Magnolia Down Under Challenges

The Magnolia Challenge for this week is: Bling it on - anything that sparkles and shines. I'm still using the same stamp as my previous cards, Tilda with Flowers, but I'm sure my new stamps will be coming very soon!

I've started off with a base card in Pink Pirouette, one of the new In-Colours. It's so pretty and soft! Then I've added a piece of Designer paper which I actually received from Bec at Bizzy Bec's some time ago. I cut out some of the flowers and mounted them above the cardstock as well!
'Tilda' has been stamped onto watercolour paper with Stazon black and I've coloured her in with my aqua painter and ink pads, adding bits of glitter as I went along. I love her sparkly shoes!
I've layered onto a piece of Red Riding Hood cardstock, another new In-Colour and then mounted onto the card.
The card has been finished off with some shiny brads, black ribbon and chunky glitter on the flowers.

I also decided not to have a sentiment or word on this card. Sometimes, it's nice to have some blank cards and then you can stamp a little word on later to suit the occasion.

I'm just getting in on time with this challenge as it ends tonight. Life has been really busy lately, but I was happy to find a little time to enjoy doing this challenge. Can't wait to see what tommorow's new challenge will be.

New catalogue.

I finally have copies of the new catalogue for Stampin'Up in my hands. It's delicious, fabulous and gorgeous and much much more than that as well. This catalogue starts April 1 and you are sure to want lots of the lovely goodies when you see them. So if you'd love to have your own copy, please email me to arrange it. Catalogues are $10.00 plus 5.95 for postage(if you are not in my area) chuizeng@bigpond.net.au

Good Friend

I couldn't resist giving you a quick peak at a new stamp set called Good Friend. It's soooo cute! And for once, I've created a card that is not part of any sketch challenge or colour challenge; nice for a change.

The base card is one of the new yummy In-Colours - Baja Breeze. Makes me think of Bali!!
I've stamped one of the flowers onto this cardstock as a background in the same colour ink.
Then I've added a strip of DP from the Summer Mini - Bali Breeze (what did I tell you: Bali?!)

This stamp set is a 2-step stampin' set, which means more than one step is required to produce the final image. So I've stamped up the body of the bird and it's little beak seperately, cut them out and mounted onto the Vanilla cardstock with dimensionals. The legs have been stamped directly onto the cardstock. Then I grabed the little worm from Bugs & Kisses, inked him in Close to Cocoa, cut out and put in the little birdies beak.
The sentiment is from Family Phrases, stamped in the Baja Breeze and then I've cut out using the Window punch.
So once I've made my little 'bird picture', I've layered onto some Close to Cocoa cardstock. I've finished off the card with some paper piercing.
I think this is going to be a very popular stamp set; there's so much you can do and I can't wait to show you some more very soon.


Products used:

Stamp set: Good Friend, Family Phrases

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Bali Breeze DP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss

Accessories: Mat pack, Dimensionals, Window punch

New stuff - good stuff!!

I've been having a little fun with some new Stampin'Up goodies and am loving the new stuff. The new In-Colours are gorgeous!!
Seeing as I love sketch challenges, I thought I'd do Makeesha's for this week.

I've used a new stamp set called Fresh Cuts and one of the new In-Colours - Tangerine Tango. It does look kind of bright here, but in real life, it's a very gorgeous colour, especially if you love shades of orange!
So I've started with a base card of Old Olive, then layered with a piece of Tangerine Tango. I've inked up one of the images in the same colour ink as cardstock to make a background.
Then I've added a strip of fabric and some grosgrain ribbon in the Old Olive. For the circle, I've used some of the flower images in the set, circle punches and scallop punches. The sentiment is also from the same set. It's a little hard to pick up from the photo, but I've done lots of sponging around each piece of cardstock, for added effect.

Products used:

Stamp set: Fresh Cuts

Cardstock: Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive

Accessories: Ribbon, Punches SU, brads, sponging, fabric

I've also made up this 8x8 scrapbook page, based on the sketch, just ommitting the circle!

The base is Kiwi Kiss, another of the new In-Colours. It's similar to Old Olive, just a little brighter!

Then I've added a strip of black cardstock, then Very Vanilla. Using my Embrace Life stamp set, I've inked the flower image in Kiwi Kiss and stamped up a background, first stampin' off some of the colour. Then I've added some of the blue grosgrain ribbon.

For the blue flowers, I've stamped onto some watercolour paper and coloured in with the marker pens and aqua painter, cut out and mounted onto the cardstock with dimensionals. I've also added a half pearl from the Pretties Kit, to each flower centre.

The sentiment is from Boho Backgrounds and I thought it was fitting for this photo, which my sister kindly took of us the other weekend before the wedding celebrations.

Products used:

Stamp set: Embrace Life, Boho Backgrounds

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Ballet Blue\

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Stazon Black

Accessories: Mat pack, grosgrain ribbon, Pretties Kit, Black brad, Dimensionals, Marker pens, Aqua painter

So there you have it, a little peak into what you can expect from the new catalogue. I've been told it's 'delish' so I can't wait to see it. Hopefully very soon; I'm waiting patiently for it to arrive in my letter box. In the meantime, I will keep playing with my other Stampin' goodies!

Magnolia Down Under Challenges

Well, I've managed to get this one in on time. In this weeks challenge from Kellie's Magnolia Challenge, is to include a Tilda, yellow ribbon and a flower. And I think I've managed that quite nicely!

The base card is Pretty in Pink, onto which I've layered some Designer Paper from Spring Fling. And this was the guide to my colour selection for this card! Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow and Whisper White!
Onto the DP I've layered a smaller piece of Sage Shadow. The stamped image is on Whisper White which I've coloured in using my aqua painter and ink pads. Tilda is holding a bunch of flowers, so I've just added my own small flowers from the Pretties Kit instead. I used my marker pens to colour in the white flowers, then added a half pearl to the centre.
To complete the card, I've used a small piece of yellow grosgrain ribbon, photo corner punch and a sentiment from 'Boho Backgrounds'.

Products used:
Stamp set: Magnolia Stamps, Boho Backgrounds (SU)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow, Spring Fling DP
Ink: Black Stazon, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Photo corner punch, brad, Ribbon, Pretties Kit, Dimensionals.


These challenges have been lots of fun and I can't wait to see what the next one is.

There is only one more week before the release of the new Stampin'Up Catalogue for 2009/2010. So exciting. I still don't have my own copy, but it's sure to be arriving in my letter box any day now. Demonstrators were allowed to pre-order some new items from a sneak peak catalogue this year, so I do have some new goodies to play with; stamps and new In-colours. I hope to show you some new creations very soon.
In the meantime, you only have a week left to order from the current catalogue. Retired items have been selling fast, especially with some items at 25% off. So don't forget to check it out here.

Hippie Girl Jewel - Bizzy Becs

I received in the mail last week, another stamp from Bizzy Bec's own line of stamps. This one is Hippie Girl Jewel. Isn't she just cool!! I also got lots of little pieces of fabric, perfect to add to my cards.
Onto Whisper White cardstock, I've layered the fabric (top panel), Certain Celery & Regal Rose cardstock. I've used my Cuttlebug on the Rose cardstock.
Then I've stamped the image onto Whisper White cardstock with Stazon black ink, coloured in with ink pads and blender pens. I also stamped the image onto some Celery dotted DP and just cut out the pants only, for some paper-peicing. I added some glitter to her jewellery and a little pink stone on the flower in her hair.
The sentiment is from Warm Words and I've finished off the card with some wide Celery grosgrain ribbon.


So there you have it. My first card with fabric and Hippie Girl Jewel; hope to show you some more soon.

Magnolia Down Under Challenges

Seems I'm a little late for the latest Magnolia Down Under Challenge but I thought I'd show you anyway and hopefully I can join in on time for the next one. These are the cutest little girl stamps and I really enjoyed colouring her in.

The challenge was to include five different coloured ribbons. I just LOVE ribbon, so I really enjoyed making this card.
I've started off with a base card in Whisper White, layered my ribbons at the bottom of my card and then added a piece of Sage Shadow. I've used the BG stamp Tres' Chic to this.
I stamped the image onto Watercolour paper, coloured in with marker pens and aqua painter, then cut out and mounted onto the card. I've finished it off with a rub-on sentiment and two blue brads.

Products used:

Stamps: Magnolia, Tres Chic BG

Cardstock: Whisper White, Sage Shadow, Watercolour paper

Ink: Black Stazon, Sage Shadow

Accessories: Ribbon (assorted), Marker pens, aqua painter, brads, rubbon

Stamped image © Magnolia Stamps

What a girl needs......

What does a girl need? Lots of cute hand-bags and pretty shoes, of course. We can never have too many of those!!
I made this fun card last night, really simple, but I just love it!! The stamped images are from a stamp set I have from Hanna Stamps - so cute.
I stamped the little handbags onto some Afternoon Tea DP, cut them out and mounted onto punched out circles. The shoes were stamped directly onto the Whisper White and then I've used the circle punches to cut out. The shoes have beem 'glamoured up' with some dazzling diamond glitter.

Products used:

Stamp set: But I need it... (Hanna Stamps)

Cardstock: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Circle punches, Scallop punch, White grosgrain ribbon, Mat pack,

Stamped images © Hanna Stamps
I've been trying out different styles and ways to making cards, making them somewhat more simple. I've just ordered some material peices to also use on my cards, so that should be fun. So I hope to share some more exciting creations with you very soon.

Now I'm off to pack; we are heading to Perth for a family wedding this weekend, which is going to be very exciting for everyone. So til next time.....

Weekend Sketch Challenge #71

Here's another sketch challenge hosted by Sharon Harnist from Paper Perfections. It's a sweet simple sketch and leaves lots of room for creativity. I've turned the sketch on it's side, as it worked better with the stamped image I chose.

So here is my card; I've used Sassy Stems, a really cute set that is sadly retiring. It has three elegant flower images and is a great stamp to have in your stash, which is where mine will be staying.

I've also used some of the lovely In-Colours - Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi teamed up with the Afternoon Tea DP. The base card has been stamped with En Fancais BG stamp.

The image is coloured in with the ink pads and aqua painter. I've prettied up the card by using some of the goodies in the Pretties Kit - a hat pin with some pearl - and fed that thru the striped Soft Sky ribbon.

I haven't used a sentiment on this card, as it's nice to have a blank card to use every now and then.

Products Used:

Stamps: En Fancais BG, Sassy Stems

Cardstock: Sky Blue, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Soft Sky

Accessories: Striped Soft Sky ribbon, Pretties Kit,

Stamps & Smiles Sketch Challenge

Stamps & Smiles have a weekly sketch challenge starting every Thursday. I really enjoy the sketch challenges, so thought I'd see what I could come up using this fabulous sketch!

I've used one of my Bella Stamps, which are so much fun to work with. I really love paper-piecing the dresses!

I've started off with a base card in Pretty in Pink and folded into a standard size card. The I've layered with some DP from Berry Bliss and also a piece of Purely Pomegrante which I've put thru the Cuttlebug. I've stamped the Ballon-a-bella onto the Whisper White and also onto some Berry Bliss DP - pink dotted. I've cut out the dress and sponged the edges with pink ink. Then I've coloured the rest of the girl in with my ink pads. With the balloons, I've used some Tombow glue and chunky glitter.
I've finished off the card with a flower from the Pretties Kit, a photo corner with brad, some paper piercing and a sentiment.

Don't forget the Berry Bliss Designer paper is retiring, so if you would like to have some of this gorgeous paper, email me for details. The retiring goodies are going very fast.

Products used:

Stamps: Stamping Bella - Balloon-a-bella, Yummy (Sale-a-bration)

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegrante, Whisper White, Berry Bliss DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegrante

Accessories: Chunky Glitter, Tombow glue, Window Punch, Photo corner punch, Pretties Kit, Mat Pack, Brads

Images © Stamping Bella 2009

Stylish Tom

A little while back, Bec over at Bizzy Bec's had a competition to name her new line of stamps. One of my names happened to be a winner: Stylish Tom. Bec kindly sent me the stamp of this cool guy and I've finally had a chance to make a card with him!

The base card is Night of Navy to which I've stamped the Tres' Chic background stamp in the same colour ink. Then I've added a strip of DP from the Crew Kids Boy Scrappin' Kit.

The image has been stamped onto Whisper White with Stazon black ink. I've coloured in with my Watercolour Crayons. I haven't used these in ages, and it reminded me that I should pull them out more often, as they are great for colouring-in! To make him a little more stylish, I added some dazzling diamond glitter to the colour of his suit. I've matted this onto Bashful Blue cardstock and distressed the edges with the Cutter tool kit.

I've added the 'sparkle' sentiment from Warm Words, some navy grosgrain ribbon and two brads.

This is going to be a great stamp for those stylish masculine cards that I may need.

Products used:

Stamp sets: Stylish Tom (Bizzy Becs), Tres' Chic, Warm Words

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, DP Crew Kids Boy

Ink: Black Stazon, Night of Navy

Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon, Brads, Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painter, Hole punch, Oval punches, Cutter Kit, Dazzling diamond glitter.

Images © Stampin'Up & Bizzy Becs.

Ribbon fun

After I saw this post at Sweet Paper Treats about using left-over ribbon, I just knew I had to give it a try. It's so clever and cute. So hop along over and have a look at the great tutorial!

I used the scallop square die from my Cuttlebug, the only one I have. But I think I may be looking for some new pretty dies to play with, especially some with butterflies.

This is a scrapbook page I started the other day. I've always loved this photo of my sister Aimee and Caden; so thought I'd continue on with the girly colours I've been using lately, and make an 8x8 scrapbook layout.

The DP is from Petals & Paisly, which already had the word 'together' on it. I've decorated a letter 't' with lots of different coloured ribbon and mounted with dimensionals. The butterfly image is from Natural Beauty, which I've coloured in with blender pen & ink pads, then sprinkled with some chunky glitter.

I've also stamped 'together' from Life's Definitions.

These are not my best photo's; I've taken these pictures inside tonight - something I never normally do!!

Pink projects.

I had my own Colour Challenge and picked these colours to work with: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certain Celery & Ballet Blue.

My first project is this cute box with a belly band. It's easy to make and is the perfect packaging for a little gift!
The box is made in the pink cardstock.
For the belly band, I've cut a length of Celery print DP and used the scallop edge punch on both sides. Then I've layered with a strip of Regal rose, which has been stamped using the swirl image from Priceless. The band is then wrapped around the box and secured so you can slide it off when opening the box!
I've tied a length of wide grosgrain ribbon around the band and then finished off with a tag, also using stamped images from the same set.

Next is a card using one of the retired stamp sets: Natural Beauty. It's sad to see this one go, as I really love these images for colouring and it's a set that can be used for so many occasions. Although it won't be in the new 2009/2010 catalogue, it will certainly be staying on my shelf!
The base card is in pink cardstock, to which I've added the three coloured squares using the square SU punch. In the same colour ink, I've stamped each square with the flower image.
Then I've stamped the same image onto the white cardstock and layered onto another piece of white cardstock. I've used the blender pen and stamp pad to colour the flower. The flower is finished off with a half pearl.
The words 'joy' and 'love' have been stamped using the marker pens. I've just selected which words I wanted from the stamp and used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line them up to the correct spot.
The card has been finished off with pink grosgrain ribbon and some paper piercing. I really love the simple look of this card.


And lastly, another card using Bodacious, another set that is retiring. The layout of this card is from Makeesha's sketch.

Once again, the base card is pink cardstock onto which I've stamped the Fine Lace background stamp (also retiring).
I've done each layer with the various colours of cardstock. The flower has been inked into Pretty in Pink and then the edges of the stamp rolled into the Regal Rose. This is called the rock-n-roll technique and is fun with bold images like this flower. I've cut out and mounted onto the rose cardstock with some leaves. And I've added some silver brads to the centre of the flower. The 'happiness' sentiment is from Warm Words.


So these are my projects for today. I must say, I had fun with all the PINK!!

Retired list - a fond farewell......

With the new Idea Book & Catalogue just around the corner, it's time to bid a fond farewell to several of our favourite stamps and accessories in order to make room for exciting new products. Items on the retired list are available only while stocks last. Don't miss out on this chance to get them! Check this list to see which sets and accessories you can't do without and contact me today to place your order.

For the first time, Stampin' Up are selling selected stamps at 25% off. The prices are reflected on the list and have a * next to them.

For any information regarding this list or if you would like to place an order, please email me at chuizeng@bigpond.net.au