Hooray - and Happy Birthday!

I have had a happy Sunday with 3 grandsons visiting for lunch, along with 2 daughter-in-laws, 4 sons and hubby and me - just a small family gathering!!! Oliver slept most of the time, but he is still very young.
After everyone went home, I had a burst of enthusiasm, and decided to put together a card for Freshly Made Sketches.

I wanted to try for a masculine card, and decided it would be fun to cut a banner into three pieces. I had a play with the greeting, using part of one from Geometrical and another underneath it from Age Awareness before cutting with a Word Bubble Framelit. It reads ...'HOORAY  oh,and happy birthday too!'


Then I decided to make another, following the same design and different papers. The Happy Birthday greeting is from Itty Bitty Banners stamp set, cut with a matching framelit.

Thanks for reading my blog,

Rachel


Don't forget, if you need supplies, and you have an Australian shipping address you can shop in my online store any time of the day or night. There's a great promotion on Big Shot and bundles for August only.

Word Bubbles Framelits Die

$42.95

Age Awareness Photopolymer Stamp Set

$27.95

Geometrical Wood Stamp Set

$51.95

Geometrical Clear Stamp Set

$41.95

Argyle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$13.95

Card Stock A4 Smoky Slate

$11.95

Silver Basic Metal Buttons

$13.95

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$9.95

Kinda Eclectic Thank You CTS#78

I'm very lucky to be able to play with stamps, and extra lucky that I have some great customers who support my little business. I try to let them know how much they're appreciated by sending them Thank You cards. Sometimes life does get in the way and I run a bit behind, but I do try to acknowledge these lovely ladies.

Hey, if it wasn't for your enthusiasm, support and patience, I wouldn't be able to keep on going.




This month I had quite a bunch to make, so I've kept it fresh and simple. The sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch was exactly what I was after.

I picked up my lovely, new Stampin' Up stamp set, Kinda Eclectic and used just two stamps from it - the leaf, which I stamped three times without re-inking, and the little dotted border (which has typed letters on the dots). It's really too cute! I stamped it off once on scratch paper, to lessen the intensity of the Night of Navy ink.
The only other stamping was a thank you from Happy Watercolor. That stamp set hasn't made it into the new catalogue, so if you love it as much as I do, you'd best order it before the end of June. I used a Bitty Banner Framelit to cut the thank you out.
Those Speech Bubble clips I've used are retiring too, they're called Hung Up Cute Clips (129389) and there's a coat hanger and an arrow as well.


Hopefully, if you've purchased from me recently, you've received your card in the mail by now.
Cheers...
Rachel

En Francais Birthday FMS 131

This morning, when I was tidying up I decided to make a card with some of the background pieces I'd demonstrated at last night's workshop. The girls were making Scalloped Tag Topper cards once they had stamped a background. I'll pop a photo of some samples near the end of this post.

The En Francais stamp makes a lovely background with its flowing script, but it was handy to have Cindy H's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to give me some fresh inspiration on how to use it a different way. The colours here are Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay, such an awesome trio~!

I don't usually leave such a wide margin around my layers, so that was a bit of a change for me, as was the strip of patterned paper laid over both. I'd had the Pool Party ruffled ribbon out for the class, as one of the ladies had used this colour scheme too.

I also love the Happy Watercolor stamp set, and have used the longer flower (looks like a native orchid to me) on the panel. I stamped the 'splash of paint' stamp from that stamp set three times without reinking. Using the darkest shade, Bermuda Bay, then huffed* on the rubber, stamped, huffed* again and stamped, to get the faintest image at the top.The dotty image is also from Happy Watercolor, it has been stamped in gold ink. Itty Bitty Banners has been getting a lot of use lately too, the framelits to cut the banners make it so quick and easy.

* huffed - technical term to describe breathing heavily through the mouth!!!

The girls were able to make a variety of cards using background stamps like Hardwood, En Francais and World Map before trying a couple of ways to use the Tag Topper Punches.

I've been busy with my grandchildren today and now they are in bed I am quickly catching up with my blog. We are keeping two of the older ones for a few more days, so it will be busy for a while before we return them to their parents. It isn't really helping that the weather has turned cooler and drizzly for a number of days now. We took them to a concert today and it was just as entertaining watching their reactions, as the performers were!

Thanks for popping by,
Rachel

Sending Good Thoughts DD#96 & RS#108

Even I didn't think I could follow a sketch as closely as this! Just found this sketch at Retro Sketches fitted exactly with an idea I had brewing, how fabulous! I still have quite a bit of the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper stack (129312) left to use, and since it is in the clearance rack at only $7.99, more than one of my customers have taken advantage of the special price and purchased it, so maybe they're looking for some fun ways to use some. I had already cut the patterned paper into strips and mounted it onto Gumball Green when I spied a color challenge that would work with my card. Dynamic Duos have challenged this week with Gumball Green and 'your choice': - my choice is Primrose Petals
I echoed the design on the paper with an embossing folder Beautifully Baroque, and after it was attached I put it through the Big Shot again and 'ironed'  the pattern flatter for a very subtle pattern. My centre piece is a banner stamped with a sentiment from Perfect Pennants, although the last two words are covered with the mother's day greeting from Teeny Tiny Sentiments. The Word Window Punch is ever so handy and a Gumball Green banner from Bitty Banners Framelits really sets it off. In Australia, Mother's Day is early May (I actually don't know if it is the first or second Sunday, maybe my children will set me straight!) I expect I will make a good few more Mother's Day cards before then as my work colleagues like to purchase for their mothers.



We are still having very warm weather for Autumn, (30°c) but it is cool in the mornings and evening, such a lovely time of year! I have had a busy day at work, but needed good light to photograph my card.
Have a good week...
Rachel

Black and White Wedding Card

My husband and I went to a wedding at the weekend. It was a lovely event, and I tried to make a classy card for the occasion.
Shimmery White card #121717 (page 156) is a better card for these types of greeting cards. It is heavier than Whisper White and has a delightful shimmer. I used Chalk Talk for the large stamped label, behind it is a plain black label punched with the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch. It's very hard to see in the large photo but on top of the Chalk Talk Label there is a banner cut from Silver Glimmer paper using the Bitty Banners Framelits, and then a Label stamped with MR & MRS from Label Love and punched with the Artisan Label Punch.

These Framelits and punches make crafting so easy.

At left is another very similar card I made at the same time, to have a spare on hand, and you can see the layering in more detail here.

Happy crafting
Rachel

Betsys Blossoms FMS114

I have taken a break from making Christmas Cards to play along with a sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. It's a great sketch by Linda S. and I could easily have used it to make a Christmas card, but just to ring the changes, I've pulled out Betsy's Blossoms and used the colours I have on the table for the Christmas card, and the very same "Thumping" Technique.
I have stamped the large blossom onto Very Vanilla. I'm a bit disappointed that it looks so 'white' next to the Etcetera Designer Patterned Paper. I would probably have preferred to use a fresher-looking DSP. Don't get me wrong, I DO love the Etcetera DSP, but it is a little bit vintage looking, perhaps.

Here is a sneak peek at my Christmas card!

Ingredients for Betsy's Blossoms Card

Card: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay
Stamps: Betsy's Blossom, Express Yourself
Embossing Folder: Pretty Print (132175)
Framelits: Bitty Banners, Circle Thinlet Flip Card

Betsy's Blossoms (131955)

Back to more crafting now,

thanks for dropping by

Rachel

Betsy's Birthday Blossom FMS93

I have been wanting to use the Thumping Technique again, ever since I had such fun back in May with this creation, even though I was calling it bouncing back then! Bouncing sounds so much friendlier!

This time I've used the large bloom from Betsy's Blossoms and inked it up with Crushed Curry. What a hot shade of yellow this is! Teamed with Crumb Cake, the Crushed Curry really does take centre stage.


After the main image is inked up, you pick up some Stampin' Markers (Calypso Coral, Tangerine Tango and Lucky Limeade were my choices) and you thump them over the surface of the stamp.  I see that I appear to have been a bit light-handed with mine, maybe its because I'm bouncing not thumping - Oh dear!
I did some background stamping with some little leaves from a Sale-a-bration set (retired) and all of a sudden this card speaks to me of Autumn. Well, we are experiencing some very windy Winter days in Melbourne, so that might have been the inspiration!

The SU linen thread adds a nice 'earthy' touch to the card, as does the Naturals button.
Happy Birthday is from Sketched Birthday, a new set I received free at Stampin' Up! South Pacific Convention last May, but only mounted and inked up yesterday. I love the border surrounding the greeting, and of course, this is another stamp that can be cut with the Bitty Banners Framelits.
 The sketch by Allisa at Freshly Made Sketches is a great one for showcasing any image or technique, there's still time for you to have a go.

I stayed bunkered down yesterday, but I'll have to venture out today for a few supplies, so best I get on with that now.
Have a great weekend,
Rachel
Postscript: I made another card a few days after with more definite thumping! Which do you prefer?

You can shop 24/7 here Australia only