Butterfly Of Happiness Take 2

This is a short and sweet post. I couldn't leave it alone - I'm sorry! Recently I made a card for a challenge, and I explained how simple designs are often the biggest struggle for me. At left is the card I submitted to CAS(E) This Sketch and below is how it turned out after I had another look at it this morning.









I added a sentiment in the right hand corner, plus some splatters of Pear Pizzazz, Cherry Cobbler and Tip Top Taupe using Gorgeous Grunge. It isn't a big change, but even the splatters made me feel a whole lot happier. The vast white space really bothered me. What do you think - with or without splatters?

Cheers
Rachel

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

You & Me RS #107

My poor hubby has been in hospital this week for a shoulder reconstruction. It gave us both a bit of a scare when the surgery took almost 5 hours instead of the estimated 1½-2 hours. Just goes to show that he really does have a very high tolerance to pain. I finally was able to bring him home today, and it is a really good feeling to have him safely tucked up at home.

I knew I wanted to use the Ampersand  Embossing Folder for this sketch, and that naturally then proceeded to using 'You & Me' from Perfect Pennants. Those two just fit together so beautifully, and I used my 1¾" circle punch to notch out a spot for the greeting to show. After I trimmed the Strawberry Slush card around the curve of the ampersand, I mounted it on a square of the Silver Foil sheet, and then onto another square, this time Coastal Cabana.

Another greeting which goes really well with this sort of card is 'Never Underestimate the Power of Two' from Yippee Skippee! I used that on the inside with two hearts from the Peachy Keen stamp set and a single flower from Oh Hello. The inspiration sketch is another terrific one from Retro Sketches, I haven't had time lately to enter their weekly challenge, and didn't think I would this week either, even though I have had some time off work. However, the patient is co-operating at the moment, so all is good in the craft cave!!! There's a day or two left on this challenge, why not try your hand at the sketch too? Click on the name to link over to Retro Sketches.

Hope you have some time  this week for what you love...

Rachel

Ampersand Embossing Folder 132970 Occasions Catalogue

Last-minute Post-it Note Gift

It was my last day at work today (for the five week summer break) and I had planned to make small gifts for the teachers I work with but I have been flat out with family commitments and work and it hadn't happened! Last night my husband and I were out until midnight and then I whipped up these post-it note holders.
My friend Alison has a tutorial on YouTube at this link stampwithali, and once you've made a couple, they're a piece of cake. The pens are available at Officeworks (Australia) for a reasonable price, the post-it notes are a bit more expensive at Officeworks, but what gorgeous colours!!!


I used Stampin' Up! card colors Pool Party, Pacific Point, Wisteria, Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo and Strawberry Slush.I can't even pick my favourite colour, they all look lovely.

A variety of stamp sets including Oh Hello, Happy Day, Regarding Dahlias,Simply Stars were used to decorate the covers, stamped straight on as I was so short of time, but Ali did a much nicer job of the finishing off. Mine were well-received, even by the male teacher, so I was happy with that.

With Christmas looming, I hope you have all your preparations under control!
Cheers
Rachel

Challenges Entered:
Sunny Challenges & Creations
SUO Challenge - Almost Last Minute

Pretty in Pink FMS #105 and DD #72

Spring seems to have arrived in the southern hemisphere, the sun is out and I feel happy!

I have had a lovely weekend despite feeling a little unwell with a sore throat, but an early night and 11 hours sleep seems to have helped. We had afternoon tea yesterday to celebrate my son's birthday with his family and today we enjoyed our garden in the morning and visited friends in the afternoon. It's so nice to get together with friends and family, and there seems to be more time to do that as the days grow longer.

I'm loving this sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, it is so versatile that I made another card this evening using the colors in the Dynamic Duos challenge.
The greeting is from Feel Goods, the oval chevron and flower are from Oh Hello and the colors are Blushing Bride and Primrose Petals.

Glad you popped by to take a look at my card,
Rachel

FMS#80 & PPA Color Challenge - Faith in Nature

I knew I had a lot to do today but it is amazing how you can fit a little bit of stamping between chores when it is a sketch as sweet as this one at Freshly Made Sketches and these lovely restful colours from PPA Color Challenge.





I decided to go with a 'Blast From the Past' this week, using a retired stamp set Faith in Nature, maybe you still have it in your stash too? I love a stamp with a subtle script and the three main images all fit the bill here. I chose the pear, and stamped it with Pear Pizzaz, one of the colours about to return to the Stampin Up! family of colour. To give some added interest, I rock 'n' rolled the edge into Marina Mist.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to discover this but I had a happy moment when I was punching some Bitty Butterflies out and I wanted to use the patterned chevron stamp from Oh Hello, stamped so delicately with Bashful Blue. I discovered how perfectly the punch fits in each segment of the chevron, so the wings are both different, and the body is an exact fit in the white space between the patterns!

I think they're gorgeous, but I am a sucker for anything miniature too!  I finished them off with a row of 3 little pearls, then wound some Lucky Limeade Baker's twine several times around the card, once it was mounted on Pear Pizzaz card, and stamped the greeting from Faith In Nature stamp set. 

I like the way those 3 shades of green are similar enough to mix and match them.

Cheers for now

Rachel

Dynamic Duos#46 and Paper Players#139

Primrose Petals and Certainly Celery were my choice for these two challenges and I used the last line of the Paper Players Tic-Tac-Toe, which was pearls, birthday and pink & green.  I had some scraps of the polished stone technique I've been playing about with, so I punched some squares and mounted them on squares in Primrose Petals punched with the postage stamp punch. I stamped with Versamark, using the cute patterned arrow-shape from Oh Hello and a greeting from Friendly Phrases.There was just enough left over of my pink and green patterned paper to punch the tiny butterfly and the large butterfly is from vellum and trimmed with 5 tiny pearls each.

Thanks for popping by,

Rachel

CCMC244 Feeling Sentimental

This lovely set of stamps, Feeling Sentimental, will not be available in just a few hours. Such a shame, because it has been really popular as a masculine stamp, with the Phone Box/Dr Who thingy (sorry, my Dr Who expert is out tonight!), Ferris Wheel and Penny Farthing stamps.

I am entering my card for the challenge at Create with Connie and Mary, check out the other submissions too.

I will certainly continue using my stamps, and hopefully something similar might be included in the Annual catalogue, when it is released at the end of June.

 I can't remember where I read that it is possible to emboss stamping done with the new ink pads, it was on someone's blog I think, but I went back re-reading for a couple of weeks worth today, so I could credit the person who brought it to my attention, but no luck, unfortunately. I tried it today, and of course you use the clear embossing powder so the original colour shines through. I've tilted the card this way and that, to try to pick up the glistening effect with the camera, but cannot do that either.

Next I sponged the phone box with Marina Mist, before 'lighting it up' with Daffodil Yellow, and a little Crumb Cake on the ground. I did substitute the Not Quite Navy with Midnight Muse, they are quite close really, and Midnight Muse was my new, juicy stamp pad, and it needed to be new so I could heat emboss.

The background has been done on glossy card stock, using blues and a black, and is another sample for my April class "polished stone" technique. It was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest, by Rachel Tessman, Stamp your Art Out. I'm having trouble linking to her card, but this is Rachel's website. 

Finally, I stamped just the 'hello' part from the Oh, Hello stamp set, which is available in the 25th Anniversary mini catty till the end of June.

Hope you have a great weekend and take some time to do things you like, with those you love, that's my plan anyway!!!

Take care,

Rachel

Oh, Hello Alice

I haven't done a 'family' layout in quite some time, but today I did this one. I had seen Tina's sketch on 'Just Add Ink' and knew I wanted to do something to begin Alice's scrapbook, and then inspired by Stampin' Ups! stamp set Oh, Hello and the gorgeous specialty papers in the 25th Anniversary mini catalogue, More Amore DSP, I chose the photo of her with her two big brothers, Xavier and Isaac.

As their dad says, "I guess they don't LOVE her yet, but they seem to LIKE her, and that's good."

Well, we are just so surprised (and overcome) because who would ever think after having five sons (and 3 miscarriages) and welcoming 4 gorgeous grandsons, that we would have expected this baby to be anything but a boy? So far, 9 days later, she seems quite placid and easy-going so all is well.



Most of my supplies are Stampin' Up! but I did use some letters by Bella! So glittery and swirly, and a couple of Bo-Bunny Brads. When did you last scrapbook? Click on the link for Just Add Ink, above and see what else you find to inspire.

Happy Stamping (and scrapping)

Rachel