#Miss You More - JAI#255

Just Add Ink have a challenge this week - 'Just Add Eggs or Ovals, and with the oval feature, this card will qualify. This week we are bidding farewell to one of our teacher colleagues, someone I've worked with from the time she began as a raw graduate 11 years ago. In that time she has progressed through the ranks until it was time to move on to a new school and become a Leading teacher. I'll miss her, but will continue to see her regularly as she and her mum like to attend my card classes. 

Friday night they were here for my Bokeh class, but after I saw them off, I went back into my craft room and worked on this card for the team to give her, along with an elegant pair of earrings.

This card measures 5½" by 5½" so there is room for several people to write messages and I have lined both sides inside and done a little more stamping. I love to mix up my stamp sets, and I went to town with this one!

Dictionary provided a soft, random background and Butterfly Basics have a line reminiscent of the edge of airmail envelopes,  a New York postmark and the fern leaf.

Painted Petals made a pretty posy in Perfect Plum, stamped once and stamped off. #Hello has a cute little sentiment - #missyoumore, and as well as the postmark from Butterfly Basics, there's a Paris one in the retired French Foliage. When I saw Prue's new hessian carry-all today, I knew this card was right on track. There was random text and postmarks but I'd held back on the plum butterfly!

Have a great week,
Rachel

Easter Joy (And Chocolate!) JAI#255

I abandoned my plans for this afternoon to CASE Bronwyn Eastley and make these 'Egg Thrones' . Check out Bronwyn's blog, AddINKtive designs, because she's bound to inspire you in some way too. Now mine are not as gorgeous as Bron's, but I'm a relative newcomer to 3D projects, and I would have liked more time to sit and experiment with the decorating more. Nevertheless, I'm EXCITED that I've actually achieved something for Easter giving!

And even though Bronwyn's gorgeous creation is in the gallery at Just Add Ink, for ovals or eggs, I still wanted to share my simple little 'egg' there too.

After searching online for tutorials on egg throne's to get me started, something seemed a bit 'off' with the measurements of the first one so I've spent a bit of time tweaking to sort the problem. 

The 'throne' section was a little bit too big for the front and back, which must be just under 2 inches to fit into the Tag Topper Punch. It seems fairly good now, although maybe its been adjusted a little TOO much (Elegant Eggplant thrones). I am trying to write a tutorial for future reference, so hopefully I will have it sorted soon. 

Bunnies are my plan for the next ones. How would you decorate yours?

Cheers

Rachel

French Foliage Sympathy PP212

Talking Fall as we head into Spring - well there's a challenge for all of us in the southern hemisphere!

The Paper Players design team have done a great job with their samples so make sure you click on the link and go on over to check them out.

It's not really that tough, although my most favourite 'leaf' stamp set of all time, is a retired one, French Foliage. I have used this stamp set such a lot, and maybe because I loved it so much, it was one of my best sellers ever too. 

It's great for scrapbooking, for birthdays, Mother's Day, travel and one of the best ways to use it is for a Sympathy card. There is just something so soothing about these images. They are natural, rustic or even a touch antique and I have to admit it was not a happy goodbye when French Foliage retired from the Stampin' Up!® catalogue. Do you hang on to favourites long after they disappear from the catalogues?

Another reason I can't let go of French Foliage yet, is my first ever visit to Paris in September last year hasn't been scrapbooked yet, and that Paris postmark will be needed!!!!

Although I haven't added a sympathy sentiment to the front of this card, the inside is decorated with more leaves, French Poetry and splodges. It also contains a sentiment from ANOTHER retired stamp set, Summer Solstice, which reads,"How lucky am I to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."

It is quite a lovely sentiment. I'm fortunate at the moment that it has been almost a year since I've needed a bereavement card, but I've learnt that it pays to always have several on hand. It is no fun to make them if you are close to the departed, and once one occurs, there seem to be more of these events in quick succession. 

I hope you will forgive me for using retired products today,

Rachel

Paris!

We're in Paris!

My husband and I have been travelling around Ireland and England for a few weeks now, catching up with some of my relatives, and doing a LOT of sight-seeing.

Our trip is coming to an end, our wedding anniversary is in a couple of days, and although it isn't a big one ending in zero, we have been married for more than thirty years, so it's big enough to celebrate in Paris.

We've come from London on Eurostar, with no real plans except dinner up the Eiffel Tower and I was playing around with a few of my stamps and came up with this little piece to be the heading for my scrapbook page, I think.

Most of the stamps are retired now, but they will remain in my stash for some time yet.
Artistic Etchings has Amour and the Eiffel Tower, Elements of Style is the lovely roses, French Foliage has the Paris postmark and the scrap of script (a french poem) and the NEW stamp set Really Good Greetings is what inspired the whole idea! It actually says "finally a day that Really is all about YOU" but that was easy enough to leave off and change to "us".

Au revoir,
Rachel

'Specially Momentous Birthday

Earlier this year, one of the team had a special birthday. You know, one of those that ends in zero?

Now I am far too polite to ask how old a lady is, so I decided not to make a big deal out of the number, and just concentrated on making a suitably "pretty" card for her special day. 

 I seem to go straight to Blooming With Kindness such a lot, just love that gorgeous bloom! I slipped in a leaf from French Foliage (retired) and the greeting is from the (retired) hostess set Happiest Birthday Wishes.


To give it a youthful feel, I used the Thumping Technique. Not as drastic as it sounds actually, you quite simply ink up the stamp with the lightest shade, and select a couple of Stampin' Write Markers in shades that either tone, or contrast like this one. Then you thump them onto the image and it gives a lovely mottled effect.

I've made the main card from Naturals white card, and then backed it with a piece of slightly larger Melon Mambo card. All the corners have been rounded off with my corner punch and a piece of Wild Wasabi ribbon tied under the label with the greeting.

Cheers for now,

Rachel

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JAI #165 Woodgrain Sympathy Card

This French Foliage stamp set is my absolute favourite. I use it heaps, for get well, birthday and sympathy cards, so even though it will retire shortly, it will remain on my shelf.

This one is a sympathy card and I made a stamping collage using most (all?) the stamps from French Foliage, and edged the inside in a similar fashion. The words are "How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to", taken from the Summer Solstice stamp set, also retiring soon.

My collage piece is layered onto Natural Composition Specialty and although it is grouped with the Designer Series Papers, is actually quite solid, but I've also layered that onto Early Espresso card.

The challenge at Just Add Ink this week is to add.......woodgrain. There are some lovely examples over there, everyone has a different way to interpret this challenge - all inspirational!

Have a lovely weekend

Rachel

Stampin Up! Promotions and Colour Refresh

 Bonus Products April/May

Get some bonus extras from April 15 til May 30.

Hostesses:  An extra $60 in freebies with a $400 party.  So that makes $120 in free products all up. 

Got a big wish list?  You qualify for this special with a $400 order.  (Or get together with a friend or two and place your order together.)   

Join my team:  We're always keen to add some more friendly faces to the team.  Join as a demonstrator and get a bonus $60 of value in your kit.  Choose any products to the value of $295 for just $169.  Bargain. There is a button over to your right that will lead you right through joining up in my team, but you might want to ring/email me before you take the plunge!

I'm so pleased Stampin' Up gave us this advance warning that they were planning to rejig the colours. 

It gives me a chance to play with some retiring favourites, and re-order those that I can't bear saying goodbye to, just yet!! I understand that the reinkers in retiring colours have all been snapped up, there may still be some card left, although I understand it is going fast too. I have whipped up some cards using retiring colours, that's how I found out how much I will miss them!!!

Love this combination of River Rock, Baja Breeze using stamp set Daring Adventure.

More Baja Breeze including Seam Binding, Top Note Die, and  Bashful Blue and  Not Quite Navy for the other two flowers. Stamps from French Foliage set, Teeny Tiny Wishes and Everything Eleanor.

Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink and Certainly Celery are the colours used here. Lots of die cutting on the Big Shot and  Itty Bitty Blossoms & Bird Builder punches. Stamps are French Foliage and Delightful Dozen

Sent With Love

Special Offer Dates:   1st April til 15 June

Details:  Purchase the exclusive limited time only Sent With Love Stamp Set, or Sent With Love Designer Series Paper, or bundle them together for a 20% discount.

Use the Sent with Love product suite to make an array of travel-themed projects, or get creative and use them for masculine projects, new baby arrivals and lots more.

Take a look at all the Sent with Love Designer Series Papers below! 

 Sent With Love Designer Series Paper   $18.95  (12 sheets of 12" x 12", double sided)

Save With A Bundle:   Or for extra good value (20% off retail price)  get the Bundle which includes the stamp set, the DSP plus some Calypso Coral Bakers Twine - all for $46.25

The Sent with Love Stamp Set and Sent with Love Designer Series Paper are only available during this special offer. After 15 June, they'll both fly away!

Phone or email if you'd like to order and I'd be happy to help, or alternatively visit my online store and place your order there. You can call 0417 500 681, email rpalmieri5@bigpond.com or click on the button at right "Shop Online Now".

Hope there is enough there to whet your appetite and don't forget to check out the classes available, by clicking on the "Classes" tab at the top of the Blog. I hope to get the June Class samples made over the next few days.

Happy stamping,

Rachel

Get Well leaves PP#136

Another very quick post using the same colours from The Paper Players. I want to post a 'Get Well' card off today to a Stampin' Up! Colleague who has had surgery today. This lovely lady remembers everyone's birthdays and special events , so it only seems right to cheer her up in return.

As I cleaned stamps, it occurred to me that French Foliage could look rather nice in these colours. I've used one colour for each leaf but the large one was tipped with Early Espresso on top of Lucky Limeade and the Regal Rose leaf has a touch of Lucky Limeade. The droplets are Pool Party, as is the greeting. I put the card face through the Big Shot in a Woodgrain Embossing Folder and mounted the square on Pool Party and Lucky Limeade.To complete this card a piece of Regal Rose ribbon trims the card and large wooden button.

Cheers,
Rachel

Samuel turns 30

I really should have heaps to share since it is school holidays here ( and that means no workplace to go to each day) but I seem to have been a bit of a social butterfly visiting and lunching with friends for the past week.

The other reason I haven't made too many cards is that I have been putting together a 8" x8" scrapbook for my third son who will turn 30 later this month. When my first and second sons turned 30 I did the same for them and no. 3 challenged me then by saying..."Well, I won't get one because you always lose interest by the time you get to me!" And the really sad thing is, he tells the truth!!! Well, not entirely, because I couldn't lose interest in this sometimes charming, always funny young man who is so much a part of our lives. BUT, I did make 21st quilts for his brothers and he is still waiting for his, which is started but hasn't made any progress since I returned to the paid workforce. So of course I couldn't let him down AGAIN so I have been very industriously sorting photos, remembering anecdotes, typing, stamping, cutting and assembling until I believe I have finished. Very pleased with it, and I'm sure he will be too.

Because I'm sure Samuel doesn't know I have a blog, I can safely put some sneak peeks here for you to check out. He was about seven months old here and so cheeky!

I had a lot of fun stamping out the image from Baby Bundle and finishing off with sponged clouds using a cut out scallop circle punch and some grass from Dinoroar (gosh, I use that grass a lot!)

And near the end of the album is this page

With this page of a couple of random photos, a dress up party and last year's birthday present for Sam and his youngest brother which was a ride in an ex-army tank,  I have cut a Top Note out on my Big Shot and inked and distressed it using the splodges stamp from French Foliage and a file from the Stampin' Up distressing kit to curl the edges over. I finished off with some word stickers to write "Live Life Like a Great Adventure" which I can assure you he definitely does.

Next post, the birthday card.

Cheers,

Rachel