Versamark;
Cardstock: Cool Caribbean; Chocolate Chip; Kraft: Very Vanilla;
Extras: Cuttlebug & embossing folder; dimensional tape; SEI buttons;

An oldie but a goodie.

Well, life around here is getting a little messy and stressful which has hampered the creative moments. (Hopefully I'll get some time soon as I do find my cards very therapeautic.)

So for all those 'playing at home', I thought I'd post one of my older cards. The clasp is velcro underneath to hold it closed. (The card opens up like a real hand bag.) The message inside then "explodes" to surprise the recipient.

Hope you like it.

Seeing Spots For You.

I really like the colours in this from the freshness of the Regal Rose to the Close to Cocoa that grounds it. It is hard to see in this picture but the DP has "bling" on it and the tag is popped up for added dimension.
Once again, another birthday where the recipent hopefully is appreciative. :o)

Recipe:
Stamps: Terrific Tags;
Ink: Regal Rose;
Cardstock: Regal Rose; Very Vanilla; Close to Cocoa;
Accessories: brass brad; dimensional tape; tag punch; Glitter DP;

Cranberry Joy

I made this card last week for a stamping forum friend's birthday. (Try saying that last bit quickly a few times in a row!?!? ;o) hee hee!) As she should have received it by now (and I'm not too sure if she actually visits my blog) I thought I'd share it with you.

Fingers crossed she'll like it.

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Lots of Thoughts; Petals; Polka Dots & Paisley;
Inks: Cranberry Crisp; Basic Brown; Very Vanilla; Versamark;
Cardstock: Cranberry Crisp; Chocolate Chip; Very Vanilla;
Extras: chocolate grosgrain ribbon; copper brad; corner punch; dimensional tape;

Cool Cat

I recently bought a retired SU set from a friend and have been having a little fun experimenting with it. Here are two cards that I made using the set. Which one do you prefer?

I hope to post some other cards I made last night but have to wait until they have been received as I know the recipients occassionally stop by.

Until next time....

Recipe:
Stamp Set: Cool Cat; Terrific Tags
Inks: Regal Rose; Blue Marker;
Cardstock: Regal Rose; Very Vanilla; Close to Cocoa; Blue (unknown source);
Extras: tag punch; copper brad; Heidi Grace DP; mounting tape;

A Blog Award!

Chrissie has paid me a big compliment by giving me an award (my first) for having "an excellent blog". Thanks Chrissie!




The rules of the award are to pass it on to other excellent bloggers. So here goes with a list of some of the new blogs I like to visit:

Amy
Cheryl
Helen
Lesly
Michelle
Natalie
Niki

Another Mixed Bouquet

Here is another version of the Mixed Bouquet stamp set. I thought I would experiment with cutting the shape out and popping it up with mounting tape. I also had a try at some hand drawn shading, drawing, etc, but will have to work a little more on that. ;o) I do however really like the classic lines of this set. I'm really glad I have it in my stash. What do you think?



Recipe:
Inks - Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke
Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke
Stamp Set - Mixed Bouquet
Extras - eyelets, white gel pen, mounting tape,

Pay It Forward - Blog Candy

Melanie offered some Pay It Forward blog candy for the first three bloggers to leave a comment and I just happened to be one of them.

In return, I am to Pay It Forward (PIF) on my own blog. Hence here I am...

If you want to join in the fun:
1. You need to have your own blog so that you can then PIF.
2. Then be one of the first to comment on this blog post and I will send you some blog candy.
3. Just remember to PIF on your blog and send out a little something to the first 3 people who comment on your blog.
And the cycle of PIF will continue to bless and brighten one another's day. It is that simple!

So on your marks, get set....POST!!! First three to the comment box will need to start stalking their mail boxes! ;o) The surprise will be all yours.

Another day, another card

Wow! This year is already starting to move so quickly. I can't believe we are at the end of January already. With time 'flying', I sat down the other night to make a list of cards that I anticipate I will need over the next two months in a bid to be organised prior to moving house. Let's just say, I really need to set aside some time to get through it all. LOL!
Anyway, one of the cards on my list is to a wonderful family friend. I can't believe how nervous I was making it. One of the reasons is she is SUPER creative (she actually made my wedding dress for me). So last night this is what I came up with for her. As all creative plans go, my intial ideas were revisited and I decided on "less being more". As a result, I am pretty pleased with the simple elegance of the card. I will definitely be revisiting this colour scheme again.
TFL!

Stamp set used: Mixed bouquet

10 years and celebrating!

Hi all! I hope you are having a great day.

I thought I'd share with you the card I made for my DH for our 10th wedding anniversary which is today. (24th January - which it is in OZ at the moment regardless of the date listed on the top of this blog.) I wanted something that wasn't too girly that had a classic feel to it. I am really happy with how it worked out and so is my DH.



DH had to work today so no champagne breakfast [though I am planning on a raincheck for the weekend. ;o) ] However, typical of my romantic DH, I was spoilt this morning with a few gifts and we will go out for dinner as a family tonight. Our big celebration will hopefully be later on in the year when we can coordinate work, babysitters and money as my DH would like to take me on a 2 week holiday. [I'm not about to argue! ;o) ]

Here are a few photos from our big day:
Here we are loooking much younger than our current selves. LOL!



This one is of our wedding party. It was taken in the Brisbane City Botanical Gardens.



God has truly blessed me with my DH and I am very proud to be his wife. Bring on the rest of our lives together!
N

Thanks for looking and sharing in my joy!

2 more Reasons to Smile

Here are two more cards that I made using my new set. (See previous post.) What do you think?

Reason to Smile

My hubby and I got to take the kids away for a 3 week holiday which was great. It was so nice to have some time away and to relax. We also got to catch up with family and friends which we were very thankful for and gave us many 'reasons to smile'.

Another reason to smile is a belated birthday present I received recently. It is the SU 'Reason to Smile' set [thanks Bron] and I was eager to play with it upon our return home. (Contact me if you'd like to find out how you can get this set for free.) The cards posted are made using this set and won't be the last of ones made with it as I have many ideas still floating around. [Usually late at night - jsut ask my dh!!?? ;o) ]

Thanks for stopping by - leave me a comment so that I can tell if I am not just talking to myself!? LOL!