Workspace Wednesday

The idea for Workspace Wednesday came from Marcy Penner.  I love the idea of the glimpes into what is currently on my desk, and it gives me motivation to keep working in my creative space.

While I had said that I had been aiming to get my story stamp for the month finished so I was ready for this month when it arrived it just hasn't happened.  We have been down for the count with the horrible bug that has been around and this week it was my turn.  The great thing is when I do finally get a chance it will still be there waiting for me to get to it.

In the meantime I was asked to make a card for a colleague at my husband's work.  It has been a while since I made cards so it took a bit to get back into the swing of things.  Loved it!  I am in my element pulling out things here and there and seeing how I can put them together.  One messy space.

Here is the end result.  Love how it turned out.  It looks much better in real life.

A gift for a teacher

My son's student teacher was finishing in their class and he wanted to give her a gift so together we made a gift and card to give her.

I had pinned these fun bookmarks.  I already had the buttons and ribbon so just needed the hair ties (not something we have around our place). A little fiddly getting the sizing right so we made a small and large one for different size books.

In one of the latest Papertrey Ink releases there was a teacher word die.  I came across this card by Christina at My Paper Secret and we put together our own version using similar elements and making our own.

Colours:  night of navy, cherry cobbler, daffodil delight, white
Stamps:  family greetings (EB), little pieces (SU), notebook paper (verve)
Finishing touches:  school papers (KI memories), apple cork sticker (LYB), rounded rectangle die (verve), headline alpha die (PTI), circle punch, maraschino bakers twine (the twinery)

Just a few cards

Way back when I had an opportunity to spend time with my Mum and sister for a scrappy weekend. Usually I organise a number of pages and at least have an idea of cards that I want to do.  This time as it was short notice I threw in my bag a whole lot of bits and pieces along with stamps that I haven't used or are favourites and went.  I have started a few different layouts that I need to finish.    A little time putting together the different bits and pieces that I had brought with me and these are the cards that I came up with.

  

Colours: daffodil delight, basic grey, very vanilla

Stamps:  hello sunshine (PTI), pattern pieces (SU)

Finishing touches:  ribbons (SU), buttons, stitching, washi tape, papers (MME)

 Colours:  bashful blue, night of navy, white

Stamps:  fancy flourishes and stylish sentiments - birthday (PTI)

Finishing touches:  seam binding ribbon, square lattice embossing folder, beautiful wings 

embosslits and silver button (SU), 

Colours:  riding hood red, basic grey, going grey, white

Stamps:  lots of spots (CDS), background basics - retro and papertrey (PTI)

Finishing touches:  washi tape, buttons, maraschino bakers twine (the twinery)

 Colours:  very vanilla, calypso coral, going grey

Stamps:  background basics - retro, stylish sentiments - birthday and fancy flourishes (PTI), ciao baby (SU)

Finishing touches:  ruffled ribbon, designer frames embossing folder and rhinestones (SU), washi adhesive sheets (WAMK),   flowers (prima)

 Colours;  black, white, old olive

Stamps:  background basic - inspiration and stylish sentiments (PTI), punctuation (KP)

Finishing touches:  washi tape, domino tiles (JB), stitching, anchor and brad, charcoal bakers twine (the twinery)

 Colours:  not quite navy, old olive, very vanilla

Stamps:  background basics - retro and hello (PTI)

Finishing touches:  hello die (PTI), ribbon

Colours:  crumb cake, sahara sand, not quite navy, early espresso

Stamps:  grunge me (PTI), graph paper (verve)

Finishing touches:  rectangle rounded die (verve), button, faux stitching, alpha stickers, peg (pebbles)

Colours:  very vanilla, rose red, tempting turquoise, garden green, black

Stamps:  draft (amy tangerine) 

Finishing touches: headline alpha die (PTI), sketch papers (amy tangerine), ribbon, washi tape, buttons, stitching, anchor and brad

Colours:  tangerine tango, night of navy, very vanilla

Stamps: in the stars and itty bitty banners (SU) 

Finishing touches:  ric rac ribbon, washi tape, itty bitty banners die (SU), 

Great additions to my card stash.

A Card

With all my layouts of late I decided to pop in a card for a change of pace.  I have started a collection of ideas for cards for guys on Pinterest.  The colours from this one caught my eye.  I realised I hadn't used my stars border from Papertrey so started with that.  Must do more.  Everyone sees male cards as a bit of a challenge.  Definitely a need out there for more ideas.

Colours: crumb cake, riding hood red, baja breeze, not quite navy
Stamps:background basics - inspiration (PTI), sentiments circles (autumn leaves), punctuation (kelly pannachi), notebook paper (verve)
Finishing touches: super stars border die (PTI),  rounded rectangel die (verve), corner rounder (fiskars), linen thread, papers (October Afternoon)

Teachers Gifts - Post Its

Thank goodness for pinterest.  I found this post by Tracy at Paper Wings and was able to put together a little something as a thank you for my boys teachers.  It was nice to do something a little different from the Christmas decoration that I have done in the past. With all these ideas to draw I am looking forward to being even more creative next time. 

Colours: not quite navy, rich razzleberry, old olive
Stamps: words of wisdom (verve)
Finishing touches:  acrylic photo frames, post it notes, striped grosgrain ribbon (SU)

Big Picture Idea Festival Day Three - Dream journal

We all have dreams.  How many of them actually become reality?  What is missing?  The action required to bring it about.  A quote I love 'in order to get what we want we have to know what we are willing to give up to get there'  challenges me to keep moving forward.  I already had a journal for the purpose of writing my dreams.  This challenge has made me take action to actually start believing that I can do what I want to do. 

So much more inspiring to write in I think.

My dream to set up a studio/function centre 

where I can help people to simplify their lives 

to discover what they were made to do and go out and do it.

I am a teacher

I am an encourager

I am creative

Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful

Stamp Club Challenge September

This month the challenge is to do something different with your punches.  Always great to get the most out of your tools and supplies by discovering new ways that they can be used.  So the punches that I have used are:

photo corners for the 'arrows' border

round tab punch for the brackets

circle scallop punch for the rolled flowers

I was going to try and put them altogether but it was too much so I ended up with two cards using a similar design.  Love how they turned out.

Colours: not quite navy, pumpkin pie, white
Stamps: in the stars (SU)
Finishing touches: round tab punch, photo corners punch, white embossing powder and patterned DSP (SU), dimensionals, stitching

Colours:  not quite navy, very vanilla, old olive
Stamps:  hope perches (verve), grunge me (PTI)
Finishing touches:  round tab punch, circle scallop punch, big shot textured impressions embossing folder, metallic brads, ruffled ribbon island indigo, victoria crochet trim and everyday enchantment DSP (SU), dimentsionsls, stitching, heart die (cuttlebug)

Scrappin Patch - Use your stash challenge #3

 Scrappin Patch has a challenge each Wednesday morning.  This week is a colour challenge.

The first card was the idea I started out with. 

As I started pulling out papers and bits and pieces to work with I came up with something more detailed.  It made sense to make them both as I had all my stash out to work with.  It was great to use some of my supplies that I hadn't already played with.  Love the seam binding; ribbon for tying bows.

These are the colours in the challenge.  At first I thought they would be tricky to work with.  I was pleasantly surprised by how they came together.

For You

Colours: very vanilla, so saffron, calypso coral, baja breeze, chocolate chip

Stamps: paper tray (PTI), whimsical words(SU)

Finishing touches:  ittly bitty buttons (SU), deb divine embossing folder (cuttlebug), seam binding ribbon baja breeze (SU)

Speak the truth

Colours: very vanilla, so saffron, calypso coral, baja breeze, chocolate chip

Stamps: words of wisdom and notebook paper (verve), pattern peices (SU)

Finishing touches: paper (grace taylor), stitching, seam binding ribbon baja breeze, lots of tags label and linen thread (SU), rounded rectangle die (verve), twine (the twinery), rhinestones (kaiser), buttons, spool (nostalgia),

Pinterest inspiration

If you haven't checked out pinterest yet, it is well worth a visit. These cards were inspired by a page that is saw while checking it out. You can find it here

Colours:white, basic grey, yo yo yellow Stamps: words of wisdom(verve), chevron stripes (PTI) Finishing touches: scallop circle punch, button, buttercream twine (the twinery), distress tool Colours: white, more mustard, crumb cake, taken with teal Stamps: large alpha (making memories), small alpha (unknown), alpha (martha stewart), rough type (SU), background basics retro (PTI) Finishing touches:corner rounder (fiskars)

I do

My husband needed a wedding card made for one of his colleagues at work for everyone to sign. It is my taste at making cards to sell. I love the challenge of creating something special. This one stared off with the wedding papers. I was going to go with red but having worn a top that morning with my favourite colour, teal, I tried it and went with that instead.

Colours: black, white, going grey, pacific point
Stamps: tiny tags and text style (PTI), wedding mini (kaiser)
Finishing touches: wedding papers (bella!), upper crest border punch (fiskars), silver cord, black embossing powder, heart die (verve), pearls (kaiser),stitching, flowers, antique brads (SU)

December Stamp Club Challenge

To finish off our fantastic year at stamp club the challenge was to create a secret santa present to swap with someone on the night. After much deliberation and the decision to do something different from a Christmas theme, I was inspired to create a booklet to get the new year started. We all create New Years resolutions and then get to the end of the year and find we haven't got any further than thinking about it. So this is put together with different ways to set goals, celebrate life's little moments and do something with it. In the end it became more than the idea that I started with. The ideas are something that I have been putting together for a while now and will be doing myself. The sentiments from Stampin Up, my new Ali Edwards stamp sets and Verve words of wisdom' fitted well.