Sympathy Card.

These are the cards that no-one likes to have to give out as it means they have lost a loved one, but, unfortunately there is always someone who needs one of these. I haven't made this one for anyone specifically, it's here "just in case".

I've used the CPS sketch #79 for the design (see below), and it also qualifies for the August Inkurable Stampers challenge - this month's challenge was to use one flower stamp and one or more other stamps.



The flower and the frame stamp are from the Inque Boutique - Boho Frames set, the greeting is a Stampin' Up one. I've used papers by Basic Grey from the Blush range. I've added some Kaiser pearls - not sure it shows up well, but I dotted the 'i's with pearls too, a ribbon bow and a holographic glitter butterfly.

Are we crazy??

After posting the previous card, I started thinking that those of you who live in the Northern Hemisphere must think us Aussies are stark raving mad!

We celebrate Christmas during summer down here, but we send out Christmas cards with a wintery theme! The craziness doesn't end there either, we sit down to a traditional Christmas lunch of roast turkey with all the trimmings and hot plum pudding, often served with hot custard!! It can be sooo hot here, but we'll still spend the day slaving over a hot stove cooking a traditional English Christmas dinner. It all stems from our English ancestors who wanted to keep some of their English traditions with them in their new adopted land.

I remember reading a book (also a very funny movie) about Aussies, it was called "They're a Weird Mob", I can't recall who wrote it, but I think it was a newly arrived Italian immigrant who was trying to work out some of our weird customs and sayings. Too true........we are definitely a weird mob!!

August Sheetload card.

I know, I know.........it's only August, what am I doing making Christmas cards!!! Well, it is winter down here in Australia, and while it doesn't actually snow down here in Melbourne, it does get very cold brrr!

Another reason for making this particular card is that the August Sheetload is the perfect sketch design for making multiple cards. Sheetload of Cards is a blog that each month releases an E-zine as a free download. In each copy is a card sketch with the materials listed, sizes to cut your papers etc. to make around 6 to 8 cards from just 3 or 4 sheets of paper/cardstock. Couldn't be any easier for making bulk Christmas cards! You can add little extras like I have to "make it your own"

This month Sheetload of Cards is running a contest to win some great prizes just for posting a card using the August Sheetload sketch. Entries close this Friday, you can see the contest prizes and details HERE

For the background piece of this card I've used the Cuttlebug Pearls technique from the October 2007 Technique Junkies newsletter. The cuttlebugged piece is a sheet of acrylic.

Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts snowman, SU greeting.

Punches: Carlcraft snowflakes in 2 sizes.

Cardstock: Pedigree Paper

Other: Kaiser gems, glitter, MM brad, Kindyglitz 3D slick white, gel pens, acrylic sheet, Pearl Ex, braid, staples, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder, Inks.

Oriental Stamp Art - Website review.

You probably know that I belong to the Oriental Stamp Art group, commonly referred to as OSA, and I'd just like to post a link to an article that my friend Carole M. has written about this wonderful group. You can see her article HERE.

There are stamp artists from all over the world who are members of this group and they are the friendliest bunch of people you could hope to "meet". If you click on the OSA link make sure you check out the galleries, there's some fantastic art in there.

p.s. If the website doesn't come up on the first try it is probably due to the website and gallery being changed over to a new server..........there are still techo. things to be ironed out, so just try again later if you can't get in the first time.

Cataloguing my supplies.

Just thought I'd share how I catalogue some of my craft supplies. I bought these little mini photo albums at a throwaway price of 20c if I remember rightly, they are just the perfect size to take with me when I'm shopping for new supplies - that way I won't double up on punches, inks, re-inkers etc. They have plastic pockets to hold a 6"x4" photo. I cut plain white cardstock, sized to fit inside the pockets, and each time I buy a new punch I punch the shape out and stick it onto the card and write the brand and name and code underneath. I also have a page cataloguing which sets of Twinkling H2O's I have.

The 2nd album is just for inks, I have a page for each brand of ink I have, and if I have a re-inker for it, it will have a tick beside it. I always use the same stamp for my ink samples, it has quite a bold design so the ink shows up well.

I have this Visual Art Diary to keep in my Craft Room, in it I have samples of my Marker Pens, Watercolour Pencils, Prismacolour Pencils, Watercolours and Chalks. You can't tell the accuracy of the colour until you give it a little scribble on paper or paint it on something, so this just saves time really.

The Hero Arts watercolours don't come named so I've just placed them in a circle in the same order as they are in their containers.


I'd love to hear how others catalogue their supplies, so please leave a comments or a link to a blog article if you have any ideas to share.



Thanks for visiting my blog.

ps. Sorry about the bad photography, but it's such an awful grey, dreary day here...not very good for taking photos I'm afraid.

My apologies if this article is not laid out very well.........I struggle with Blogger trying to put multiple photos and text where I want it to go..........the posted article always ends up looking different to the compose and the preview page!

Hanafuda Swap returns.

These are the cards that I received back from the OSA Hanafuda Swap recently. See my card and the swap details HERE.

The card on the left is by Bonnie W.











The second card is by Linda B.












This Tri-fold card is by Toni.

Sandra G. made a set of playing cards which came all wrapped up in some aged paper tied with string.

This was a great swap to be involved in, the projects were many and varied and no two items were alike. The swap wasn't limited to cards and there were wall hangings, scrolls, jewellery items.............just about anything you could stamp on was used.

Adventure of a Lifetime.

This is an ATC made for the Make It Monday challenge on the Go Make Something blog. This is actually last Monday's theme, which was Italy.

The man in the photo is actually my Grandfather who migrated from Italy to Australia in 1923. He made the journey alone when he was only 18yrs old! The papers behind the photo are photocopies of his original passport. I was researching my family history when I came upon some information on the Australian National Archives site - they sent me a lot of photocopied papers relating to him becoming a naturalized Australian, but the bonus was the photo and the passport papers! Even my mother had not seen a photo of him at such a young age.............and we also discovered that he had changed his first name from Bartolomeo to Robert when he arrived in Australia. Grandpa died when I was only 9yrs old.................I wish I could've got to know him better, there are so many things I would've liked to know about his life.

Incidentally, I'm sure Grandpa sailed here on a much more modern steam ship rather than the very old sailing ship stamp I've used!

Thank You cards.

These are just some quick Baby Thanks cards I made for my daughter to send out. I think the finished card size is 4 and 3/4" x 3 and 1/4"............I've already given them to her so I can't check it.

I've just used a white folded card, 2 shades of pink Bazzil card and white layer that has been embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. Also added is some ribbon already printed with 'Thanks', and assorted pink flowers and Kaiser gems.

Shock, horror................no stamping on these cards!!! Would you believe silly me put my little 'Hand stamped by' stamp on the back though! Duh!

Look Whoo's 15!

Finally, I have something new to post.....................just haven't had a lot of creative time lately!

This card is for my nephew Nick's birthday. I struggle a bit with themes for teenage boys as they're too old for the cutesy stuff, but not old enough for the adult themes. I did a music one for him last year, so had to think of something else................hope he likes this one.

It was a fairly quick card to make as I used some Basic Grey paper as the background piece instead of making my own background. The BG paper is called Delish from the Blush range of papers. The chipboard owl is by Collections as is the paper that I used to cover him. The eyes/beak are sprayed with Tattered Angels bronze glitter spray, and I also sprayed the body with it.

The chipboard numbers are painted with Turquoise Lumiere paint and I outlined the edges with a black Sharpie pen.

Stamps used: Word balloon and the 'look' word are by Will 'n Way, the arrow is by October Afternoon, the branch is by Heidi Grace and the 'Whoo's' word is made by using a Grant Card Stamp & Scrap Alphabet.

Other supplies: Nestabilities circle, Kaiser gems, black brads for the owl's eyes, turquoise, black and cream cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by....................if anyone still is!