Cards from the "Another Day Box"

 Goodness, These four notelets made with Bashful Blue cardstock with a Whisper White topper I believe I started to make some 12 months ago and they have sat in the amother day box for ever! They were bypassed by the kids every time, so I thought I would do something with them, and as it has turned out I loved the result! The first card is Using the Baby Bundle Stamp set from the new 2010 -2011 Catalogue, the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Sentiments. The border punch and the duck are not SU. I used Baja Breeze Ink (because thats what was on the table)

 This card is using the small flowers from the Just Believe Stamp set, once again, I used Baja Breeze Ink and Sahara Sand with a blender pen. The ribbon is a scrap of Kraft Taffeta, and once again the sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Sentiments and says With Sympathy. The border on the bottom of the card is punched using the Lacy edge border punch, and the cardstock is certainly celery. The leaves are finished off with just a touch of Dazzling Diamonds on the petals.

I can not believe that I have had the owl punch for weeks and this is the first time that I have used it!! I think I will be using him a whole lot more, he is so cute. Once again Baja Breeze ink was used, and the owl was also punched from Baja Breeze cardstock. The vest is acutally punched from Basic Grey cardstock which was a die tht I cut this morning when my order came in - Flower Burst die. (See what I mean about the 'another day box'. It all goes in there! Two little 1/2 rhinestones (that I know I definitely did NOT leave on the table, but glad they found their way there) two 1/2 backed pearls on the tiny hearts and two 'googly' eyes that are not SU finished this card. The sentiment Congratulations was stamped from the Perfect Punches Stamp set.

I wasnt sure about this card at the time but it has grown on me. I truly love the Artistic Etchings Stamp set which I used. All the stamping on this card was done with Sarah Sand ink, The modern label punch held the sentiment Happy Birthday, once again from the Teen Tiny Sentiments Stamp set, which had been stamped and punched out using the word window punch. The decorative edge is once again the Lacy Edge border punch, using Certainly Celery. The bow is a scrap of white satin ribbon (not SU), that I dyed using the Sahara Sand Classic Ink Pad, and the end of my paper piercer, this was because of the rules that I had set which was to only use what was on the table or within reaching distance. I must admit my right arm grew to a length that I never thought possible to get the Glue Dots! It is really quite hard to use only what you have in front of you, or are able to reach without getting up out of your chair and create your cards. It was fun and I will make myself do this again, I never placed any restrictions on my grand daughter, but I did make sure she put every single thing she used away...........so I wouldnt be tempted! I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared with you today, so until next time, keep stampin'

School Holidays!

Sorry I have been missing in action the last few days. A combination of really not being able to do much at all becasuse I have been ill with the Lurgy, and having one of my grand daughters here for a few days is not conducive to blog writing............or creating for that matter. The house is quiet again now that said grandchild had gone home.

   I love the way that kids are so creative and uninhibited when it comes to their creativity. They dont think like we do (is that good??) and are so much more adventurous in what they do. September is a very busy month for us as far as birthdays go. This month so far we have had, mine, my husband, our son and a very good friend not to mention the nieces and nephews that arent even in the same state as us!

Last week being my husband's birthday, the two girls made their grand dad a  card each, and also a get well card from each of them for me too. Their cards are of course beautiful and will be placed away now, so that in years to come they will get them back and be able took upon them and the memories of that day will no doubt have a good chuckle. The insert on one of the cards reads

"Happy Birthday!
Thank you for everything and all the advice you have given me....
Even if its not the best to use,
P.S. You look like you're only 22!! xoxoxoxo"
Now this child will go far!!!

Seriously though, I know we all have bits and pieces that we have made or started to make and they have not turned out the way we had envisaged, so we have put them asisde for "another day". Well all my bits like that I put in a container and when the kids arrive we sit and do something together with all the "another day" goodies. So we sat and potched and played. I thought this is the perfect time to use only what is on the table or within reach.

No cheating and getting out of the chair, use only what is within immediate reach. I was very disciplined which surprised me, and I proceeded to dig around in the box of goodies for unfinsihed projects, scraps of ribbon, 1/2 pearls, brads, 1/2 rhinestones (I know that I didnt leave them out last time I used them!) dazzling diamonds, diecuts that I had made to either try out a new die or they didnt fit in whatever I was making at the time.Even dimensionals I cut up the edges to use. These are just three of those that were made up from scraps, left overs.

There are another four cards and I will post them straight after this, as I (still) have dreadful times trying to get the pics where I want them!

I Love Punch Art!

Hi again. I have been preparing for my October class, after some of the ladies requested a Punch Art Class. Not everyone has an unlimited stamp supply, but likes to make something a little different.

 For this class I have used the Teeny Tiny Wishes set and punches, lots and lots of punches. It is also a fabulous way to use up your scrap.............you know the bits of cardstock that you are sure will come in handy one day. Well everyone I am here to tell you, this is the way to go!

The cards that we will be making are all 3 x 3, but they can all be converted to a standard size card with the clever use of matting. In all the ladies will be making 24 cards, and they will have a card for any occassion at their fingertips!

If you feel this is the class that you have been waiting for......then wait no longer. Numbers will be stricltly limited. So come along and enjoy a lovely morning with you friends as you recreate these beautiful cards and many more.

This class will be held on Friday the 15th October at 10am. Please contact me for more details and to book your place. Phone 0409874291

Wet on Wet Watercolour

Oh no! I can hear you say! Not more watercolours so soon. Promise this will be the last one for a couple of weeks (unless you ask for more hehehe). As the subject states this is watercolour and the technique is called wet on wet in artists terms. This type of technique is best done with an open type image.

Firstly I have done a Rich Razzleberry wash, done simply by wetting the watercolour paper by running the Aqua Brush over it, and then picking up the Rich Razzleberry from the lid of the pad. .Istamped the main image using the Classic Stampin' pad in the same ink whilst it is still wet to purposely make the image 'bleed' You will notice also that the image is of a vibrant hue, and  will make this image stand out from any others that are stamped. I have then used Daffodil Delight for the stamens, and Pear Pizzaz for the stalks. I also used a scrap of Pear Pizazz cardstock to punch out some foliage using the 2 Step Bird Punch.

You need to wait for the  watercolour paper to be thoroughly dry before you stamp the other images using a mask, noticing that because the paper is dry the edges have not bled, and the outline is finer. This allows the central image to stand out. Use  a blender pen to darken the centre of the flowers , and the stamens in the same colours as the main image. I finished the card off by adding a Pear Pizazz bow and a small black butterfly. This is such an easy technique and you will be amazed at what you will achieve when you do yourself.

Debossing Class

Last Friday I held a Technique Class and the ladies had a wonderful time learning and creating. Of course there was a lot of laughter and good times to be had by us all. I must say, one of the most satsisfying aspects of stamping would have to be that everyone is so helpful to each other. So not only do I get the chance to Share what I Love, the other ladies are sharing as well. The Debossing Technique is such a simple yet stunning way to show off some of our wonderful embossing folders that we have available to us from

Stampin Up. Firstly we embossed the Very Vanilla Cardstock, and then using a very light hand brayered over it using Sahara Sand on the raised side. On the 2nd piece of cardstock that was embossed we reversed the techniqued and brayered the other side of the cardstock. We ended up with two totally diffferent looks. The card was then finished off using the Dasher single stamp and the greeting from Snow Swirled. It was surprising how different the cards looked when they were finished.

The other technique I showed the ladies was this. Take the remaining cardstock from around (in this case ovals) dies that had been cut in the Big Shot that would normally be thrown out, and place it over some Very Vanilla Cardstock keeping it in place using Dotto. We used Old Olive to sponge the foreground and Baja Breeze to spong the sky. The stamp set used was Lovley as a Tree and was stamped in Old Olive within the oval area. The sentiments, once again come from Teeny Tiny Wishes. What resulted was a very delicate card that with the change of a sentiment could be used in so many ways. Why is it that when we become papercrafters we never look at a scrap of paper, ribbon, brad etc etc the same way again? In our previous life it would have been binned, in this life it is recycled!

A Little More on Watercolours

Good Morning!

I thought today that I woud talk a little more abour Watercolours.Many people are afraid of watercolours, simply because they do not understand them or their versatility. Watercolours allow you to present the most delicate and subtle colour to your work, but by the same token also allow bold and vibrant colouring. It also gives you so many new shades of a colour as well. As you can see in the photo on the left I have used Pear Pizazz, Pacific Point an Cajun Craze just to demonstrate to you the range of colours that are achievable with just one Classic Stampin Pad and the Aqua Painter. I have made 21, but there are so many more!The Aqua Painter is a very innovative type of watercolour brush. It holds the water or other fluid (e.g. Bleach) in the chamber that is also the handle of the brush. You have complete control as to how much or little water is released from the chamber and with a little practice you will learn to love the Aqua Painter as I do. At only $19.95 for a packet of two it is excellent value! When I stop and think that I was paying $70-80 for a single watercolour brush, I definitely wish I knew about Aqua Painters then!  When using the watercolouring technique, always ensure that your image is stamped using Stazon Ink. The colour will not bleed out of this ink as it would using a Classic Stampin' pad. Also remember that normal cardstock is ok to watercolour on, if it is only a small area. The best results will always be obtained using Watercolour Paper which is specifically designed to withstand water without warping or the surface becoming 'chaffed'.Over the next weeks I will post items on watercolouring and how you can use this wonderful technique to make the most of your stamp sets and your inks. I will also talk about watercolour washes and the difference they too can make to your projects.

Card Share

Hello, Today I thought that I would share a card that I made at Regionals in Brisbane last Saturday. I should say this is a remake of a remake of the original.

It was all travelling along nicely up to the point where I was to place the sentiment. Stamp the image and was horrified to see that the sentiment was placed upside down! So I thought that I would redo the card on Monday, and I did exactly the same thing again. I looked at my stamp, and the label on top of the block, and yes you guessed it, I had placed the label upside down!. Now once that was sorted and I pulled the card apart yet again, I ended up with the card that I was supposed to have!

We also used the Big Shot Fancy Favour Die to create this lovely gift holder. Watercolouring was also big on the agenda on Saturday, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing that. There is definitley something very soothing about watercolouring.

Stamp - A - Stack this Friday!

STAMP – A – STACK

Stamp a stack Class this Friday

24th September 2010-09-10

At 10.00 am

8 Cards

2 each of 4 designs

Bring Basic kit and Adhesive

Class Cost: $20.00

Light Refreshments provided.

RSVP: 22.09.10

gbloomfield@ymail.com

or 0409874291



But Wait.............theres more!!

Sounds a bit like a TV add, doesn't it? Here are some Pics of my "Twisted End Box" that I created some months ago. I had no idea what to call these beautiful little boxes, so thats how they come to

be called what they are. I also created what I called the "Tobla Twist" for the obvious reason that Snak size Tobla's will fit in them, and they are the right shape as well. Those I created in error I suppose you could say, but error or not they are really lovely as well. If you would like the Tutorial on either of these boxes let mer know and I will send them to you. I used Crumb Cake, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock, the decorative panels in the centre are made from the Jolly Holidays Designer Paper. This DSP is Christmas! The colours are rich and inviting, and bring you to think about that Hollly Jolly time of the year! I have used various stamp sets and punches to finish these little beauties off. You could hang them from the tree, or use them to place little treasures in for Christmas. The tutorial I made for these boxes, gives measurements for 5 different sizes, and I feel that the largest of them could well be used as a Christmas Bon Bon with the addition of a small gift and the "cracker" strip. That is all for this time, I hope you have enjoyed reading about the samples that I made for the Regionals, and if you go to  Kris' blog you will see on there the beautiful altered note book that she made for me. There is also a matching pen to go with it and there were choccies as well but they are long gone! Thank you Kris!

More Samples for the Regionals!

I really love the Friends Never Fade set of stamps. There is so much that can be done with it. In these samples I have used, in each case the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, to emboss the coloured cardstock, the backgrounds were either stamped using another of the flowers from the set or in the case of the card on the left rolled with the beautiful Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel. The leaves were punched using the XL 2 Step Bird Punch, and the Scallop Trim Border Punch as opposed to the plain Scallop Border Punch just to add a more decorative touch to the card. The flowers were then finished off with just a touch of Dazzling Diamonds to the centres. I have used the new In Colours for these creations. Concord Crush, Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzaz for the foliage. These colours are refreshing, and as you can see by the generational stamping on the card base there is a great range of colour gradients that are able to be achieved with them. In my next post Iwill share with you what I call my Twisted End Box, that I also handed out as samples at Regionals.

Brisbane Regionals

Yesterday, I attended the Regionals in Brisbane, and oh what a day! I learnt so much, and had so much fun at the same time! We did some make and takes and were taught some techniques by Stampin' Up!'s finest. I travelled down with Kris and with her newest downline Jenny. We didnt get lost, and that was not due to my knowledge of the inner city but to the excellent navigational skill of Kris and Jenny! It was lovely to see other demonstrators that I knew and to be able to catch up with them.  The card to the left is a sample of what I made as swaps for Regionals, along with some others that I will swhare with you. I also made some of my Twisted end Boxes, from a tutorial I produced some months ago. Imagine my surprise, when looking at some stamping sites to see that SU has bought out a die for the Big Shot called the Lolly Wrapper just recently. If you are interested in obtaining the Tutorial for that give me a call or send an email and I will send it off to yoi. They are so cute and would be good for all sorts of goodies no matter what time of the year! The ones that I made for Regioanls I did in a Christmas theme and they just look like Christmas Bon Bons!

WOW! IT'S HERE, 2010 -2011 IBC.....WE CAN ALL ORDER OUR NEW GOODIES

For the last few weeks I have deliberated over what I will and wont buy in my first order from the new Catalogue! I have crossed out, written in, crossed out, re-written, added to deleted and added again, because I dont think I can do without anything!

I will confess that I stayed up well past my bedtime to put my order in at 12.01. Imagine my disappointment when the screen said orders couldnt be placed till 4am! I was absolutely desolate and with slumped shoulders went off to bed.

Woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed and even before the coffee was on, logged in ready to spend all my hard earned and...............the page still wasnt available. Why oh why was this happening to me (never mind the thousands of other Demonstrators in Australia). Take control Gwen, go have your coffee and shower, make the bed and then come back. Right thats what I will do! Bed first, then to the shower.............better just check to see if..........not yet,  ok shower, wrap towel around the body............better check again might have come on line whilst in the shower. It hasnt. Be strong, have your coffee then check back if you must Gwen. I sit and drink coffee (very quickly), better check again. Oh yes its on line, I can put my order in woo hoo. I have added my list of goodies to the thousands of other Demo's, give a brief thought to the packers at SU in Sydney and wish them well as they take on the mammoth task of filling every order that hits them, so now I have to wait until the postal delivery driver comes to the door with my preciousous cargo.

The first photo is using the set Artistic Etchings. This set I must admit I was not too sure about when I first saw it, but my goodness it has grown on me in a big way and now I cant seem to get enough of it! The 2nd photo is of the card that is going to be the make and take card for Lyns workshop on Saturday the 4th. I will have a few other surprises up my sleeve for then too.............cant reveal them all here!  We are all so happy that the waiting is now over and we can share what is new with our wonderful customers and friends. Till next time, happy stampin'!