MME Challenge

Good morning scrappers!

Hope you had a wonderful, over-indulgent Christmas and that the effects of too much turkey,  Christmas pud and cheap wine have now worn off!

I managed to find a bit of time amongst all the madness and mayhem to do the sketch challenge over at MME:

 I really enjoyed making the card on my previous post and had a few bits and pieces left over so did the layout in a similar style...lots of bright colours on a pure white background, all matted on black. No Glimmer Mist, paints or stencilling...just pure, clean white.

Well,  New Years Eve tomorrow so the madness starts once more...hope you have a good one! Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Seeing Stars

G'day folks,

Thought I'd sneak in a card before Christmas, for the Casology challenge again. I keep saying to myself  that I must try a different challenge sometimes but then I see that pesky cue word and I start thinking...

This week the cue word is:

I'm quite over making Christmas cards so a Christmas star theme was definitely out. Instead I thought I'd make a bright, happy birthday card which I'll probably end up giving to one of my son's friends:

What could be simpler than plonking a pile of die cut Nestability stars on top of each other eh? I used a heap of Lime Twist MME papers and matted them on to some black card. Nothing more to be said really....

Hope you all have an absolutely wonderful Christmas on Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping and especially thanks if you manage a comment in the the Christmas rush!

Claire x

Playing with Prima

Good morning scrappers!

This months pack from Scrapville is stuffed full of Prima products from their Rondelle range - lots of pale pinks, neutrals and black. Can you believe I've never used Prima before? I don't use many flowers on my layouts usually but I so enjoyed using these papers:

The photo was taken earlier this year at my brother's wedding in the UK, with my cousin Carol. We rarely see each other now - she's in Germany and I'm in Oz  - and I miss her terribly. The pack comes with a couple of huge journalling spots so I've written a heap of journalling and hidden it under the photo. You can just see the edge peeking out!

Well, the time is getting on - I have a Christmas party to go to with the kids in the local park today so I'm off to ice the muffins. Roll on Tuesday...it will soon be over!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Waltzing Again

Well hello again bloggers,

Only 6 sleeps until the big man arrives and I'm still not feeling Christmassy in the slightest...bah humbug! I think I need some snow or something to get me in the mood.....

In amongst the Christmas preparations I still found time to do this weeks Waltzingmouse sketch challenge from  Kim:

Funny how you can find time for challenges when you have NEW stuff to play with! The stamps I've used are from three different sets - Camellia, the new Woodgrain set and the sentiment's from Asian Gardens. I stamped the Camellia on some scraps of MME and made some paper panels from October Afternoon paper and some woodgrain embossed cream card. Love that flower...it's so detailed I really didn't need to do anything else to it!

Anyway, better get on with Christmas - thanks for stopping by!

Claire x

G'day folks,

A quick post to show what I've done for this week's Casology challenge. The cue word this week is:

I had so many options for this one...an old Stampin' Up stamp from the Birthday Whimsy set (which was the first SU set I ever bought) or an ancient Cuttlebug embossing folder - so ancient, in fact, that it didn't actually work properly. I decided to make a present though - which was harder than I thought because nothing looked right! They call is clean and simple, but sometimes it isn't actually that simple is it?!

Have a fabulous weekend and thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Scrapping with Studio Calico

Hello Scrappers!

It's been a while since I felt like doing a scrapbook page but there's a great competition here, where you have the opportunity to win a six month kit subscription with Studio Calico. Now wouldn't that be nice...

To enter, you have to create a project using Studio Calico products, make a video of it and upload it to You Tube. Luckily, if you're shy and retiring like me, you're able to take a photo and list the products used. Phew - no fame and fortune for me on You Tube then...

I used part of a mask to make a frame on the outside of the layout. I cut the hearts using a Nestability die and used some 3D tape to raise the central hearts and make them pop. The wooden tag is one that I've had in my stash for about 4 years - I've covered it in patterned papers from the 6x6 pad and used the stamps as a basis for my journalling. The chevrons were cut from some patterned paper, I've pleated the Fab Rips and layered the buttons to add some depth.

So the products I used are:

SC Mr Huey's mask
SC Mister Huey's Mist
SC Chipboard Alphabet
SC Memoir patterned paper (Flower Bed)
SC Memoir patterned paper (Cupboard)
SC Memoir patterned paper (Love Notes)
SC Memoir chipboard buttons
SC Fab Rips
SC 6x6 paper pad (from the Roller Rink Card Kit)
SC star stickers
SC & Hero Arts stamps (from the Roller Rink Card Kit)

I've also used a couple more products from the Studio Calico Roller Rink Card Kit. I think they were made exclusively for the kit:

Amy Tangerine Remarks
My Minds Eye Enamel Dots

Thanks for stopping by again,

Claire x

Waltzingmouse #127

It's that time of year when you start to receive Christmas cards from people you've forgotten to send one to...oops! And there I was thinking I'd finished them all. I thought this week's sketch at Waltzingmouse was a lovely simple one from Teresa so I've made up a few extras just in case:

I know, very similar to this one here, but since I had the papers, stamps and inks sprawled all over the benchtop that is my scrap 'room' I thought I may as well use them....The little border at the top is from the small Dainty Doilies set, with a touch of bling on top!

Thanks for stopping by again,

Claire x

A Freshly Made Christmas Card

Good morning blogland!

Hope you're managing to have a little break from the madness that is Christmas. Yesterday the boys went to see Santa armed with a list long enough to make any parent weep! I think this may be the last Christmas of innocence for them - my eldest started kindy this year and some bright spark has already told him that Santa's not real....such a shame the magic doesn't last a little longer!

Anyway, Freshly Made have a gorgeous sketch challenge this week from Cindy:

I used my trusty waltzingmouse stamp again, this time with some black embossing powder on a gold background - it came up a treat I think.   The gold metal shim has been embossed with a Nestability folder and the beautiful paper is Alison Ellis.

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Casology - Sparkle

Hello bloggers,

Time for another Casology challenge - this week the cue word is 'sparkle.' Nothing sparkles like a bit of bling does it? So I decided to make an engagement card, complete with diamond ring:

I knew I wanted to make the ring and use the heart embossing folder but it's not how I envisaged it at all..in fact I think I may have based it on a sketch from last week's retro sketches challenge. (You know when it kind of sticks in your brain and you end up using a sketch unintentionally?) I think Christmas is affecting the mojo at the moment...too many things to think about...

Hope your mojo's flowing! Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Going Retro

Hello again bloggers,

Just a quick post to show you what I've done for the Retro Sketches challenge this week. It's the first time I've done this challenge and I loved the sketch. I'm sure it will be one I go back to again and again, particularly as it's a good one to use up all those scraps:

As it's a blokey card I kept it very clean and simple, with a mix of October Afternoon and Studio Calico papers.

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

A Washi Waltzingmouse

Hope you're looking forward to the end of week - one of the things I miss about working is that Friday feeling, when you know you've got 2 whole days off before starting at work again on a Monday! Am I being ungrateful when I say every day feels like a Monday sometimes....?!

This week's Waltzingmouse sketch is by Jean Martin:

I'm a bit over using the traditional colours for Christmas so thought I'd use some Japanese washi papers I picked up recently.  I wish I'd used the pink for the ribbon strips and only a small amount of black for the strip going across. The black looks a little harsh in the photo.  Nothing like doing a self-critique eh?! The washi paper rose took forever...I thought it would be easier with softer paper but it actually made it really fiddly. And I don't do fiddle!

Have a great weekend, thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Scrapville Sketch Challenge

Hello Scrappers!

There's still plenty of time to get your entries in for this month's sketch challenge over at Scrapville, which has been provided by Anita:

Doesn't my sister-in-law make a beautiful bride? I used some flourish stamps to stamp randomly around the layout and then sponged white and pink inks on the edges. Kind of looks like the faded edges of the photo I think.

We're bracing ourselves for 43C in Sydney this weekend. Yuck! The last time we had that heat I was 7 months pregnant so I guess it could be worse!

Have a great day and don't melt in the heatwave if you're Down Under! Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Cardabilities + Play Date

Have to be super snappy with this post as both challenges close in a soon!  I've been lusting over the colour scheme over at Play Date Cafe but, despite having 2 weeks to get it done,  I waited right until the last minute to have a play. Luckily I had some left over scraps of MME papers that fit the colour scheme pretty well - I also used a sketch from Cardabilities just to speed that mojo up a bit....

I stampede a Waltzingmouse doile and used that as a base for the flower. That Stampin Up sprig of leaves is getting an absolute hammering in my Cuttlebug at the moment...it seems to be ending up on everything I do!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Hello Bloggers!

 For those of you with kids, you'll know that after you've given birth, something happens to you: your brain turns to mush, you can barely think beyond the next nappy change and the ability to think straight almost completely disappears.

And this is why I like the Casology challenge. It makes me use my brain.  Since I'm not working, card challenges are my way of using my brain to think about something else,  besides what to feed the kids, when I'll next clean the bathroom and how I'm going to get that damn piece of lego out of my son's nose!

This week the cue word is:

Of course 'gobble' immediately sums up images of turkeys or food. Since I'm in Australia and we obviously don't celebrate Thanksgiving, the turkey option was pretty much out. So I came up with this:

Hmmmmm - gobbledygook. I even checked the spelling on Wikipedia just to make sure it had 'gobble' in there! That cute little robot is from Birdie Brown digital stamps and you can find him here. I coloured him with Copics and the die cut is from Kaisercraft. The speech bubble is Hero Arts (which I've used in the last 3 challenges...getting bored of it yet?!)

Well, that's my brain used for today....there's practically steam coming out of my ears I had to think so hard! Hopefully that's a good thing.

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Fab scraps at Scrapville

Happy Thanksgiving to all those across the water! Hope you're enjoying your special time with friends and family.

I've been having a play with this month's pack at Scrapville which is chock full of Fab Scraps Heritage Range papers. I knew I had the perfect photos from my UK trip earlier in the year. My brother was married in a beautiful old church, so of course there were lots of old gravestones in the church grounds. My 6 year old son was absolutely fascinated -  it never occurred to me that he's never seen a grave before. It didn't phase him at all when I explained what a grave is and he insisted that I read all the inscriptions:

I love that background paper - I just added some swipes of old rose Distress Ink....don't you just love it when all the hard work's been done for you?!

Next I did a card:

The flowers have been made using the lacy circles die from Nestabilities and I've filled the centres with Kindy Glitz.  Still loving that woodgrain embossing folder!

If you're interested in purchasing one of Scrapville's monthly packs you can contact Janet at the shop. And if you enter the competition, you also have an opportunity to win next month's pack!

Happy scrapping and thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Hero Stamps/Studio Calico Challenge

Hello Bloggers!

Thought I'd have a bash at a new challenge today - the Hero Arts challenge and the Studio Calico Sunday Sketch. I'm not sure if you're able to combine challenges so I'll have to have my stamping hand slapped if I'm not allowed! There are three challenges at Hero Arts but I decided to go with the colour one. You can find the Studio Calico sketch here and this is the colour swatch...

Very Christmassy aren't they? So naturally I didn't do a Christmas card and went for a (very) early Valentines card instead:

I combined some Studio Calico from the Memoir collection and some from one of their latest card kits. The kit came complete with some Hero Arts stamps so a perfect opportunity to combine the two challenges!

Have a fabulous Wednesday and thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Win Some Scrapville Goodies

It's time for the monthly sketch challenge again at Scrapville with 2 new sketches to play with:

For all the details on how to enter take a look here - 'pumpkin' time is midnight on 14th December, just in time to receive some goodies for Christmas if you win! Here's my card:

I used some Bo Bunny papers from a previous monthly pack, together with a Kaisercraft script stamp and a stamp from Studio G. It's not like me to use distressing on my card but I picked up some bargain distress inks the other day and they just happened to match these papers perfectly.

Hope you have a great day and can have a go at the challenge!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Waltzingmouse Blog Party

Hello blog hoppers!

It's the 17th in Australia and Waltzingmouse Blog Party time again - this time the theme is 'gratitude.' What better way to show gratitude than by sending a thank you card. It doesn't seem to be that popular in Australia - my better (?) half reckons that we poms send a thank you card to say thank you for a thank you card (if you get my drift) but I think it's a lovely gesture that isn't used enough nowadays.  I remember my Mum making me sit at the dining room table and write thank you letters for all my birthday and Christmas presents...it would take me forever!

Anyway, moving on, here's the card I made using the gorgeous Asian Gardens set. Who needs pretty papers when a stamp will do eh?

That pesky bird escapes from his cage every time doesn't he...look where he ended up....

Thanks for popping by, have fun at the party and I'm thankful for any comments left!

Cheers,

Claire x

Waltzingmouse Challenge #123

I seem to be on a roll with the cards this week, although now I've said that, the mojo will go flying out the window....

Just managed to sneak in a card for the WMS  sketch challenge which looks like this:

I feel as though my cards have all been very clean and simple recently so I used about 15 layers on this one (ok - slight exaggeration).  Whoever receives it probably won't be able to stand it up as it's so heavy! There's a layer of cork paper at the bottom that I found in my local craft store last week, followed by a layer of denim.  I really wanted to use the denim as the base but it just wasn't happening so I covered that in a layer of Basic Grey and just left the frayed edges showing. I used cork paper as my base for the stamp which is from the Very Vintage Labels 1 set. I've also added a sentiment from Fancy Phrases.

Hope you're getting crafty! See you at the Blog Party and thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

A Simple Thanks

Hello there again bloggers!

Just a short post to show you what I've done for this week's Casology challenge using Studio Calico:

Not much explaining to do for this one really. I knew I wanted to fit the 'thank' inside the 'U' so the hardest part was going through all my Thickers!

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Mojo Monday #266

Don't you just love Mojo Monday? And don't you love it even more when there's a prize on offer too? Well it's always worth a bash isn't it so here's my attempt:

I picked up that beautiful Asian inspired paper by Alison Ellis at the weekend and put it with a scrap of Kaisercraft. The only problem is I'm not sure if I've put it the right way up...you'll have to excuse my ignorance in Asian languages, I'm afraid. I always wonder if the writing does make any sense. For all I know it could be a pile of swear words - a paper manufacturer could be having a right chuckle somewhere thinking of all us unsuspecting card makers using their mucky paper!

Oops, I digress.  Times running out...better link up quick...

Thanks for stopping by,

Claire x

Seeing Orange

Hello fellow bloggers!

It's Sunday again...how does the week go so fast? How come I never have enough time to enter all those pesky challenges out there? I thought I'd sneak in a quickie (card that is) before the clock stops ticking over at Casology. This week the cue word is orange.

Now I love orange but didn't have anything in my stash that screamed orange to me - either in terms of fruit or colour. And then what happens to fall on my doorstep but a fabulous prize that I won through Moxie Fab World a couple of weeks ago, purely for making a comment. Don't you just love that? A  prize for doing virtually nothing! (And since there were about 285 comments I appreciate I was very lucky!) In this lovely Studio Calico card kit was the perfect shade of orange card with the perfect little packet of orange sticker dots and a speech bubble stamp....

I embossed the stamp on to the orange card and added a little twine and button, together with some faux stitching. I also cut a circle which I embossed using a striped embossing folder from Stampin Up. I embossed it twice, in different directions so I ended up with checks, not stripes. I cut a slit in it and added the banner and then added a few of the dots.  It took me about 10 minutes - can you tell?

Hope you have a great Sunday and thanks for any comments...they truly make my day!

Cheers,

Claire x

A Christmas Waltzingmouse

Well hello Bloggers!

I'm one step further in finishing my Christmas cards with this week's Waltzingmouse challenge:

I've used the Seasons of Love set with some MME and Imaginisce papers - so love that sentiment!

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x

Creating 4 Freshly Made

Another quick post just to show what I've done for this week's Freshly Made and Cr84fn:

I had no inks in the required Cr84fn colours except for an old SU marker but I did have heaps of MME with lots of grey. Yet again I dragged my Waltzingmouse cupcake out. I have to admit, I think it needs some sneaky pink on the icing or something but it's a lovely elegant colour combo. Perfect for a wedding card - except I don't know anyone else getting married!

Have a great day and thanks for popping by,

Claire x

A Scrappy Sketch

Hello Scrappers,

Time for a Scrapville sketch again - all the details can be found here if you want the chance to win some gorgeous goodies from the shop. You've got until November 14th to get your entries in:

I think I may add something more at a later date to this one. It just looks a little bare to me....not sure why but I'm really struggling with scrapping at the moment. I'm finding the card making is taking over a lot now. Usually I'm able to flick between the two quite easily but the scrappy mojo seems to have disappeared a bit in the last couple of months!  I was lucky enough to win a $20 voucher through Big Picture Classes last week so I'm going to try and get back into it by doing one of their scrapbooking classes in the next few weeks. 'Life on the Card Heap'...just doesn't really work does it?

Thanks for popping by,

Claire x