Stampin Shipscat

Happy Thanksgiving !!

2010-10-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well its been a long time since I posted anything, no excuses but I did think this was a good time to write and wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

I made the card above using Justrite stamps from Simple Blessings. This is an ideal fall set. I stamped the image twice using versafine black and clear embossed it, then coloured using my copic markers. The middle was popped up to give it a little dimension.

The Sentiment is from a Stampin Up retired set and cut out with a spellbinder label tag. The background was embossed using the pumpkins from Cuttlebug.

Thanks for looking and have a great Thanksgiving.

Yvonne

House Mouse !!

2010-03-15T19:30:00.001-07:00

Okay, here are some of the cards I have been working on just recently. I`ve really fallen for the House Mouse stamps - aren`t they just adorable? All the images have been stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and then clear embossed or Memento Ink. I tried to keep the cards simple so all the focus would be on the image.

I cut the image out using Labels Ten and mounted it onto Labels Eight.

On this card I used a Martha Stewart edge punch and a scallop corner rounder. The sentiment was Memory Box and cut out using Labels Thirteen.

On the "Jelly Bean Heist" card I used the new Spellbinder Scalloped Border and layered it up. The tear shape jems fitted quite perfectly.

This card was mounted onto the Petite ovals and Petite Oval Scallops. I embossed Labels Eight onto the white card stock for alittle more detail. I`m not sure if you can see, but I have put a small amount of glitter on the cards to give alittle sparkle!

On this card I used a piece of burlap. I thought it looked abit like the coffee sack in the picture!

These stamps are a pleasure to colour in and you always end up with great results!

Well, my parents are arriving from the UK on Thursday for a five week stay, so I shall close and get on with some cleaning and tidying of the house.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a wonderful day.

Yvonne

Lottie !

2010-03-07T12:25:00.001-08:00

Well, Sunday already; where did the weekend go? We`re having a real lazy day today, its great!
My DH went off diving with the sealions this weekend to Hornby Island and by all accounts has had a fantastic time. I shall post some photographs later this week.
Anyway onto the card. I was really pleased with the way this turned out. Its the first time and the only one I have ! of The Greeting Farm stamps. I love the way "Lottie" just sits on the side of the frame. All the DP is Basic Grey Origins. When you use such nice paper you don`t really need alot else on the card. I made the frame using the new Labels 11 and the sentiment is from JustRite. Lottie is stamped in Versafine ink and embossed with clear powder, then coloured in with Copic Markers. The butterflies and flower in the corner are all made using MS punches.

Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful day.

Yvonne

SC269 - Hedgy Gift !

2010-02-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Everyone !!

Well these past two weeks have been filled with Olympics. The television hasn`t been on for so long each day for along time ! Its been fantastic, I have enjoyed every minute. We had a trip downtown and I still can`t get over the number of people down there. The streets are seas of people !!! The atmosphere is something else - fabulous ! Here is the Olympic Cauldron, Downtown, Vancouver.

The Sea of People !!!!

Anyway onto the card. Can you believe it; I receive the sketch challenge one day and the card is completed the next. I haven`t done that for along time ! This seem to come together really quickly, I love it when that happens. I used one of my new stamps I bought the other day from one of my favourite shops at Cloverdale. I now have so many Hedgy stamps its not funny but I just can`t resist them !!

I stamped the image using Memento Tuxedo Black and then, of course, is there anything else to colour them in with apart from Copic markers, I love them ! Its the first time I have coloured the little cuties in brown, I`m not sure which I like the best - brown or grey? The layout is this weeks sketch over at Splitcoast. I can imagine using this more than once.

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Yvonne

Side Step Card

2010-02-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a fabulous weekend down in Seattle. My DH and I went for the boat show and found our DREAM boat - Wow, we need to win the lottery though, but hey its okay to dream, isn`t it? In the evening we went to the Elton John and Billy Joel concert which should have been last November but had to be posponed due to illness. It was awesome, alittle loud in some places but I think thats a sign of age !! They are both fantastic musicians not to mention the rest of the band. A truely memorable weekend.
Anyway, onto the card. I have been seeing quite afew of these side step cards going onto Splitcoast so I thought I would have a go. Its certainly different and not too bad to make. I`ll definately be making more of these.

I used Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock along with Vintage Vogue stamps from SU. As we live abroad and away from our family and friends I thought this was quite an appropriate saying by Wordsworth. The flower is made using MS punches and the branches are from SU. I airbrushed the small birds, they are the nested birds by Spellbinders. I really liked the way this card turned out. Thanks for looking.

Have a lovely day.

Yvonne

Easel Card

2010-02-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it, another post, two days in a row - a record !! I have just discovered the Easel Card !! Of course I have seen them around but they always looked complicated so I never bothered until now. Now I love them !! Its simple to make and all the instructions are over at Splitcoast Stampers- Thank You Splitcoast. The Easel Card is just alittle different from the usual way to open a card. Here I have stamped my image - Penny Black in Versafine Oynx Black ink and clear embossed it so I could colour it in with my Copic Markers. I used a mixture of Labels four and Labels five for the frame. I decided to dry emboss the inner frame with the Textile embossing folder, just to be different! Prima flowers are used in the corner with afew dew drops around. The sentiment (a Amuse stamp) was stamped onto the fancy tags and matted onto the larger fancy tag. Oh and the DP used is Graphic 45, I just love this design and colour. The main card stock is Groovy Guava by SU, unfortunately its been retired now.

Here is a side view of the card so you can see the Easel part.

Thank you for visiting my blog and enjoy the rest of your day.

Yvonne

Urge to Exercise !!

2010-02-01T09:37:00.001-08:00

Can you believe its already February!!! We had a fabulous weekend, skiing at Whistler. I think that will be the last time until the Olympics are over. We`ll find somewhere else to ski which will be easier to get to!

Anyway onto the card I made for my friends birthday. I loved this stamp from the first time of seeing it but unfortunately you have to be careful who you send a card like this to - wouldn`t want to cause any bad feeling !! The stamp is from Stampabilities - Urge to Exercise. The paper is My Minds Eye. I stamped the image using versafine onyx black ink and clear embossed it then coloured it with my copics. Whenever I can I like to mix the shapes of the spellbinders, some I`m sure were made to be used together!

I used the Morrocco Lace edge punch along with chocolate satin ribbon and some rhinestones to decorate.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!

Yvonne

Wiper Card !

2010-01-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

Gosh, those weekends don`t half pass by quickly !! We had a great weekend; skiing at Whistler on Saturday, watching our daughter ski racing for her school followed by a delicious meal out at The Cannery in the evening and Sunday a day to chill. Hope you all enjoyed yours too.

Anyway onto the card. This is what they call a `wiper card`. Quite nifty really, when its closed the top butterfly disappears, just like magic! You can get the instructions to make one of these over at Splitcoast.

Here I used Bo Bunny DP and the stamp is Serenity Prayer by Crafty Secrets. I stamped it in Versafine Oynx Black and clear embossed it. The butterflies are Spellbinders #2.

Thanks for looking, have a great day.

Yvonne

Thinking of You !

2010-01-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

What a day - rain rain rain and still it keeps coming !!!! BUT what a great excuse for being down in my stamp room! I popped down to the States yesterday and visited one of my favourite stamp shops - Stampadoodle and I found these shaker containers by Impression Obsession. What a quick and easy way to make a shaker card. The best bit about them is they, (well the oval ones at least) are Nesty friendly. At the moment they come in a small and large circle, small and large square and the oval. Here I stamped using Justrite from the oval Thinking of You set, and yes you can see they fit nicely in there too. What a find !!
I stamped the image in versafine and clear embossed it so I could colour the image with copics. The white card stock was too stark for the rest of the card so I decided to use the air brush and make it a pale pink background. I framed the oval using nestabilities. I thought it finished it off quite well. When making a shaker box its an idea to fill it with something, I forgot to put my micro beads inside so I had to peel the card stock off very carefully and add them !!!! Oh, I forgot to mention the shaker tops are self adhesive, how cool is that.

I used a border punch, ribbon and rhinestones to finish off the card. The rhinestones were clear so I used one of my copics to give them a hint of pinkness.

A close up picture of the shaker box.

Thanks for looking, have a great day!

Yvonne

Happy New Year !!!

2010-01-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would wish everybody a Happy New Year. I hope you all had a good Christmas with plenty of food and festive cheer. We had our niece over for the holidays from the UK. It was amazing, she celebrated her 16th birthday while she was with us. We had a lovely time, we went ski-ing to Whistler and Sun Peaks aswell as trying to fit in as much sightseeing and touristy things possible in her 3 week stay.
Now things are alittle quieter and getting back to normal with school etc, I am heading back to my stamp room to try and find some inspiration. For some reason its alittle lost at the minute, hopefully not for too much longer!!
Take care and thanks for visiting my blog.

Yvonne

Footwear Cards !!

2009-12-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

Well, what other title could I use? Here is Santa`s stocking and a Victorian Shoe. The Santa`s stocking template has been sitting on my desk since the first day of the challenge and I have only just got around to making the card, phew better late than never !! I love this little gift card holder, so easy to make. Hopefully by the end of the week we shall all have our own Santa`s stocking hanging on the tree. By the way I forgot to mention that the template for this can be found at challenge TLC248 or Waltzing Mouse Stamps. Thank you Claire for the great challenge.

I used red velvet paper for the main area of the stocking, feels lovely! and for the rest I used some Doodlebug DP I had in my stash. I punched the letters out using the velvet paper and alittle bit of ribbon for the trim. To keep the flap closed I attached a small piece of velcro to one of the corners. I put an eyelet in to strengthen the hole with the silver cord in. I can see it having alot of wear being put on and off the Christmas tree !

For my second card tonight I made a ladies Victorian Shoe card. This template I found at SU. A bit faffy and I don`t suppose I shall rush to make another but it looks cool anyway.

I was hoping to make this into a pouch to put a packet of Hot Chocolate in but it was far too bulky so I changed it into a card. I`ll keep looking for something else to suit my needs. The photograph didn`t turn out aswell as I would have liked, there are small pearls on the tip of the lace edging to match the pearl brads.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the cards. Its late and I`m off to bed !!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Yvonne

Christmas Boxes and Bags

2009-11-26T11:48:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that its nearly December!!! I thought I would post pictures of some projects I have been working on. This selection is gift boxes and bags for Christmas. I love to give little boxes of goodies as you will remember from my pumpkin boxes. Thank you all so much for you kind and encouraging comments. I don`t know what was wrong today but I couldn`t really capture the projects how I would have liked, they all look far better in the flesh!

In the picture you can see the two sleighs and the Christmas tree. I used the SU matchbox die for the middle, so again I can fill them with chocolates and then simply placed the Sleigh sides on and the Christmas trees either side of the matchbox.

Here is a closer view of the blue and gold sleigh. I used gold mirror card stock for the cover of the box and used the divine swirls embossing folder. The sleigh is a sizzix bigz die to make a 3D card.

On this one I decided not to put the cover over the box so the chocolates actually sit inside the sleigh. The trees are from the Spellbinders Nesting Trees. This is the largest one of them. After cutting them out I used the Divine Swirls embossing folder and then with a glue pen filled the hollows with glitter. I don`t use this alot but I really like the effect. I first saw this method down at Be Creative done by Haroldine, known as "The Tape Lady".

This holder is made using the Pillow Box die. Instructions can be found on Splitcoast Stampers. Instead of the wine bottle you could also fill it with chocolates. The medallion on the front is made using the Kaleidascope pendant die from Spellbinders and the sentiment, of course is made using Justrite. I love that stuff, I know I say that every time but its true !

I am actually holding a class to make these boxes and bags at Be Creative, love it for you to come and join us.

Thank you for looking. Have a great day and Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends.

Yvonne

Winter Pelican.

2009-11-22T22:56:00.001-08:00

Well the weekend is nearly over again. I hope you have enjoyed yours as much as I have mine. Its been busy as usual with plenty of laughter; oh and the highlight must have been going to see New Moon on Friday evening. I can`t wait for the next movie !!!
Anyway on to the card. I really like this Winter Pelican stamp by Impression Obession. I stamped the image in versafine black ink and clear embossed it so I could colour it in with my copic markers. I used the justrite vertical stamper to put the sentiment down the side of the card. You can`t really see in this picture but I did put alittle sparkle on his hat, perhaps I should have put more on him! I embossed the background with the snowdots embossing folder.
Thanks for looking, hope you have a great week.

Yvonne

Sympathy Cards.

2009-10-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Something I never like to make but unfortunately my Grandy passed away yesterday, hence the sad call to make some sympathy cards. He was a real character and lived a full and rich life. I`m just sorry I wasn`t there to say good-bye.

I reached straight for the Justrite stamp set ``Thinking of You``. The sayings seemed just right !

I am really pleased with the way they both turned out. I need to make one more and then hopefully thats it for a long time to come.

Thanks for looking.

Yvonne

Pumpkin Place cards & Treat Boxes !!

2009-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it, two posts in two days - wonders will never cease ! I thought I would post these adorable little boxes. They are for our Thanksgiving dinner. There first task is to serve as a place card and secondly they are filled with four chocolates for alittle treat after dinner. Two for the price of one. You can`t get better !

I started off by making a matchbox using the SU die. Then cutting out two pumpkins from the Spellbinders Nesting Pumpkins. I added some DP from My Minds Eye to brighten them up alittle and then put them through the pumpkin embossing folder. The saying and pumpkin is one from the JustRite Demi Phrases and I have personalised it using the 15pt font which came with the 2" block. There is a small tag of ribbon attached by a gold brad on the end of the box to make it easier to open.From this photograph you can see the inside of the box with the chocolates. Four of the Hershey Toffee and Almond Nuggets fit in a treat. I covered them with matching DP.

My friend came round earlier today and we made ten for her Thanksgiving table. She was `chuffed`.

Hope you like them. Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a great day.

Yvonne

Pumpkin Gift Box.

2009-10-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday !

Long time no post, where has the time gone !! The feel of Autumn is definately here; a slight chill in the air, fabulous colours on the trees, I love it. We were in the garden yesterday chopping and trimming the trees, the sun was shining and the skies were blue; what more could you ask for?
Anyway onto the post. We were invited over for dinner to friends on Saturday so I thought I would make alittle gift to take with us. I got my nesting pumpkins out from Spellbinders and got to work.

I made a one sheet box and placed the pumpkins either side. I then used my Justrite on the sentiment, used the cuttlebug embossing folder of pumpkins after cutting them out to give alittle extra detail; then filled them with chocolate pumpkins..... yummy !!!
Thats about it, hope you like it.
I know its alittle early but HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Thanks for looking have a great day.

Yvonne

Christmas in July !!

2009-07-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I hope everybody is enjoying this fabulous summer we are having. The temperature reached 104 degrees F in the car today - WOW !! - so I`m not sure where the inspiration came from to make several Christmas cards !!

Of course there are some Penny Black Hedgehogs in there and a Holly Berry stamp which I have just aquired. Let me share the cuties first;

I thought this card had somewhat of a vintage / traditional style. I didn`t want to colour too much on the hedgies so I left the sheet music white. I used Basic Grey paper and stamped the sheet music block onto it from Cornish Heritage Farm (quite appropriate, I thought !) I sponged around the edges of the image to match the sponging on the sentiment.

My second card is definately a Christmas card - bright greens, red and white.

You can just see the cuttlebugged background on the dark green, it looked too plain without it. The rest I don`t think needs any explanation. On to my elegant, I think so anyway, Holly Berry card.
I think I am going to use this stamp quite alot for Christmas. The possibilities are endless. Here I stamped the image with the gold embossing three times so I could cut some layers. The next picture shows them quite nicely. I wanted to stamp a greeting in the centre but couldn`t find one to fit. The dove turned out okay. It is suspended between layers two and three.

The blue background is velvet paper. That definately gives it the elegant feel.

Hope you liked the cards, thanks for looking. I am off to get some tea ready. Have a great day!

Yvonne

Shipscat Ensemble !

2009-07-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

Its Friday, that means the weekend is here! Tonight we are going over to the Gulf Islands on the boat for the weekend. The weather looks great and I can`t wait ! I was sure that I had posted pictures of the towels etc that I had embroided for our boat but after some investigation found that I had neglected to do so. Hence this post to show you alittle more of my handy work. As you have already gathered the logo on the towels is the same as the blog. My husband was a ships captain (he has come ashore now) and afew years ago we found a lady on the Isle of Wight - where he grew up - and asked her to draw us a logo we could use on our website and other bits and bobs. We were thrilled with the results and have used it ever since. I had the logo made into a stamp so I could make cards. They come in handy when we need a Thank You card when anybody has done something on or for the boat.
When we bought the boat, and called it "Shipscat" I set about having the logo digitised so I could embroider the towels.

Recently I aquired the matchbox die from Stampin Up and decided to make a small box of chocolates with the logo on for the boat. We are always taking friends on short trips and having lots of fun on the boat I thought it would be a great way to give them alittle something to remember their adventure with.

Well, thats it for today I am heading down to the States for alittle shopping with my daughter and girlfriend before heading out for the weekend on the boat.

I have a couple of cards to share with you next week but for now, have a great day and thanks for looking.

Yvonne

I Went Shopping and Look What I Found !!

2009-07-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Firstly I feel as though I must apologise for the long absence and theres no excuse - time flies what more can I say !!

Anyway enough of that. Today I went to one of my favourite shops - Country Lane. She has a great selection of almost everything. I hunted down the new stamps she had received from Penny Black, I just adore them. I couldn`t wait to get home and ink them up. Heres what I came up with.

I first stamped the image using Versafine Black ink and then embossed it using clear detail embossing powder. I used my copic markers to colour the image in but unfortunately I forgot to make a note of the colours I used before putting them away. I blew the cobwebs off my sewing machine and edged the card to add alittle something. The edge punch is from EK Success - I love it.

Here is the second card.

I fell in love with this stamp as soon as I saw it. A Labour of Love from Penny Black. You can use it like this or split it into three different stamps that I am going to try later. Again I stamped the image using Versafine Black ink and then embossed with clear detail enbossing powder; and again I`m sorry my copics were put away before making a list of the colours used. I think I must have had my "tidy head" on !!

Thanks for visiting my blog, Have a great day!

Yvonne

Stamp Out Breast Cancer weekend.

2009-06-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well, what a fantastic weekend I have just had! I was helping out with the Stamp Out Breast Cancer event held this weekend at Granville Island Hotel, down on Granville Island in downtown Vancouver. I worked on the Make`n`Take stand for "I`m Impressed" stamp shop, which is also located on Granville Island in the kids market. Here are the cards for the make `n` take stand I made for the weekend.

As you can see they are miniture bouquets made using the new flower soft product. They were so cute and quick to make...... although for most people, the hardest part of the card was making the cone for the flowers to sit in!!

I met so many interesting people, it was great to chat and learn about their hobbies. I always think you can never meet too many people !

It was a fabulous weekend and a great time was had by all.

Yvonne

Totally Cased !!

2009-05-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Wednesday !!

Since the first time I saw these flowers on one of Michelle`s cards (from Stampers Dream) I just couldn`t wait to have a go. I absolutely love them. I don`t usually case many cards completely but this one is 100% cased. The original card can be seen here. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I87Ijju9Nzo/SgdNaot5SNI/AAAAAAAADiQ/avdKzJormtk/s1600-h/Friend.jpg

The main image is from Crafty Secrects, Clear Art Stamps - Serenity Prayer and is stamped onto Curious Metallics Ice Gold card stock with Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed with clear detail embossing powder.

I used my Labels 4 nestabilities to cut it out and mat. The designer paper is a retired Stampin Up one. The card stock used is Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink and Purely Pomegranite.

The flowers and greenery are made using Martha Stewart punches. Here is close up of the flowers.

Thanks to Michelle for the inspiration for the card.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a great day. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Yvonne

Minding Shelty !

2009-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend as much as we did.

I have managed to sneek afew minutes to post this card which has been waiting quite a time to be posted. As I have said before I adore the Penny Black images. This one is very appropriate to us as we all love horses in this household. (Albeit we don`t have a shetland !!)

As you can see I remembered to take a photograph of the copic markers I used to colour the image!

Receipe: Card Stock; Chocolate Chip, PTI White, DP Ink; Black Memento, chocolate chip, Stamps; Penny Black - Minding Shelty, Accessories; Ribbon, charm, Curvy Rectangles (Nestabilities)

Thank You for looking, I hope you have a nice day.

Yvonne

WSC76 - Buzzin` Around !

2009-04-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter. Ours was made even more special this year as my parents have come over from the UK for a visit. We had a lovely long weekend.

Well, I think at last we are coming into spring !! The sun is shining and we have blue skies. (Second day running!!) This is my creation for the weekend sketch challenge. This week the sketch was created by Laurie - Thank You Laurie great sketch. The layout can be found at Laurie`s blog - http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/

I adore the Penny Black hedgehog stamps. The image here is coloured in by copic markers. I didn`t want to add too much to the card as the DP is really quite busy in itself, so I decided to try my hand again at sewing the edges. Its not quite as neat as I would have liked but I kept reminding myself it is suppose to be a handmade card and alittle hicup in a straight line would be okay ! I layered the stamped image onto two mats made with my Nestabilities. I think the rest of the card is self explanatory.

Receipe: Stamps: Penny Black, Card Stock: Purely Pomegranate, Bliss Blue, Whisper White, Retired SU DP, Ink: Lamp Black, Purely Pomegranate, Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic Markers, Rhinestones, Ribbon, window punch, Sewing Machine.

Thank You for looking.

Yvonne

Air Brushed Halloween Card with Edge Punches

2009-03-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Happy WET Monday!

Can you believe this weather? Oh well, plenty of time to play. Today I decided to have a go with my copic air brush and edge punches. All I can say is Wow! I think this is a winner. The effects you can create with this will be unlimited. I know Halloween is along way off but for some reason I just happened to pick out those colours.

I started off by playing with my edge punches and seeing the different squares you could make with them. The shape in the squares is made with my Martha Stewart "Goo" edge punch. You can see in the picture below. I started off with a square 2 3/4" and edge punched it on all four sides. This is the mat I used when air brushing. I thought it gave quite a nice effiect.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. All the lovely effects are made using the copic air brush. I then stamped some halloween images in the middle of the squares. A very quick and simple card.

Here you can see the inside of the card. Note the "Goo" edge on the bottom of the insert.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Yvonne

Flower Soft.

2009-03-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday, albeit nearly over ! The weather here has been raining most of the day again but at least that gives me chance to play in my stamp room without feeling guilty.

I decided today I would have a go with a new toy I bought called Flower Soft. I must say I like it alot. Here is the card I came up with.

I first stamped the image using Always Artichoke onto Whisper White card stock. Then using the flower soft glue adhered the flower soft onto the blooms. I made three stems of extra flowers and placed them onto the image, then cut really fine green card stock; this automatically curled itself. The flower pot is cut out, curved over the glue bottle and stuck at the edges to give a 3D look. The two small butterflies are from the Martha Stewart punch.

I didn`t feel that the card needed much else on as the flowers are the focal point. The background paper is from Basic Grey.

Well, I should get on with some housework and tidying up as I have my parents arriving next week from the UK for a month long visit. We can`t wait.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Yvonne

MFT Whats Up Wednesday Challenge

2009-03-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first Challenge in afew weeks. When I was surfing the blogs this morning I came across Amy Shafer at Pickled Paper Designs and her challenge of Paper Pleating. Its easy and really effective. I have used two of my favorite colours Blue Bayou and River Rock. I was pleased with the way it turned out.

The edges of the vanilla CS was sponged in Blue Bayou. You can`t really see in the photograph but the four corners on the river rock has piercing on them.

Receipe: Stamps; SU Rose, Card Stock; Retired Blue Bayou, River Rock, DP, Very Vanilla, Ink; Blue Bayou, River Rock, Accessories; Corner Punch, Build a Brad, River Rock ribbon, Piercing tool, Martha Stewart Edge Punch.

Thanks for looking, have a super day.

Yvonne

Mothers Day !!

2009-03-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hello and Happy Thursday !

The weather here today is gorgeous. The sun is out and bright blue skies. Apparently we have to make the most of it as its going to change again at the weekend. As long as we don`t have another snowfall like last sunday I don`t really mind - still it will mean more time for stamping ! Anyway Mothers Day in the UK is fast approaching, so I set on and made the following cards ready to send home.

I can`t help it, I just love `The Year of Flower` stamp set by Melanie, you can buy this from Gina K. The first card is a 6 x 6 square.

The background paper is from the new collection of Basic Grey - Porcelain. I thought it matched the rose stamp perfectly. The edging on the bottom is using the Martha Stewart Punch and the top corners are cuttlebugged. Not sure if you can see very well from the photograph but the two opposite corners have been pierced just for alittle more detail. The rose has been coloured in with Copic markers. I layered the ribbon as I couldn`t decide which colour ro use but I like the way it turned out! The stamped panel is on dimensions. When I had finished I asked my daughter what she thought "Oh thats nice, it looks like a Nana card" !!

Receipe: Stamps; A Year of Flowers, Ink; Nick Bantock Lamp Black, Card Stock; Always Artichoke SU, PTI White, Basic Grey DP, Accessories; Copic Markers, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Ribbon, Cuttlebug.

My second card is the standard size but as you can see the same colour scheme.

I had trouble taking this photograph and capturing the Twinkling H2O`s used on the tulips. The subtle shimmer looks really nice on them. The third tulip has been put on dimensions to give a 3D look.

Receipe: Stamps; A Year of Flowers, Ink; Nick Bantock Lamp Black, Card Stock; Always Artichoke SU, PTI White, Basic Grey DP, Accessories; Copic Markers, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Ribbon, Corner Punch, Rhinestones.

Well I suppose I better go and post them now! Thank you for looking, have a great day!

Yvonne

All comments are very welcome.

The Acrobatic Hedgehog !

2009-03-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

I do like the Penny Black stamps. I picked this one up the other day and I couldn`t wait to ink him up!! I used the Basic Grey DP Bittersweet for the background and used my copics to colour him in. Finishing off with chocolate satin ribbon and a couple of pink buttons.

Thank you for looking, have a great day!

Yvonne

The Golden Wedding Celebrations !!

2009-02-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

WOW !!! What A trip! Sorry I haven`t been on to post anything but I have just returned from my trip back from the UK. We decided to surprise my parents on their Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration. It was fantastic, I think I can safely say everyone had a great time especially my parents. (After they got over the shock of us turning up from Canada!!) We arrived a couple of days before the party and hid out at my sisters while we prepared events for the evening celebrations. My parents thought they were just celebrating at lunchtime but we had other ideas !! I have posted afew photographs to tell the story in pictures.

This is Jessica and TJ, at 11.00pm on Friday night making the last of the cheese straws for the evening buffet on Saturday. I know htey are called straws but as you can see in the picture we had different shapes, namely hearts and 50`s. Ooooh they did taste good.

Before we went to the luncheon we managed to get Mum and Dad out of their house early so we could go and decorate it outside and in. Here is the banner we had made to put on the garage so everybody on the street could see what the celebrations were !!

We decorated the lounge !

In the Hallway !

This was one of the cakes we had made for them (the other one was at the luncheon)

This was when my Mum saw us for the first time, giving Jessica a big hug !

This was me with my two sisters either side.

The Happy Couple cutting the cake.

This was the production line to make the sandwiches for the buffet !!

And of course we had to have a full family picture as its very rare these days that we are together like this. What a motly looking crew !!!

Well thats it for now, I am going to get caught up with the household chores and then possibly find a sketch challenge !! Watch this space !

Thank you for looking.

Yvonne

OCCC Challenge - Crazy for Hearts !

2009-02-03T21:08:00.000-08:00

I think I am going through a Black and White phase. Everything I`m turning out at the minute are in those colours. But I just love them. I think its so classy and chic. This is my card for the OCCC Challenge - Crazy for Hearts ! I bought the new Zebra stamp at the weekend and was determined to use him in this challenge. I found the perfect sentiment in the Verve stamps from last year, Wild Thing.

Receipe: Card Stock: Basic Black, Whisper White CS, Unknown DP, Stamps:Verve Visual, Zebra by The Artful Stamper, Ink: Real Red, Accessories: Nestabilties, Detail Black Embossing Powder, Scallop Edge Punch, Candy Dots.

I hope you like him. Thank you for taking the time to look. All comments are most welcome.

Have a great day!

Yvonne

Cards / Notelet Gift Set.

2009-01-31T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Saturday !

Today I wanted to share with you a card/notelet gift set which I made for my friends birthday. I was given the idea by Laurie. She had details on her blog (Just Give Me Stamps) about a Love Note set. I was thrilled at how it turned out and my friend was over the moon with it !

I started off with a piece of card stock 7" x 12" and scored it with my Scor-Pal at 5 and 7 inches. (boy does that thing make life easy !) For the spine the piece of DP is 4" x 7" and scored at 1 and 3 inches. I then edged both sides of the spine paper.

I stamped the Rose from the "A Year of Flowers" stamp set; I love the images in this set and it was perfect for this project. You can purchase this at Gina K. I coloured it in with my Copic markers. (Pink means Friendship) Then layered it onto card stock cut using Nestabilities. This is the back of the holder. The saying is from the Say It with Flowers.

For the inside I cut two panels of DP 6.5" x 4.75". The pockets on the front are made from a piece of paper 6.5" x 5.5". I scored around the edges at 1". I used the Doyle edge punch to decorate the top of the pocket and a ribbon to finish them off. For this project I used terrific tape, that way I had no difficulty in making things stick down.

I made a selection of cards for the inside again using the Year of Flowers stamp set. I like the way the flowers are "hanging" over the edge. This idea came from Melanie`s blog, who actually designed the stamps. If you click on the link on the side bar it will take you straight to her blog - well worth the visit.

One finished Card/Notelet Gift Set !

I hope you enjoyed looking, why don`t you try one yourself and be amazed at how easy it is. This makes a lovely gift. Who isn`t always looking for cards to send to people!

Have a great day!

Yvonne

Golden Wedding Favour Boxes

2009-01-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hello and happy Monday!

Well I have been beavering away most of the weekend to make these Favour boxes for my parents Golden Wedding Anniversary in February. Today I have boxed them all up ready to be shipped back to the UK for the celebrations. Through a thread on SCS I found out about these Sour Cream Containers. I`m not sure why they are called this unless this is how your sour cream comes over here !? Anyway I searched for the tutorial, which again can be found under the resource section on SCS - thanks to Beate. I was amazed how easy they were to make and what fabulous results. What do you think?

I made the medallions with the Just Rite Mono Stamper and used detailed gold embossing powder, especially because the lettering is so small. The scalloped round is cut using the Nestabilities. I added alittle ribbon for something alittle extra.

Here is the box ready to be shipped.

My parents are avid cyclists so on the bottom of each box I stamped a pair of cyclists. I bought this stamp ages ago and always put in on their envelopes whenever I send them anything.

Thank you for looking, hope you have a great day!

Yvonne

2009-01-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you all. I can`t believe how long its been since my last post but I do have the excuse of Christmas and going away ! I thought I would start on my Valentine cards in between my other projects I have on the go. I will share those with you alittle later. My first card I made for the OCC challenge. Unfortunately I forgot to put alittle embellishment on the bottom right hand corner of the LOVE word. Oh well better luck next time !

I didn`t realise until after finishing this card that there is no stamping on this card at all ! The letters are made with an alphabet set for my Cuttlebug and the heart is a Nestability. I added some dew drops on the bottom to give it alittle something.

Receipe: Card Stock; SU Naturals Cream, Bazzill Cameo, My Minds Eye DP, Bravo Burgundy. Accessories; Nestabilities, cuttlebug alphabet, scallop edge punch, dew drops.

Thanks for looking, have a great day.

Yvonne

Baby Book

2008-12-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

This is my first `bind it all` book and I am really pleased with it. One of my Mum`s friends has just had a little girl so I thought I would send a small gift to welcome her into the world. I can`t believe how easy it was to make.

I used chipboard for the front and back covers to give it alittle more stability and then used back to back card stock for the inner pages. Unfortunately you can`t see very easily the name and date of birth around the pram. I can assure you that its far easier in `the flesh` so to speak.

I cut the letters and numbers out using my Squeeze tool and my Nestabilites to mat some of the photograph areas. Here are one or two of the inner pages. The stickers are from K & Co., really cute. I love these giraffs, they are stamped from the `Just so Hippy set` and Accecessories by Melanie Muenchinger. There are so many different stamps in the sets and all very cute. You can buy these sets from Gina K.

Receipe:

Card Stock: Bazzil Textured
Paper: Imaginisce Baby Powder - Rosy Cheeks, Baby`s Breath, Cutie Patootie.
Ink: Lamp Black, Pink Markers
Accessories: Ribbon, Nestabilities, Squeeze Tool, Stickers from K & Co., Punch, Buttons.

Thank you for looking, have a great day.

Yvonne

2008-12-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

Gosh its cold today we have snow on the ground and I think its here to stay. Looking at the weather forecast at least for the next week or two and temperatures in the minus. I shovelled the drive this morning.......it was freezing, literally !!

At last I have a minute to myself. Today is my daughter`s birthday party so its been a mad dash to get everything organised. They are quite happy at the moment watching a movie before the food is served.
Here is another of my Christmas cards. I used the burnished velvet technique on this card to create the snowmen disks. I realise that it isn`t really in the christmas colours but I when I made this card I had just aquired the chocolate satin ribon and was desperate to use it !!

Card:

Card Stock; Bazzil bling
Accessories; Cuttlebug alphabet, corner punch, glitter, snowman punch, chocolate satin ribbon.

Thank you for looking, take care.

Yvonne

2008-12-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Gosh how time flies. I can`t believe its December already. I thought it was about time I wrote and sent my Christmas cards if they were to get to there destinations by Christmas. That was my task for last weekend and I am pleased to report I have just been and mailed my last few. Here is one my cards. There`s just something about snowmen - CUTE !

Card Receipe:

Whipper Snapper Stamp, Card Stock: Lovely Lilac, Whisper white, Unknown DP, Extras: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Oval punches, jewels, grosgrain ribbon and fibres, corner punch.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Yvonne

2008-11-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

My early New Years Resolution is to keep an up to date blog. Not sure what I am going to write today but at least its a post to get into the swing of things. Busy day at work and have not had a chance to make any new cards.

Last night was our Stampin Up christmas party. It was great fun to meet the ladies and what alot of fantastic ideas. I have afew I am going to try. The Secret Santa gifts were great. I actually ended up with a set of coasters made from tiles and stamped with the Voila set which is on my wish list to get.

Here is a card I made awhile ago. I love my Whipper Snapper stamps !

Verve Visual Challenge

2008-02-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited this is my first blog and the first time I have uploaded a photo of one of my cards to the web. Must dash, more later. You can see the card at this link!!
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