Love Is In The Air!

Bet you didn't think you would hear from me again so soon did you! Well I had my first class for the year today and it was themed 'Love Is In the Air' with Valentine's Day just around the corner. I know I promised to show you my backlog of stuff in order but I really wanted to share with you what we made today and maybe give you some inspiration for your own creations.

Now we didn't just focus on Valentine's Day but instead created cards for some other 'Love' occasions like wedding, anniversary and Christmas. What? Did she just say Christmas? Yes I did! Some of the ladies in my class always run out of time later in the year for Christmas cards so they have requested I include one at each class so that by the end of the year they should have a good head start. So to tie in with the theme I used the Love & Joy stamp in the Holiday Catalogue. Now just a heads up, if you would like anything from this catalogue you better get cracking because it finishes on 1st of February.

I got the idea for this card from one I saw a few months back by Rochelle Blok. I changed the orientation and simplified it a bit but was really happy with the outcome. This would be a great one to mass produce as it's super quick and easy.

The second card we made was an Anniversary card as most of us need one of these on hand. I saw two similar cards on Pinterest, one by Beth McAlexander and another by Wendy Weixler. I really liked elements from each so I used those along with my Night of Navy, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla colour combo to come up with this.

 

The third card we made was a wedding card as it's always good to have one of these on hand also. I stuck with the classic combo of Basic Black and Very Vanilla with the Modern Medley Designer Series Paper then added some bling with the Silver Glimmer Paper and Rhinestones.

 

 

What do you think? You could easily add a bit of colour especially if you wanted to customise it to match the wedding but I think this is really elegant.

 

Last but not least is our Valentine's card. This one was based on one by Dawn Olchefske but I've just mixed it up a bit and utilised current products.

 

 

Well I hope you have enjoyed seeing my cards as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you. If there is anything you would like to know like measurements, products used etc please leave me a comment and I will send the details through to you. I'll be back soon to show you some of the other fun things we got up to in our classes last year. Take care!

 

Marsha xx

I'm Alive!!

Hey Sminkers!!

I know it has been forever since I have blogged. The last few months have been super crazy for me but I can assure you I'm still alive and still getting my craft on whenever possible...I just haven't had the time to tell you all about it.

The last few months of 2013 were particularly tough for us. In addition to other challenges I had been dealing with regarding my 4 year old, we received a bit of a bombshell in October when my dad was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I won't lie, I was pretty devastated when we first received the diagnosis but once I did my research and worked out what it all meant and what action we needed to take in order for him to beat it...I was on a mission. So it's been a long few months of doctors appointments, surgery, recovery plus lots of tests and scans. It's not over yet, he's still undergoing treatment at the moment and there's no guarantee he won't need more surgery or further treatments but we are all trying to stay positive and make sure he has the best possible chance to kick this cancers butt!

So with everything that has been going on, having my little craft hobby has definitely helped me keep my sanity. What 's the saying...'Stamping is cheaper than Therapy'. I have loved having my little escape from reality even for just a few hours. So my plan is to keep crafting and sharing but just hopefully a bit more regularly this year :)

I'm planning to show you the cards and projects we have been working in the order in which they were created however I did come across some photos of a Mothers Day project I forgot to share back in May...a flower pot card.

 

The pink version was the one the girls made in the craft class and the second one I created using colours I had seen in a sample I found online by a fellow Aussie demo Diane Barnes. Her version is much more elaborate but I decided to keep it simple for the class. I used a video tutorial by Julie Davison to learn how to make the card which you can find here.

 

The beauty of this card is once you have the flower pot base, you can use any flower stamps, punches or dies you have to create the insert. They are great for birthdays, Mother's Day, get well cards and the list goes on. I'm planning to make a few more versions of this card utilising different supplies I have in my stash. I will share those once I have had a chance to make them.

 

Well I think that's it for now. I really hope you have all been well and had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I have my first class for 2014 on Saturday and I can't wait to get back into it. The class ladies are equally excited. Until next time take care and happy stamping!

 

 

Marsha xx

 

Card 1 Recipe:
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories - Blossom Party Die, Scallop Border Punch, Pretty in Pink 1/4 inch Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, SNAIL adhesive, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals.

 

Card 2 Recipe:
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade

Accessories - Blossom Party Die, Scallop Border Punch, Everyday Enchantment Brads, 1/8 inch Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Glue Dots.

** Please note some products used are retired and not currently available for purchase.