Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

It was my gorgeous husband's birthday on the weekend which gave me the chance to play with one of the new sets from The SU Spring Mini Catty. unfortunately withthe extra layers it hasn't scanned up too well but hopefully you get the gist of it all.

Contact me if you'd like any information about what was used.

Thanks for dropping by,
Nardi

Choo Choo!

Nope - I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth.... :o) Thanks to those who've been checking back and asking how things are going.

August has meant the release of the new Stampin' Up! Spring mini catalogue. Yes, I realise it is not yet Spring :o) but am so excited to see some of the new things Stampin' Up has to offer. Contact me if you'd like to see a hard copy of the catalogue or click here to see online.

One of the new stamp sets that has been released is one that has a train with carriages and caboose. It is soo cute and there is even a matching wheel so that you can lay some tracks for the train to go on. Here is a card that I made recently for a swap. The brief was to make it using something from the new Spring mini catty. I hope you like it.


I've used Choo Choo and On Track for my feature stamps/wheel and also used a bit of the new Ski Slope DSP which has some lovely papers that I can't wait to use.

Drop me a comment and I'll see you back here soon.

Nardi

Preschool Thanks

Last year, to thank my son's preschool teachers, I organised for the class to join together to purchase gift vouchers to day spas for each teacher. They were a huge success for everyone and just a small token of how much we valued their imput into our children's lives.

To accompany the vouchers I came up with this card design. I really like the simplicity of this combination. [I have to say though, it was hard trying to get a photo that did the SU Soft Sky justice.]

Thanks for stopping by - see you soon!

Nardi

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.

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;

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 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;

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;

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;

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;