Christmas Busy

I wanted to reassure readers that I've not been idle behind the scenes here in blogland. Busy busy making loads of things for our school Christmas stall. These tealights are made from an Ikea set of 12 plain glass holders (Glimma) onto which I've painted a mix of Crystal Effects and a drop or two of Cherry Cobbler ink. The decoration on the candle and the tag are using the Perfect Punches Christmas sentiment stamped in Cherry Cobbler with a decorative Artistic Etchings in Pear Pizzazz behind. Think they've come up a treat! Hindsight, I'd try and either make the consistency of the crystal effects a bit thicker, or do more thin layers... Food for thought next year! A few simple cards for the stall too. The two on the left are made with Cajan Craze and Cherry Cobbler card stock (run through the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder) with a touch of Pear Pizzazz. The sentiments are stamped from Christmas Classics and Word Play. I used Contempo Christmas for the bright coloured baubles on the card on the right. Thanks muchly for the creative assistance from Clare, Michelle, Malyn and Caz at our team Christmas get-together.
So, you see, I've not been idle! I'm also working on hand quilting my patchwork. I'll post a picture when I'm nearer completion of the panels.

un-post

Well, my dear younger boy has cared and shared his dreaded lurgy with me despite assuring me it wasn't him. I'm feeling a bit poorly, so please excuse the lack of quilting and stamping progress happening in this corner of cyberspace. Hoping to knock this on its head over the weekend as there's a busy week coming up including my kids' school P&C AGM. And yes, I'll be putting my hand up for a bunch of jobs once more... Its all part and parcel of being a Primary Parent, really!

Quilt progress

So here's the progress on my quilt. Going to be a bit smaller than I thought - but that's okay. The white border is going to have more pink ribbon sewn on top - haven't quite got there yet. I'm quite happy with it despite all the little mistakes in it - No one will know when its all put together!

Not exactly sure how I'll quilt it - might need to see if I can beg/borrow a hand quilting hoop from someone so I can give that a go. I'm sure my stitching will need work! Anyway, its progressing.

Been a bit topsy-turvy in the emotion department - very concerned about Grumpy-George's heart failure (this is the diagnosis finally). I'm worrying more because Mum is worried, but it also occurred to me yesterday that I just don't want him to die just yet. He's been my step-dad/Dad for 27 years now. I only had 16 with my biological Dad with about 4 years estrangement. Anyway, I love him and don't want him going and dying any time soon - he's 67 and gets a bit stroppy when people try to tell him what to do - including doctors regardless of his best interests at heart. So excuse any teary-ness observed - its sometimes hard for a leopard to change his shorts.

R U OK? day

Are you okay? day is an inititive by the sons of Barry Larkin, an Australian management consultant who took his own life in 1995. What a great idea! I've been there - persistent thoughts of self-harm involving sharp objects - resulting in an inability to enter our kitchen. The very next day I was admitted to St John of God hospital in Burwood with my youngest son, Toby. Below is a fab video from Aussie footballer, Nathan Thompson. Remember to ask often, not just the once.



Visit the R U OK website for more info.

Brayered sunset

Apologies for the poor image quality - taken with my phone. I was inspired by Michelle Zindorf's brayering instructions to work on this card using the new Stampin' Up colours. Cajan Craze is becoming a favourite - such a rich and delicious spicy colour!

This sunset uses Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Cajan Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede and Early Espresso. I think I may have used a touch of Poppy Parade too. The silhouette of flowers is repeated stamping of the main image from Just Believe. The sentiment I did originally with Marina Mist and Tangerine Tango, but I've gone over the leaves with Pear Pizzazz, flowers outlined with Concord Crush and the berries with Blushing Bride markers. Its added a depth that I felt was needed to help the card along. I'm not entirely happy with my setting sun, but I'll work on that in the future!

A little bit different

Quilting/Patchwork has long been on my "to do" list as something I'd like to try. Stephanie, a lovely, lovely former manager of our school canteen, who I used to help on a more or less monthly basis gave me a gorgeous Moda fabric "Blush" charm pack just before she moved to greener pastures. Its been calling me for ages and this morning I went and found this fabulous website: www.modabakeshop.com which inspired me to finally drag out the sewing machine and create.
Don't pay attention to how off-square this is - this is my very first attempt at patchwork. I pieced together nine-squares and then cut them in half vertically and horizontally to make the squares. I then laid them out on the table and moved them around til I was happy with the pattern. Then I wanted to expand the whole thing a bit - after finding no joy in my fabric scraps, I delved into my Stampin' stash and pulled out the 1 1/4" pink pirouette grosgrain ribbon from Stampin' Up's Autumn mini. I cut the ribbon and singed the edges using a candle to stop them fraying. I've now had to order more fabric so I'll be able to make this a decent size. The fabrics are just delicious and some of the "recipes" on the ModaBakeshop website are sweet! I'll be making at least one more quilt once I get better at making things square!!

Morning Cup

Some of my test pieces for Michelle's launch - there were some really terrible ones - these are the ones that worked best... Wonderfully worn in the background here with loads of masking and reverse-masking. Tea for two!As you can see, I was rather obsessed with the Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait colour combination. Here's Perk Up using the same colour combo and the Retro Remix wheel.

So breaking free a little, I did this as a sampler of all the new SU In Colors. Poppy Parade stamped with Wonderfully Worn once more, some Concord Crush as matting and some masking to keep the stack of cups going. Lots of fun to do, but couldn't manage to find a sentiment. I keep thinking of the Manhattan Transfer version of Java Jive "A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup - yeah"...

Launch at Michelle's

Long time between posts, I know. I had trouble finding the charger for our camera! Necessity made me find it so I could print up instructions for Michelle's 2010-2011 Catalogue Launch yesterday. I was a guest/helper and I demonstrated this card using an adapted technique from a video tutorial at Valita's Fresh Folds blog. Hydrangea's are one of my favourite flowers and are so pretty in various colours! The flowers are created using Valita's technique with the new Fancy Flower XL punch rather than the heart punch (which I don't own - yet!). I've added the sentiment from Garden Whimsy together with an antique brad - another new product. The flower centres are a dot of Multipurpose Liquid Glue with Olive supernova glitter. I used the same technique for the flowers to make the leaves with the scallop oval punch.
I also helped with this make-and-take card using the new Morning Cup stamp set and Take a Sip wheel. I have the clearmount version so it was a great opportunity to show off how easily the images assemble without having to use a stamp-a-majig. I love my clearmount stamps and especially love the Stampin' Up! clear blocks - they are a beautiful weight with a lovely rounded finger-hold edge all the way around. This card was made using reverse-masking to sponge colour into the different areas of the teapot and cup. I used a craft knife to cut away the area to be coloured from an image stamped in the middle of a post-it. Its a great technique for adding even colour to an image and it was so much fun to do with these little tea-cups! The guests all thought I was a bit bonkers for cutting around the little flowers on the teacup. We also used the new Stampin' Write markers now available in the In Colors! WOW! Its so lovely to get detail through with a fine-tip instead of using a blender pen or aquabrush loaded with In Color ink!
I'm thrilled with the new In Colors. This card uses Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait and Blushing Bride. Lovely colours!

Christmas in July projects

Its been a long time between posts, I know... My boss went away for the entire school term, which meant I started working 4 days a week. Pat and I are struggling a little in the office. Its now only 6 weeks and 5 days until the end of term! Not that we're counting down!! LOL
As my 4 day week started earlier than expected, I asked Michelle to substitute for me at a workshop and she kindly accepted. Apparently she made a good substitute teacher and she was a font of knowledge about many things for my lovely ladies!

These are the cards I designed for the workshop. This first one is inked using a sponge on the Medallion stamp. I masked the inside with a circle punched from a post-it and sponged ink first with Garden Green, then Old Olive and finally Kiwi Kiss around the outside. When I'd stamped the image, I thought it looked a bit plain, so I went back with markers to rubber on the holly from Christmas Classics. I used alternated Old Olive and Garden green holly around the Medallion. I then used Real Red to draw over the berries again as they weren't "popping" enough for me! After that a few drops of crystal effects (which I then stuck my finger in before dry!!) on each berry to make them gleam! Oh, and I used the sponge I'd inked the stamp with to decorate the edges of the card. I'm so pleased with the result! The Medallion stamp has to be the most versatile and EASY stamp to use, creating a beautiful single layer card in seconds!
The next card was meant to be a CASE of one of Jayne Mercer's cards. In the end, apart from the layout and using Kraft and Pale Plum, it looks very little like her original! But similar enough to see where the CASE came from.
Because I see the same group of ladies every month, I find it difficult to come up with new box designs with which to WOW them. This one is an adapted "Sevens" box - score at 7 cm all around an A4 card and fold in this complicated way! Once closed, you can fit a chocolate or two inside. When open, the card folds right out so you can put quite a large message inside. Its very cute and quite easy to do. Considering I threw this together, I'm very pleased with the results. I'm going to miss using Kiwi Kiss at the beginning of September!

Which nicely leads to the following information. Stampin' Up! Australia's 2010/2011 catalogue! Its coming! I will have copies in my hot little hands towards the end of this month and ordering from the 2010/2011 catalogue begins on 1 September. There are quite a lot of discounted items and here is part of the Last Chance list. I've sorted this list for the discounted items only first by catalogue page, then alphabetically. Please don't use this PDF without permission. I will post more information in the next couple of weeks. Don't panic about some of these "Last Chance" items. Many of the punches are being re-configured to a new flatter style punch which is great for storage. However, the old style punches will be available until 31 August (or while stocks last).

Quick post

I've had to head down to Canberra a bit earlier than expected as my step-dad had a mild heart-attack on Monday. He's fine and was delighting in pulling the oxygen saturation monitor off his finger to make the wiggly lines on his monitor go berserk for the kids. Far too big a grin considering he's in hospital hooked up to machines and oxygen and how much of a scare he gave my Mum!

Plans for updating my blog and card-making are on hold while we are visiting. It was also my niece's first birthday yesterday and the tribe and I went over for a quick visit yesterday evening. Claire is walking, a chatty sociable little person who warmed to me rather quicker than I expected and I was BESOTTED! I fell in baby-love again. She reached up and gave me cuddles and sat on my lap quite content for a nice while. So miss seeing both Claire and her big brother day-to-day as they grow.

Just in case the Inklings Christmas in July blog-hop lands here, I'm popping the list in here... Apologies for not being more organised!
Bloghop for Inklings team "Christmas in July"
1. Christie http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com
2. Dani H http://daniholland.wordpress.com/
3. Carol http://inkantations-and-inkarnations.blogspot.com/
4. Michelle D http://www.stampinkpaper.blogspot.com
5. Jayne http://www.jaynemercer.com/blogs
6. Kylie http://kraftykylie.typepad.com/blossom_designs/
7. Kari http:// www.karigail.wordpress.com
8. Dani F - http://danifender.blogspot.com
9. Beth - http://www.elisabethstewart.com/bethinking/
10. Nicky A http://www.nickyadamson.blogspot.com
11. clare http://www.crafty-cow.com
12. Ryn http://rynscraps.blogspot.com
13. Amy http://amyandersonsblog.blogspot.com
14. Fiona B. http://www.fionajanestamping.blogspot.com
15 . Michelle Frost-Stevenson http://www.stampinground.wordpress.com
16. Fiona Poirier http://fionapoirier.blogspot.com/
17. Divya Rao - http://www.creadivya.blogspot.com/
18. Rachel Jackson http://havefunstamping.blogspot.com/