Learning The Reflective Technique.

As promised earlier this week, I am sharing how to do the Reflective Technique.

It's quite easy, but feel free to make the same amount of mistakes that I made, so I dont feel so bad, ok?

I used it to make this card, which I taught to my fortnightly class last week. And they enjoyed it - even though I left the acetate at home, oops!! I keep my Project Recipe in those clear document holders, so I cut one of those and we could continue with the project!!

So in order for you to do this technique, it's easiest to follow Maree's video, (she is a fellow Australian Stampin' Up! Demonstrator too!!)

I love her clear video, not just of the actual technique, but the relaxed way she teaches & shows off the various products!!

Thanks Maree, I'll be looking at more of your videos and work in the future :)

Keep Stampin' everyone, I can't wait to see what you have made...

ESAD So Long Old Favourites Blog Hop

Old friends are always hard to say goodbye to, arent they? And by old, I mean longtime friends, like one of our Mother's Group mums who lives in Hobart, Tasmania.
 It's always hard to say goodbye to her.. *sigh*

Thankfully, being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator means that while we are saying goodbye to some much loved products, we know that new ones are coming!! Just one of the many perks of being a demo!!

Another perk is being a member of the inspiring group we lovingly call ESAD. The details are below & you really cant put into words the warm n fuzzy feeling you get from being with such a wonderful group of like minded people!!

With the house-keeping stuff out of the way, let's get onto the reason we are here: what we have created to share with you... & you would have come from Siobhan's  blog. I must say that I've spent a bit of time looking at her work & it's stunning!!

I'm so glad you took part in the blog hop Siobhan, I love what you do :) Now, onto my work...

I loved this Bubble Over stamp set when I saw it & yet, I havent used it much at all?? And then this blog hop comes along & I drag it out & dust it off AND I"M LOVING IT AGAIN, go figure?

The fun of this set makes me smile. And weddings are meant to be fun, right, so this card had to be also...

Ive used Bubble Over, as mentioned, the Bottle & Bubbles dies, the Polka Dot Basics embossing folder with Lemon Lime Twist & Berry Burst cardstock.

Both of the main colours haven't grabbed me for 2 years & now I'm loving them too! Crazy, hey?

The only current items are the Whisper White & Basic Black cardstock, StazOn ink & Vellum, so I was pretty happy with how this worked out.

My next project came about because I participated in my first challenge over the weekend. The challenge presented was to make a card using Basic Black, Whisper White & a pop of colour.

It had me thinking, but after making the previous card, I had it worked out.

Here I teamed up Swirly Bird stamp set with the matching dies, Swirly Scribbles & Follow Your Dreams. I believe this technique is called "Inset", where you make a puzzle essentially with the various pieces...


My last creation I'm sharing is using the So Santa stamp set teamed with Botanical Butterfly DSP. I so want it to be summer again, as we begin to approach winter, I just yearn for the sun on my face, but maybe not as much as poor Santa, he could do with a hat for protection!!

And learning how to do the Reflective technique was simple & fun too - I'll share that this week, in another post, so be sure to come back :)

Of course, us demos wouldn't usually show off the light bouncing off the embossing powder, but I just had to show you how it looks like water, right!!

I've used more current items on this card: Balmy Blue ink & cardstock, Watercolor Pencils with the Aqua Paint Brush, StazOn Ink, Balmy Blue, Whisper White & Basic Black cardstock.

I do always enjoy using DSP differently to how it was intended, ie: butterflies on a card or scrap page...

The other thing I loved about this whole process was that I needed my 16 year old son to take the photos for me, as the camera on my Iphone is broken. So Kyle organised the way the light should be, how the card should be standing etc & took the photos for me - he did okay, didn't he!!
Thanks mate.

I hope you have enjoyed my items, I absolutely enjoyed the challenge of making them for you, be sure to come back for more inspiration sometime.

Click on the green sign here, to go to Peta's blog, tell her I said 'hi'...

Blog hop participant list, from here onward:

14. Jo Weedon - https://joweedon.blogspot.com/…/esad-so-long-old-favourites…
15. Peta Stephen - https://www.stampincat.com.au/esad-so-long-old-favourites-…/
16. Lisa Whitehead - https://stampwithlisa.co/esad-so-long-old-favourites-blog-…/
17. Rochelle Laird-Smith - https://stampingflair.com/esad-so-long-old-favourites-blog-…
18. Rebecca Scurr - https://thepaperandstampaddict.com.au/…/so-long-old-friends/
19. Mandy Depiazzi - https://mypapertrailblog.wordpress.com/…/esad-so-long-old-f…
20. Denise Buetler - http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/denisebuetler/blog…
21. Monique Fielder - https://stamping-with-moni-q.blogspot.com/…/esad-so-long-ol…
22. Kelly Kent - http://mypapercraftjourney.com/…/esad-blog-hop-so-long-old…/
23. Sharon Dalton - https://studioshabazcreativeme68.blogspot.com/…/esad-so-lon…
24. Rebekah Crisp - https://bcreativewithberyl.wordpress.com/…/so-long-old-favo…
25. Maree McIntosh - https://stampwithmareescards.blogspot.com/…/esad-april-2019…
1. Bronwyn Eastley - http://addinktivedesigns.com/…/esad-so-long-favourites-blo…/
2. Libby Dyson - http://libbystampz.com/so-long-old-favourites-blog-hop/
3. Katrina Duffell - https://inkpapergirl.com/?p=13579
4. Lou Kitzelman - https://withabowontopbylou.blogspot.com/…/esad-april-2019-s…
5. Shannon Kissane - http://shannonkissane.com/?p=3064
6. Nicole Wilson - https://nicolejuliewilson.blogspot.com/…/so-long-old-favour…
7. Delys Cram - https://delyscram.com/…/esad-so-long-old-favourites-blog-h…/
8. Lauren Meiklejohn - https://laurenmeiklejohn.wordpress.com/?p=5792
9. Cathy Pinchbeck - https://wp.me/p3zFY4-rV
10. Sandra Mastello - https://www.violetvspurplepapercrafts.com/?p=25912
11. Richelle Fletcher - https://stampingwithrichelle.blogspot.com/…/esad-so-long-ol…
12. Rose Packer - https://wp.me/p6g0iC-1k9
13. Siobhan Fitzsimmons - https://hightreeshouseofcards.com/…/so-long-to-old-favourit…

Happy Birthday Blair!!

It was my nephew's 1st birthday and my sister, has an obsession with all things Disney, especially Mickey Mouse. With this in mind, I knew that Blair's card needed to go with her theme...

I had recently bought the Swirly Bird stamp set & matching dies, (10 % off when you purchase them together) and had seen some cards using the bird nest not as nests...so that got me thinking...

I had a play with the various parts of the dies & finally settled with this:

The Real Red, Basic Black,Whisper White & Pop Of Pink DSP works so well & it didnt take too long to put together!! Gotta love those cards, hey?


I knew that Brooke's party table was going to reflect her love for Mickey and she certainly didnt disappoint!!

Here is her food table...all red, black and white, simply perfect!!

Brooke's talent showed through when she presented the cake, Mickey of course!!

But wait, there's more!! Here is the show stopper!! So clever!!

Needless to say that Blair's birthday was a great day for him and a wonderful opportunity for family to come together!!

Happy birthday Blair, we love you lots!!

It's a Curvy Keepsake kinda market!!

My children's local primary school had a fun fiesta night & I was lucky enough to have a stall there.

Despite the crazy windy weather, there was a wonderful atmosphere with lots of families around.

I had been busy becoming familiar with the Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits, (Annual Catalogue, page 171),  to make these Angry Birds charactors... To keep other young children happy, I made a Hello Kitty type of Keepsake and.....
I also wanted something a little more feminine, so decided to add some Butterflies thinlits.

I also wanted something a little more feminine, so decided to add some Butterflies thinlits.

I guess you really cant see the Shimmer that is on the wings, but I did spray them... The various sentiments included: Happy Mother's Day, Happy Birthday, Get Well Soon & Friend To Friend.

The end results were a great group of Curvy Keepsakes to sell.

Here is my make-up of how my table was going to be set-up for the market. I like how it wasnt too cluttered and was labelled clearly :)

I'd love the know what else you have made with your Curvy Keepsakes, please feel free to share them with me :)

Love Is In The Air...

As promised, not so long ago, I am now sharing my latest Card In a Box.

Some of your may know that when I was younger, I was in Foster Care. During this time I was placed with a family that to this day, are very special to me. They became my honory Aunt & Uncle & Cousins. I went to family gatherings with them, celebrated Christmas and birthdays with them & learnt lots of life lessons, just as families do when they spend so much time together. 

I recently received an invitation to celebrate an impending marriage for their eldest boy, so was super excited to  make something so unique for them. Scott and Adriana will be married soon, in Columbia, so we had a great gathering. I got to catch up with so many people from my past, that I remember growing up with... It truly was special!

So here is the Card In a Box that I made for the gorgeous couple that are jet setting soon, to be married in Adriana's hometown, over-seas. 

Using lots of hearts, Real Red, Whisper White & Glimmer Paper mounted on acetate, I came up with this... It clearly goes outside the boundaries of the C6 envelope, so I used the next size up, to keep those hearts safe. 

I wish them so much happiness for their married life & I cant wait to hear about their Wedding and travels.

Thanks for stopping by...

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 :))

Shaken, Not Stirred!!

I had a close friend's 40th birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Jason is  a huge 007 Bond fan, so of course, the card needed to reflect this!

I found this card on Pinterest so I followed Sarah-Jane's tutorial on how to make this stunning card, (I wish my house was as clean as my files there!!)

I just love how it turned out and I know that Jason enjoyed it also! 

This is a photo of Jason's cake, I told you he loved Bond!! 

Sue did an amazing job making it for him!

We spent the night dancing to older music than the 'doosh soosh' noise of this decade and had lots of laughs, with those who know Jason & Melissa well.

Happy 40th Jason, thanks for the invite!!

It's Been Too Too Long...

I'm surprised (& slightly embarrassed) as to how long it has been since I last posted. I had become to feel dejected & clearly decided to stop posting anything, rather than simply cutting back a little & learning from the experience.

I received an email today, from Lisa letting me know that she CASE-d, (Copy And Share Everything) my minion card, (seen on Pinterest) and this has given me a huge smile for the whole day! I would like to openly thank Lisa for her email, it was the lift I needed!!

While I am here, I'd also like to thank my Upline,  Mel for her unwavering friendship & support when I am wallowing in the doldrums...

So with that being said, I am going to continue to post cards, 3D items, scrap pages & life events!!

I look forward to reading your feedback about what you like, suggestions you have of what I can make & showing how amazing the Stampin' Up products are!!

Here is a simple thankyou card, an appropriate one I thought, given this post.

It uses the From The Herd stamp set, from the current Occasions Catalogue & is just too cute, isnt it!!

Thanks for stopping by, I will see you next time :)

Polka Dot Parades

I love to use a design of a card that can be used for various sentiments and I think this one fits that brief! I've already made 10 of these, with 5 different wordings!

Here I have used Polka Dot Parade Designer Paper, with two punches to create a very quick and easy, (queasy!!) card.

The colours in the flowers are Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie.

I hope this brings a smile to anyone who receives it :)