Just Add Ink....... Happy Anniversary

Afternoon Stampers.

Yesterday my husband and i celebrated our 23rd year of being together and also our 13th wedding anniversary.

We started "going out" when we were only 14&15 years old

We had an adults only night out on Saturday night, but last night we went out as a family.

The kids really get involved in our special day every year, this year was no difference, they gave us a night off from chores, and gave us lots of hugs and kisses.

So the card i made yesterday was a quick and easy one, as my husband and i had a busy day sitting in Auckland traffic trying to get to a place we needed to be at, but due to an accident holding things up it took us just over an hour to travel 3kms along the road. But we did get there in the end, and the silver lining on this was that we got to spend a bit more staff free time together.

Yes those of you who visit the great site of "The Paper Crafters Library" will recognize this as her latest technique video, as soon as i saw it i thought it would make a great card to CASE.

I did change it a bit, i used a different stamp set, and i used my pads not the pastels she used, but the colours are the same as hers, as i was in too much of a rush to find my own colours.

Here is my card.

Also over at Just Add Ink this week their challenge it to 

"Just add stamps",

 that means no ribbons, brads or extras just the stamps and cardstock, so part from the one little brad i think i will enter this card.

yes i know there are a few boo-boos, so don't look too hard, but i will be re-doing this one at a later date, as i really like the layout and the design of this card.

Enjoy your day :)

Try stampin on a Tuesday #7.........Congratulations

Afternoon Stampers.

I have been trying to blog this card since Tuesday, and i haven't found the time to do so, until now that is.

For nearly the first time since my husband and started our business, we were closed for today.....

well with the weather and lots of things happening around our city, we thought a great chance to take a much needed day off. Our customers can wait till Monday for their parts.

 I have been so busy i'm starting to wonder if the days have been shortened.

but wait until our second business opens, then we will be even busier...

The weather here is very very wet, and our youngest is out this weekend enjoying her first camp with her venture group (next age group up from scouts). She is doing a survival camp, so i guess this will be a big test for her and the others.

This card her been sitting on my desk waiting to be blogged, since Tuesday, as lately if i have a card to make i  have been waiting for this weeks challenge over at Try Stampin on Tuesday  to be released, and then i go for it, and this weeks challenge is no different.

Here is this weeks sketch.

This week i have had to make a Baby card, one i don't have to do very often, as all of my friends and family are done with babies....well so they all tell me.

This card was for one of our employee's, they are due for baby #2 together this weekend, and they way things are going for her she won't go too far over time.

I do know the baby due is a little girl, and after three boys in the house this will be a great change for them. (scans these days makes it easier for us crafters).

Here is my Card.

Which is this weeks sketch turned sideways.

I used the baby tee roller,  i brought it when i found out they were expecting, as i do not have any stamps suitable for a baby card, this roller is so versatile. i love it

I also rolled the inside with the roller, but only rolled the top third of the roller along the bottom of the inner card, then coloured it in just like i have done on the front. sorry i forgot to take a photo of inside again.

The images on the baby tee's have been glitzed up with a little Dazzling Diamonds, Which doesn't show in the photo.

We also gave them a big gift basket filled with lots of goodies and vouchers

Any way time i went and had a coffee, so i will catch up again soon

Try Stampin on Tuseday #6......Parsian Breeze birthday

Afternoon Stampers,

I haven't blogged for a while due to be been very busy with work.

My husband and i are busy trying to get another new business off the ground, and are making the most of the last of the summer daylight by working late every night.

Which does not leave a whole lot of time for creating.

When i have been getting a little bit of time in my craft room,

i have been busy creating swaps for a SU regional training i'm attending in early April.

But i'm not sharing those until after the event.

This morning i did create a card as i have a birthday today for a very good friend's son.

I found a great fancy fold card i have wanted to have a go at.

I found it over on a great American blog.

A Stamp Above - Kelly Acheson

Click here to have a look at her original card.   

I had to adjust it a little bit to fit our card sizes, as the size given on the blog is for American paper sizing.

I paper pieced the present stack and coloured with my SU markers the rest of the areas.

i also used my all time favorite DSP's Parsian Breeze (hope it's spelt right), this DSP is a heavier weight than normal DSP, but i love this colour combination so much, the browns and the blues

Love, love, love it.

I only use this paper for special occasions as it is a retired DSP,  it came out in a mini last year

Here is the side view and the fancy fold 

I also made this to suit this weeks Try Stampin on Tuesday sketch

I normally don't do to much on the inside, but this time i went all out. i have to say i am very pleased with the finished item.

As i said,  i am going to enter this in this weeks challenge over at Try Stampin on Tuesday.

Here is this weeks sketch

I turned it sideways and put the scalloped part along the bottom

Go on over and have a look and join in, i dare you

Anyways i must get off here and go and do some ground work in the new place

Have a great afternoon.

New challenge blog........Try Stampin on Tuesday

Afternoon Stampers.

Boy my head is going around and around, 

so i apologize in advance if this post goes askew at all.

I have just finished doing my "almost end of the year" paper work, a time of year i really don't like.

There always seems to be so much to do, even though i manage to keep it all up to date on a weekly basis.

On to a lighter note.

I have done it again, i made the top 3 pick, over at 

Try Stampin On tuesday

Here is my badge.

Try Stampin on Tuesday have released their 5th weekly challenge.

I challenge all to go on over and have a play.

This week it is a fabulous sketch with so much potential.

My first attempt was so blah that i am not going to blog it at all. 

After checking out this weeks color challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.

i found a new idea swimming in my head.

This weeks colors are.....

CC313

Concord Crush
Bashful Blue

Pear Pizzaz

Every week there is also an added bonus of adding a "dessert" to your creations.

The "dessert" this week was adding a touch of white gel pen, which i did do 

This one of my all time favorite color combinations.

So here is my (take 2) end result.

What the photo doesn't really show is the shading that i have added to the four non 3-D flowers, this is becoming a effect that is growing on me alot.

Do you see the white gel pen?.

One last thing i had to share was a photo of my blogging buddy. every time i sit down to blog, he sits right at my finger tips, and sometimes he even swipes at my fingers to remind me it's lunch time.

I am lucky as for some reason he will sit on the bed behind me until i have finished creating, than come up front when i hit the time to blog the creation.

 Have a great afternoon

Butterfly Birthday

Morning Stampers..

last night to fill in a bit of time before bed, i sat in my craft room and did a bit of blog surfing...

Which nearly always leads to a spot of creating...

And yes the creative juices started flowing.

I found this great card over at Splitcoast stampers.

I realized that i has actually saved this card a while back in to my have to CASE file.

And again last night it stood out to me, so i gave it a go, but have added my touch to it.

Click here to have a look at the original work.

I loved the colours she used, but i wanted to use different colours.

So i settled for a base of "Night of Navy"

and "Perfect Plum" & "Elegant Eggplant" for the butterflies

Another great quick and easy card.

This card is almost all embossing, with one stamped image - the sentiment

Well im off to go and enjoy my day.

Just Add Ink #58.....second entry

Morning Stampers,

Welcome to another week...is it me or are they just flying past.

I hope everybody had a great weekend, i did. 

My husband and i had a very relaxing night away...only to know that is was going to be the last one for quite a while...as with a new business venture we are going to be even busier in the coming months.

As i stated in my last post i had a few cards on my to CASE list from 

Amanda Reddicliffe.

As she is also leaving the DT team of Just Add Ink.

And the challenge over at Just Add Ink is 

to add Danielle or Amanda.

In the last post i did a CASE of Danielle, so in this post i have CASE'd one of Amanda's great creations.

After looking at her fantastic creations, i notice she is also a scrapbooker, it makes me want to give it a go, but at this stage im a card maker, although i do have plans to have a go at scrapbooking.

here is my CASE

i am happy with the outcome. a great quick and easy card for any occasion.

well im off to go and do battle with the phone company.

Have a great day

Just Add Ink #58

Morning Stampers,

Wow two posts in two days now im on a roll.

Over at Just Add Ink this week is a challenge....

The challenge this week is to ... Just Add Amanda or Danielle.

As both of these Co- founders of the DT team are leaving their postions.

So as a real lover of Danielle's work i jumped at the chance to CASE something of her's.

this card was made for a challenge over at

CASE Study Challenge

Here is the original work

Click here to go over and have a look at the other wonderful work of Danielle's

Here is my attempt at the same card....as i didn't have the same Fifth Avenue Floral stamp, i used one i had from the retired Bud Basics set.

But as you can see i still have a bit of practicing to do on my bows.

Now i have a few of Amanda's work in mind to CASE so i will be back early next week to show you the outcome of that CASE

Try Stampin on Tuesday #4.....& CC312

Evening Stampers.

Well it is finally Friday...and it seems as if this week was much longer than the normal 5 days.

And as the rain sets in i can begin to wind down and enjoy the relaxing weekend i have ahead of my husband and myself.

We have managed to get time off from our business and get away this Saturday night......

I'm so looking forward to it....bring on the spa and the bubbles.

The week started with such a high...again i was top 3 pick over at....

Try Stampin on Tuesday.

I also won the monthly prize...yay me!!!

This week they have another great sketch

But i was stuck for colour ideas, so i headed over to the forums over at 

Splitcoast Stampers.

Where i found the lastest colour combo challenge.

CC312: Misty Celery Rose!

So i combined the two challenges and came up with this

i am really please with the finished result...the only thing was i had to use a slightly different blue as i don't have Marina Mist as yet....i know i know shame on me.

The scalloped edge is done using my scallop edge border punch, you can find out how to do it Here.

The creative Kirsty brown will show you how it is done.

And thanks to the fantastic videos over at Paper Crafters Libray i feel very confident about water colouring.

Just click on the flashing blinkie (on left hand side) to go on over and see for yourself...there are many videos showing you how to do almost everything to do with paper crafting from begininers to advanced.

The image is another fantastic digi art printed out onto water colour paper.

Well im off to go and pack my bags.

Have good weekend 

lack of Mojo....Then go surfing

Morning Stampers.

Lack of mojo.....Then go sufring

Blog surfing that is.

You will always come across something that gets those creative juices flowing again, just like i did this morning.

i headed over to look at the talented Sarah Gough's blog, as i remember seeing a C.A.S card she did and thought that i might CASE it,

But after reading the post to go with the particular card i liked, i popped over to the sites that gave her the inspiration to create the card she did.....

And what do you know i was very quickly getting out my tools and creating.

The sites were also inspirational to me.

These sites were

Forgotten Stamp friday week 9....to use a stamp brought and never used or use a stamp not inked in six mths or more.

and 

SCS Colour Challenge.

But i didn't use the particular colour challenge from this link, i surfed some more and came across an older SCS challenge , this was the one that gave me the final inspiration behind todays card,

 but after going back to the colour challenge i noticed that the first post was dated back in 2006...oh well better late than never.

This card uses a stamp i brought but have never used.....

i really wanted this stamp,

All a flutter.

but once i got it i never found a use for it...until today that is.

And the SCS colour challenge i used was

Basic Black

Lavender Lace

&

Cameo Coral.

yes the last two are retired colours, but what a great combination when used together.

i haven't placed a sentiment on this as this is one for my "opps almost forgot" box.