Challenge... 1, 2 & 3...

I don't often take part in challenges, (although they are a great way to get the creative juices flowing!), but I saw one on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web-site a couple of weeks ago.
(One of the many perks of sighing up to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator)

And I decided to commit to it!!

This challenge is what I would call a "3,2,1" challenge.
I needed to make 3 x cards, 2 x 3D items & a scrap page of any sort - my mind immediately exploded...suffered a little...and then, slowly but surely, I began to have ideas forming in my head!!

And I was off....

3 Cards:

While I was attending OnStage 2017 in November, I was lucky enough to receive this stamp set: Bird Banter. So I teamed up Bella the puppy, (from Bella & Friends), for this fun card. Using the masking technique & a couple of Blends, I was able to give Bella a lift to see her friends!!

I then stamped Bella a couple of times so that I could fussy-cut her little limbs, to add a bit more dimension to her

My second card saw me using the Get Well Soup, but I changed it by using the masking technique again. This time I removed the Get Well Soon sentiments & added the So Very Much, so that it seems to be apart of the warm bowl of soup....

Im loving the Blends, can't you tell already :)

They make colouring in an image so quick and easy, I just love the shadowing effect of them!

To finish this card, I dusted off my container of Silver Embossing Powder, the spoon was screaming to be that colour, right??

Here's an insight into my childhood: I was always around the kitchen, trying Mum's cooking & especially available when the spoon needed to be licked after a batch of biscuits or a cake was happening!!
So making my third card made me think of mum & all the skills she taught us, in life in general, but especially in the kitchen.

I particularly loved how the mixer is relative to the size of the bowl, so of course they had to be together!! This DSP is Domestic Godess & just reminds me of a table cloth!!

I think would make a great card for someone's partner or even a close friend...

2 3D items:

For those of you who have been visiting my blog, you may have noticed that I JUST LOVE 3D ITEMS!!

I had been talking with a close friend about the wooden type kits I have that I just havent had the time to put together somehow...and then this challenge jumped at me!!

So, given that it was only a month or so away from Christmas, (back then...), I decided to find one of wreaths I had been meaning to work on and actually do it!!

Ive used a current & gorgeous DSP called Christmas Around The World (Candy Cane paper in this image) & a retired DSP called Be of Good Cheer. Ive now got this hanging on the front door at the Child Care Centre that I work at...

 Using the Glimmer Paper from a previous kit, I used the mini Dimensionals to give them some height. I strung a peice of Window Sheet across from one side of wreath to the other & hunted out the Alphabet dies for Merry Christmas, also.

 And can you see my holly? These wooden circles, initially, were sponged with Cherry Cobbler and then left to dry overnight with a big blob of wet adhesive from my Fine Tip Glue Pen - dont you love the effect??

 To keep up with the 3D Christmas theme, I was asked to make boxes for 2 of these Glitter Baubles, by a customer. What struck me was how similar the colours of the bauble & our stunning Glimmer Paper is - just beautiful!

 I have made boxes for the customer previously, so I knew that she wanted to fill the bauble with the children's name of the finishing year & present this to each of her children's teacher.

I started with the first box here & was feeling pretty chuffed with myself & then maybe either got a bit tired or a little lazy, causing me to get glue on the front of the box...

As we know, this is simply an opportunity for embellishing, right? So then I made a 'belly' type band to go around the lid of the box, punched a bow & ta-day, I've saved the box!!

2 different boxes for 2 different teachers!!

When each teacher opened their gift, the lid picked up the bauble, presenting her with everyone's name over the year.

During the time that I was making these boxes, I was also going to work during the day. The children in the centre that I work at, thought I was very Chrismassy with the amount of sparkle I had all over me, it just added to the festiveness!!

1 Scrap Page...

Before I was a card or 3D item maker, I was a scrapbooker!! I must admit that I havent spent a lot of time recently 'scrappin' at all, so it was lovely to be 'forced' to create a page!!

My 16 year old daughter, Rachelle recently completed her Year 10 year & they celebrated by having a formal. Rach was originally not going to go, deeming it 'too over the top' &being a basketball couch & player, she didnt think it would be something she would enjoy.

Roll on a couple of weeks & her friends talked her into wanting to go - and boy are we all glad she did!! She had a great leadup with shopping for 'the dress', shoes & a little bit of make-up & was blessed with a couple of her friends helping her to prepare on the day...

 Rachelle's dress was a 'nude' colour, so this posed a bit of a colour challenge for me, so I decided to go with 'Blushing Bride' - working the any type of pink is hard for me, but I think it works!!

The latest craze in the Stampin' world is this 'Eclipse' technique, so after stamping Versamark & heating the white Embossing Powder, I used my Big Shot to spell out the heading, (& an additional 3 layers of each letter, *gasp*) & then adhered them together.

 The Bloomin' Love set lent itself nicely to lace on Rachelle's dress, Im so pleased with how it all came together! And combining this with the dies, sponging it slighty & adding a splash of class with our Pearls, it finished off the page!

This had certainly been a long post of many creations & I thank you for sticking with me!!

Im incredibly grateful to be able to be able to make various items that I can share with loved ones & possibly even inspire someone else to get creative too!!

Im super glad that I followed through with achieving this challenge - I may even go looking for another 3, 2, 1 Challenge, perhaps?

I'd love for you to leave a comment on any of the projects that you like...

See you next time :)

I'm Baaaaack.....

Wow, I really have dropped the ball since July, havent I? Only one other post and that didn't offer very much, did it?
Ive had so many things on, here there and everywhere, that I decided to take a little pressure off me, by not trying to post regularly...It simply puts unreal expectations on me, that I cant meet & I feel like a failure!!

With that in mind, I have these cards to share with you.

Sadly, the loss of a baby is something that occurs to many families. This may be through a pregnancy gone wrong, a still born or a child gaining its wings soon after death. While this isnt a card that I wish to make, it absolutely is something that needs to be acknowledged, however hard.
I have spoken to many women, through my work, that say that simply having their baby acknowledged & their name spoken, means so much to them.

I stamped this with White Kraft ink first, let that dry and then stamped with the blue, slightly off the white. Somehow I have never used this technique for any other card...

Using Blushing Bride and Whisper White, I came up with this simple & quick Get Well Card. While I dont usually do or like pink cards, I do like the cleanliness of this one!! The butterfly is cut using the Sizzix Butterlfly die in the Big Shot & a couple of pearls, to add to the softness.

It's quite rare for me to make a card with no sentiment, but I felt that Swallowtail, (the name of this large butterfly stamp), needed nothing else to make it work.

You will see though, there is a slight 'red' tinge to the edges of the wings. I used the 'Rock 'n "Roll' technique, one that is quite easy to get a great result. 

By inking your lighter colour first, you then 'roll' the very edges of the stamp, on the darker colour, only picking up a little bit of the stronger colour. 

When you have stamped on your card, be sure to completely clean your stamp before you place it on any other ink pad or your could ruin it!!

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a message of your thoughts on my 3 very different cards.

I hope to not let you hold your breathe so long again, in the future... Especially as I have some gorgeous Card In Boxes to share with you next!!

They are certainly worth waiting for!!

Finding My Mo-Jo...

Sometimes when I need time to simply make something, but have no mo-jo, I just play around with ideas... Sometimes a card doesnt work and I throw it all out AND sometimes I get better results!!

This time just happened to work for me!!

I was wanting to make thankyou cards & I came up with these 3 designs.

This card already in the cello bags, oops, is using the Tulip Flower Two Step Stamp Set. I used Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive ink and the Thankful thinlit from the Expression collection, (it's getting a workout lately!!).

Using Delightful Daffodil, Old Olive & Rich Razzleberry ink, this card was just as quick & easy, (queasy, us Demos say!!), as the first card. Flower Patch Two Stamp Set, with the matching framelits & a feminine touch with a Pearl makes the card simple, but effective!

This card took a little longer to put together, probably because I introduced a non Stampin' Up! item, *gasp*... and it was harder to make things match with an outsider!!

I hope you can see that the "Thankful" is glossy? A close friend gave me sheets of shiny leather type paper & of course, I had to immediately play with it!!
The Big Shot had another workout with the Lucky Stars Embossing Folder, giving more texture to this card.
I then dusted off  Thoughts & Prayers, (an oldie, but a goodie) & used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the extra part of the stamp below the matt, in Riding Hood Red.

Come back soon to see what else Ive been creating :))