First for the Year - Sweet Sunday Challenge 51

A bit of a slow start to the year. Especially as I have made a goal to get ahead on my birthday cards this year. Although on holiday, the usual routine goes out the window and not everything happens as you plan. Just have to kick back and enjoy it and make the most of the time I do get to stamp. The first three months of the year are very busy with all our birthdays and many others in the family. So it was good to get a start on one of many to come. I really enjoy taking part in the challenges that are offered on line but am never usually able to get it onto the list. So I have sneaked in the last day for one of my favourites Sweet Sunday Challenge. This is my take on challenge #51.

It is for a teenage nephew. Male cards are tricky as it is but this one came together well as I kept the colour very simple and mixed and matched the stamps to fit the theme. I do like the variety of things you can do with the All in the Family set. To see what else I have come up with check it out here.

Although it should be summer the weather hasn't been all that wonderful. Must have made a difference making the card though as we have finally got a beautiful day to enjoy.

Colour: chocolate chip, kraft
Stamps: all in the family, just beachy and lazy days wheel (SU), alphabet ( unknown)
Finishing Touches: chocolate ribbon, postal scissors

Grunge style

With all the goings on in December there are also a lot of birthdays in our family. So it was great to have a card already made that I had put aside for this special birthday. My nephew turned 13 this year a big milestone. Hard to believe that he is off to high school this year.
This was a card that I had made for one of our stamp club challenges - the theme black and white only. I had been trialling the bits and pieces that I had put together from stampn up to come up with a grafitti style that would suit cards for teenagers. Using my sanded background stamp (SU) together with my colour spritzer tool, sponge daubers and alphabet stencils I had a play with the look that I was trying to create.

Colours: black and white
Stamps: sanded and in the stars (SU)
Finishing Touches: black and white embossing powder, black brads (SU)

Christmas cards

To say that this Christmas time has been busy is putting it mildly. All the grand plans I had for doing cards early in the year just seemed to get put off somewhat until the ultimate last minute where I did post before Christmas but know that they wouldn't get there til after. Still it meant that I made more of an effort with our letter that has much more to say.

With so many design buzzing around in my head, I went for something way more simple and was very pleased with the end result. A big thankyou for the idea from Amy R as I was drawing a bit of a blank as to what to do. You can see her designs here.

After doing so many using my stamp spots (SU) it certainly made up my mind to start buying the larger stamp pads. I think the end result would have come out better as well.

Big NOTE TO SELF: Get busy on your christmas cards wayyyyyy earlier next year!!!!!

Colours: certainly celery, Handsome hunter, real red, pretty in pink, night of navy, brocade blue
Stamps: snow swirled
Finishing touches: Ribbon (various unknown, rhinestones (Kaiser)

Our baby is one!

It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by already and my baby boy has turned one. He is so grown up. But who wouldn't be when you have 3 older brothers to catch up to.

I have been mulling over the idea for his card for some time. I got the inspiration from one of his t-shirts. Everyone says you are forever changed when you look at the world through stamping coloured lenses. With the aid of my card swatches I matched the colours that I was looking for. Along with my patchpal puppy stamp from Clear Dollar Stamps I thought it was a good match. I am looking forward to doing some more with similar ideas.

Colours: riding hood red, baja breeze, chocolate chip, certainly celery

Stamps: patchpal puppy and paw prints(CDS)

Finishing touches: happy birthday embossing folder, striped riding hood red grosgrain ribbon and chocolate chip and certainly celery grosgrain ribbon (SU), brads - vintage (SU), copper embossing powder, heidi grace chipboard wild daisy

Mainly Music Thanks

It was a pleasure to be able to organise a thank you to our two awesome leaders at Mainly Music. Due to different circumstances we are finishing up with this being our last session so it was important to say a big thank you to them for all their hard work. Everyone pitched in towards a gift and I made some cards to go with them. I kept them Christmas themed along with the thank yous

Colours: bravo burgandy, very vanilla, so saffron

Papers: heidi grace wild daisy glittered paper

Stamps: alphabet (see D's)

Finishing touches: heidi grace chipboard wild daisy, burgandy ribbon (celebrate), daisy punch, brads - vintage (SU), green glitter

Super Dad

A super dad deserves a special card for his 60th! Certainly never says enough for all that he has done for us. I always seem to plan what I want to do well in advance and manage to pull it together in the end. This being the night before heading down country.

I was very pleased with how this one turned out from the colours to the images. Male cards are always harder to do. I picked out things that represent Dad and went from there. It certainly drew on a lot of sets that I have. The colours from the ribbon gave the base for the colours that I used.

Colours: chocolate chip, close to cocoa, bashful blue, very vanilla

Stamps: dress up billy (PCS), tool time (CDS), Leaf (Megilo), Just beachy (SU), alphabet (unknown)

Finishing touches: traffic lights squares embossing folder, jigsaw stencil, sanding block, fiba tape, copper embossing powder, ribbon (unknown) brads- vintage (SU)

Feeling a lot like Christmas

Where did last month go? I know we have been sick for most of it. Kind of thrown a spanner in the works of all the projects that I intended to do. Never mind one thing at a time. I just don't have the time to blog about them thats all.

This is a card that I did for our last stamp club for the year. The challenge was to create something for Christmas using Christmas colours and a neutral. I had seen buttons used to make a christmas tree at Jillibean soup and wanted to try it out. With this as a starter it was a case of finding colours to match. I am loving using my kraft paper as a neutral base.

Colours: kraft, so saffron, always artichoke

Stamps: snow swirled (SU)

Finishing touches: buttons, so saffron ribbon and lines thread (SU), copper embossing powder and glitter, pearls.