Wednesday 31 October 2012

Stocking Up for Christmas

Hello again! I've been trying to get into my Christmas cards early this year as work starts end of November, I need to move houses before then and then there's graduation on top early December!

So another couple of cards from me. I finally got around to using the Stocking Prints stamp set I bought earlier this year :D

And who said stockings couldn't make a background stamp? I thought I'd go with more traditional colours this time given I couldn't think up any fresh ideas to go with my favourite pastels. Besides, stockings should be red and green, don't you think? ;)


 Another simple card. I added some additional touches with the Vintage Touch Duo inks around the edges of the cardstock and it is amazing just how much it adds to a boring cardstock.


Anyway that's it from me today. Hope you enjoyed them and hope all your Christmas cardmaking plans are getting started! Happy Halloween by the way!

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

{Deck the Halls}
STAMP: [PTI] Stocking Prints
INK: [PTI] Dark Chocolate, Vintage Touch: Tea Dye Duo; [SU!] Old Olive, Real Red
PAPER: [PTI] Pure Poppy, Rustic Cream
OTHER: [PTI] Grosgrain ribbon (Pure Popppy), Limitless Layers: 2.25" Oval die collection

{'Tis the Season}
STAMP: [PTI] Stocking Prints
INK:
[PTI] Dark Chocolate, Vintage Touch: Tea Dye Duo; [SU!] Old Olive, Real Red 
PAPER: [PTI] Pure Poppy, Rustic Cream
 OTHER: [PTI] Stocking Prints die collection; foam tape

Monday 29 October 2012

Christmas is in the Air

Hi everyone! I have to say thank you for all the lovely comments on my PTI Blog Hop card the other day. Really made my day (and yes, I loved the card so much, I made another one and intend on trying more colours!) ;)

I thought seeing as Christmas is a couple of months away, I should get cracking with the annual mission. I suspect I will be busy one work starts end of November.

My challenge is to make different cards from last year - not an easy one when your stamping mojo is still lost somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and you haven't got a single new Christmas stamp (well, there are a couple on the way!) - but it's a challenge for that reason. I didn't want to send out same cards to people as last year, and I try to make different cards for most people.

Since I kept you all waiting whilst I was enjoying the tropical sunshine in Aitutaki, Cook Islands for 9 weeks, I thought I'd throw in a couple of cards today. I do have another but intend to share another day just to keep the flow steady.

First card is reasonably simple. I am having a horrendously difficult time coming up with new ideas for the Damask Snowflake dies. I used it so much last year, I think I may have depleted of new ideas for this year!


 Next one is another simple one using the In the Meadow set. It looks awfully a lot like other cards I made using it in the past, but it looks great with white cardstock and a bit of shimmer mist!


Thanks for coming and I will have more cards to share soon :)

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

{Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men}
STAMP: [PTI] Wonderful Words: Holiday
INK: [StazOn] Jet Black
PAPER: [PTI] Stamper's Select White, Aqua Mist, Hawaiiam Shores
OTHER: [PTI] Damask Snowflakes die collection, Wonderful Words: Holiday die collection; Tin Types impression plate, grosgrain ribbon (Fresh Snow); [Studio Calico] Mister Huey's Color Mist (Calico Shine)

{Good Tidings to You and Yours}
STAMP: [PTI] In the Meadow
INK: [PTI] Dark Chocolate; [SU!] Old Olive
PAPER: [PTI] Stamper's Select White
OTHER: [PTI] In the Meadow die collection; In the Meadow Silhouettes die collection;
[Studio Calico] Mister Huey's Color Mist (Calico Shine)

Friday 26 October 2012

PTI Blog Hop [Oct 2012]

Hello everyone,

I thought I was a little too late to make something for the blog hop, but it looks like it hasn't even started yet! Woohoo for time being so ahead in New Zealand. I very very quickly made something whilst the idea was still floating around my head.


Anyway, this month's blog hop theme was non-traditional Christmas colours...

So I chose the above color scheme for my card. I was going to use another initially, but then decided I needed something a bit brighter. After all, it is Christmas we are talking about.


Basically, all I did was get strips of cardstock of the above colour scheme and glued them on the white card base. Then I overlayed it with an impressed and die cut mat with a bit of foam tape. Just to go along with the colours, I stamped the remainder of the sentiment with multiple colours.

Here's another view... because I feel like it. Haha.



 A reasonably CAS card because of all the white spaces but has enough on it I think. I did put a wee holly die cut in the corner for finishing touches.

Thanks for coming by :) Hope you liked my take on the challenge.

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
STAMP: [PTI] Wonderful Words: Holiday
INK: [PTI] Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss; [SU!] Daffodil Delight
PAPER: [PTI] Stamper's Select White, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet, Melon Berry
OTHER: [PTI] Holly Jolly die collection, Wonderful Words: Holiday die collection, Woodgrain impression plate; [Kaiser Craft] rhinestones

Sunday 21 October 2012

CAS75: Over the Edge

Whoop. Two posts in one day. Something must be heading in the right direction in terms of my stamping inspirations.

I hadn't even thought about tackling challenges yet, but something just sparked when I saw the challenge for this week. So here goes my clean and simple card for CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #75. This time, we are meant to make a card that has an element going over the edge...


So... a very simple card from me, because I cannot be stuffed and it fits in with CAS! I used Friends 'Til the End set and let it go over the edge of the card at the bottom and to the left. I actually snipped off about a centimetre or so at the bottom and to the left so it stands evenly with the back of the card.


Thanks for coming around! Will have more cards up soon :)

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
Stamp: [PTI] Friends 'Til the End
Ink: [PTI] Dark Chocolate, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise; [Adirondack] Ginger
Paper: [PTI] Rustic Cream
Other: [PTI] Friends 'Til the End die collection; foam tape; [We R Memory Keepers] Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper (aqua); [Tim Holtz] Ink blending tool

Easing back into crafting

So it's a weird feeling seeing your Cuttlebug again after 9 weeks of crafting-deprivation. I seriously hoped the ink pads would still be functional and I am proud to say they are still working (at least the ones I've tried!).

Anyway, my stamping mojo hasn't quite made it back from Aitutaki, so leading up to the blog hop in a few days, I decided I needed to do something very simple. As a result, I ended up making a card for a friend who has her big exams in a weeks time. Except, I pretty much copied a card I made previously, just in different colours. But anyway, it's a start...


As an added hidden detail, the bow has double tails. I did this by cutting off a length of ribbon and tying a bow around something small (e.g. lipstick) then pulling the bow out and cutting the "ring" created by forming the bow around the object. Trim the tails to lengths you want ;)

Anyway, simple as I warned you. But hopefully this will kick me into crafty mode before it gets too busy to even make Christmas cards! I hope to join everyone in the Blog Hop this week so wish me luck in getting crafty!

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
Stamp: [PTI] Cupcake Collection; [My Cute Stamps] Little Cupcake
Ink: [PTI] Hawaiian Shores; [Adirondack] Pitch Black
Paper: [PTI] Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist
Other: [PTI] Spiral Notepad die, grosgrain ribbon (Hawaiian Shores), Diamonds impression plate; [Copic] Sketch Markers (BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18, E00, E21, E13, 0) ; [We R Memory Keepers] Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper (aqua)

Saturday 20 October 2012

Back in New Zealand!

Hi everyone,

I'm back in New Zealand a little earlier than initially planned (1st November) from Aitutaki after having had a scooter accident and receiving a wound that would have been better dealt with at home. Wound is slowly getting better for those worried. It is being followed up by Orthopaedics at the hospital, so if anything goes wrong, at least I am in the right place for it.

On the bright side, you now get me back in the crafty world and hopefully I will get my crafty mojo back soon. It will be quite busy over the next few weeks as I try to find a new place to live (moving out of home at last), try and study for one little exam in early November (it's one I'm allowed to fail!), write my elective report and get my life back together before work starts on 22nd November!

I did make a new purchase on PTI the other day, so hopefully that will get me kick-started on my Christmas cards as it is approaching FAST.

A little teaser on the photos that will be up on the other blog... ;)
My elective blog, Asian on Aitutaki, will also continue to be updated for those who want to hear stories and see some awesome photos of a tropical paradise.

Thanks for your patience and I will be back in a tick! :)