Very Hungry Caterpillar!

My niece has just turned 3 and so I took the opportunity to do something I've wanted to try for a long time. I've seen the idea around in various forms, but wanted to do my own.

What do you think? He's not as fat as the after-the-picnic-feast caterpillar, but I hope he's still recognizable for a 3 year old!

A tale of two cards

Today's card has a bit of a story involved with it.


I wanted to make a special birthday card for a talented carding lady. I am loving the Wildflower Fields designer paper at the moment and wanted to base the card around that. I kept it pretty simple, because the paper itself speaks for itself, so I just added a few flowers cut out with the Botanical Builder framelits. They needed to go over a circle to separate them a little from the background.

But then I began to wonder - is it too busy?? I ended up making another card, which was very similar but just "toned down" a little . Less is more! Now that I know it has been received, I can show it to you.

 

So what do you think? Do you agree that less is more, or really, is it "more is more"!? I still can't decide...  At least I know my friend loved her card, which is all it takes to make me happy!

Male Birthday

So many people say that making cards for the men in their lives is tough. I struggle sometimes too - mostly when I'm in a girly mood and just want soft flowers! But my Build-Your-Card-Stash class has to be able to provide for our menfolk too, so come and see what I came up with:

I wanted to use the new suite Going Global. It covers love really well - no mush! It also covers friendship and Father's day and travel. I just added a simple sentiment from a different set, and there's a perfectly non-frilly yet still interesting male birthday card! Hooray.

I'd love to show you how to make this over coffee and a muffin - do let me know you can come to my class on Thursday March 3rd at 9am!

First Card for the Build-Your-Stash Card Class

Good morning Monday!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, whatever you were doing. I got the jobs done quickly so I could spend some time making cards.

This card is CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from the amazing designers at Stampin'Up! I just changed it up a little. I used the new extra thick white cardstock as the card base and added some Botanical Gardens designer paper from the current Occasions catalogue. It's part of the same suite as the flowers from the "Hawaiian" card I showed you on Friday but has a completely different feel - cooler and less tropical.

The Just for You stamp set is free if you spend $90. It's little flowers and leaf sprigs go so well with the paper - and the matchiness of it makes my heart happy. Yes matchiness is a word - I just used it! I added some sequins and some black and white bakers twine to finish it off.  

We'll be making this as one of the build-you-stash cards on Thursday 3rd March. I'd love to see you, so let me know you're coming and I'll prepare your supplies.

Getting a decent photo of sequins is tough, particularly in afternoon sunlight. Here's another attempt:

Card Class Coming and another birthday card!

I don't know about you, but I seem to have a huge number of birthdays in January and February! Christmas is well behind us and now we've settled into the new year, isn't it time to get your birthday cards sorted? Who knows, if your "clump" of birthdays comes later, you can be organised ahead of time!

I haven't decided on exact designs yet, but we'll make a mix of male and female, kid's and adult's cards. I've had a request for Thursday classes recently, and I'm hoping that this works for everyone. I can repeat the class (maybe on a Monday?) if that is needed. Let me know what you'd like.

Thursday 3rd March, 9am at my place. 

Cost will be $20 for everything you will need. 

We'll make a bunch of birthday cards to top up your stash. 

Please RSVP so I can prepare your supplies, or contact me if you need more details.

And now for the pretty picture...

This card was inspired by a Hawaiian shirt day at MOTH's work recently. You can get inspiration ANYWHERE!! Very simple, using the framelit die set called Botanical Builders. It's part of a suite that includes a stamp set, designer paper washi tape and jewel embellishments - I'll be showing you some more later. It really is almost too easy to make spectacular cards with this set. And that makes me happy.

Inspiration strikes

Today I want to share my excitement at finding inspiration out of the blue. My youngest came home from school with an invitation to a friend's party. How normal. But.. there was a lovely image on the invitation that saw me grab the invitation from him and disappear into my crafting space!

Here's the invitation

And here's what I made. 

I would never have thought to combine these elements without the inspiration picture, it's a bit outside of my "usual". But I'm so glad that Violet sent the invitation!!

I had some "help" while trying to finish the card - I think he sensed that I was not paying enough attention to him! 

Where do you find your inspiration for crafting?

Sale-a-Bration!

It's Sale-a-Bration time folks! 

Basically, that just means you get extra free products. For every $90 you spend, you can choose any of the products in the SAB brochure for free! Wow. 

So what can you choose? There's designer paper, stamp sets and embellishments as well as Project Life card kits and accessory kits! These are available until the end of March. There are special benefits for hostesses during Sale-a-Bration with extra rewards just for having fun with your friends.

If your wishlist is too long, now is the best time to sign up. You get a really amazing deal and can choose your own starter kit. You can drop at any time with no penalty, but I think you'll find that the events and rewards, ongoing discounts on products, combined with an amazing community of supportive and creative people will keep you hooked!! Contact me for more information - no pressure, I'm happy to answer all your questions!

Here's the link to the online brochure, showing you everything you can choose:http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/…/20151005_SAB16_Core_eng-…

And here are some links to videos showcasing some of these gorgeous products:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11XUnDO96GM 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1m-fEjzu40 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4LXgYV3lc8

Still Global

So what else can you do with this wonderful Going Global suite? Although it seems at first glance to be "for the boys" it really can be for anyone special in you life. Male Valentine's cards or friendship cards? Come and see...

For this card I embossed vellum and layered it over some designer paper - love that subtle look! The paper comes from a stack called Going Places. I didn't want to take attention away from the vellum, so a simple sentiment with some banners and I'm done!

This second card has bling, but not so very much that you couldn't give it to a man if you wanted. Of course, this will suit our girlfriends too :) Again I'm very much letting the backgrounds carry the day - more designer paper from the same stack, a couple of stamps and it's done. Quick and simple.

I hope you liked my cards today - maybe you feel inspired to try some "gender neutral" cards yourself?

Valentine's card

Oh my goodness, it's February already! How did that happen?! That means that Valentine's day is just around the corner. Do you celebrate? I know many feel it's just a commercial beat up, but we celebrate it in our house, because it's an anniversary - we got engaged on Valentine's day. (Isn't he clever, making sure he'd never forget the date?!)

Anyway, just because it's a day of love, there's no need to get all pink and floral on poor MOTH (man of the house). Have a look at what I came up with...

I've used a new "suite" from the Occasions catalogue called Going Places. I absolutely love the embossing folder - there are heaps of ideas for it zinging around in my head. I'm sure you'll see a lot more of it here! The stamp set is Going Global with some very versatile images and sentiments - not just for boys, although it solves the "I can't make masculine cards" drama beautifully!

Such a simple card - embossed background, a strip of designer paper and a couple of stamps. And no flowers in sight!! I like the way the red heart shows up so well in the black and white.

Yesterday was my sister's birthday, so now I can show you the card I made her. I'll show you her present soon.

I kept it very neutral, wanting the focus on the gorgeous texture and shape.

The punch I used to make the flower is called the Festive Flower builder punch. It was in the Christmas catalogue, which finished early January, but I can tell you that it was loved so much that it will be back in the new annual catalogue coming in June - hooray! You get 3 different sized petals as well as the little cross/stamen thingie for the centre. The textured embossing folder Softly Falling is also coming back in June. Love it.

Here's a close up of the flower - I couldn't resist adding some Wink of Stella to the centre for a subtle shimmer.

I would love to show you how to make this card - contact me for class times or to get your own copy of the catalogues.