Happy Birthday Mum and Dad
My Mum and Dad share the same birthday and coming so close to Christmas, I really have to be organised or they don’t get cards or presents.
Today I am sharing the card I made for my Dad, unfortunately I forgot to photograph Mum’s card so will have to get a photo and post for you later.
I started with a base of Early Expresso cardstock and added a layer of Cajun Craze card stock. I embossed a piece of River Rock card stock using the Houndstooth Embossing Folder and added it to the right hand side of the card front. I added a piece of Well Worn Designer Series Paper. I stamped the happy and birthday from the Fabulous Phrases stampset onto Very Vanilla card sponged the edges lightly with Early Expresso ink and added it over the top of the designer paper. 
I stamped the ship image from the Seaworthy stamp set using Early Expresso ink and punched the image using the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch. I sponged the edges lightly with Early Expresso ink. I cut the Early Expresso mat using the Circle Scissors and then attached the image to the front of the card. I really love the colours and the texture in this card. I have been saving this designer paper (heaven’s knows why) but it is really gorgeous and I will have to break it out more often. I think the colours work really well for male cards.
Bye for now, Kris.
Happy New Year
I thought I would share a free tutorial with you all to celebrate the beginning of 2012. Whenever I make a card with one of my scrunched flowers I get lots of requests for the directions, so I thought I would share this free PDF with you so that you can make these gorgeous flowers.
I created this card to simply focus on the flower. So just click on the link to take you to the tutorial. This flower is created using the Island Floral Bigz die and the Fancy Flower Punch.
Download your FREE PDF Tutorial here.
I’d really love to hear what you think of my tutorial.
Happy New Year and bye for now, Kris.
Another Year Draws to an End
Well its New Year’s Eve and time to reflect on the past year. For me this year has been really busy, I have worked hard to try and build my Stampin’ Up! business and with this end in mind I launched my Tutorials page. I hope to add more tutorials as time goes along. Each time I hold a class I prepare instructions for the attendees and I am going to add these instructions to my tutorials page so that those of you who cannot attend, can at least purchase the instructions and recreate them at your leisure. I have seen the number of visitors to my blog increase to 73,000 and my followers grow to 160 – for this I am truly grateful. I hope that I can continue to inspire my visitors over the next 12 months.
During the last year I have also been able to spend lots of time with my family and in particular my grandchildren. I have volunteered at the school the eldest two children attend and this has been great fun. Next year I have 3 grandchildren attending the same school and I have already volunteered to continue helping in the library for my grandson’s prep class. My husband and I are also hoping to spend a little more time in our caravan visiting some of this great country of ours.
This is also a time to set our goals for next year and apart from working towards building my business, my goal is to finally shed the last few kilos to get to my goal weight. I have been procrastinating for a long time now, but I am committed to finally achieving the goal I have set myself.
I hope that the New Year brings each and every one of you good health, happiness and that you achieve your goals for the New Year.
Ok so now onto some crafting. I decided to play along with the sketch challenge at Create with Connie and Mary, although I am not sure that I really like the way this card has come together.
I started with River Rock card stock which has been scored and folded to make the base card. I attached a piece of Basic Black card stock and then a strip of Cherry Cobbler Designer paper from the Regals Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack. I inked the large floral image from the Just Believe stamp set using my River Rock and Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Markers and stamped onto Very Vanilla card which I attached over the Designer Paper and Basic Black card stock. I attached a piece or River Rock card stock which has been embossed using the Stripes Embossing Folder below the stamped image. 
The Marina Mist card stock has been embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and attached on top of all the other layers. I stamped the floral circle image from the Just Believe stampset onto Very Vanilla card stock using Cherry Cobbler ink and punched it out using the 1-1/4″ circle punch. I attached it to a Cherry Cobbler 1-3/8″ circle and then to the card front using dimensionals. Lastly I added a medium Basic Rhinestone to the centre of the flower.
Ok so what do you think? Has this one come together ok?
This card does also fits the current challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations to create something with an anything but a Christmas theme. If you haven’t played along you still have plenty of time.
Bye for now, Kris.
Sad News
Yesterday my husband and I received news that a friend of ours had lost his battle with cancer. He leaves behind a gorgeous wife and 8 children, two from a previous marriage. We are so sorry to hear of their loss, especially at this time of year.
I guess when I saw the sketch for the chat and challenge at Sudsol it helped me to create a card to send to the family.
I embossed a piece of Very Vanilla card stock using the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder and attached it to a scored and folded piece of Basic Black card stock. I attached a piece of the Newsprint Specialty Designer Series Paper to a layer of Basic Black card stock and attached it inside the embossed frame. I stamped “Thinking of You” from the Sincere Salutations stamp set onto Very Vanilla card stock and attached it to a layer of Basic Black card stock. The greeting is attached to the card front over the Designer Paper and inside the frame. I inked the “stem” image from the Field Flowers stampset using my Old Olive Stampin’ Write Marker, stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock and attached it to Basic Black card stock.
I inked the “solid” large flower from the Field Flowers stampset using Regal Rose ink, stamped once onto scrap paper and then onto Very Vanilla card stock. I inked the “detail” large flower from the same stampset using Regal Rose ink and stamped over the “solid” image without stamping onto scrap paper first. I cut the flower out and then attached it over the stamped stem image. The image panel is attached to the card front using dimensionals.
I always wonder if I get these type of cards right. You don’t want it to be too sombre, but you certainly don’t want it to be too bright. What do you think?
Bye for now, Kris.
A Blue Birthday
Can you believe it, Christmas is over for another year. All that anticipation, preparation, exccitement and now it is all finished. I had lots of fun over the holidays, spending time with my parents, daughters, sons-in-law and of course my gorgeous grandchildren. They got lots of fantastic gifts and had lots of fun playing with them and each other. I trust that all of you had a wonderful Christmas.
Now it is back to reality and hopefully some more regular blogging. I am preparing for my first classes of the year and looking forward to Sale-A-Bration. Being a demonstrator I have already seen the Sale-A-Bration catalogue and I think you are all going to be very happy with the gorgeous selection.
Here is a card I made using the sketch challenge at Stamping 411, however, it also fits the challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations too.
I started with a base of Crumb Cake card stock. The next layer is Baja Breeze card stock which I have stamped using two of the images from the Extreme Elements stamp set. The largest image in Baja Breeze ink and the smaller image in Versamark ink. I stamped the largest image from the Extreme Elements stamp set onto Whisper White card stock using Crumb Cake ink. I stamped the “jeep” image from the Need for Speed stampset using Not Quite Navy ink over the top of the Crumb Cake image. 
I attached this panel to Not Quite Navy card stock and then to the stamped Baja Breeze card stock. I wrapped the Blue Denim Jean Ribbon around this whole piece, tied a knot and then attached it to the Crumb Cake base. I stamped the greeting from the Sincere Salutations stampset onto Whisper White card stock using Not Quite Navy ink and punched it out with the Large Oval Punch and attached it to a Crumb Cake Scallop Oval. The greeting is attached to the card front over the ribbon using dimensionals.
I always find it hard to get back to work if I take some time off, so this is card is very simple. Of course, male cards are always harder for me to make. I’d love to hear what you think.
Bye for now, Kris.
Merry Christmas and a new Challenge
Firstly let me wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope that you all have a wonderful day filled with good times. I also wish you all the very best for a happy and healthy New Year. I am looking forward to spending the day with one of my daughters and her family as well as my Mum and Dad.
Sunny Challenges and Creations is having a two week challenge – anything but Christmas. We would love to see your cards, scrapbook pages, 3D items with any theme other than Christmas. I am sure that we all love making things for Christmas but I know that I for one am looking forward to creating something new.
My husband and I have friends expecting their first child any day now and I thought that I would create a photo frame for them to use for a photo of their newborn. We don’t know if it is a girl or a boy so I created this prototype for a girl. I will have to whip up another one in blue if it is a boy. I embossed a piece of Whisper White card stock using the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder and added it to a layer of Chocolate Chip card stock. I attached this to Pretty in Pink card stock only on the sides and across the bottom. I made a tag to slide behind the photo to record the date, time, weight and length. 
I punched the long edges of a strip of Whisper White card stock and added a layer of Chocolate Chip card stock which has been embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I wrapped this with Pretty in Pink 5/8″ Satin ribbon and attached it to the Pretty in Pink card stock. I tied Pretty in Pink 5/8″ Satin Ribbon and Whisper White 5/8″ Organza Ribbon to this ribbon. I punched two stockings from Pretty in Pink card stock using the Stocking Builder Punch and cut them down a little. I punched the cuff, heel and toe pieces from Whisper White card stock using the Stocking Builder Punch. I attached the Whisper White pieces to the Pretty in Pink stocking and then embossed the whole piece using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. 
I attached the “booties” to a Whisper White card stock 2-1/2″ circle and then to a 3″ circle of Chocolate Chip card stock. I attached this over the decorative strip using Mini Glue Dots. I tied a knot in a piece of Whisper White 5/8″ Organza ribbon and attached it to the top of the “booties” using Mini Glue Dots.
What do you think? I think it looks really cute. I hope the new parents like it.
Now it’s time for you to visit Gwen and Vicky and see what they have in store for you, then pop over to Sunny Challenges and Creations and add your creation to Mr. Linky. We are looking forward to seeing what you make.
Merry Christmas, Kris.
A Matchbook Treat Holder
There is a challenge at Late Night Stampers this week to use Blue, White and Silver on your creation. I decided to use a tutorial which I have from Class in a Flash to make a little treat holder for my grandchildren to go under the tree. Just a little bit of fun.
I used Night of Navy card stock to create the basic matchbook. The photo doesn’t really show it well, but there is a Round Treat Cup in the centre of the embossed cardstock which is where I will be adding my treat. I used a combination of Whisper White and Silver Glimmer Paper to decorate the box. I also used a variety of punches – Full Heart, 1 1/4″ Circle, 1″ Circle, 1 3/4″ Circle, Scallop Trim Border Punch as well as the Circle Scissors to create my 3″ circle. I also used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to add a little texture. The greeting comes from the Perfect Punches stamp set and I used Night of Navy ink to stamp it. I just need to find something to add to the Treat cup. I am thinking Red Smarties or M&M’s would look fantastic. The little matchbook opens and the treat holder swings out so that the treat can be eaten without destroying the holder.
I can’t wait for Christmas morning to see my grandchildren’s faces and hear their excitement about what Santa brought them.
Bye for now, Kris.
Clean and Simple Flower
Today I decided to play along with the Clean and Simple Challenge. It is a very simple sketch but one that has lots of potential.
I kept my card pretty simple, because as you know it is a very busy time of year. I have a base card of Wisteria Wonder to which I added a piece of Very Vanilla card stock which I have stamped on the top half using the floral filigree image from the Creative Elements stamp set using Lucky Limeade ink.
I ran a piece of Very Vanilla card stock through the Big Shot using the Petals-A-Plenty Embossing Folder and added a strip of Lucky Limeade card stock which has been punched on one long edge using the Pinking Hearts Border Punch and then attached it to the card front.
I stamped the flower image from the Creative Elements stampset onto Very Vanilla card stock 4 times using Calypso Coral ink and cut out one complete flower and then sections of the flower – gradually decreasing in size. I stacked the flowers together using dimensionals and then added it to the card front using Mini Glue Dots.
What do you think? I think it is simple and elegant.
Bye for now, Kris.
Santa’s Treat Box
I thought I would share this adorable little box which is made using the Petal Cone Die. The tutorial was written by Vimar Serrano as part of the Christmas Edition 2011 of Inkspiration 4U. I think it is just gorgeous and a great way to use our new Red and Silver Glitter paper. The top part lifts off and you have a cute little box. This is going to sit on my table at Christmas and hide a few little treats.
This fits the current challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations – anything Christmas. You still have a few days left to add your creations to Mr. Linky. We’d love to see what you have been making for the Christmas season.
Bye for now, Kris.
Christmas Bauble Wreath
Here is somthing I wanted to share with you just for fun. I have seen these wreaths made from Christmas Baubles and a wire coat hanger and thought I would give it a try. All you do is open the hanger and shape it into a circle. Slide the baubles onto the wire (make sure your hangers will not come away from the bauble) and use different sizes so that the wreath doesn’t have any gaps in it. I used 3 different sizes and love the way it turned out. We celebrate Christmas on the back verandah so the grandchildren have quick access to the pool and this wreath will be the focal decoration. I did use something from Stampin’ Up! – Basic Black 1 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon.
I’d love to hear what you think.
Bye for now, Kris.
Stamping with Kris 