Island Indigo Gift Set

We made a card in class last month that I wanted to use in a gift set.   It uses the Pleasant Poppies stamp in Island Indigo.

Here's what I added to make it a set:

The white paper bag with string handles was stamped randomly by inking up one of the poppies from the Pleasant Poppies stamp (C-129499) with a marker.  I've used Island Indigo and Calypso Coral.  I added a few butterflies along the bottom from the Papillon Potpourri set (C-123759).  The DSP was a piece from the Festival of Prints in the Holiday catty (2012).  It's the perfect size to make a pocket that holds the card. 

I made the flower using the Fun Flowers die and the Big Shot.  The DSP is from Summer Smooches & the brad is from last years designer printed pack.

This cute little bag/box is a CASE from the current catty.  Inside are tea lights for the gift (see below).  It uses the Fancy Favor die and more DSP from Summer Smooches.   I've attached a paper clip as a closer and the heart was punched with Calypso Coral.  The "ribbon" is made from white cardstock stamped with Happy Birthday out of the Curly Cute set.  You make loops of different sizes and attach them all together, wrapping another small piece to make the centre of the "bow".

Here's the whole ensemble.......

.....complete with bird cage gift and Calypso Coral coloured tea light.  So cute! 

Wishing you a great start to the week!
Cheers
Karen

What I did Today

It was the first day of the Stitches and Craft fair at Rosehill today, and while I'm not the sewing type - kind of wish I was, but really can't get into it, I did have a fabulous day and learned some new tricks.

Skye Rogers was the guest artist and quite frankly, she's fabulous!  We made our way to her stand first and were able to sit down and partake in making an accordian book.

Skye uses lots of recycled materials and is big on anything sustainable and repurposed.  She has a passion for used envelopes, old books and bits of timber, and will also mould bowls and other decorative items from paper. 

We returned to her stand after lunch and made milk carton vases.  Mine is the one in the front left.  What a blast! 

Thanks Skye, it was lots of fun!

Little Birdhouse

After all those Christmas projects (which I LOVED making!), it was time for a change of pace.  And I wanted to make a special gift for my friend who loves to collect birds nests.  

Rather than rushing out and shaking the tree in my garden and tossing some poor bird out of it's home.....giggle.....it's ok, I would never do that, I too am a lover of all creatures great and small so I made this:

The actual house comes in kit form and you glue it all together.  Very simple.  However, it's good to cover the main pieces with cardstock or DSP first so you can use them as templates.   I also painted the base with a mixture of white paint to which I added Soft Suede & Early Espresso ink.

I love the roof.  It was made using the eyelet border punch and layering each piece with mounting tape on top of the last, starting from the bottom.  The front and rear gable ends were done with the large Scallop Edgelit (127019).  

The little birds were glued on with Tombow Liquid Glue.   The flowers are not SU.  They come in a bunch so I snipped them off the stems and added them wherever I felt like it!  I do wish SU would bring out some flowers.  I really wanted a vintage look and wasn't satisfied with the ones I made from cardstock so I bought these but they were a bit silky and wedding-y, mmmmmm nevermind.  I cut the grass by hand with scissors.  Just snip little wedges out till you get 'the look'.

The DSP is Parisien Breeze.  Long retired, still a fav of mine.  The leaves are from the Two Step Bird Punch in Gumball Green.

You can't have a vine growing up the side of your birdhouse without a ladybug.  So there it is!

 I stamped over the DSP with stamps from Elements of Style, Creative Elements & Tiny Tags.

I do hope this inspires you to whip out your craft supplies for a nice 3D project.  There's lots to choose from and when you decorate with SU, you have a gorgeous end result.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers

Karen

Tile us you like us!

This is one of my tiles that I'll have for sale at North Sydney Market on Saturday.   Oooh I love stamping on different materials.

Swing by and say hi!

Cheers
Karen

Christmas Decorations

If you've had a look at the holiday catalogue this year you'll have seen the ornament on the front cover.  And while I was at Heartfelt with Stampin' Up! recently, I saw lots of variations on this theme, and some very gorgeous creations.

Here's my version of the ornament with a banner.

 

Supplies for the fancy ornament:  Whisper White Cardstock, Silver Glimmer Paper, Real Red Basics DSP for small rosette, Real Red Classic Ink & Lucky Limeade Classic Ink, Bakers Twine, Hot Glue Gun, Ornaments Keepsakes Stamp Set & co-ordinating Framelits for the Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Simply Scored.

 

Supplies for the banner:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White Cardstock, Silver & Cherry Cobbler Glimmer Paper, Two Tags Die, Snow Flurry Die & Typeset Alphabet (R), Real Red grosgrain ribbon.

Supplies for this simple ornament:  Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Glimmer Paper, Real Red Cardstock and circle punch, then emboss with Petals a Plenty folder.  The rosette was a strip of Real Red Basics DSP scored every half inch on the Simply Scored, folded accordian style and adhered with hot glue.

I am loving working with Glimmer Paper.  It's really easy to use and the glitter doesn't come off all over the place.  Unless of course you are cutting lots of snowflakes with your Big Shot as I did for this project..giggle..but I just wiped it all over my face and clothes so I'm-a-sparkling all over!!

Antique Haberdashery

I just wanted to share this little gift I made for someone who loves old fashioned girly things.

Isn't it cute?  I got the idea at a craft show and thought it would be a great way to use up some of Stampin' Up!'s lovely ribbons and lace.  The frame and spools are all made from chipboard and I've painted everything in white acrylic that I watered down with spreader medium so it looks like a wash.   To age it somewhat and make the surface look textured I used the Tea Stain ink from Stampin' Up!'s Distress Essentials kit (R).  I also used sanding blocks to soften the look.

The lettering was preprinted and cut out from a piece of craft cardstock.  The numbers stamped are from the Calendar Alphabet and Numbers set.   I also used brads from SU's neutrals pack for the tops of each spool.

Happy Monday.  It's a windy day in Sydney so hope you are tucked up nice and warm somewhere.
Cheers
Karen

Gifty Things

These are a couple more of the projects I displayed at my catalogue launch to showcase the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.

The Journal makes a lovely gift for someone who likes to keep a little note book handy.  Yes, a few of my friends still like paper & a pen!

The flower detail was done using the Big Shot and the Fun Flowers Die.   I love the way each of the flowers are so different but they layer perfectly.  The medallion comes from the Pennant Die.

The bird on the bookmark was made by stamping the image from Betsy's Blossoms.

Candles are favourites of mine to give as gifts.  The larger one was stamped first using the tissue paper technique.   More about this later.     The small one was very simple and just uses a wrap made of DSP and decorated with a frame from the Big Shot, some flowers hand cut and a bit of ribbon.  Of course you have to remove the wrap before burning, but the stamped image is fine and won't set fire to the living room!  Always a bonus.   But don't look too closely, I put the paper on upside down..giggle!

Thanks for looking!
Karen

Notecard Holder

This is a C.A.S.E. from the new catalogue.   It hold a bunch of cards and envelopes and has three coloured dividers in it with scallop circles cut in half to use as tabs.

The DSP is Summer Smooches.  It's so bright with Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry & Island Indigo in it.   The flowers and letters are made using 2 retired products, but we have new gorgeous alphabet sets and the small flower from the Itty Bitty Punch pack would work just as well.  

I did some faux stitching around the edges of the DSP using a white gel pen.   And the ribbon is our gorgeous white 1/4" stitched grosgrain.

Enjoy!
Cheers
Karen

Candle Stamping

Is that like potato stamping?   Do you cut shapes out of candles, press them in ink and stamp them on stuff?    No, you stamp on the candle silly!  Not with your size 7's, just with your rubber stamps and inks!! 

Ok, enough silliness on this Wednesday morning.   I saw this stamping technique on SCS and it sounded quite simple so I thought I'd try it, and you know what? It is!

Basically, you stamp onto tissue paper, cut it out (close to the edge but without worrying about the details).  Then you place the tissue onto the candle where you want the stamped image to be, and wrap it in wax paper.  You need to hold the wax paper tightly so the tissue is held firmly on the candle.   Using your heat gun, heat the image for a few seconds.   The image will quite literally "melt" into the surface of the candle.  Gently peel back the wax paper & you're done.

Here's one I did with the Music Notes wheel.   I actually tried it first and although it was harder to do than the hearts, I was surprised how well it turned out.  

You get the best results with light coloured candles, and should note that the image comes out a little lighter on the candle than it looked when first stamped onto the tissue paper.  SCS recommends white tissue as well.   I might challenge that with some coloured tissue.  I'll get back to you!

Happy mid-week!
Cheers
Karen

The Beauty of Flowers

On holiday recently, I took this picture of a climber on a pagola. Stunning!   I love the rich colour and the beautiful shape of the petals.   These flowers also start out as tight little buds that look like berries.  Isn't nature clever?   Interestingly, a lot of the flowers were full of bees - some had as many as 3 bees collecting pollen deep inside each of them.  It was so cute to see them popping out!

At our last Darling Stamp & Scrap Club we were treated to a demonstration of paper flowers by Michelle Hughes, fellow SU! demonstrator and PaperLicious team member.   Michelle is a whiz at making gorgeous flowers and showed us some lovely techniqes and ideas for projects.

Kristen, long time friend and fellow crafter came to club and learned how to do the flowers with the idea of using them to decorate boxes.   She's used some SU! DSP to make these.   Aren't they lovely?   The colours are Concord Crush and Real Red.     

That's the beauty of club.  We share the love!  Why don't you come along next month and see what we're up to?  Visit the Darling Stamp & Scrap page for more details.

Have a good weekend.

Karen

Nice packaging!

According to my husband, this is a Samboy box.  I think they were drink containers that you used to freeze??

Anyway, it's a gorgeous shape for packaging little gifts.  This one has a small trinket box with a fob watch top inside.   I love the results.   I guess the downside is that you have to destroy it to get it open, but if you only put a bit of snail onto the centre fold it does come away easily.

The DSP is Beau Chateau.  Isn't it lovely?  I love this paper because it goes with the Elements of Style stamp set which I've used to make the tags.

I paired it with the Box #2 die for the Big Shot to make this little Marina Mist chocolate box.  This shade of blue works really well with Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso.  I love the Boho Blossoms punch to layer small flowers and the pearl is a perfect embellishment.

What could be better than a couple of passionfruit truffles from Belle Fleur?!  Yum!

Hope you have enjoyed the long weekend.  See if you can finish it with a craft project!
Karen

Fancy Favour in Fabric

I got a lot of ideas for the Big Shot at our recent regional training day, so decided to make a box with the Fancy Favour die before I completely forgot what I'd seen!    And it made a great project for our team meeting last night.

This is also my first experience using the adhesive sheets made by Sizzix (and sold by Stampin' Up!) specially for use with fabric.  It really makes adhering fabric to cardstock very easy and therefore, achievable.   I'm not a sew-er, although I can sew, but I do love fabric and think it's gorgeous when combined with paper craft projects.

Without further ado, here's what I made.

This is the pretty fabric called Flirtatious.  It's colours are Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White & Wisteria Wonder.  I had a bit left over after I'd cut out the box so I was able to use the Blossom Party die to cut the little flower.  The brads are from our neutrals range & the ribbon is taffeta.

Leave a comment if you like it!
Karen

Aviary Gift Picture

I've been very slow getting back into the crafting this past week.  Don't get me wrong, I've been doing things, just not finding the time to do the photography/downloading & blog typing.  I really don't know where the days go.

Anyway, as I'm going to use the Aviary stamp set in my next class, I thought I'd share a picture I made using it.  This is a gift for someone and I've chosen the colours that I know are favourites.   I did a lot of layering because I've used a box frame, so it allows for some dimension.   These frames are so easy to use and go quite nicely with all sorts of themes & colours.  I've used them for kids bedrooms with a colourful collage of bugs, and for a friend of mine who wanted some pictures to hang over her bedhead.   They are also great for framing photos that you've embellished to showcase a special event or holiday shot.  Here's a couple of links from previous posts:  http://kcpaperlady.blogspot.com/2010/06/simple-stylish.html     http://kcpaperlady.blogspot.com/2009/10/more-pics.html    http://kcpaperlady.blogspot.com/2009/10/pictures.html

You can buy the frames at Ikea in a variety of sizes.  Some box, some not.  And they're easy enough to reuse and change the picture if your decor changes.

Supplies used:
Aviary Stamp Set
Card stock - Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss (R) & Pacific Point
Loop to Loop rub-ons (R)
Ink:  Kiwi Kiss (R) & Pacific Point
Narrow cream coloured ribbon (non SU).   I've also dyed two pieces of ribbon using Kiwi Kiss & Pacific Point inks: super easy to do by running the ribbon over the surface of the ink pad - I use a sponge dauber on my finger so I don't get ink all over my hands.  Remember to let the ribbon dry before adhering it to your project otherwise it will soak into your cardstock and leave a yucky mess.
Jewels - Basic Rhinestones


Hope you like it!
Karen

Chocolate Orange

After preparing for this weeks classes I decided to play some more with the Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie colours.  Haiku was one of my all time favourite Designer Series Papers and it's colours are Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Old Olive & So Saffron, and it works really well with Choc Chip...what doesn't ?!   And come to think of it, Chocolate Orange is one of the most yummy chocolate treats you can have.....coincidence?  Hmmmm.

So while I left out any Haiku paper with Old Olive, I did use quite a bit of the other papers in these projects.  I won't list all the supplies but if you'd like to know anything I'll be happy to answer your questions by email or phone.  I will also have these projects displayed at my classes this week.

Thanks for looking.

Karen

Decorated Candles & Gift Boxes

Hard to believe that the next school hols are only 3 weeks away!   Where does the term go to.  I feel like we were just planning our winter holiday and what do you know, were closer to the spring break already.  I must be getting old.

This school holiday I'm planning to do classes for children from aged 9-18 on both of the Tuesdays (28/9 & 5/10).  I just finished the project samples today so thought I'd share them here.

The box is great because you don't need a template.  Just a piece of 12"x12" cardstock and the right measurements.   I like the fact that you can mix and match the base and lids, then use coordinating products to decorate the candle.   Another advantage of not using a template, apart from not have to trace, enlarge, decrease or cut out anything before you get going, is that you can tailor the box to suit the size of the candle that you have on hand.    I bought these candles at a discount variety store but Ikea, Kmart, Target & BigW have some lovely ones to choose from.

If you're interested, or know someone who might be, the School Holiday class is $30 and includes tuition and all tools & materials.  I'm taking a maximum of 10 per class, so book early!

Happy stamping
Karen 

Ideas for Hodgepode Hardware

I love using Hodgepodge Hardware but because of the cost they are difficult to use in classes.  I do like to make the most of them in my personal projects though.  Recently I did a bookmark for myself and then made more to give as gifts.
This time I decided to turn one of the frames - like the Designer Label punch - into a piece of jewellery for a young lady who is having a birthday soon.    See what you think below.

I like the look because it's simple and you can change it to suit anyone's style and colour preferences.   I'm certainly no jeweller so working out how to fasten the necklace got my mind whirring.   What I figured out though, is that as long as it's neat and easy to use, it doesn't really matter.  

Supplies used:    Hodgepodge Frame & brads in Styled Silver; Tempting Turquoise ribbon & cardstock; Silver elastic cord; jewellery clasp (my daughter had a spare from a Design class at school); Rub-ons and; Crystal Effects.
Thanks for looking!

Simple & Stylish

I was thrilled to go into Ikea recently and find that they've now got the square picture frames that I really loved in the U.S.  Previously, I'd only been able to get the rectangle frame, but the square box frames are particularly lovely for layering images and giving a 3d effect to your designs.   I also like the simplicity of them and they come with a ready cut mount so you can easily create a professional finish.

This time around, I'd got an idea in my head for a set of 3 frames - yes, I have done these before, but not quite like this.   I was wanting a gift for my niece, and had a colour scheme and style to work with based on her newly decorated bedroom.  The colours are black, silver, white & lilac.   Her style is modern and clean with a few sparkles & sequins.  Here's the end result.  Hope you like them.

I designed the frames to be hung horizontally with the first one being on the left, second in the centre and third on the right.  The photos don't really do them justice.  I had to use the flash to cancel the reflection from the glass, so you've ended up with a bit of a washed out look.

Here's a supply list:

Cardstock:  Basic Black, Lovely Lilac, Silver, Whisper White

DSP: Tea Party (hard to see,  but it's in the second frame as the background layer.

Ink:  Silver Encore Pad, Lovely Lilac, Basic Black

Stamp Set:  One of a Kind, Priceless (swirl image)

Accessories:  Rhinestone Brads, Silver embossing powder

Tools:  Heat Tool, Cropadile, Stampamajig, Boho Blossoms Punch

I should get a picture of them "in situ" when my sister-in-law decides that my niece's bedroom is tidy enough to warrant it!!

Karen

Words of Wisdom

I realised that we haven't heard from Regina Brett lately, so here's another 3 of her life's lessons.

• Don't compare your life to others.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye.  But don't worry, God never blinks.

Now, back to what I'm up to.   I haven't been blogging because I've been crafting!   I've actually had some birthdays, and of course, Mothers Day, so I've been quite busy making cards but also, I found myself with some "extra" time (not really, I just didn't do any cleaning!), so I made some gorgeous presents.   I'm thinking of a new angle to my business that may incorporate some of my ideas, but it's early days so I'll get to that another time.

Just to add some colour, here's a picture I made for my nephew's bedroom.   I haven't actually seen his room which was recently redecorated but my sister-in-law sent a pic and I did the best I could.  Let me know what you think.  I love comments!

I've used the Just Jawing stamp set with Night of Navy ink, Certainly Celery & Brocade Blue.   The top hat is made with the square & word window punches.  For the background, I wanted to recreate the quilt cover so I used Kraft cardstock and dropped blobs of watered down reinker from a great height out of my aqua painter.   On reflection, I wish I'd changed the white mount to a black one because it probably would be more dramatic in the frame.  But it's not a bad effort.   Oh, and I've used Build-a-Brads with certainly celery cardstock that I'd stamped with the old Canvas background stamp - sadly no longer available :-((

I'll be back with more in the next day or two.

Karen

Bookmarks

I'm reading Mao's Last Dancer at the moment.   It's a big book, and since I read far more slowly than I talk...hahaha....it's gonna take me a while.  I should add, that I LOVE the book by the way.     But I'm also reading a couple of other books at the same time.  Problem:  I only have one bookmark.....not strictly true, but that doesn't matter because if I SAY I only have one, then I've got an excuse to make myself one.   Not that I need an excuse to make something, but I don't often make things for me, I'm usually gifting what I make to others (aww, I'm soooo nice!).

SU (in a recent DEMO only publication....You should join!), gave instructions for using our Hodgepodge Hardware to make jewellery.   Not really my style, so I CASED (copy and share everything) it to make my new bookmark.

Here it is in Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Styled Silver Hodgepodge.

Oh, and I've used Rub Ons as well.   Might have to get those out more often because I like 'em!
Hope you like the finished result as much as I do!

Karen

Boxes in all shapes and sizes

As you know, I like packaging.   I also like fiddling around with measurements to get just the right sized box for a gift I'm giving.  I'm extremely familiar with boxes in inches, as opposed to centimetres, since my love for making these started while we were living in San Diego.  In fact, I still think of everything in terms of whether it works in 12"x12" or 8 1/2" x 11"!

With the help of my Scor-Pal (in centimetres) I'm slowly adapting back to metric - you wouldn't think it would be so hard since I actually grew up with metric in school.   Maybe it is harder to teach an old dog new tricks - even ones they'd already learned!!

However, I still believe that it's easier to make a box with a separate lid when using inches.   BUT, I will not, I repeat, WILL NOT be beaten, so if I'm looking a bit glazed over, it's because I've been thoroughly testing my brain.

The result?   Lots of boxes.

One or two of these were made a while back, but I decided to get them out together because it's good to see how different they all are.    

As I will be doing a class on this in the not too distant future, I'm not posting supplies or instructions. 

Aren't they lovely?  

And as with yesterdays post, another demonstrator perk is access to a wide variety of patterns for boxes, pouches, bags & more.   And let me tell you, once you start, you'll find yourself designing your own in no time.     It's an endless source of entertainment.

Have a super weekend!

Karen