We need you to make 100

Plea for help....I am a part of a fantastic online network called Swap Sisters....we are at 94 members and there is going to be prizes and a big party when we hit 100 members. Come on you clever crafting friends....contact me today for an INVITE!!!!

If you would love to join then please send me your email adress so I can send out a invite so you join. Should have stated before but I posted very late last night.

Blog Hop

Good Morning everyone!
I hope you’re ready for the ESAD Blog Hop! Better go grab yourself a cuppa as you’ll be hopping for a while!
What is ESAD you say?
ESAD stands for Extra Special Australian (and New Zealand) Demonstrators and it is an online group just for Australian and New Zealand demonstrators for Stampin’ Up!
We so love what we do and not only do we love to share it with our customers, friends and wonderful blog visitors but we share our love for what we do with each other as Demonstrators. We run swaps, challenges, tutorials, product know how and cyberstamps and we are always there to help and support each other when its needed.
So if you are a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator located in Australia or New Zealand then please feel free to click here to join our wonderful group.

This is my first blog hop so lets keep all fingers and toes crossed to make sure this works. You have hopeful joined me from
Jan McAnulty at http://www.cardcaperswithjan.wordpress.com/ who has done some wonderful paper crafts, if not go back and see.

The theme for this blog hop is mothers day, I have seen a lot of cards made in the mothers day theme and most of them were in pinks and purples which are fantastic but not my colours so I have based my cards on what I would love to receive ( if hubby reading take note) so I have picked blues and earthy tones.
Then panic hit I don't have a mothers day stamp but lets not look at the negative I am sure there is a lot out there who don't to so I picked sayings I liked. With card making you really shouldn't stress out about not having all the right things because at the end of the day you have made something for someone and that person will love what ever you give.

so onto the cards I have three cards to show all using my new toy the BIG SHOT I have used three dies with it the TOP NOTE , LOTS OF TAGS and MANHATTAN FLOWER. They are all based on the same theme a quilt card but I wanted to show different ways of doing them.

First one traditional way a very simple design using Haiku Designer paper. I have given the Top Note a fake stitching around the edge using my white gel pen. The edges of the more mustard card has been sponged to soften the line. The ribbon is Old Olive just tied in a simple knot with a tag for LOTS OF TAGS which is a great set as there is five different tags to choose from.

Second Card I haven't done a Quilt card with DSP but with the Manhattan Flower embossing folder which I have cut out along the perforated lines and run another though in Really Rust to give a border, then I have mounted it on top of Haiku DSP again.You might be seeing a pattern of what my favourite paper is. Again I have used white gel pen to give a border but this time on the DSP. The words are framed again in a LOTS OF TAGS die which I sponged the edges to soften. The edges of the DSP has also been sponged.
Lastly this is my Favourite I am very sorry but cant remember the name of the DSP and my catties are in bed room with sleeping child, so will update that bit later. I have combine both of the cards above, I have done the traditional quilt card with DSP squares and then I have run it though again with the Manhattan Flower to give the panel texture. I know I go on about texture a lot but I love to feel the card, it gives it something special. The daisy was given to me by my youngest as I was taking photos so I have added because I thought it suited and he is so sweet.
Well I hope you love the blog hop now don't forget there is blog candy up for grabs all you have to do is leave a comment at each blog and when done so then leave a comment at
stampwithsharlene@hotmail.com telling her that you have.

Now to keep this blog going hop along to Narelle Hodges at http://www.stampwithnarelle.blogspot.com/.

If you would love to learn how to make any of these cards then please contact me to book a workshop or a card class as I will be running one in May focusing on the Manhattan Flower and different techniques you can do with it, these techniques can be transfered to your other embossing folders as well. So please feel free to contact me.

take care Megan

Just Add Vintage

I really was having problems at this challenge VINTAGE what is VINTAGE it can be so many things so I had to google it and that made me even more confused. I didn't want to do the typical colours when you think of vintage because there is so much more to it, in the 1900's they loved colour just think of pansy flowers they loved them the deep purples and yellows.

Last night when I was doing Monday Night Madness on Swap Sisters we learnt a great technique of making paper flowers, Tia who did a fantastic job asked us to use to use purple and green, after that it all feel in place. I had been looking looking at this sketch at Carole'Anne Stamp a holic http://www.mirrorimage.typepad.com/ thinking want was I to do with it and nothing came to mind.So I have combined the purple of Pansy's for vintage, the flowers from SS and sketch from Stamp a Holic. For once all these ideas combine for a beautiful scrap page and I have made a matching card. So I hope I aren't breaking the rules for Just Add Ink if so please just remove I understand why. The hardest part after I had worked out the design of the scrap page was trying to get it done in the 10mins allowed, I could say I was able but it really took me 13 mins, then a extra couple the next day when I added the gems to the corner as I thought it need balance.

The photo is one of my favourites it is my mum and oldest son, it was a lovely day walking around the Dunedin Rhode Gardens. I didn't find a picture to fit I already had this one in my to do pile, I don't think you can notice but the flower in the top right hand side is a soft purple so it works perfectly.I have used the new level 2 hostess set Asian Artistry for the flower stamped in versa mark on the left hand side and the quote " wherever you go, go with all your hear'' Confucius, which I thought worked perfectly with it.

The title smile really is for me as every time I see this photo I smile.

The Card has used the other side DSP Cottage Garden which is in the current mini, I love this paper.

I have done fake stitching all around the edge to try and give it a (hopefully) Vintage look, I have made this card out of the left over Elegant Eggplant 12 by 12 I have used for the scrap page, which is a 8 by 8 size.

Take care

Megan

INGREDIENTS

card stock: orchid Opulence, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, WW, Cottage Garden

INK: versamark, Elegant Eggplant, Orchid O, Stazon Black

Stamps: Asian Artistry

Top Five Pick

I would love to say thank you for the Ladies at Just add Ink for there top five pick for this card.This week challenge is JUST ADD VINTAGE this is going to take a lot of thinking about as vintage is really not my style, so if anyone out there has a idea for me then please let me know.

take care

Megan

Stampin away stress and ATC

There is a new Design team in town At Stampin Stress Away which if I was any good at computers would add a link, I love this blog and check it out every day Carole Anne is a wonderful lady and card maker she had a 10 min colour card making challenge this week and I gave it a go. I have ended up making a very simple card but love it, the colours work brilliant together and will be used a lot more in the future. I did end up making this card within the 10Min's which surprised me as I am a very slow card maker.

I have done the flower in Rich Razzleberry and Always artichoke, since we don't have markers in Rich Razzleberry I have inked the flowers first using the corner of the stamp pad, and the a Marker for the steam and leaves.

The bottom has been crimped I love my crimper as people will know.

So please check the new design team out they even have a local lady Delys Cram who is a great card maker and you should see her scrapbook pages they amaze me, She is also a fantastic person.

I have also done a ATC last night while chatting on swap sister I had three goes to get the feel for what I had in my mind. The background is the vine from vintage vogue in craft white then heat set. The bird is from Spring Song and the words from a retired set Uncharted but I thought suited so perfectly with a humming bird. There was a extra challenge if you could then mount it on a card, mine is very simply mounted I had tried putting Some vines on the base but It always took away from the simple image so I have attached the ATC by giving it a border in Tempting Turquoise and foam mounting it and the using my white gel pen done a dash border around it, I already have in mind who this will be sent to.

Well have a great day

Take Care

Megan

INGREDIENTS

Card stock; Rich Razzleberry, Always Artichoke, Whisper white, Choc Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Kraft.

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Choc Chip, Always Artichoke, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, White Craft

Stamps: Friends 24/7, Spring Song

Dribbler

Again I have done a scrapbook page of my son, the sketch for this one again is Swap Sisters which is becoming a home away from home for me.When I saw the sketch I knew straight away what photo I wanted to do, it is my youngest son about 9mths, the reason why I knew straight away was the sketch is circle based and this photo is ball based so I thought they suited each other.

The colours that I have chosen is because in the shirt he is wearing it has a really rust plaid running though it, so I have based the main colour on this and in the carpet there is a more mustard colour in it and the final colour is the green of the ball, which is a brighter green in person but old olive fitted better.

I have also done a technique challenge of the accordion flowers, when we were doing them on Monday night at swap sisters I knew i could fit these in perfectly with the sketch.

he border on the right had side is crimped Old Olive card stock which mirrors the accordion flowers.

On the really rust 12/12 I have used a old background stamp called Crosshatch, which again mirrors the shirt.

You may be wondering why the title of this page is dribbling well It something my youngest does all the time he is nearly 4 and still dribbles every where any one who knows him can vouch for this. I have again blank out all the names and dates they are the lots of tags layered over the words.

Better go Got to be the fat controller ( any one out there with kids will know what I am talking about).

To a Perfect Pear

I feel like I am always saying sorry lately for not posting, but beside been busy getting ready for next mth card class I am just about ready to throw this computer out the window. I know its not its fault but the Internet connection I am on at the moment, it is slower then dial up ( well it feels like it) , but that will be changing over the next few weeks.

But anyway rant over, when I saw the colour challenge on Just Add Ink, it was a real push out of comfort zone, not the choc chip ( all the people out there who know me will know by what clothes I buy) but yellow and green, and all together. I don't think I have every made a card in this colour combo.So I approached this from the base up. brown base yes I can handle that, yellow on top, not me so lets change it slightly I have sponge choc chip on the edges of the barley banana, still too yellow ( by the way on side note yellow is my favourite colour I just don't wear or use it just love looking at it) so I have stamped over it in Kiwi Kiss the words from Level two Echoes of Kindness.Liking this so far what for on top, I knew I was going to use my new toy the BIG SHOT what I am impressed with, I wasn't into the cuttlebug didn't even have one but this BIG SHOT, is so easy to use when I received it the kids were home so if I was to play then they had to join in and my 3 1/2 was able to use it perfectly, get the handle to turn cut out shapes they thought they were the kings for a day.

So I have used the Top Note die, I have used three, Choc chip for bottom, barley banana with edge cut off and the the bottom section of choc chip which has been over layered all of them.

The flowers are fro Echos of Kindness as well, stamped in Choc chip.

The Ribbon is Kiwi Kiss Satin which is a lovely ribbon to work with, I have done these folds that have been popping up on cards for a while, they give a lovely dimension to the card.

The tag again is a new die from Stampin Up call Lots of Tags which is exclusive to Stampin up. This set of tags are great I got out all my word stamps last night and 90% of them fitted onto at least one of the Tags there is 5 different shapes.

The words I have chosen are the new level one hostess set that's is available for the duration of the current mini or till stock runs out so if you are after them book a party now so You don't miss out.

To fit the colour challenge I thought the to a perfect pear fitted perfectly, the words in Choc Chip and the picture of the pear in Kiwi Kiss.

One finally point you may have not noticed the button again this is a die cut button that we sell, I have run it though 4 times then glued them on top of each other to give the feel of a real button, from now on I can colour coordinate buttons to what ever design I am doing.

thanks for reading this long post.

Take care

Megan

Ingredients

Card/ Ink: Barley Banana, Choc Chip, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: BIG SHOT, Top Note, lots of Tags, Buttons #5, Kiwi Kiss Ribbon.

Stamps: Echos of Kindness, Picture This.

Cupcakes anyone

Another week and lack of post but I have been having fun with the boys home for the holidays. A good friend of mine is having a birthday soon so I thought I better make her a card early so I don't forget closer to the time, she has been having a rough time lately so I thought bright happy card hopeful will make her smile.
When I saw the sketch at Just Add Ink this week I thought this will fit in perfect as I hadn't inked up the large cupcake from crazy for cupcakes yet which I love.The colours are So Saffron and Regal Rose which goes beautiful together, I have made a 5'' square card to give the image balance. You may notice that the cupcake has been paper with paper from the Washington apple DSP range. The ribbon is from a bundle special that we had earlier in the year and again those Clear rhinestone brads

I will be back later to add more just have get dinner ready for the boys.

RIBBON CONTAINER JUST ADD INK

My dad made me this great ribbon holder which I will shown in a few weeks when I finish decorating it but I always cut off to munch ribbon and as I am part Scottish and married a Scottish Dutch man I cant throw them away so was just keeping them in a plastic bag, so when I saw these little clear containers at the warehouse I thought I can do some thing with it.

I have use Washington Apple DSP which I love and butterfly prints and punch which is still able to be order.

On Just Add Ink this week it make anything you want so this is what I am entering this week, you still have till midnight tonight so get busy.

Ingredients

ink; P Pie, bashful blue, riding hood red,

punch: butterfly

DSP Washington apple

Sweet Sunday Sketch

Well I finally did it added a blinkie of Swap Sisters to the left hand side, it was a mission and finally had to ask my hubby to do it for me. I am so happy to say that the scrapbook page below won their Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, This amazed me as there was so many great layouts done. Thank you so much Sue I am honoured.Here is this weeks one I will will be trying to do it but with the kids home for the hoidays time for crafting is limited.

So why dont you have a try at it.