Hand Drawn Frames. Bella and Pretty Kitty.

Hello, and welcome! 

I have been doing Zentangle drawings lately, and decided that a curvy hand-drawn frame would look perfect with a black and white card. 

I knew which stamp set to choose and went straight to these two coordinating sets. 

I started with the inside of the cards first, because I wanted to use my Copic markers to shade parts of the image before committing to the front panels. 

I used cool greys, C1 and C3, and a 0.3 black Copic Multiliner to give some definition in the shadows, and to "ground" the image of the kitty.

For the outside of the cards I added C5 for a little more depth of shadow. 

For the kitty frame, I simply drew some wavy lines with breaks in the lines and made sure the image was in front of the framed area.

                 For the Puppy Card I started with 2 wavy parallel lines, then sectioned them off with curved stripes, then coloured leaving the centres blank to look like the frame was 3D. It gives an interesting effect, and is very simple to do, once you have practised a few times on scratch paper.

I hope you enjoyed today's project. I like both frames, but I'm not sure which you prefer. Leave me a comment below, and thanks for visiting today.

Bella and Friends Wood Mount #141867

Clear Mount #3141870

Pretty Kitty Wood mount 141861

Clear Mount #141864

Thankful Thoughts Wood mount #141519

Clear Mount #141522

Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Carry Over Favourites Card Recipe For You. Stampin' Up! Australian Demonstrator.

Card Recipe using Stylish Stems Framelits. 

Stamps
• Special Reason Stamp Set

Paper
• Daffodil Delight Cardstock
• Pool Party Cardstock 
• Sahara Sand Cardstock 
• Shimmery White Cardstock 
• Whisper White Cardstock 

Ink
• Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad
• Night of Navy Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Sahara Sand Classic Stampin’ Pad

Accessories and Tools
• White Baker’s Twine
• Floral Boutique Designer Washi Tape
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Aqua Painters
• Big Shot
• Stylish Stems Framelits Dies

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

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 Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

At Home With You Bundle: Australian Stampin' Up!

                         Hello, and welcome back to another NEW CATALOGUE blog post.
Here is another lovely product bundle from Stampin' Up's! New Catalogue. Have a look at the video as Brandy explains all the features for you.
You will find these items on page 56 of the catalogue. Make sure you download your copy from my blog (it's posted in the top right hand corner).
At Home with you Bundle (save 10%) Photopolymer #145351  $85.50
The 3D wreath is made from the Boxwood Wreath embellishments  #144176  $10.50 on page 197.

You can purchase these items from my online store www.AussieStampers.stampinup.net  

                                       Have a wonderfully creative day!  
                                   Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Oh So Eclectic Video

Hello, and welcome to my blog.
The Oh So Eclectic suite is very trendy, and you can make some fun cards with it. Have a look at the video and see some examples of what you can make.
The Oh So Eclectic Bundle is on page 132 of the new catalogue, which you can find in the top right hand corner of my blog.
Here are the order codes and prices in Australian Dollars:

Oh So Eclectic Bundle (save 10%) includes stamp set and thinly dies #145355 Wood Mount $93.50
#145356 Clear Mount $81.00

or to buy them individually, if you only wanted one or the other,

Oh So Eclectic Stamp Set #143937 Wood Mount  $54.00 #143940 Clear Mount $40.00

Eclectic Layers Thinlit Dies #143774 $50.00

Also available in the suite are Designer Series Paper, a card stock pack in Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, and Soft Sky, and coordinating ribbons.

Naturally Eclectic Designer Series Paper #144185 $19.25

Naturally Eclectic Card Stock Pack #144187

Naturally Eclectic Overlays #144188 $12.25

5/8" (1.6cm) Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon : $14.00 each
Night of Navy #144189
Peekaboo Peach #144192
Berry Burst #144191
emerald Envy #144190   

                                                       BUY NOW

                                 Thanks so much for shopping with me!
                                                     Vicki x  💝                  

The New Catalogue is Here! Have a look at the new goodies!

                                               Hello, and thanks for stopping by today.

Don't you just love a fully coordinated suite of products to help take the guesswork out of making impressive hand made projects? The Wood Textures suite has a coordinating paper stack, perfect for the men in your life! The adorable little crate is the perfect size for treats. Hop on over to my store to purchase yours now!
                           
Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack #144177 $17.50
Wood Words Stamp Set and Wood Crate Framelits Dies Bundle (save 10%)
Wood #145315  $91.75
Clear #145316  $79.00
1/4"  (6.4mm) Copper Trim #144179 $10.00 (4.6 metres)
5/8"  (1.6cm) Burlap Ribbon #141487 $12.25 (4.6 metres)
7.6 x 15.2 cm Gusseted Cellophane Bags #141704 $8.00 (25 bags)

                                                           BUY NOW
                                      Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

                                       

Sneak Peek: Soft Sayings Card Kit.

Don't you just love a sneak peek! Here is one of my favourite things in the new catalogue, which is only a few days away!

It's a brand new all-inclusive Card Kit called Soft Sayings. 

In the kit are 20 Cards, 2 of each design, in 3 different sizes, with matching envelopes. Everything comes in a neat presentation box so you can take it on the run and work on your cards at your own pace. Everything you need will fit inside the box. The stamps, ink spot and acrylic block are provided, all you need to supply is adhesive.

Here is a video showing you what's inside. The all-inclusive kit will be available in my online store from June 1st.

Item # 145466 $61.00

Thanks for shopping with me!

Have a wonderful day.

Vicki x 💝

Grab a Cafe Bag To Go. Australian Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

The very practical Petite Cafe Gift Bags #135826 have been a big success in my classes, as I love to include a surprise Goody Bag for everyone who comes to my classes Sutherland Shire.

The cafe bags are retiring soon, so I thought I would show you what I gave away in my last class. One of the fun techniques we tried was embossing on vellum, then scribbling over it with a marker to reveal the greeting, in this case "You are remarkable" from the Remarkable You stamp set.

The bags are lined with food-safe paper so they are perfect for giving baked goods too!

                                                                      BUY NOW
               Have a creative day, and thank you so much for shopping with me.  Vicki x 💝

Artisan Watercolour Technique

Hello, and thanks for visiting today. I promised I would show you some of the water colouring techniques I have been studying at the Regional Gallery.

This gorgeous stamp set Touches of Texture is just so easy to work with.

I used Arches Aquarelle paper for this technique, as it has a real tooth and soaks up the colours so thirstily. I generally use the Stampin' Up watercolour paper, but this technique works best with a really heavy paper.

I have a selection of different papers I use, and the results differ greatly, depending on the result you want to achieve.

To achieve this look I stamped in Memento tuxedo black ink, then took my thick brush and did a water wash over the area outside the stamped image in the places where I wanted a background effect.

I then applied the background colours by drawing a line with my Stampin' Write markers, without touching the stamped image, but staying close to the flower. 

I used a number 4 round brush for this, and came in with a number 2 round brush in the finer areas, dragging the colour out towards the edges of the background. 

When I had achieved the desired result I heat set the ink.

To colour the flowers I used the number 2 round brush dipped in water, then picked up colour from the lid of the ink pad. The stripes were made by simply leaving some areas bare. 

   I did the same technique with the centres and the leaves, and used a white Jellyroll marker to make a stippled ring around the middle of the petals, which gives a real 3D effect, as though the petals are curving outwards.

You can see in this close-up how I kept the background colours outside the stamped image.

The colours I used were Crushed Curry, Tempting Turquoise, Garden Green and Melon Mambo.

I stamped the words I Love You. You Are Fabulous, using the Thoughtful Banners Stamp Set onto Melon Mambo Cardstock.

Here you can see the stippled white ring I made with the white Jellyroll pen. 

I was absolutely thrilled with the result, and am looking forward to using this technique with all my large floral stamps.

I mounted the card onto Tempting Turquoise Cardstock, and used the same watercolour paper for the inside layer of the card.

Mission Accomplished!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Touches of Texture   Wood Mount 141934   Clear Mount 140517

 Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Canvas Art with Felt and Birthday Blooms. Australian Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog today.

I love working on canvases. The work we do as card makers and paper crafters is often more art than card, and in this case I wanted to try something that I could use as a home decor piece. 

The stamp set Birthday Blooms is one of my absolute favourite sets for colouring. I used Shimmery White card stock, and stamped half of the blooms in Tempting Turquoise ink, and the other half in Dapper Denim ink.

I coloured inside the petals using a number 2 round brush and used the squeezed-together ink pads as my palette, drawing some of the colour from the stamped lines to soften the edges.

After the flowers had dried, I added some Crushed Curry with my marker to the centre of the two large blooms.

I cut out all the blossoms, and used some olive green felt to cut out the leaves with the Pretty Pines thinlits dies.

I adhered everything onto a 6" x 6" piece of Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper with the lovely Bokeh Pattern, which I had adhered to an 8" x 8" pre - primed canvas.
I  popped up a sentiment, "Thankful Grateful Blessed" from the Paisleys and Petals stamp set, which I had white heat embossed onto an old olive piece of card stock.

To give everything a shimmer, I added accents with a clear Jelly Roll gel pen.

This art piece now has pride of place in my entry way, and I love it!

Thanks for visiting. I hope you like this project idea.

Vicki x  💝

Coloured Embossing Powder Technique. Australian Stampin' Up Demonstrator.

Hello, and welcome! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I am busy crafting away, and playing with this super easy embossing technique.

The Irresistibly Floral Specialty Paper #141644 will be retiring soon, and I wanted to play with some more techniques using this paper. I just can't get enough of it!

Using my sponge, I blended some rich Razzleberry and Tempting Turquoise onto my focal piece, then wiped away any residue with a tissue. Easy!

I cut a very fine strip of Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper #140550 (also retiring) and punched out some teeny tiny stars with the retired star banner punch. I heat embossed the sentiment from the High Tide stamp set #143006  onto Whisper White Card stock, then cut it out using the stitched framelits.

                                                     High Tide Photopolymer #143006
                                                              BUY NOW

Can you figure out how I made Rich Razzleberry Embossing powder?

Simply stamp into the versa mark pad, and then immediately stamp into your Rich Razzleberry inkpad.  Use clear embossing powder over the top and heat set with your heat tool.

Isn't that a neat trick? You can make ANY COLOUR embossing powder using this technique. Just make sure you clean your stamp well.

I made a matching envelope, and mounted my art piece onto a tempting turquoise top fold card.

                      Have an awesome day, and thanks for shopping with me, 
                                                              Vicki x💝

Best Birds Simply Rendered. Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Sydney.

Hello, and thanks for visiting by blog today.

These two cards received a lot of comment at my stamp class, so I decided to post them for you to show how simply rendered cards are often the best. The rule of threes applies here....3 colours for the card: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight and Basic Black. The birds are cut out using the Birds and Blooms thinlits and the netting and sentiments are from the Best Birds Stamp Set. 

3 small rhinestones  were coloured using Copic Markers (or you could use a black Sharpie) and the cards were trimmed with black washi tape.

Simple and fast!

I have made a video for you to see how simple these cards are to make.

My Youtube Tutorial

Birds and Blooms Thinlits  141477

Best Birds Stamp Set  141525

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Have a wonderfully creative day.

 Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Soft Watercolours Technique

Hello, and thanks for visiting my blog.

Today I have a card for you that is softly watercolored using an easy technique with your Stampin' Write markers and the Best Birds stamp set.

Using the branch stamp, colour directly onto your stamp using old olive for the leaves and soft suede for the branch.
Spritz some water (not too much) onto the stamp and stamp your image onto a piece of whisper white card stock. Have a paper towel handy to blot any excess, and then heat set with your heat tool.

Use the same technique for the bird image, using mint macaron marker for the wings, soft suede for the body, and so saffron for the beak and feet.

When your paper is completely dry, finish the card by adding some copper dots washi tape to a mint macaron card base, just under your art piece, then use glue dots to adhere some fine copper thread above the bird and to the right.

Use copper embossing powder for your greeting, then cut out using the tags framelits,  and add 3 white sequins to complete your card.

                                             Best Birds Stamp Set #141525 Photopolymer
                                                                BUY NOW

Have a wonderful day.  Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Remarkable Rock and Roll Technique. Stampin' Up! Australian Demonstrator

                                             
                                                      Hello, and welcome to my blog.
 The Remarkable You Stamp Set (Wood Mount #139891 Clear Mount #139894) has a beautiful leaf image that I wanted to use in a different way, so I designed a card to demonstrate the "Rock and Roll" technique. You can see in the photo that the leaves have 2 different colours.

When you are doing this technique, start by inking the stamp in the lighter colour first, (in this case Bermuda Bay), then without cleaning the stamp, leave the stamp facing upwards on your desk and roll some darker colour (in this case Island Indigo) onto the back of the stamp, and rock the darker colour over the lighter colour. You don't want to cover up the lighter colour completely, just add some highlights.
                                               
This will give a really pretty effect.

 I masked off the bottom of the stems, or you could simply cut the card stock in half and hide the join under the black banner, which is popped up on dimensionals.

 I also wanted to use the sentiment "every heart needs someone to love" from the Falling For You stamp set #143109, which has a coordinating sentiment for the inside of the card that says " you're my person." How adorable is that!
I heat embossed the image onto Basic Black card stock using white embossing powder, and mounted the art pieces onto a basic black card base.

Here is the inside of the card.

I used my copic marker BG13 to colour 2 large, 2 medium and 2 small rhinestones (make sure you let them dry before using them) to finish the card.
I like to make the inside as pretty as the outside when I make a card. If you are decorating inside make sure to adhere a plain whisper white layer above your art piece on the inside of the card to write your message on.

That's all for today. I hope you enjoy my projects, and I love your comments :)

Have a creative day. 

 Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

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Remarkable You  Stamp Set   Wood Mount 139891   Clear Mount 139894

Falling For You Stamp Set   Wood Mount 143106   Clear Mount 143109

Copper WOW! Card with the Pansy Punch. Stampin' Up! Australian Demonstrator.

Hello, and welcome to my blog.

 I have been on the river today, and had an unintended swim off the end of our wharf when I capsized the kayak while trying to get in! Very funny, and the river was surprisingly warm. I was fully clothed, which made it even funnier, and I managed to keep my sunglasses and baseball cap on, in spite of being dunked underwater! After a nice warm bath (yes, I still went kayaking in my wet, wet clothes), when Paul and I got back, I decided some crafting was in order, and I came up with this lovely little number. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. What do you think?

I am happy to say the pansy punch is carrying over into the new catalogue, and I decided to team it with the "Affectionately Yours" #141632 Designer Series Paper. The copper accents in the paper were a perfect pairing with some copper foil, and I used the Pretty Pines Thinlit dies #141851 as foliage. I have paired these leaves and buds with flowers before and they work really well.  

Here is a close-up of the flowers, which were layered up on dimensionals, after a little shaping. I punched out 2 half inch circles for the centres, and used Night of Navy Card stock and ink to layer it all onto a crumb cake card stock base. The sentiment is from the Paisleys and Posies stamp set #142196, and the Navy pansy was stamped with "Flower Shop" #130942 before being punched out.

                                           
                                           That's all for today, and thanks for stopping by.

  Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝

Best Birds Class: Make 6 Cards. Stampin' Up! Australian Demonstrator.

Hello, and thanks for stopping by my blog.

There is something about the combination of navy and white that is easy on the eye, and yet makes a statement all at the same time.

 For this class I used the Best Birds Stampset #141525 and matching thinlits Birds And Blooms #141477 in as many different ways as I could imagine,  using Night of Navy and Whisper White as the colour scheme. 

The gorgeous Designer Series Paper Floral Boutique #141663 is the perfect accompaniment to this symphony of blue!

                                    Here are the finished 6 cards in The Best Birds class.

                               The White Organza Ribbon #114319 makes a pretty accessory 

teamed with 3 White Perfect Accents #138416

                        Here you can see the rhinestones I coloured with a navy Copic marker.

                       A stitched oval Thinlit is strategically placed inside to write the message on.

                             The tiny die cut bird needed a reverse image to complement him.
                                      The inside of the card reads "on your wedding day."

                       This card uses the open die cut shape, and the bird was saved for later.

Heart die cut with both birds "kissing" for an anniversary card.

Thanks for visiting. I hope to see you in a class soon!

Vicki x 💝

Awaiting the new coffee cup framelits!

                                     
                                         Hello, and thanks for visiting my blog today.
I have been loving all the new products in the catalogue, and can't wait to show you a New Catalogue Walkthrough on Youtube when the catty goes live on June 1st.

I am over the moon that there will be a coffee cup stamp with matching framelits. Yay! I am planning cards for my local cafe to sell, and I had already put together these little cuties using up the rest of my designer series paper, and had a fit of nostalgia over how well-loved this old stamp set was.

I can't show you what's inside the new catty yet, but I hope this whets your appetite for more coffee stamps! And more cups of coffee! Haha.

                                                    Till next time, Vicki x 💝

Baby Onesie with vellum and distressing

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Here is a project for you that uses vellum as an underlay.

When you slightly offset the layers, you can achieve a look that is right on-trend.

The colour scheme is bermuda bay, mint macaron and so saffron.

The baby onesie has been cut out using the matching framelits, and is adhered using washi tape and the sentiment, so that the sleeves are partly lifting from the page. This is a very subtle kind of layering, especially with the white-on-white colour scheme.

Finish off your card by slightly curling the edges of the layers, then distressing the edge of the card with your fingernail before adhering everything together using Tombow multi adhesive.

Add a bakers twine bow and some small pearls ( 3 is the magic number for these! )  and your card is now complete.

I hope you enjoyed this project.
Vicki x  💝

You're Sublime : 2 Cards. Stampin' Up! Australia.

You're Sublime  #138737 wood Mount    #139309 Clear mount 

Who doesn't love a vintage caravan? This card is fun and carefree, just like the sentiment! 

*Layer some mint macaron Designer Series paper #138432 onto a Whisper White Card base.

*Stamp the image onto a Whisper White piece using Basic Black Archival ink

* Colour using markers and a blender pen in So Saffron, Mint Macaron, Basic Black and Calypso Coral

*Attach to the card front with liquid glue and add 2 torn strips of black wash tape

* Punch out 3 hearts from Calypso Coral Card Stock with the Confetti Hearts Border Punch and attach with snail adhesive. 

* Finish with a bow in black and white bakers twine, adhered with a mini glue dot.

This simple card is another pretty combination of colours, and you can make your own co-ordinating envelopes with the Envelope Punch Board #133774 using envelope paper #141697 or Designer Series Paper #138432

This  card is made using the same technique as the first, with the markers colours of

Mint Macaron, Smokey Slate, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Blushing Bride and WatermelonWonder.

*You can add a touch of Smokey Slate shadow below the wheelbarrow to "ground" your piece so that it doesn't look as though it's floating on the page.

*Stamp the greeting a second time on a scrap of whisper White 

*Use the Duet Banner punch to make the banner, and adhere the banner on top of the stamped greeting.

Duet Banner Punch #141483

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Happy crafting, and thanks for visiting!

 Thanks so much for shopping with me!  Vicki  x 💝