These are some of the little prizes/gifts/ thank yous I took to the workshop on the weekend. A 2-4-6-8 box (or if you’re metric 5-10-15-20) filled with lollies (not in this picture, I think I was still deciding if I would rather eat them first ), a mini pizza box with four 3″ x3″ gift cards and a little cube called a ‘Sevens Box” (thank Marelle for the wonderful idea) filled with Caramel Eclairs (peeking out through the hole framed with the oval scallop punch ~ oh my I love that punch! The Sevens Box was won by Ailisa who was going to hide a Pandora Bead in it for her daughter’s birthday that they were celebrating that night.  I hope she got a lovely surprise!

The colours here are So Saffron and Riding Hood Red and a touch of Pumpkin Pie. They were all very simple and easy to make and it’s always so much more fun if you’re making them for someone else.  Why don’t you try one today?

Till next time,

Michelle

Baby girl growsuit card

. . . . I thought that I would try to modify it (other than just the colour) so that it was more ‘boyish’ and suitable for a card for a ‘little man’. It was one of the cards that we did at the Chelsea Heights Community Centre workshop last Saturday and everyone really enjoyed it. And I think it’s pretty cute too!  The scraps from there the neck and legs were punched out were used for the pocket and buttons (or the bear’s face, according the Raych…..)

Dungarees in "Good Morning Sunshine'

So there was this little man in my lime tree…..  hold on, there’s another one!

I used the Urban Garden Designer Series Paper for this little fellas outfit.  I think that I will be making a whole lot more of these, they are really quick and fun to do.

Now here’s a quick hint….

Remember my convention swaps production line? Well, one of the cards had a wee greeting popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals . . .

There's actually about 65 of these little labels that have been 'dimensioned'

. .  . so that was about 130 backing sheets I needed to get off.  Have you heard about the easiest way to get those wascally bits off? Use your thumbnail and give it a crease . . . .

Like this......

and it should pop up the paper on the points, making it easier to get it off. Isay should as the only times it doesn’t work is when you’re showing someone  how good this little tip is!  You can kinda see what I was doing with the labels in the top left hand corner (you can also see where I was trying to work out how many pieces of paper I was going to get out if I cut it 4 times. As it was, I seemed to be forever cutting ‘just a few more bits of this..’ and ‘a couple more of that’ ).  There was also some crimping happening there too.  I was trying to do ribbon-look-alikes and I’d shredded the cardstock, (production line approach to cutting  a lot of long thin bits of paper) but it looked flat.  So I decided to crimp it. And here’s how you crimp a whole lot of skinny strips at once…..

They go in this way.....

..... and come out looking like this!

I love my crimper… It’s just sooooo crimpy! Okay, I think that just plain og’ making up words signals that it’s time to go to bed!  But before I go, I’ve got a few of these swaps leftover from convention ~ if you would like one, please email me with your details and I shall pop it in the post

Have a great weekend and, pending photographs, I promise another post really soon (I’ve been water-colouring this weekend!)

Take care,

Michelle

Have you made one of these before?  It’s been an age since I last made these, and now that I am doing classes at the Chelsea Heights Community Centre I thought that they would be a great little project. I’ve used Taken with Teal & Purely Pomegranate cardstock (*sob* it will be retired at the end of the month) and watercoloured the flowers from the Embrace Life stamp set. *sigh* I love these colours together.

I got the original project from here, Splitcoast Stampers, but modified it so that when it folds flat it will fit into our standard C6 envelope. With the different layers cut away, there are all sorts of things to be seen before you get to the greeting at the back ~see?

I’ve got a bit excited and made a few others as well. Here’s one that’s just “wild” (well, I used the “Wild About You” stamp set). The flash has washed out the ‘grass’ and outer decoration on the outside but if you look carefully you may just see that there is a lion hiding in there too.

  Ahh, there he is!

Everyone at the class enjoyed them and went away with their own individual creations.  They came back this week and we made waterfall cards – I shall come back and post some pictures….when I’ve taken some!

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Actually, I don’t have a little girl per se, just one of the fluffy-trousered kind.  It was her birthday yesterday ~ she was 21 (in dog years).  She’s our Little Miss Manic and we love her.  She has become (our old boy) Brutus’ best mate and pesonal exerciser. Where she goes, he goes ~ where he goes, she goes.

This is the little poppet that came into our lives in 2005.

(I didn’t even realise she was wetting the rug till I took the photo!~ I thought she was posing for the camera that had been pointed at her constantly since the day she arrived!)

And here, as she is today and always, glued to her favourite boy.  Hasn’t she grown up? These two are great mates and wonderful company for us and each other. I can’t imagine life without a dog in the house. As Charles M Shultz says “Happiness is a warm puppy”.

Now, off puppy talk (I could go on, but I won’t) to tell you about the book that I made the other day.  I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s a sort of ’starburst’ accordian book.  I’m sure it has a proper name, and if you know it, please tell me (but I do like Starbust for a name, it kind of suits it!). I’ve used all Stampin’ Up products, with papers from Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Range that coordinate perfectly with their cardstock, and white grosgrain ribbon to literally tie it all together. So, without further ado, here’s the Starburst Accordian book, Michelle style! 

 ~ HERE IT IS OPEN ~

~ AND ALL CLOSED UP NICE AND NEAT ~

All I need to do to finish it off is put some pictures in the Old Olive squares – perhaps I need to make it a brag book with pictures of my pooches!  I think that these are my new favourite, and I will be making quite a few more. I think that they would make great gifts, especially for new nannas.  Why not organise a workshop with some friends and I can come and show you how to make one! Contact me today to book a date! 

Another great night on Friday showing people the fun that can be had stamping. Here’s a few of the smiling faces showing off their cards….. 

This is one of the cards that we made using the “Petals & Paisley” from the Mini Catalogue. I love this set! (and of course the purple ~ you can never have too much purple..!)

Thank you everyone for making it such a great night ~ I look forward to seeing you again soon. Some sooner than others! There is a crop night this Friday in Ringwood, so it will be another night of cropping, creating and chatting! Mainly chatting I think!

I went to Fleur’s on Sunday for her mini catalogue launch – it was great fun. She is such a clever lady, it was very inspiring. I’ve got a link to her blog on the side bar there if you’d like to see what we got up to.

I think that I will have to tap into the creative juices that are now flowing and get some creations happening. Father’s Day is not that far way and Paperific is just around the corner and I have samples that have to be made, so there’s no shortage of projects to keep me busy!