Happy Birthday To Ye!

Happy Birthday High Hopes Challenge Blog! It has already been one whole year since we started our weekly challenges. Gee it has gone so FAST! This week we are celebrating with birthday cards. There is also some great rubber to give away a random winner so head on over and link your entry to the comments section!

So, to my card. This is Oberto and his treasure chest! I stamped the treasure map on the base of the card and used my pastels to make the VersaMark darker. I liked the look so much I can see it becoming a bit of a must-do for me until I move on to my next phase!!

That's Amore!

This weeks High Hopes Challenge is 'Playing Favourites' hosted by the lovely Jeanne. I haven't made many cards using the chef but he is one of my many favouites. He makes me smile every time. My other favouite thing to do is create a little scene. I haven't been doing that much lately and I really think I should get back into it. The background is done using post it notes to mask off the different areas and a lot of brayering and sponging! The sentiment is white Heidi Swapp rubons and the stars are made using white acrylic ink.

Pop on over to the High Hopes Challenge blog for more info and don't forget to link your card there if you play along. You could be the random winner of some High Hopes Rubber!

Wrap It Up

Happy Sunday! I'm not overly impressed with today. I had a week off work last week and I enjoyed it so much that I don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I have sulked most of the day about it! Well, its High Hopes Challenge time and Inge would like us to Wrap It Up! That means andthing that isn't a card. I chose to do a tag today and I used Brayden's Backside and 'No ifs, ands or... well you know...' Brayden is mounted on foam tape so he sits up higher than the tag.

If you want to play along with Inge's challenge, make sure you pop by the HH blog and leave a link to your project. That way you will go into the draw to win some rubber from Tina!

Blog CANDY!

Woohoo! Who doesn't love a freebie, right? I am offering some cute candy with a stash of goodies and it could be yours!

In this bundle I have:

High Hopes Rubber Stamps - Andreas Kitties
A whole bunch of brads - Bullet, Tin Man & Pearl Brads
Pink Eyelets
2 Studio G Clear Stamps
A big clippie
Green Tara Flowers
Olive Satin Leaf Garland

All you need to do enter is take my little hyper bee below and put him on your blog with a link to my blog or store - www.stampinstuff.com.au! Links to my store in your sidebar will get you two entries into the draw!

GOOD LUCK! I can't wait to see who gets these goodies!

Entries close Thursday 24 September 2009!

UPDATED - The winner is Leah - My Life Journey!!

Thank you everyone to played along!

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

I almost forgot to post my pic of this months issue of Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft! This is Leo Lion and he is the star of the card! For this challenge we were asked to use song lyrics as the sentiment for a card. There were some great cards made for this! I did "I just can't wait to be king". My sister and I had a brainstorm; I had picked a few stamps and I was trying to match them to lyrics... I was thinking "in the jungle" which is rather boring and she came up with the genius idea of The Lion King! Every time I look at the card I get the song stuck in my head!

I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!
I've never seen a king of beasts
With quite so little hair
I'm gonna be the mane event
Like no king was before
I'm brushing up on looking down
I'm working on my roar
Thus far a rather uninspiring thing
Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

Fall into Autumn

The High Hopes Challenges are back on! We had a nice break and now its back in full swing! This week the challenge is Fall into Autumn hosted by Michelle. Remember if you want to join in the High Hopes fun, swing by the challenge blog for the details and be sure to put a link there in the comments section of your card... you never know, you could be the one that wins the weekly prize from Tina!

It was really fun colouring Lenny's Love Me Nots in a different colour. I don't know why I once got stuck in that rut of green dragons! I put some glue on the ground under Lenny and sprinkled a bit of Autumn Flower Soft on it to make him look like he is laying in autumn leaves.

Ace!

Here's Ace! You know what? I really like this card. It is so plain... it doesn't have any embellies at all apart from a bit of sewing but for some reason the colours just do it for me. I like it plain. I sewed on this card too!! I actually got the courage to sew, I did the first few rough lines in the top left corner, pulled it out of the machine went to look at what it looked like on the inside.... then worked out I had sewed with the card closed! That is why it is now layered on brown!! Ahh.... the lessons of trying new things!

Ace is a completely different colour to what I usually do dragons. I got stuck in a green rut! This time I coloured him in Baja Breeze, then did a bit of Brocade Blue in the dark areas, then Old Olive over the dark areas again and then Stargazer Twinkling H2O's... I went a bit overboard but he is a pretty cool colour now!

High Hopes Rubber Stamp Are HERE!

WOOHOO! Can you guess I am excited?! High Hopes Rubber Stamps are now in stock at Stampin' Stuff! Click here to see the range. Numbers are limited so don't miss out!!

Now to my card! I made this one tonight. It has been a few weeks now since I have used a HH stamp and I realised as I was chuckling at Turkey Getaway that I really have missed this little guys! I finally received my design team stamps just yesterday. Someone, somewhere in the world has my first little yellow packet of rubber! *sniff sniff* It's ok though because I have these ones now! YAY!

This card was inspired by Nikki's Nutshells sketch from a while ago. I tried to find it on Nikki's blog but she is such a good blogger I ran out of time looking! Sorry Nikki!

So here's one for you... next time someone says to you, you run around like a chook with it's head cut off... you can just say "its poultry in motion!".

Peas on Earth

Check out these cute peas! I have had my eye on this stamp from Stamp-It since I first started stamping a couple of years ago. I LOVED it. It is surprising I have only just got it now! I started this card a couple of weeks ago but then everything else got in the way. I had a few slack days and then I spent a few days working on an upcoming Stampers Challenge for Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft magazine and then the other days just seem to have disappeared!

I stamped the image twice and cut out the earth and the peas and popped them up on foam tape. They look so adorable in real life! I just wish a camera would catch it!

Anyway, the fun is over for me... time to share... these little peas are now on sale in the pre-loved section of Stampin' Stuff if you like them!

Memo.... thingies....

My sister, Kelly and my niece, Caitlin came to visit this weekend and stayed over. We did a bunch of shopping on Saturday (I was exhausted... I think they were keen for more!) and then Saturday afternoon we did some craftin'! We each covered a Kaisercraft memo thingy... I still don't know their name. I have been holding on to this pattern paper and the matching butterflies for so long I have forgotten it's name too. I am pretty pleased with the outcome but I still have no clue as to where I am going to hang it! Oh, and it also has a matching pen on a silver cord so it doesn't go walkies.

Kelly covered the purple one. We did pretty well considering we only had one craft knife blade and it was broken at the tip. Every time I tried to cut it just ripped the paper up. It all went rather smoothly after we got past that and my tipping the house upside down for the sandpaper that was stored nicely in the draw directly next to me the whole time. Right under the paint brushes that I had been rumaging through all day.

My first tag!

This is my very first Tim Holtz inspired tag! I have been wanting to try some new techniques for ages and I finally did it. Don't worry, I haven't thrown away High Hopes... I'm just trying a few new things for a change!

So... this tag is rather plain when compared to Tim's work but it was still really quite a challenge! I worked on it for hours... just getting the rough inky background was hard but the truth is... it was FUN! Distress ink ROCKS! I love doing the background with the ink and water... just so happens I'm not that good at it. Everything takes practice though! The reason I find it hard is because I like everything to look perfect. I can't see a bit of paper with not enough ink and just leave it like it is... I have to fix it... that's when I usually wreck it!

I tried my best to do this all like Tim does but with some substitutions. I did the Distress Ink background (here's a link to Tim's video), used my new Ink Blending Tool to sponge on some colour around the place (that tool ROCKS too!). I used my Darkroom Door Christmas set from last year for the reindeer. Then stamped a few stars in VersaMark and put Perfect Pearls on them to make a pretty shimmer and rubbed a little bit of gold metallic rub-ons on the reindeer! It's funny how I just summed a few hours work up into just a few sentences... if it was that quick and easy in real life it would get boring.

Medicine Man in Print

I am a bit late posting this because Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft Vol 15 No 2 has been on sale for a little while now but I thought I would let you know anyway. Medicine Man is in it! I made these cards about this time last year and they were the second set of cards that I ever had accepted for publication! I think they just took a while choosing an issue to put them in!

These are my three cards:

Fairy Friends!

Fairy Friends is the brand new release stamp set from Pink Cat Studio and it is being released today! There is a whopping 15 stamps in this set and what's more, I can post up to four of these sets for only $1.65!

This stamp set is so adorably cute so jump on over to Stampin' Stuff to pick one up!

Pawsitively Fabulous!

Isn't this poodle just FABULOUS?! This set is from Pink Cat Studio and I whipped her up today!
I watercoloured her using inks and Twinkling H2O's and I am so happy with how vibrant the colours turned out! It looks better in real life... but that's the way it always is.

Now for a bit of Stampin' Stuff news! I got a whole heap of new stuff in yesterday and it is all listed! I got a bunch of Stamp-It stamps including sets, wood mounted and cling mounted stamps, Tim Holtz tools, Ranger Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls, Flower Soft (I used a bit on my poodle card!) some more Prima flowers and heaps of other bits and bobs like wire, ribbon, eyelets and tools!

Now, I'm off to try out a few of these Tim Holtz things! I have always wanted to try tags like he does. *fingers to temples* channel Tim Holtz... channel Tim Holtz... nah... I don't think its working.. I will have to go watch his demos again... and again... oh and again. I will post some piccies if they are worth the effort!

Who wants some candy! - WINNER ANNOUNCED

THE WINNER IS.... SANDIE - THE CRAFTY SIDE OF ME!

Thanks to everyone who entered for taking the time to come by my blog and leave a comment!

I'm giving away some candy... now, who wants some??!!

You can win:

• A bunch of cute 2.5cm Green Tara Flowers, some copper and green leaves
  
• Bossie's Mood Swing from High Hopes Rubber Stamps!
  
• Mad Cow
  
• Moood Swing
• I've been waiting for heifer to hear from you.

So, how do you enter? Leave a comment on this post before Friday 7 August 2009! If you would like to put a link on your blog to let your friends know, feel free but make sure you let me know in the comment section because that will give you two entries into the draw!!

Go for Gold!

You know what I discovered today? I only have ONE piece of pattern paper with gold on it, one type of gold brads, gold dragonflies and gold embossing powder... and that's it! I discovered I have quite a bit of silver stuff though! This week for the High Hopes challenge we are Going for Gold!

I did an Ila today and did some gold embossing on the corners of the card base and the edges of the image layer. You can't really see it but the swirls on the pattern paper are gold and then there is the little gold dragonfly in the bottom corner.

You know, its been AGES since I last embossed... I had a second thought when I got started thinking I might have forgotten! I also had to actually locate my heat gun... I hadn't remembered seeing it since we moved but I found it in a draw so I must have seen it. I had a lot of fun embossing actually. I might leave my heat gun out and see if that encourages me to do it more often!

Pink Cat Studio Has Arrived!

LOOK... LOOK! Pink Cat Studio is in THA HOUSE! As you could imagine I was so excited to find these stamps in my mailbox this afternoon I just had to whip out the set I got for myself and try them out! Pop on over to Stampin' Stuff to see what else came in the mailbox today!

In store now are... yeah... Pink Cat Studio *grin*, a whole HEAP of Green Tara flowers, stunning Leaf Garland ribbon, mesh ribbon and adorable reindeer ribbon too! Then there is string, leaves, Christmas charms... ahh... it's all too much excitement for me! So, off you go... check out the new stuff!

Stamps: Pink Cat Studio - Christmas Kitty

Sparkle!

It has been a while since I last blogged but I'm back! I managed to get sick on my birthday for the third year in a row... blame that on Matt... he always brings home diseases a few days before our birthdays (2nd and 3rd July). After having nearly a week off work for that sickness I managed to turn mutant and had three massive cold sores on my mouth which kept me from work for almost another week, I also couldn't hear through one ear for three days and when I went to the doctor for that he didn't really care... he was more concerned about my mouth.. turns out it was infected.. ewww! Matt went away during that time and when he called to see how I was he was shocked to find all I had eaten for two days was popcorn and iced coffee. It was all I could get through my mouth! Cutlery was out of the question! Anyway, enough about all of that... it wasn't exciting (or pretty) it was just the best part of two weeks on the couch watching seasons of Supernatural over and over drinking tea and iced coffee from a straw. *groan*

So, to the CHALLENGE! Nikki would like us to go crazy with the sparkle and shimmer this week so I watercoloured a dragon (yes, in green.. I need to work on more colours hey!). I put some Twinkling H2O's on his body and Kindy Glitz on his wings. He looks rather shimmery and sparkley in person. I took this notebook to work so I have something bright and cheery to look at all day!

Have a great weekend to those who still have time... for me, its 9:20 pm on Sunday so its almost over... back to the grind until next Saturday!

BLOG CANDY EXTRAVAGANZA!

You will certainly want to check this blog candy out! Crissy is giving away seven AMAZING prizes on her blog... oh they are great! There is so much fun stuff there I want to be able to enter!!

It's a Jungle Out There

And it is too! When I was watercolouring this image (it took hours!) I watched Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events. Now the bit in that movie that makes me squirm each time is the part with the leeches. Even though you don't actually see them, having them in the water scares me. I didn't have a whole lot of reason then to be worried but I do now....

I went walking a few weeks ago with my dad in the rainforest. It is a rough, barely used walking track to a really nice waterfall, I was taking photos, enjoying the view when I looked down and I had a leech on my leg! After screaming and jumping around for a bit I got it off (well, dad did... I wasn't touching it)... little did I know that leech was creating a diversion while I was being ambushed by a gang of more dangerous, blood-sucking leeches!! ARGH! I had about seven on each foot and they were getting in my shoes everywhere! This went on for a few hours... every time we stopped walking I had to take my shoes off and pick them off... then they got stuck to my fingers... EWW! Well, the end of the story is my foot didn't take too kindly to such an attack and I got what I now call 'Blimp Foot' where my foot and ankle (or Cankle as it was then) got so swollen it resembled a blimp for a week that I couldn't drive the car or walk further than the toilet... and had to take three days off work! I looked pretty silly limping with no shoe (double EWW!) though the doctor surgery to get anti-biotics.

The END!

Now to the card... this is WALKABOUT WALLY! He has decent footwear on while he is trecking but as my dad found out that day, the leeches still get through your socks and down to your toes even in boots. Wally might need leech proof socks...!