Happy and Crazy CTS#107

How are you when it comes to using the Stamp-a-ma-jig? Confident or an absolute novice?
 Sometimes it works for me, but other times it's pretty much a disaster. This year I want to master some new skills and practice is the best way to do that, so I have had a little shot today
at repeat stamping of the word 'happy' using the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

While not totally happy with the result, I'm glad I gave it a try. I used the sketch at Case This Sketch as an inspiration-starter, along with my new stamp set, Crazy About You. This stamp set provides three floral images and 30 individual words or phrases to pair with thinlets. This combo will allow you to say anything you want, for any occasion or time of the year. This card could just have easily been for a birthday, Easter or anniversary.

These are lovely fresh colours too, from our soon-to-retire 2013-2014 In Color Selection. I am going to be awfully sad to see these soft pastels disappear so I will order some more card during SAL-A-Bration, when for every $90 purchase, even demonstrators earn free stamps, paper or embellishments.

You know what else?
I hadn't immediately read in the small print under Crazy About You that the two flower images in the set can be punched out with punches. The smaller one (not shown here) is with the 1¾ inch Scallop Circle Punch, which you probably already own.

This larger flower matches with the NEW Flower Medallion Punch, which also matches up with Petal Potpourri, which has another four large floral images. Then it was easy enough to hand cut a smaller image to layer up, using the white as a guide.

I'm looking forward now to making some more variations of this for a Crazy About You card-making workshop on Friday 13th February at 7pm.


Don't forget to go to Case This Sketch to see the Design Team creations and all the submissions by other crafters.

Cheers
Rachel

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Patchwork 'Just Because' retrosketches #110

In another lifetime I was a patchworker and I still have enough fabric stockpiled to open a Pop Up Shop. This retro sketch  challenge kind of reminds me of patchwork, so as well as cutting triangles, I paper pierced (stitching) and adhered some pretty buttons with mini glue dots. The Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay were close to hand because of my last card, and the lovely DSP Afternoon Picnic is a perfect fit for those colours too. A Dozen Thoughts is the stamp set 'just because' belongs to, and I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement.

It was an quick and easy card to make, my main difficulty is getting enough light to take the photo.

 Happy stamping
Rachel

Postscript: 4th May 2014, Just found out, my card got a shout out at Retro Sketches, what a happy feeling that gives me!

Thanks Much Six-sided Sampler

This is a simple CASE of a card in the Stampin' Up! Catalogue, page 125. It uses the stamp set Six-sided Sampler and a clever (but easy) little punched out centre.
The colours are Coastal cabana, Smoky Slate and Pistachio Pudding ; lovely and restful, aren't they?
I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement, it didn't end up exactly the same, but very nearly. The dimensions of the cards may be different.
Another difference is the 'button' on the greeting. I don't have any Smoky Slate buttons, so  I punched a 3/4 inch circle and placed a large pearl on top. I think it looks really cute.
We have had a lovely time in Ireland with relatives who live there, I must get this card in the post to them.

Have a lovely day,
Rachel

Pick and Mix a Six-Sided Sampler

Another card from my "Pick and Mix" class on Friday night was this Six-Sided Sampler stamped using the Stamp-a-ma-jig. With the huge range of ink colours, plus the lovely patterns on these hexagons, it gave the ladies such a choice in ways to make their own cards individual.
One card was made totally using Real Red and the gingham hexagon and it looked fabulous. Another card maker incorporated a strip of card, paper pierced and hand stitched, because it will be a birthday card for a patchworker. What a perfect idea!
My sample was purposely kept to one layer with just one shape raised on Dimensionals. I used Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana and Crushed Curry.Of course, with the Hexagon Punch to punch those shapes, this was a quick and easy card.

In October, I will be offering Quick and Easy stamping classes, so if you haven't had much experience with stamping, or you tried it, but didn't enjoy it, perhaps a Quick and Easy class in October will be the answer to discovering your creativity too.

Happy stamping
Rachel

Woo Hoo! Cake FM119

What a great challenge from Heidi at Friday Mash-up! A lovely sketch and "use your favourite NEW stamp set" - too easy! Well, that's not to say I'll be one of the picks, but I had a lovely relaxing time putting together two favourites. I have also entered the Seize the Birthday Anything Goes challenge which runs for a WHOLE MONTH and Sunny Challenges & Creations, which also runs for a while.

I discovered the other day how nicely Rich Razzleberry and Island Indigo go together, and when I saw the strip across the bottom, I wanted to use one of the stamps from Six-sided Sampler with my Stamp-a-ma-jig. I made up the templates before my class last Friday night, and the ladies had a lot of success, despite one of them never having used the Stamp-a-ma-jig before. I decided to stick to one stamp only, and thought the diagonal stripe could be very effective. What do you think?

Another favourite that I seem to be using such a lot at the moment is the single stamp Woo Hoo! I love scribbling a little of the Stampin' Write Marker onto a plastic lid and then choosing what I'll colour - a little or a lot? The Aqua Painter makes this fun and so easy, I don't even use Stazon, just the regular black stamp pad.

I used the two colours to mount the Woo Hoo! stamp and just the Rich Razzleberry for the main panel because it was going to be on an Island Indigo base. I think it has turned out to be quite masculine.
Don't forget that the Six-sided Sampler comes with a matching punch, making crafting with it even better.

Back to work tomorrow but I still have a few more cards ready to share so look out for more posts....

Rachel

Owl Be There!!!

I have had a slightly hectic week, getting ready for convention and working. I don't usually work five days a week, but it just so happened that I needed to attend a conference for work, and since the Principal said I could have a day in lieu, which would help out with the day and a half I am absent this coming week for Stampin Up Convention in Chilly Canberra, I went along willingly! As it happens, it rained like there was no tomorrow in Melbourne on Friday, so I quite enjoyed my day of education, food and laughter!

Now on to stamping, even though it was mostly about punching for this card!
I had an order for punches last week, and as one of them was the Owl Builder Punch, I decided to use mine to make the Thank You card. There is no end to the variety of ways you can use this little fellow, and I kept him fairly simple for this small card, only adding in eyelids by half punching the largest circle, and a wing with a half circle of the smaller Scalloped Circle Punch. He is perched on a branch from the Bird Builder Punch, which my customer had also purchased. I used the Modern Label Punch and Word Window Punch for the greeting, and I think that "Thank You" might be from a retired set. I know my customer is going to love playing with her new punches.

While I was in the mood, I punched out a second owl, the VERY basic model, and added him to the centre of a row of stamped owls. Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the owl from the retired Punch Bunch stamp set, from 2011 Sale-A-bration. Such a shame that it was available for a short time because this set was particularly cute, with baby, birthday and general stamps in the one pack.

After mounting the Crumb Cake panel onto a strip of Pool Party, edged with the Scallop Trim Border Punch, I threaded a button from the Neutrals Collection through Early Espresso Baker's Twine and wound it several times around the join. Quite quick and easy, but cute, don't you think?

And now, I'm off to pack my bag for Convention on Webnesday - WOOOHOOO!!!!