More Delightful Daffodil

As promised, more YELLOW! Enjoy some sunshine!

Hello, yellow!

Stamps:  Sew Sweet,
Paper:  Basic Gray, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Other:  Spiral Edge Punch, Cutting Kit, Embosslit, Big Shot, Sponges, Paper Snips, grey thread

Stamps: Growing Green
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink:  Basic Gray
Other:  Spiral Edge Punch, Cutting Kit, Big Buttons, Brights Designer Buttons, white thread

I have been in a grey mood lately. A grey and yellow mood. Basic Gray and Daffodil Delight to be exact. I LOVE this combination! I'll be showing you a few samples of this combo over the next few days - I kind of went nuts!

Because I'm a novice at photo editing on my iPad, the colours look different in both photos - I promise they really are the same!  I used the same sketch for both cards, and the same colours.

The first cards showcases the cute sewing theme in the current Mini Catty.   I used the Sweet Buttons Embosslit from the Mini Catty (and added a Rich Razzleberry button for some zing).  This is the card I designed as the Make & Take at my Team Meeting last night.

The second uses a stamp set I love but haven't used much (oops), called Growing Green.  It features Big Buttons from the Mini Catty and some normal sized buttons from the Brights designer buttons in the main Idea Book & Catalogue.

Keep tuned for some other exampes of Yellow Yumminess over the next few days!

Happy Birthday Linda

I hope everyone out there in the Blogosphere had a restful and happy Easter break. It was a five day public holiday here! Thankfully, the kids are back at school today so I can get to the computer to show you some pretties.

It was my uplink Linda's birthday yesterday, and slacker that I am, the card was only mailed today! However this post proves that I was thinking of her on her special day. I know stamping on acetate and using acetate in cards isn't terribly new, but I hadn't tried it before. I was so pleased with it, that I think this month's class will feature acetate!

Stampin' Up! sells 12 x 12 sheets of acetate in two thicknesses, which I admit I haven't yet tried (blush). I happened to have a box of clear binding acetate sheets in A4 size which were donated to me by my sister, so I thought I'd try them. They worked wonderfully. Of course, I've used Stayzon ink instead of our Classic ink, and the adhesive rhinestones for some bling factor. The card stock is Melon Mambo, which looks great with Basic Black. I know Linda loves pink, so hopefully she'll love this card!

I must dash now as I am doing the make & take for tonight's team meeting, and I haven't started yet!

One punch, 3 Ways

Yes, you read it - one punch 3 ways!  I love it when my tools/stamps can do double or triple duty.

I was totally inspired by a card Jayne Mercer made and posted on her blog recently  with the new cupcake punch from the Autumn-Winter Mini.  I had to use my cupcake punch and CASE her gorgeous card!

Here is the punch:

Cute, huh?  Naturally there is a matching cupcake stamp set which co-ordinates with it (swoon).  You know how I love the matchy-matchy!

Here's a couple of straightforward "cupcake" cards I made with the cupcake punch and stamp set:

Stamps:  Create A Cupcake; Got Treats
Paper:  Pear Pizazz, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Rose Red,
Other:  Cupcake Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Dimensionals, Brad, Tasteful Trim Die, Big Shot, Pinking Hearts Punch

Stamps:  Create A Cupcake
paper:  Real Red, Night of Navy, Early Espresso, Whiper White
Ink:  Real Red, Early Espresso
Other:  Cupcake Punch, 2 way glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Early Espresso grosgrain, Word Window Punch

Fun!  But when I saw Jayne's card, I was inspired to try something else.

Here is Jayne's card:

Card by Jayne Mercer - see her blog (link above) for details

OMG!  How cute is it?  The top of the cupcake is PERFECT for clouds!

So I had a go, but I changed my version slightly.

Stamps:  Party This Way
Paper:  Marina Mist, Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink:  Bashful Blue, Real Red, Old Olive, Basic Black marker
Other:  Cupcake punch, sponges, Word Window punch, Dotto, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Polka Dot embossing folder, 13/4" circle punch

In my version, I stuck the cupcake tops down with Dotto removable adhesive, and rolled over the top with a brayer.  After I removed the "cloud" masks, this was the result.  The Hot Air Balloon basket is the bottom of the cupcake, and the sentiment is from Party This Way.I hand drew the black lines with a pen.

Taken with these clouds, I tried another method:

Stamps:  Cheep Talk,  Occasional Greetings
Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz
Ink:  Bashful Blue, Pear Pizazz marker, Peach Parfait Marker, Soft Suede marker
Other:  Stampamajg, Dimensionals, Cupcake Punch, Sponges

Again, I punched out a couple of cupcake tops and used Dotto to temporarily keep them in place while I sponged around them - I just kept doing this until I was satisfied with the result.

My six year old thought this was very pretty so I taught her how to do it, and this is the card she made:

Isn't she clever?  And it looks quite "Springtime" and "Easter" to me too!

If my six year old can do this, I'm sure you can too!

I'm sure I've just scratched the surface with the fun things I can make with this punch.  If you have tried something fun, Post a link to your blog in the comments, or email me a photo so I can post it and we can all have a look!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Banner Birthday Girl

In my last post I showed you a card I'd made for a boy's birthday. Using the same layout and elements, but changing the colours, I made a girl's card. I used so e scraps of leftover DSP fro. The Autumn Winter Mini (Sweet Stitches) and stamped Happy Birthday in Melon Mambo using a stamp from the Party This Way set.

Of course, the wrapping paper is stamped to match and made from recycled brown paper, and there is a cute tag to match.

I've also included a photo of the gift tag I made for Artie, to match his card.

School holidays have begun here, so I'll post when I am able to....perhaps I'll get some stamping time?

Happy Birthday Artie!

This is a fun card for a little boy named Artie, which has no stamping! Shock!
It does use rub-ons, DSP, brads and twine. The A is die cut with the Big Shot.
I also made a matching gift tag, and a girly version which I photographed but haven't uploaded yet, so bear with me.

I love the pennant motif which seems to be everywhere at the moment.
Hope you are having a Happy Monday!

What you missed in this month's class

Using a Lauren Meader template I printed directly onto the cardstock, we made these sweet Totes in bright happy colours, to match the cheerful retro Sweet Stitches DSP and the gorgeous pom pom trim. I am going through that trim like you would not believe, I just love it!

The large tote was packed with three simple cards, and the little tote had gift tags inside, pictured below.

I was planning to repeat the class one evening, so be sure to contact me if you would like to make one for your Mum!

Strength & Hope Campaign

Have you heard about the Stampin' Up! Stregth & Hope campaign yet?

As part of Stampin' Up's Making a Difference programme, Stampin' Up! is proud to partner with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® in the Strength & Hope Campaign.

Throughout the 2011 Autumn-Winter Mini Catalogue sales period, Stampin' Up! will donate $2* from the sale of each Strength & Hope set to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).   Contact me to host your own Strength & Hope workshops, or to order this stampset and and help contribute to an amazing cause.

Item	Description	Price
123663	Strength & Hope wood-mount set	$35.95
124232	Strength & Hope clear-mount set	$28.95

*Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from this purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide. For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org.

Shelli Gardiner, founder of Stampin' Up!  talks about the way breast cancer has touched her family (as it has touched many families, mine included) in a video you can watch here.

 Here is a card I've made using the images from this lovely stampset:

Stamps:  Strength & Hope, Just Believe
Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso
Other:  Hodgepodge Hardware, Mat pack & paper piercer, sponges, Circle Scissors, Pretty in Pink tafetta

I even felt inspired to decorate the inside, which I never do normally!

all materials, as above

I think this set works well with the Vintage or Shabby Chic style, don't you?

this is not my work, but it is fabulous, no?

Happy Monday!

Well, yeah, it's Monday.  Blah.  Back to lunchboxes, finding lost school shoes and nagging kids to brush their teeth for me.

Between getting the kids to school, dropping off the ironing (no, I don't iron.  My husband and I both hate it so we have since the day we said "I Do" outsourced this chore!), clearing away the breakfast chaos and putting on another load of washing, I've made a Handmade by Lou Facebook Page today.  There's a "Like" button on my sidebar, so if you read my blog, make sure you "like" me too!  I was posting a few blog links to my personal page and thought I might give this business page thing a go.  That, and I was avoiding housework.....

I have also sent out email invites to my Mother's Day class this Thursday, 7th April at 10:30am, so if you'd like to come, let me know!  We also have Stamp Night on Friday night (8th April) so let me know if you'd like to come along to that!  I know, I should have sent out the emails last week - but I had a crazy one with sick kids, parent/teacher interviews, yadda, yadda.    You know how it is!  I am also planning on offering this class one evening, but next week most likely.  I'll confirm that later.

I've taken a few photos with my "good" camera which I'm about to upload and edit, so I'll be back with them soon.  The good thing about my iPhone is that I can post directly to my blog, but the photos really aren't that great.

Sew Cute!

How cute is this? I stamped the background with the little dress pattern, then stamped the pattern onto some waxed paper and cut out the pattern. Cute! The button die cuts, stamps and pom pom trim are doing me in! Way too cute! This is my kind of sewing.