Convention Update - swaps

As you know I love the owl punch and the many outfits, styles and characters it can make, so that's what I chose for swaps.  

We had a few things going on before we went away, so the swaps were a bit of a last minute thing and were CASED from two other demonstrators with a few changes.  We made bookmarks - Harry Powltter and Pocowlhontas.  

I actually just found out I spelt Pocohontas wrong - should be Pocahontas, so it's Powlcahontas.  

 I forgot to take photos after we had completely finished them (the night before convention started) but fortunately remembered before we gave them all out. 

Harry was CASED from Diane Barnes and Pocahontas from  Bronwyn Eastley.

Convention update

Last week a friend and I went to the Stampin' Up Convention.  Every year the convention is held in a different location, and this year it was held in Melbourne.  There were around 800 demonstrators and guests there, and the first day was a little overwhelming.  There were talks on ways to improve business of course, but we enjoyed the creative part more, and of course the new stamp sets given out.  Came home with quite a bundle of new goodies which you will see soon.  

A couple of photos to give you an idea of what goes on.  Some were taken on phone so not the best quality. 

Some of the many attendees with their new red convention bag

Inside the auditorium before starting - imagine the noise!

The convention opened with the singing of one of the songs from Wicked by the actress who plays Glinda the Good Witch - we were singing it for days afterwards

Some of the swaps were received - whoever wants to can bring along cards they have made especially for convention and "swap it" with others so they get to take home other demonstrators creations

The creativity begins

Awards night had Bjorn Again as their entertainment and a few of the ladies (and men) came dressed appropriately Abba style

And the best part - a new catalogue. 

 

Clockwork Mustard

This card was made recently for the birthday of one of my brother-in-law's.  A few people I know weren't too keen on this Clockworks stamp set, but I like it for lots of reasons.  I quite like the splodge and grid lines with seagulls for a little background effect and even though the clock requires three different stamps it's a good one for males.  

And it can also be used for teenagers who love the steam punk stuff. 

An oldie but a keeper

There are some stamp sets that I just can't get rid of, and Bliss is one of them.  I think the flourish and the butterfly image are beautiful and can be used on lots of different style cards.  

This time I stamped in Crumb Cake (another favourite) and complimented it with Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  Add a few more butterflies and a bit of sparkle. 

Black, white and red

Don't you think black and white cards look elegant?  I do, so what happens when you add another colour to the mix?  It turns out like this. 

Made for a friend who recently celebrated her 60th birthday.  Some people like to put big numbers all over their cards, but really, after about the age of 16, who likes to be reminded of how old they are.  I prefer to forget about the numbers and concentrate on the birthday part.  

The Happy Birthday has been "coloured in" with Glossy Accents to give it a shine, and the flowers were sprayed with shimmer for a sparkled.    

Mother's Day

Hope all you mums enjoyed your special day and your family spoilt you a little.  We had a lovely family picnic by the side of the Nepean River and took the kayaks along for a paddle.  All the kids had fun sliding down a hill on cardboard, having a paddle and catching up with their cousins too.  Very pleasant way to spend a Sunday, and beautiful weather too. 

This is the card I made for my mother-in-law.  It was photographed early in the morning, so the colour isn't quite true to shade - Wisteria Wonder.  Lots of paper piercing and an embossed white sentiment.  

 

Another sampler frame

Apologies - this was supposed to have shown up last week, but I obviously did something wrong. 

You may have guess by now that I quite enjoy doing sampler frames.  These photos are a combination of two I recently finished as gifts; one for my daughter and the other for a friend who recently had a "big" birthday.  Because I sometimes stress over which colours to use, I decided to stick with a black and white theme for both frames.  I was going to add a pop of colour, but decided not to. 

These frames are 7 x 9 inch (18 x 23 cm) and the photo size 5 x 7 inch (13 x 18 cm).  (I used the inch measurement because I can visualise better in inches - it's an age thing.)  

Stay tuned, cause I still have two more frames to fill.  If you are interested in which stamp sets were used, send me an email for more info. 

My Dad's birthday card

On Monday my father celebrated his 85th birthday.  Sadly he lives a little too far away to visit very often, so I have to get by with phone calls with him. 

For his card I chose to use the stamps from The Open Sea, my go-to set for male cards.  Cardstock used was Pool Party and Soft Suede, once again, male colours.  And even male cards can have a little bit of bling added. 

 

 

A little vintage style

I quite like the look of vintage style cards and the rich colours associated with it, so tried to recreate the look with this card.  I stamped various images onto white cardstock and then using a dauber began shading.  A little bit of effort involved, but I quite like the finish.