Turtle Soup August Mini Crop

I might have been absent from this blog lately, but I promise you I have been creating!  Not a lot of scrapbooking going on, but I have been making cards in between work and family life.

In August the team at Turtle Soup hosted a "Back-to-School" themed Mini Crop and I made the following projects.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Feeling Sketchy | Sketch #147

Oh my goodness, has it really been that long since I blogged?!  As some of you know, I returned to work in April and I am loving being back in the consulting room and reconnecting with patients that I haven't seen in a long time.  I have been catching up on all the changes in the industry and learning how to utilise all the new technology.  I have been doing very little crafting except for trying to finish a crocheted blanket for Master 9 while I relax in the evenings.  However, I had a bit of time yesterday to do some cardmaking and turned to Feeling Sketchy for inspiration.

Here is the sketch I played along with......

I used some hexagon dies from MFT, Stampin' Up cardstocks in shades of grey and sentiments from Avery Elle to make these very clean and simple masculine cards.  I don't know where the enamel dots are from- they were lurking in my stash of gems and pearls.

The card bases are actually white- I photographed them on a black background- but I am thinking maybe I should have used black cardbases?  The black border looks cool......

Anyhoo, I will try to be a better blogger from now on......that reminds me.....I should probably try a Project Life layout this weekend too!

Turtle Soup | Spring Blog Hop

Hi everyone and welcome to the Turtle Soup Spring themed Blog Hop. We hope you enjoy everyone’s inspirational and creative projects. Here is the full list in case you lose your way. See you back here again to leave a finishing comment to get your ballot to win a random prize. Enjoy and off you go hopping!

1. Sara - (using Turtle blog) http://turtlesoupmagazine.blogspot.com/

2. Bev http://beeceecreativity.blogspot.com/

3. Deb P http://tassiedeb.blogspot.com.au/

YOU ARE HERE 4. LouiseB http://madeatnumber27.blogspot.com.au/

5. Lisa Moen http://lisasscrappyhideaway.blogspot.com/

6. LouiseT http://timelesscraftmumma.blogspot.com.au/

7. Chris  http://ole682000.blogspot.com

8. Toni http://memoriesonpages.blogspot.com/

9. Phillis http://justfindtimetoscrap.blogspot.com/

10. Colleen http://scrappingranny-colleen.blogspot.com/

11. Elisa http://2crazycrafters.blogspot.com.au/

12. Karen http://calmcreations.blogspot.com/

13. Joan http://thegovsplace.blogspot.com/

14. TURTLE SOUP BLOG http://turtlesoupmagazine.blogspot.com/

Although we're well into Autumn here in Australia, there is still plenty of sunshine around and the days are warm. I was inspired to create some cards using flowers and pretty soft spring colours.

I have made a set of three cards using the Flower Patch stamp set from Stampin' Up as well as Stampin' Up inks for my stamping and watercoloured stripes.

Thanks for hopping along- your next stop on the Blog Hop is the lovely Lisa Moen at  http://lisasscrappyhideaway.blogspot.com/.

Kraft Plus | February Guest Designer

I am thrilled to be the Kraft Plus Guest Designer for February.  As usual, the challenge really pushed me out of my comfort zone, and that's what I love about challenges.

I created some postage stamp backgrounds with my Silhouette Cameo and utilized some old papers from Stampin' Up that had a postage stamp theme.  I aged everything with Distress Inks including the wood veneer letters from Studio Calico.

I hope you'll play along with the challenge!

Feeling Sketchy | Sketch #127

We have a new sketch to play with at the Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog and our challenge sponsor is Bugaboo Digi Stamps.

Here is the sketch we are playing with.....

I used this Bugaboo image, coloured it with Copics and fussy-cut it out.  I changed out the squares in the sketch for triangles and flipped it so my focal point was on the left hand side of my landscape-oriented card.

My background was created by blending Distress inks and by die-cutting a triangle pattern from white cardstock with my Silhouette machine.  Rather than attempt to get some dimension by using foam tape, I cut the panel three times and adhered them to each other for the dimension I was after.

I used my Distress Inks again on the banner and tried to mimic the same blend as the background panel.

Some Clear Wink of Stella was added here and there, and sequins were the final finishing touch.

Be sure to head over to the Feeling Sketchy Blog for more inspiration and all the challenge details.

Feeling Sketchy | Sketch #126

It's time for another Feeling Sketchy Sketch and this time we welcome Lacy Sunshine as our challenge sponsor.

Here's the sketch we're playing with.....

I must admit that at first glance this sketch scared me but once the idea for a large image with inlaid circle die-cutting came to me, I was good to go!

I used the Gamer Reggie image from Lacy Sunshine, sized him in Photoshop and then printed him on Copic-friendly paper, before getting to work with my Copic markers.

I used my Kaisercraft nesting circle dies to cut parts of my panel and then again to cut the same kraft cardstock as my card base to make the layers.  I used four layers of kraft under each circle cut from my main panel and once adhered to each other popped them back in the main panel like puzzle pieces- make sense?

I added some Zig Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents to Reggie's eyes, and I used an older Hero Arts sentiment stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Denim Zing embossing powder.  I used a Spellbinders die and then the appropriate size Kaisercraft circle die to make the kraft arrow for the sentiment.

I'm really happy with how this card turned out so remember to never let a sketch frighten you- use it to try something new and different!

Be sure to head over to the Feeling Sketchy Blog for more inspiration and for all the challenge details.

Feeling Sketchy | Sketch #123

We have a new sketch to play with at the Feeling Sketchy Challenge Blog and our challenge sponsor is Kenny K.

Digi and rubber stamps from KennyK are a fun and edgy way to add the perfect dose of attitude and style to all of your creations!  The creator, the artist, the man: Kenny Kiernan (aka "KennyK"or the "Scranton Art Guy") wielded a mean crayon during his formative years in the Bronx, developing his signature funky-but-slick, urban-influenced style - and over the years has completed countless assignments for many of the biggest ad agencies and corporate clients in the business. His work runs the gamut from big-budget advertising campaigns and promotions, editorial illustration, toy/game and product packaging, to sexy pinup babes, anime and retro character designs, comic books, computer games, t-shirt and sticker designs and Flash animation - all that fun stuff!  I’m ElenaK, the woman behind the man, and the feminine touch of KennyKDownloads.com. I have been producing events for over 6 years in NYC and am an entrepreneur and a crafter at heart!  Kenny and I had been searching for the perfect collaborative project to combine our respective skill sets since we got married; we are now making it happen with KennyKdownloads.com and having a blast! 

Here's Sketch #123.....

I used an image from Kenny K, papers from Kaisercraft's "Shine Bright" Collection, a cut file from the Silhouette Design Store and my Copic Markers to create this motivational card.

I added some Clear Wink of Stella marker for some subtle shimmer on the girl image and on the heart.

Be sure to head over to the Feeling Sketchy Blog for more inspiration and all the challenge details.

Masculine Birthday Card | Video

Hi everyone!  It's been a long time since I have done a process video, so since I had to make a masculine birthday card this week, I decided to pop the camera on.

You can watch the video below or at YouTube.

Thanks for stopping by!

Inlaid Die-Cutting | Video

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I made a video, so when I made this card featuring A LOT of die-cutting, I filmed the process.  

I used these thin metal dies......

Kaisercraft Decorative Dies Number Set Sml

My Favourite Things Die-Namics Christmas Greetings

and this stamp set.....


Mama Elephant Midnight Letters

Here is the card.....

And you can watch the video below or here on YouTube.

If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them for you :-)