New Butterflies

Hello Everyone,

 

Oh WOW the year is getting away from me, mid July already and I have not even thought about Christmas yet, but then again, I have five months to think about that.

 

So with this in mind, I made a card.

 

 

This is so cute and such a minimalist card for me.  A6 card with a portrait oriention and a vertical opening, I have made the blue panel in textured cardstock, a Memory Box die (so lovely) in black placed directly on the panel, a sentiment  stamped from my new set from Wild Rose Studio (Everyday Sentiments)  and loads of bling, how simple is that?

 

Hope you like it.

 

Hugs 🙂

 

Lauren

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Distress Ink Backgrounds

Hello Everybody!

 

Freezing cold today with the wind coming off snow nearby, I am thinking that Winter is having a last shake before she says goodbye! 

 

So I have been playing with some inks.  Yes Ranger Distress Inks and sponge applicators to make a stunning background.

 

 

This first one is just a blend of Vintage Photo, Dried Marigold and Mustard Seed.  Starting with the lightest across the centre of the card and blending up and down, then the next colour spreading further up and down, and then the Vintage Photo at the top and bottom and a little down the side edges.

Then the exciting bit, the stamping of that fabulous Windmill stamp from Kaszazz and the Happy Birthday from the set from  Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Simple Sayings.

 

 

 

Then this one is done very similarly with the base card inked again with the same 3 colours and then spritzed with water.  The panel is inked and then stamped with the beautiful Stamp-It Australia Stamp Tranquil Dawn and the Simple Sayings Happy Birthday.

 

 

Same colours of ink again, this time the background is a circular one with pale surrounded by darker and the edges with areas of pale.  The Lucy’s stamp Large Tiger is stamped and then masked so that the Bamboo can create a background with repetitive stamping.

 

Hope you like them as much as I like playing with inks!

 

Hugs   🙂

Lauren

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Shabby Flowers Birthday

Hello Everyone,

 

Well what a busy time it has been lately!  But I have been doing some craft and have some catching up on blogging for you all.

 

So here is a card.

 

 

This is a little bit away from what has been my usual style.  Just an embossed background panel with some die cut strips across the bottom in yellow and white, a simple ribbon tied on the side and those three gorgeous shabby flowers.  All finished with a ribbon cut sentiment.

 

Simple and really nice.  The colours are a step away from my usual too.

 

Hope you like it. 🙂

Hugs

Lauren

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Die Cutting….

Hello Everyone,

 

What a wonderful time to be papercrafting with all the wonderful toys and supplies around, how ever did I do it all before dies and die cutting machines??? I do not know. 🙂

 

 

Well I would never have attempted a card like this, it is all die cuts!! A Cheery Lynn doily (my favourite) and Faerie , so pretty adn the flower by Sizzix Tim Holtz Tattered Petals made from satin and tulle.

 

Teddy is loving it, he says it is so different to what is usually done here.  He has been on holiday you know and is now back home for a rest, dear boy!!

 

Enjoy your day, thanks for calling in.

 

Hugs 🙂

 

Lauren

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Favourite Things

Hello Everyone,

 

Wonderful day today, warm, sunny Autumn at its best.

 

But sadness has fallen over the Newcastle and Valley with the death this morning of Tony Tamplin, the police public relations officer.  He went to work this morning, collapsed and died shortly after in hospital.  His workmates gave him CPR till the ambos arrived.  Very sad, I think that everyone knows of Tony and his community work, fundraising, tireless work and high public profile.  The only police officer I ever knew with real personality and a smile for everyone.  Far too young at 54.  R I P Tony, heaven will be a better place for your presence.

 

So I made a card in police blue.

 

 

Even Ted is a bit subdued today.  But this card is so special with its ruffled ribbon, double bow, handmade flowers, lacey edges, circles and wreath and the lovely sentiment.  The butterfly, wreath and flowers have been inked with Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks.

 

Hope you like it, hope your day has been going along well.

 

Hugs 🙂

 

Lauren

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Anya, what a beautiful name!!

Hello Everyone, so it has been harder to get back into blogging than I thought, so easy to get into bad habits and so much harder to relearn good ones.

 

So I bought myself an Anya Border and just had to make this cad with it.  Love the apparent simplicity of it, the CAS style, although it is not simple at all.  This is my take two as the boder does not really line up opposite itself.

 

 

Well Teddy is sure blown away, he has forgiven me for not taking his photo for a while, and keeping him in the dark.  I have used lilac shimmer card under the cut out and kept the remainder of the card in white, even so far as the flowers.

 

Hope you like it!! Have a great day!!

 

Hugs 🙂

 

Lauren

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Something Simple Please….

Hello Everyone,

 

I thought today I would make a card for you that is very simple and post office friendly.  I also thought the flame tree was worth a run today.

 

 

This is only the 4th year this has flowered, they take so long, I am amazed.  This is about half out, more to come.  It shades the BBQ area and table and chairs all morning till about lunchtime, and then the Tibouchina takes over.

 

So now to look at the ‘now for something completely different’ in the card line from me.

 

 

Oh yes, you remember I moved my stamps to the space behind me, with the inks with them, well it has made it easy for me to stamp more.  This card is made with the Stampin Up Upsy Daisy stamp.  I have shadow stamped it (stamped and then offset stamped again without re-inking) so that it gives depth and seems to be so many more daisies there.

 

This has been done on cream cardstock with Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Dark Brown.  I love my Fluid Chalk inks.  Great coverage and so thick.  Not transparent like most dye inks.  I chose to use the strip of card to stamp on and have the base card as a border top and bottom as this strip is an offcut from making 5×5 cards and I love using scraps.

 

The stip is inked around and then attached to the base card, add a strip of ribbon and a bow or knot and a button threaded with twine.  I inked my twine.  My twine comes from the onions bags.  I love it when I can recycle something.  Buttons too!!

 

Thanks for calling in, hope your day is going well.

Hugs

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A Little Bird…..

Hello Everyone!!

Very warm day today, amazing we can have 29 today and the night before last it snowed on the mountains.  Dare I ask what is happening with snow in October?

Over the last several years our garden has really grown and established itself.  When we first came here we had lots of parrots and bigger birds and no small ones.  We planted lots of bushy shrubs like grevilleas and a few prickly leaf shrubs, lots of old fashioned Gardenias and loads of Clivias.  This has created a haven for little wrens, gorgeous blue headed babies, noisy twitterers and whistlers.  They are gorgous.

 

 

I do really like this SU bird punch with the branch and the wing for him, it is so cute and a perfect size for everything!!

So I made a card with the bird on it.  From this lovely little inspiration and because my friend Miss Lynn is hosting the feathered friends in the MIU Challenge over on SCS.

 

 

Yes it is a Masculine Card!! A base A6 card opening at the bottom with a smaller embossed panel leaving a 1cm white border.  The EF used is from SU and stamped with the large stamp from the SU Boroque Motifs set before embossing and then inked around the edge with Colorbox Fluid Chalk in Olive Pastel.

The Birthday Celebrations from SU is stamped on a strip that has been cut with a tag punch for the ends, edged with ink, slot holes punched and ribbon threaded and a knot to finish that.

Lots of foliage added and the bird has been edged with ink before being placed.  A pearl for his eye and some pearls on the sentiment strip.
Hope you like it.  Thanks for calling in, hope you have a great day!!

Hugs 🙂

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Negative Fun….

Hello Everyone,
Well what a wonderful lazy Saturday for me, I read most of my day with a nana nap thrown in for good measure.  The book I was reading was Lydia Fielding a book set in rural England in the 19th Century, almost a social diary of everyday life with some sordidness, a huge cast of characters, and everyday life passing by. Also like a social history, since it also covered some political issues such as caring for ‘fallen women’, educating poor children, and rights for women.  This is my type of book!!
So then I was late making my card for you.  A special one today for the Ways to Use It Challenge on SCS hosted my my friend Dawn Mercedes.

 

 

Dawn asked us to use the negative of a die cut or punch for our cards.  I had been hoarding this leaf negative for ages and never quite knew what to do with it, well it got me moving!!

I inked around my A6 Kraft card base.  Topped that with a DP vintage music sheet that has been distressed with a distressing tool and inked.  Then the same treatment to the green negative piece and put on at an angle.

I placed a Happy Birthday across the middle, it has the same treatment as the other pieces.  I had to think  about this and needed to know what to do next. So I thought maybe some leaves, so I did some fern leaves in the same as the base and inked them.  A couple of dragonflies, some buttons and some dimensional pearls.

Hope you like it.

Thanks for calling in, hope you have a great day, I will be off to bed now!!

Hugs 🙂

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Eighteen Candles

Hello Everyone, it is NRL Grand Final afternoon and almost half time at the footy, yes I am posting too….. Need a breath of air, the Storm are right over the Bulldogs and it is goin to be a long long way back in the second half if I want to have something to celebrate later today.

So earlier today I made this card for the Alphabet Challenge Letter E this week over on Splitcoaststampers.

 

First off I have completed my dare from Dani with this card as it has an Easel on it.  Thanks for the points Dani

Second I could not help myself with these little beauties all starting with the Letter E…. ooohhhh I love collecting those points.

I have used an Ecru coloured cardbase and layered a panel that has been Edged with scallops and on that have layered an Embossed panel done with Eggplant ink. The Easel has a Eclectic cake painting on it and there are Eighteen candles held by Elastic threaded through Ebony Eylets and there are Eight of those. Thewords Eat and Enjoy gives a total of Eleven countable Elements on my E-card…. (not counting the easel, or one other E)  Tee Hee. This is so fun.

So my background panel in Eggplant is inked in an embossing folder which has been inked in dye ink with a brayer to give lovely even coverage.  I will be doing a tootie on this in the next week or so, as soon as I find out how to edit my video….yes I am a video star1!!!!

The candles are each made indiviually by rolling a little strip of Designer Paper and then gluing down.  I rolled mine on a toothpick, and released the roll slightly, then glued it and then placed in position and gluing down. Then I put a little glue inside the top hole and pushed an end of cotton 4ply crochet thread in and cut if off for the wick.

OK so I may have thought this was cooler than you did. 🙂  I really do think this is pretty cool, and I have a very similar idea for a bookshelf background….
Thanks for calling in, I hope you have a great day.
Hugs 🙂

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