Happy New Year!

2010! When writing my last post, I never thought I'd go this long without blogging - but here we are! I've had a wonderful six months or so, very full, very happy - our new place is perfect for us and we feel more at home in Wellington than ever.

So what have I been up to? Lots of crafting - but not all stamping! In the last few months I re-taught myself to crochet, rediscovered my love of beading and jewellery making, have tackled the fearsome beast that lives in my craft room (a.k.a my sewing machine - very lovely, but with an inexperienced handler) and have dabbled in lots of different areas. I'm pleased to say I got my Christmas cards made, and sent this year (before Christmas....just!) and I'll share my design with you soon. I've also been doing a lot of reading - novels and craft books, so you're sure to see some of that inspiration over the coming weeks.

The holiday season came and went very fast, with a trip to Christchurch to visit my sister Michelle (and her new fiance Terry! - congrats!) and see a concert, then a wonderful visit from my parents and brothers over Christmas. It was our first Christmas in Wellington and it was great. I'll share some snaps below, if you look closely you may see some crafty bits here and there.

My goal in 2010 is to RELAX and not stress about the little things so much. I won't promise to blog everyday - but I do have a lot of things I'd like to share. You'll see some changes, not everything will be stamping related, but hopefully you'll still find plenty of inspiration when you come stop by.

I hope your holidays were great and that 2010 is a productive, creative year for you!

Shanan and Dad at Adventure Golf in Porirua.My first baked ham (under my Mum's expert supervision!) yummy!

Christmas morning - complete with snacks in case lunch was disastrously late. It wasn't. Whew!

One of many gift tags I made. All the same design, but different colours. More on those soon.

A simple table setting - a lovely view! I wanted some new napkin rings - so made them myself (with the help of the fearsome beast)

Leroy and I. He's so grown up!

Shanan and Luna.

Gabriel and moi.

Luna giving Leroy her "what IS that miniature human doing?!" look.

My brother Chris.

Mum and Dad.

Good things come in these pretty little boxes!

Shanan and Leroy and the crocheted wrestler I made Shanan. He has a buddy - I sense crocheted wrestler fights when Shan goes back to work!

Leroy, Christmas night at the Telecom Christmas Tree by the waterfront. He's still so cute - Shanan and I "awwwwwed" when he picked up the phone and said "Hi Santa, it's me."

New Years Day picnic at....um...some beach close to Levin? Trying out the crocheted kerchief I made Boxing day. Don't ask what's up with that weird loop of hair. Shanan didn't tell me it was there when he took the photos because he "thought it looked cute". I guess I need more practice tying it on!

Shanan at the mystery location picnic.

Thanks everyone and an update!

Hi all. First off, thank you so very much for all the lovely replies and emails about my Grandma's passing. I read each and every one, and they were so special to me. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts, and I'm so pleased many of you were reminded of your own loved ones.

Secondly, where have I been?! Well - in the unexpected news front, we got an email (hmmm, yes, apparently this news comes via email now!) recently saying our rental was being put on the market. With our lease due to expire, we were on the lookout for a new house! So that kept us really busy, but I'm happy to report we got our first choice, and so will be making the move into Wellington......THIS FRIDAY! ahhhhh! So does that explain my absence?

I haven't had time for stamping at all, and sadly had to put off plans for this month's classes (watch out for them next month!) I also haven't had time to blog....and really, what would I show you. Oh? That wee teaser up there?
These are a couple of cute wee boxes I made, oh goodness, it's forever ago now. I had to show you something today and these were in my folder all edited and raring to go! Here's the deal, forgive me for the tardy blog posts...and in exchange, I promise a tutorial for these wee babies, as well as lots of pics of all the crafty goodness that will come out of my brand new craft room! Woohoo! Now that's going to be a fun room to unpack! That said, I do have to pack it first! So I'm off, happy crafting till I see you again - send me positive moving karma while you're enjoying all your inks and beautiful stamps!

A Very Special Influence

Hi everyone,

I hope you'll forgive a different kind of blog post from me, I promise to keep it short!

On Friday evening, my Grandma passed away surrounded by family, after a courageous battle with cancer. Of course I've spent the last few days in a bit of a daze, but I've also spent a lot of happy time thinking about her and everything she meant to me. I thought I'd share a little of that with you.

I really think a lot of my creativity can be traced back to my Grandma. I distinctly remember her sitting me down and teaching me lots of different embroidery stitches on a piece of linen. Grandma showed me how to combine satin stitch, and chain stitches, and a multitude of others to create flowers and other decorations. She also showed me how to sew a button, and even how to darn! I've long loved Cross Stitch (it was my biggest crafty obsession before stamping!) and I think this has a lot to do with Grandma, as well as things my Nana and Mum showed me.

I also love jewellery making. I love beads, and anything shiny and pretty really! When I was younger, I could spend hours going through Grandma's stash of buttons, sorting by colour, or type - only to put them all back in a jumble. When I discovered beading, Grandma would often give me an old necklace of hers, or something she'd picked up in a second hand store for me to take apart and use.

Of course, I love paper craft - and Grandma always appreciated the time and effort put into a card or other project. It wasn't unusual to see a card I'd made her on the sideboard months after the fact - and I loved seeing the amazing creations her friends would make her too.

Of course, my Grandma taught me a lot of other things. How to bake - especially how to make piklets on her iron griddle, and although I have her recipe (she'd make them from heart) mine will never be the puffy delights hers were! I remember her showing me how to draw - or at least, trying. I still can't draw a straight line, but I can remember every detail of the wee sketch she showed me explaining perspective and depth. I used to draw that same scene over and over!

Grandma never raised her voice, loved to give little presents, always had lollies in her jar for going home with, gave the best hugs, and somehow made butter and vegemite on toast the most delicious thing you'd ever tasted! She will be missed greatly, but I know that as I have over the last few days, I will always think of her as I use my hands to create something beautiful - and will smile and thank her for her very special influence.

Breaking all the Rules!

The fashion rules that is! Don't mix stripes and polka dots? Red and pink clash? - not today!

I was SO excited to see Pun Fun in the new catalogue, it's a set I've been dying for ever since I first saw American demos getting it inky. The wee animals are so cute, and are great for colouring or paper piecing like I have with the adorable hippo.

The colour combo for this card is Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette and Close to Cocoa.
Don't you love that scalloped border? That's the new Eyelet Border punch, which I'm loving at the moment. The papers are all from the Candy Lane pack. I covered a piece of Whisper White card with the paper I wanted, stamped the hippo twice, cut out the entire image the first time, and just the head the second. Why did I back it with Whisper White first? Just for added stability as I knew I'd pop the hippo up off her background.

The sentiment was stamped separately and punched out with the Word Window punch. I used my 1/16" Handheld punch to create holes in the scalloped circle to mimic the eyelet border. The trick I use to get these even is to go around first with my piercing tool, then use the punch over top.

I made another card using the adorable skunk from Pun Fun last night, I'll share that later in the week.



Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Pun Fun
Ink: Stazon Black
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Candy Lane
Punches: Eyelet Border, Word Window, 3/16" Corner Rounder, 1/16" Handheld, 1/4" Circle (retired), Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage Pewter Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Raspberry Daisy

Happy Tuesday all! Over the weekend I did lots of stamping, so have a few things to share over the coming week. I made this card for a bright and bubbly friend, I'm just loving the new papers, especially these from the Raspberry Tart pack!

The colour combo for this card is Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red and Very Vanilla.
I inked the large flower image from Upsy Daisy using a blender pen and drop of Kiwi Kiss reinker and a Rose Red marker. Now - I'll admit, cutting this out took some time, but I love the way it looks!

The label from the Cute and Curly set (this comes in a bundle with the coordinating punch) was also inked with a marker, so I could omit the sentiment. Instead, I used a sentiment from one of my favourite new hostess sets, Best Yet. I inked this in Kiwi Kiss and used the stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement right. A bit of sponging around the label and it was done.

I LOVE this new curly label punch! I also wanted to show you how I shaped the layer my curly label is sitting on....
Take a strip of cardstock, and holding your punch upside down, insert it into the punch. Once you punch you'll end up with this....
You can try this with lots of your punches to get shaped ends on strips of cardstock. Just another reason to love your punches!

Happy Stampin'


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Upsy Daisy, Cute & Curly, Best Yet (hostess)
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red
Card stock: Rose Red, Very Vanilla
Paper: Raspberry Tart
Punches: Scallop Edge, Curly Label, 1/4" Circle (retired)
Accessories: Sponge Dauber, Blender Pen, Rich Regals Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Bright Blooms

Hi everyone! Hope you've had a great week. It's been wet and cold here in Lower Hutt this week, great stamping weather. Here's a card I made last weekend, using some of the new In Colours for this year - which I LOVE! It's so nice to use these bold colours on grey days!
The image from Eastern Blooms was coloured with markers. Now, there are no markers in the In Colours, but this is easily resolved. Simply load a blender pen with a drop of ink refill in the colour you want, and you can use it as you would any marker - even directly on the rubber of your image! Make sure to huff a warm breath on the image before stamping to re moisten the ink.

The colour combo for this card is Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point and Summer Sun.

This image is easier to cut out than it looks, although I did accidentally cut around one flower, removing it from the image - can you see where? The sentiment is from Occasional Greetings, I love it, it's perfect to use for a card that could serve in many circumstances.
Here's the inside of this card, simply stamped with the colours used in the main image.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Mother's Day for Sunday!


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Eastern Blooms, Occasional Greetings
Ink: Versamark, Stazon, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Summer Sun
Card stock: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Summer Sun
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine
Punches: 1/4" Circle (retired), Scallop Edge
Accessories: Mat Pack, White Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Rustic Rooster

Happy Monday everyone! The start of a new week already, who wants to bet that May speeds by as fast as April did?! I had a great weekend, I sat and watched movies on my laptop as I stamped the hours away - bliss! So I have lots to show you, but some things must remain hidden until after certain days are past (don't forget Mother's Day is coming up!)

This is a card I whipped up on Saturday. As usual, I started with my focal image, and just went from there. So, meet Mr Rooster!
This cute wee guy is from a new Hostess set, Rustic Rooster. When I looked at all the level two sets this year, this is the one I liked best - because it was so different from anything else in my (substantial) stash. I also loved the background french text stamp in the set.

The colour combo for this card is the new Riding Hood Red, Old Olive and Bashful Blue. The card is pretty straight forward, the focal image was inked with a pad and two markers, the sentiment is from one of my favourite (and much used this weekend) sets, Occasional Greetings.
Here's the inside view. Don't you love that scroll image? It has a gorgeous texture and looks great as a border like this. I also stamped the postmark image a couple of times, masking it for added depth.

If you love this set, don't hesitate to email and find out how you can get it for free!

Hope your weekend was great too, only four more days till the next one!


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Rustic Rooster, Occasional Greetings
Ink: Stazon Black, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Card stock: Riding hood Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Paper: Summer Picnic (retired)
Punches: 1/4" Circle (retired) Scallop Border
Accessories: Markers, Black Gingham ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Wonderful Mother

Hi all! Well it's been a wet day here for sure, after catching up on some work I spent a good while curled up on the couch with a book - the cats definitely appreciated being able to curl up in front of the heater!

Here's a simple Mother's Day card (no Mum - this isn't your one!) that I shared with a great bunch of ladies over the weekend. It was inspired by a card on page 111 of the current catalogue. I love the look of the spiral punch, but always forget to pull it out - I'll have to show it some more love!

We used two of my favourite sets for this one, Priceless and Wonderful Favourites. Everyone loved the different combinations for the sentiment that Wonderful Favourites provides - it's the perfect set for a cardmaker or scrapbooker (and you can't beat 23 stamps for $46.95!) Some ladies chose to make a card for their sisters, daughters or friends.

This card's about as simple as it looks, the Vanilla layer is up on dimensionals, as are the cut out butterflies. The pale plum squares were punched out with the 1 1/4" punch.

I used my quick cheat for the sentiment - just stamp it on an angle! No worrying about if it's straight or not, and it looks great with these curly fonts!

Hope you had a great Wednesday, only two more days till the weekend!


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Priceless, Wonderful Favourites
Ink: Perfect Plum
Card stock: Kraft, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
Punches: Corner Rounder, Spiral, 1 1/4" Square
Accessories: Mat Pack, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Gifted Inspiration

Hi everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I hadn't meant to go this long without blogging....but of course it completely slipped my mind that Shanan would have the camera with him during a trip to Sydney last week! All my plans of a creative few days with lots of photos went right out the window! Of course, there's always an upside to hubby going away - and this time it was a lovely gift....
I've wanted a Pandora Bracelet for ages now, I was so excited to unwrap this at 1am on a Monday morning when his flight got in! But like any crafter, I was almost as excited about the cute wee box the bracelet came in as the bracelet itself! So here's my quick 10 minute take on the elegant Pandora box.

This is a really simple, modified 2-4-6-8 Box. (Half a sheet of A4 card, score at 2" along the long side, then turn and score at 2", 4", 6" and 8". Cut off the smallest rectangle tab, cut alongside the bottom tabs, then adhere) All I did was cut off the top of three of the sides of the box to create a fold over flap. Then just squish the sides in the get the milk carton shape. Really easy! I used the slot punch to create the ribbon holes.Here's the view from the back of the box. I kept the decoration on this one super simple. The flower image from Three Little Words was stamped randomly on Pink Pirouette with Baja Breeze ink. I stamped an extra flower on Whisper White, cut it out and attached it with dimensionals. The sentiment was cut out with the Word Window punch. Quick, simple and effective (I hope!)

Hope the weather is nice wherever you are - cold and dreary here in Lower Hutt today, perfect stamping weather!

Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Three Little Words
Ink: Baja Breeze
Card stock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Punches: Slot, Word Window
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Happy Easter!

Well, if you'd told me before Christmas, that I wouldn't be blogging again till Easter, I would have thought you mad! But here we are! Hi everyone - a bit late, but, Happy New Year!

So, where have I been? Well, the truth is very boring - I just haven't been stamping! Shocking right? I took the summer off, and other than dabbling a little, and a few small projects, I can't say I've spent much time in my stamp room at all. Instead I've been enjoying the lovely weather, spending time with friends and family, reading lots of good books and puttering around with a bit of beading and cross stitch.

Now that the weather is starting to cool, and we have a wonderful new Stampin' Up! catalogue for inspiration, I'm starting to feel like putting in some time with my beloved inks and stamps - finally!
I whipped up this wee mini 3x3" card this afternoon. The cute wee bunny is from a great new set, Greetings Eight. I coloured him using blender pens, and all the wonderful new In Colours from Stampin' Up! this year! Aren't they gorgeous? I love using blender pens for small images like this, the lovely pen tips make getting into those tight spots a breeze.

I'll hopefully have a few updates over the next couple of days, including a Beautiful Bundle with these gorgeous new colours. If you would like a copy of the new catalogue, feel free to email me to order your copy - or better yet, book a workshop to get one for free! I am all booked up for April (I could possibly squeeze in a weeknight workshop the last week if you're desperate!) but feel free to enquire about your date for May, or email to find out how you can earn hostess benefits from anywhere in New Zealand!

I hope you had a great Easter, that no one was stuck in traffic with hyper children on a sugar high, and that you've had a wonderful summer too! Thanks for all the emails and enquiries, they are much appreciated and it's great to be back in the stampin' swing of things!

Happy Stampin'


Stampin Supplies:
Stamp Set: Greetings Eight, Polka Dot Background
Ink: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Tangerine Tango, Stazon Black
Card stock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine
Punches: 1 3/8" Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, Scallop Edge
Accessories: Mat Pack, Blender Pens, Soft Subtles Brads, Sponge Daubers, Stampin’ Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive.
All supplies available from Stampin' Up!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update - thank you all for your kind messages while I have been unwell and dealing with a family situation. Please forgive me if I don't get chance to write you all back personally, you've really been filling my inbox with love!

I will be spending the next few weeks with family and loved ones but hope to be back online early in the New Year with lots of fun projects for us all. I am taking bookings for January and as always, if you have an order feel free to email it through.

I haven't even had chance to make Christmas cards this year, but I hope you've all enjoyed creating special keepsakes for family and friends! May you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Stay safe and I can't wait to share all kinds of creative things together in 2009!!!

Best wishes,