Today is ... Tuesday!

... and lookee here, I caught up :) Only two challenges today as there was no KwernerDesign Colour Inspiration, I did think of finding another somewhere, but I had fun making the two, my kids are obviously fairly observant they wanted to know where the third card was! LOL

So just Splitcoast Sketch and Colour Challenges this week. I got out my Tart and Tangy stampset this time, a very popular one that I have to admit I hadn't used yet!

First up was the SCS Colour Challenge 184 (remember I got my weeks wrong!) The colours were Basic Grey, Always Artichoke and Real Red.

Of course, with Artichoke and Red - it had to be the strawberries! I did a lot "more" with this card than I normally would, obviously I had more time than normal ;) ... I used rub-ons which I've had for a while, but you know, once you use them, they are gone so I have trouble making myself use them - but lately have decided I need to, no point in buying things and just admiring them in their packets!! I like the way this turned out - busier than my usual, but a lot of fun to put together :)

Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Basic Grey, Real Red
Others: Stampin' Write Markers, Rub-Ons, Half Pearls from Pretties set, 11/4" punch, Scallop punch, white gel pen, corner rounder punch, snail, dimensionals, Summer Picnic DSP

Then the sketch challenge - SCS Sketch Challenge 195

I picked out the cherry paper from the Summer Picnic DSP for this and worked from there - pretty self-explanatory I think. I liked this one too!

Cardstock: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Real Red
Extras: Stampin' Write Markers, Bashful Blue Ribbon, Rub-Ons, Summer Picnic DSP, 11/38" punch, scallop punch, snail, dimensionals

I also started another project over the weekend, and carried on with it yesterday - I'm going to have to ignore it screaming at me to be finished while I work on workshops over the next couple of days, but it's looking really good - I'm looking forward to showing it off ...

Today, my 12yo personal trainer is nagging at me to do that walk I was supposed to do yesterday (making cards is SO much more fun), so the two girls are going to hop on their bikes and come along too - lets hope that horrible rain holds off!

A bit late ...

A bit late - but here is my regular Tuesday update, on a Monday, nearly a week late! To say I had a busy week last week would be a slight understatement, any week that I don't have time to do any creating at all is a bad week for me :)

I finally had time to sit down on Saturday afternoon, and this week, picked out my Pick a Petal set - this is the set I fell in love with when the 2008/2009 Ideas Catalogue came out in April - I used it for a while, but its been sitting collecting dust for the last few months so I figured it was time to revive it.

I started backwards this week so I wasn't rushing the SCS Colour Challenge as I usually am. I obviously was rushing though, because I picked out the wrong week's colours (that's what happens when you're a week behind!). I'll have to do last weeks colours, this week. But that's okay.

CC185 - Breezy Vanilla Kisses

(Vanilla, Old Olive and Baja Breeze (I substituted this with Tempting Turquoise)).

Card Stock: Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla
Ink: Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise

Extras: DSP Old Olive, Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Snail, Dimensional Dots

Next up - SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge 194

I have no idea what I was doing when I cut the card for this, but I cut it the wrong size - duh! So the sketch isn't quite the same as it should be - its shorter and squatter ;) I stuck with the Old Olive Designer Paper as I already had it out - checked out my faithful colour wheel and picked out the Elegant Eggplant to go with it.






Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive

Ink: Elegant Eggplant

Extras: Old Olive DSP, Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain Ribbon, Snail.




and lastly, the KwernerDesign Colour Inspiration No. 23

I had to finish this up yesterday - and it was a very quick one! I'd been enjoying the sunshine up in Levin while watching our 12yo play soccer - left David at home digging out a new vege garden with the girls helping him, I reckon I got the better deal ;) Anyway, I knew it was going to be difficult to fit so many colours onto one card, with such large images! So I used the rock and roll method to use a couple of colours on the petals and the middle of the flower ... and used the Old Olive DSP, again!

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla
Inks: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgundy
Extras: Old Olive DSP, Old Olive Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Snail

Now, if you're lucky I'll have the usual Tuesday post after some creating this afternoon! It's school holidays which for me = more time, not nearly the usual running around!

Tuesday Again!

I'm loving my Monday afternoon ... I'd been looking forward to it all week, a chance to just sit and create - not ideas for workshops, not cards for market, not samples ... just plain old me and creating :)

This week I used the very popular Priceless stamp set - this is one of the Free Wheelin' Bundle specials this month - and is proving very popular with my customers, the So Swirly wheel is so versitle!

First up, the KwernerDesign Challenge -

Once again, there was one colour that was a challenge to fit in - the Bravo Burgundy - I love the other colours in combination together, but the Burgundy just didn't want to fit. I broke into my Pretties Kit - I'm trying to make myself use all my lovely goodies, I'm terrible at not wanting to waste things, and then never using them (which is even more of a waste!). I coloured the flowers with my marker pens - love the way they came out.

Card Stock: Soft Sky, Regal Rose, Bravo Burgundy and Rose Red
Ink: Soft Sky, Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy
Extras: Stampin' Write Markers, Flowers from Pretty Kit, Half Pearl from Pretty Kit, Corner Rounder, Snail, Dimensionals

Next up, the Splitcoast Stampers Sketch - Sketch Challenge Number 193

Because I'd pulled out the colours for the Kwerner Design Challenge, I stayed with those (minus the Burgundy! LOL). This is my favourite of the three cards, must be something about the sketches, it was my favourite last week too.

Card Stock: Soft Sky, Regal Rose, Whisper White and Rose Red
Ink: Soft Sky, Rose Red, Regal Rose
Extras: Stampin' Write Markers, Rose Red DSP, Ribbon Originals (last years), Snail, Dimensionals

Then lastly, the Splitcoast Stampers Colour Challenge 183Challenge

Hmmmm, Read Red, Green Galore and Going Grey. Definitely not colours I use a lot, in fact Green Galore and Going Grey are both stamp pads I don't have, obviously never been on my "must have" list ... and plenty of the Green Galore card left over from the packs of Bold Brights ;) - but that's what it is all about, the challenge! Definitely not a card I'm in love with though, it was very rushed - it was almost time to put dinner on, and getting one to gym at 6.30pm (don't you hate that timing, do you quickly do dinner first, or write it off early and have it late ... the dilemmas of a Mum eh?).

Anyway - one of my ever faithful layouts, the good old strip with a bit added on -

Card Stock: Real Red, Going Grey, Green Galore
Ink: Real Red
Extras: Snail, Corner Rounder

Righty, time to do the never ending grocery shopping ... although we're down two big eaters this week as they are away at school ski camp - means I get to make "normal" size meals this week!

Happy stamping :)

~Lisa

Three for One Tuesday

Ahhhh ... brilliant idea, I have some occasionally! I'm loving all the sketches around ... keep thinking I should do more of them, it helps those creative juices to flow a bit. BUT, I'm busy, things crop up, all the excuses in the world to say that I never keep up with sticking to doing one a week as they come out. That combined with all the excuses for not keeping my blog up to date, comes to the conclusion that I need structure :)

So ... here comes the idea, Three for One Tuesday - I'm challenging myself to use one stamp set to do three sketches every Monday. Monday is a quiet day for me, we have gym and soccer after school but they're more like evening times, than "after school" times. I don't rush off to work in the evening ... its one of the few afternoons I have to just "create".

Three sketches I love are the Kwernerdesign colour challenge, the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge and the Splitcoaststampers colour challenge, so those are the three I plan to use.

This week I used my "dying to use, but haven't had time, hasn't been inked yet" Always set from the Spring Catalogue ... and here are the results!

KwernerDesign Design Challenge

I found putting the turquoise blue into this really hard! I think it came out okay :) I used the Popping Pastels method, one that has never been a favourite of mine - but with the heart, it is perfect, just made for it really!

Stamp Sets: Always
Card Stock: Turquoise Blue, Old Olive, Rose Red, Regal Rose and Wisper White
Inks: Old Olive, Versamark
Extras: Silver Hodge Podge, Snail, Rose Red DP, Dimensional Dots, corner punch

Splitcoast Stampers SC191

Love this one, I picked out the Certain Celery DP because I had it sitting on my desk waiting to be used, then picked the Ballet Blue from my pile of A5 leftovers, just because I liked the look of them together - no technical method at all! Used Popping Pastels again for the heart and added the Not Quite Navy just to make it pop, along with the matching ribbon.

Stamp Sets: Always
Card Stock: Ballet Blue, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Inks: Not Quite Navy, Ballet Blue and Versamark
Extras: Snail, Dimensional Dots, Pastels, Certain Celery Ribbon, Certain Celery DP


Splitcoast Stampers Colour Challenge - Monochromatic

Okay, I have to admit, I read the latest colour challenge, monochromatic, and thought maybe I should cheat and use the week before - but no, I'm going to do this right - its all about challenge, right? As it turns out, I really like the way this turned out! I have stamped the bird into versamark and then into the Basic Grey and then clear embossed it to make it stand out more.

Stamp Sets: Always
Card Stock: Basic Grey, Going Grey
Inks: Versamark, Basic Grey
Extras: Snail, Dimensional Dots, sponges

So there you have it, tune in next week to see if I manage two weeks in a row!!

Happy Father's Day

Something a bit different from the usual paper and card!

Charlotte (6yo) wanted something for news, something they had to hide in a box, I'd been playing with tiles trying to get things to work, so we made this together - then she had her family in a box ;) ... it's also going to make a great Father's Day gift to put on Dad's desk - two jobs done in one go, I like that!

The photography is terrible, my micro thingee on my camera hasn't worked for a while, I could get it fixed, but what I really want is a NEW camera ... definitely on my Christmas list.

I stamped the tile using "All in the Family" and Stazon Black ink, popped it into the oven for a while to make sure the ink was totally set. While it was in the oven Charlotte and I picked out scraps of paper for everyone's clothes and stamped the images again, and then cut them out. Once the tile cooled off we glued the clothes on, and then sealed with the ever faithful Modge Podge :)

... and yes, this is our family - including the cat!

... and talking of family, remember the post a bit further down, with the fresh faced, big smiled 2yo on his first bike? Will that cute blonde kid is now 17yo and rides a motor scooter ... we got a call from A&E on Monday night to say he'd come off it. They were doing a fire exercise next to one of our main streets, a car decided to just stop and have a look, the car behind him slammed on her brakes, just as David turned to look - he saw in time to swerve, but still caught the corner of her car.

Lessons? Always make sure your helmet is *really* latched properly - his came off and he has a huge graze on his face along with a black eye (all pretty surface so not too serious) ... even bigger lesson? If you know anyone with a motor scooter be sure they check their insurance policy, don't just assume it is included under the house and contents ... it is, but you have to actually specifically tell them you have one. Luckily, the damage to the other car wasn't too bad and its not a huge bill, it could have been a lot worse! ... So make the most of those fresh face, cute pre-schoolers, they get bigger, and so do the scratches and bruises!!

Until next time ... happy stamping :)