Blossom Designs

More SAS Cards

Here are some more cards from my previous classes.

This card is cased from Mary Fish, a USA demonstrator.  I LOVE her cards.  I didn't completely case Mary's card and used a different stamp set.  I used my "circle scissor plus" to cut out both the black and white cardstock.

 
I also used my embossing folder to give a bit of texture.  I'm not sure you can see the dazzling diamonds in the centre of the open flower, but it is there!  Promise.  lol

 
At a previous SAS class, my ladies saw a card my dear friend Kari sent to me.  I wanted to show them it as it wasn't your usual standard card.  Well, they loved it and asked to make it the following month - how could I refuse!

Here is a close up shot.  I love the embossing folder. 

Happy Stamping,

 
 

SAS Cards

I forgot to photograph these cards but luckily I was able to photo a friend/customer's cards so I could show you.  Thanks Sarah!

(sorry about the quality of the photo, I took it at night - not a good thing to do!)
 
This was a simple card to make - just using a few punches, embossing folder and ribbon!  Oh and a couple of markers.

 

I used my markers to colour in the flowers and my blender pen for the vase. The stamp set is the Level 1 hostess set from the Idea Book & Catalogue, "A Slice Of Life".  I seem to be favouring this set lately.

This is the other card my ladies made.  This card was cased from my upline Jayne Mercer.

This is again a simple card.  No layers - except for the sentiment!!  lol.  The stamp set used is "Just Believe" from the Idea Book & Catalogue.

Happy Stamping,

 

 

It's A Boy!

Ha ha ha.....and I bet you thought I was talking about MY baby didn't you!?  A bit early for my little one.  No, I am talking about one of the mum's at Mr O's previous school who had a baby boy last Monday.  Congratulations Natalie & Lou.

 
I got my inspiration from Splitcoast Stampers.

 
I don't use buttons very often and I have no good reason why! LOL.  I really should.  Do you use buttons on your projects?

The stamp set I've used is "A Slice Of Life", the level 1 hostess set from the Autumn/Winter Mini Catalogue. The sentiment is the level 1 hostess set from the IB&C.

Happy Stamping,

 

 

Convention Swap Card

Internet connection is still not good :-(  Let's soldier on!  LOL

I wanted to show you my swap card for Convention.

 
So, what do you think?

I am very pleased how it turned out.  I made 50 this year and all of them were swapped!  Phew..lol.

I really, really love the ribbon.  It is great to work with.  It is the 5/8" Organza Ribbon - it only come in Whisper White.

I am now counting down! LOL  Oh yes, I am over the half way mark in the pregnancy!  This kid is VERY active.  Mr O is excited while Miss M, well, she has no idea!  LOL.

It is 10pm Sunday night......Mr O's bag is packed ready for school tomorrow, clothes are out ready so I am going to log off, relax and watch some television before heading to bed.  Night all!

Happy Stamping,

 

Bad Internet Connection

As my title suggests, our internet connection isn't very good at the moment so I won't be posting until it is back up and running properly.  It is taking me twice as long to do things.

A quick catch up though.......

Last week saw me fly to Melbourne for Stampin' Up! Convention 2011.  For the first time it was over 3 days, not the usual 2 days.  I roomed with my usual roomie, Nicky and we had a ball.  I've got lots of swaps and I will show you some of them (once connetion is back to normal).  Lots of news and lots of sneak peaks at upcoming sets for the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Cataogue.  Can't say anything just yet so I'm afraid you will have to wait and see.

One important bit of news from convention is that if you want to sign up to be a demonstrator, you no longer need to apply for an ABN (Australian Business Number).  You can sign up online within minutes.  However, once you start earing an income from Stampin' Up!, you will then need an ABN.

How would you like to earn an extra $70 in hostess benefits???
If you host a workshop or place an order from the 23rd May until the end of June, you will qualify for the extra benefits.  Your order needs to reach $450 in sales.  Share your catalogue with your friends and gather orders from them to help reach $450.  It works out to be $110 worth of products for free, just for you!  You will get your usual $40 hostess benefits plus a level 1 hostess stamp set - then you get an extra $70 on top.  Woo hoo!

Are you ready for some weekly surprises? You may have seen our ad in the May issue of your favourite crafting magazine letting you know that throughout the month of May, we are bringing you a new deal on our exclusive products every week! Check our website every Wednesday in May, and get up to 40 percent off a selection of incredible products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue!

There are no limits to the number of Deals of the Week you can purchase and no minimum purchase is required.  Now is your time to stock up on your favourite products!

Be sure to hurry and purchase each week's deals early on so you don't miss out! When the new week's deals start up each Wednesday at midnight, the last week's deals are over . . . forever!

This week's deals:

Item Page Description Regular Price Sale Price 119750 137 Daffodil Delight 5/8'' (1.6 cm) Satin Ribbon $16.95 $11.87 119963 137 Certainly Celery 3/8'' (1 cm) Taffeta Ribbon $12.95 $9.07 109112 139 Square Fire Rhinestone Brads $19.95 $13.97 109113 139 Square Ice Rhinestone Brads $19.95 $13.97

So that is it from me today. I hope the rest of your week is good.

Happy Stamping,

 

Thank You

Last month, I joined in with a number of other INKlings at the quarterly training day which is held at Jayne's house.  We made 4 projects.  All the projects use items from the Autumn.Winter Mini.

This card is using the "Create A Cupcake" stamp set with the matching "Build A Cupcake" punch. 

It also uses the "Tasteful Trim" Bigz XL Die (blue {tempting turquoise} & yellow {so saffron}).

I had planned on giving this card to Mr O for his birthday which is why I cut out the number "7" in blue but I didn't realise that the base cardstock was PINK!!  LOL.  I will have to wait a few years to give it to Miss M!!

We always do a scrapbook page which is good for me as I don't have many of them.

We used the "French Foliage" stamp set for this page.

How cute is this Easter card!  Simple and very easy to make.

This is the envelope box using the "top note" die along with a white envelope.  Also using the "Decorative Label Punch" and the "Eat Chocolate" stamp set.

Normally I make swap cards for this event but I wasn't in the creative mood this time.  Next training day!

That is all from me today.

Happy Stamping,

Tea Anyone?

I decided that due to being pregnant, I would change how I ran my classes this year.  I usually held my class on two Tuesday evenings a month.  Now, my classes are held on one Saturday a month.  Just means less driving time for me and not such a late night as it takes me 1 hour to drive each way.

This is the project the girls made for the 3D class.  It is a Andrea Walford project.  You need to sign up to her newsletter.  I'm sure this was an exclusive newsletter project.

It is such a cute little tea bag holder.  A great gift for any tea drinker.

That is it for today.  Mr O is back at school after 2 weeks Easter break.  We are VERY pleased with his effort this year.  He is doing really well - not like last year.  Phew!  Now it is just Miss M and I at home during the week so there are moments of peace and quiet!  Yay.

Happy Stamping,

Happy Everything To You

These are my cards from my Stamp-a-Stack in February.  My first SAS for 2011.  It was nice to see the girls again after a 2 month break.  As a welcome to 2011 SAS, I gave each lady a stamp set for being such wonderful customers.

For the card below, I used the "On A Pedestal" stamp set.  I have liked this set since the catalogue came out last September.

 

Here is the other card the girls made.  This one is using the "Party Hearty" stamp set.  As you can see, I've used the party hats and just cut off the top to make the banner.  You can also use them as Christmas Trees as I did HERE.

(the inside of the card)

Both of these cards came straight from the Idea Book & Catalogue.  It is such a great source of inspiration.  You don't have to use the current catalogue for inspiration, why not use past catalogues or even past Mini catalogues!

The Autumn/Winter Mini catalogue is now available.  There are some great stamp sets along with lots of accessories.  More Big Shot dies to drool over too!  LOL.

Please contact me to place your order.  The catalogue will run until the 31st July 2011.

Happy Stamping,

Aviary Defined

Obviously the title is not the name of one stamp set but two......LOL

 
As this was a swap from the Summer Mini, I used Aviary and Love Defined.  Can you see my mistake?  Somehow I got ink on my finger which ended up on my card.  To fix my "happy accident", I will add a sentiment but obviously haven't done so - yet!

If you have one item in your stash, what would it be?  Good question right!  Well, mine would be my Color Coach!  Truly!  This colour combo is thanks to the color coach.  It is not something I would have put together myself (orange + red) but it really works.

This little fella is making his home more comfortable!  LOL 
 

I love how the cages look like they are hanging from the heart strings.

Happy Stamping,

 
 

Some Things Have To Be Believed To Be Seen

Hello there! 

I have not sat at my desk for weeks, hence no posts.  The weather here in Sydney has been awful.  Waaaaay too hot for stamping.  40+ degrees celcius with no air conditioning is not good to do anything. We bought a portable air con unit but it really struggled with that kind of temperature. 

Before the hot weather hit us, I did make a few things.  One of them being a swap card.

 
Whenever a new catalogue come out be that a mini or new IB&C, the INKlings do a 'swap' for it.  It is great fun.  This swap is from Sale-a-Bration.  I used Sweet Summer stamp set. 

 

 
I used dimensionals to raise the image.



As I don't have dsp to match the colours, I made my own.  Quite easy to do really.  I used another stamp for the Sweet Summer set and randomly stamped onto the Baja Breeze card stock. 

I have just realised that I haven't posted my other swap card from the Summer Mini catalogue.  Must get onto that post.  :-)

Other news......Mr O is doing great at school this year (she says wiping her forehead in relief).  Obviously the school holidays did him the world of good.  His teacher encourages him all the time (from what I have seen in his books).  I am so pleased he has now settled in and is working well in class.  It should be easier to gauge exactly what level he is at.

Well, that is it from me for today.  It is currently raining outside and lovely and cool.  I wish I could bottle this weather and let it out when it gets hot again.  LOL.

NOTE:  Don't forget that you can order from the Summer Mini and earn Sale-a-Bration stamp sets until the 31st March 2011.
 

Happy Stamping,

 

Sale-A-Bration is HERE!

 
Our biggest sales event of the year, Sale-A-Bration is here! This year we've got four great Sale-A-Bration sets for you to choose from.

There are three ways for your customers to earn FREE stamp sets:

• Spend. For every $100 a customer spends (net sales before tax and shipping), she can choose one Sale-A-Bration set.
• Host. For every $600 in workshop sales (product sales before tax and shipping), a hostess can choose an exclusive Sale-A-Bration set. This is in addition to the already fabulous hostess rewards!
• Join. New recruits can choose any stamp set from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue (valued up to $79.95) when they become a demonstrator during Sale-A-Bration.

 (Click on picture to see online)
 

Contact me to place your order.

Happy Stamping,

 
 

Merry Christmas

I forgot to post this the other day............

Australia Flood Appeal

As flood waters continue to inundate Australia in what has been described as the worst flooding in 37 years, we express our deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and homes and to those whose lives have been changed forever. We, like so many of you, feel a compelling need to lend support to all those who have been affected.

Stampin' Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest. Nearly two years ago, we watched another tragedy unfold in Australia. Our hearts were touched as demonstrators, customers and friends joined together in support of the Bushfire Appeal. We've done it before and we can certainly do it again!

Please join with us by supporting the Australia Flood Appeal - a cause in which Stampin' Up! will donate $2 AUD of the retail value of sales from any stamp set (with a retail value of $30 or more) sold in Australia and New Zealand from 15 January through 15 February to the State Emergency Services in Queensland.

Now onto the Christmas cards I made.

You may remember THIS card and I loved it so much I decided to CASE it and use it as my Christmas card.

I decided to use 3 different colours as I had a number of cards to make, I knew I would get bored using just 1 colour.  LOL 

I also used Delightful Decorations & Contempo Christmas stamp sets. 

That's all for tonight.  The kiddies are in bed and I'm going to make myself a coffee and maybe make a card (or two).  I've had left over kits from my classes last year and found them the other day.  I thought why not make them up for myself.  That way, I have a stash of cards for birthdays and other occasions this year.

On a sad note......my aunty passed away on Saturday.  :-(  The funeral will be on Thursday but I also attended a funeral last Thursday for my SIL.  Her mother sadly passed away.  2 funerals in 2 weeks - not a good start to 2011.  I do have other news but more on that later.

Happy Stamping,

     


 

Christmas Gifts

I wanted to give my ladies who attend my classes something nice for Christmas to say "Thank You" for making my first year of classes such a success.  This is what I came up with.

(this is how the tin started out)

  
(this is the end result!)

I am really please with how they all turned out.  I used the Greenhouse Gala DSP with coordinating cardstock (pear pizzaz, daffodil delight, chocolate chip, real red, pumpkin pie & baja breeze).

 
 

Here are some of the goodies found inside the tins.  Watercolour Crayons and acessories.....plus lots of cholocate too!  LOL 

The other tins......

 
 

 
 

 
 

  

 
So, that is all the tins.  What do you think?  The girls liked them so that's good!  LOL

Happy Stamping,

   

Just For You

Another project from the training day.......

Using the 'just believe' stamp set and the shimmer paint too!

You can see the shimmer paint used on the flowers.

The training day goes for a few hours and you can attend the afternoon session or evening.  While we make projects, Jayne also has some business tips and other useful information.  I love to attend, not only to make things but to catch up with my fellow demonstrators, plus it is a few hours of ME time!  If you would like to be apart of a great group of people, all you have to do is join my team.  Simple! ;-)  Contact me if you would like more information.

Happy Stamping,
 
 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas

A few months ago, I attended a training day organised by my upline Jayne Mercer.  It has taken me this long to photograph our projects!  Oh my!

A new product in the Idea Book & Catalogue is the 'shimmer paint' (pg. 143).  It is gorgeous!  You can see it being used on the project above.  See the bauble shimmer?!

You can see the shimmer better in this photo.  It is the first time I have used the shimmer paint and while it can be a bit messy, the end result is beautiful.

We made 4 projects this particular day so I will be back with more to show you.

On a personal note.....I thought I would share a photo of the kiddies.

This was taken this morning.  Oliver was not very well so was resting on his couch and Emily has taken to squishing in next to him.  LOL.  For her birthday, she got her own 'Tinkerbell' couch so she is enjoying her own freedom (or at least Oliver is!).  Nothing else will keep Em quiet but watching Tinkerbell.  Her face lights up if she see's Tinkerbell out at the shops.....it is funny to see.  Oliver will watch just about any movie anyway and he likes Tinkerbell too.

Happy Stamping,

 

P.S. - have a great Halloween tomorrow.  Oliver is excited. LOL
 

 

 

 

 

Christmas SAS

Wouldn't you know it......I typed this post 2 days ago and as I clicked on 'publish', it froze.  Only this tab froze.  I could still work on my other tabs so I left it for a while and came back to it, but it was still frozen......and no, I didn't save it.....so guess what?  Yep, I lost it.  Here's hoping I don't lose this one.

Anyway, I don't think I showed you the card my ladies made at last month's Christmas Stamp-a-stack class.

The medallion stamp is a big stamp.  I didn't like it at first but it is really growing on me more and more.  This card has no layers, just stamping and of course, some bling using dazzling diamonds.  LOL.
 

You can see the 'bling' better in this photo.  The quote is from the hostess set, "Occasional Quotes", level 3.

My trip to my parent's house yesterday was successful as I found my trimmer and ALL of my stamping stuff (phew!) as I had a class last night that I needed to prepare for.  So, I was in a mad rush cutting out my card stock yesterday afternoon.  Miss M had a great day with her nanny and poppy too.

Happy Stamping,

 

Thanks So Much

These cards I made for all the Kindergarten teachers plus the ladies in the office at Oliver's previous school.  The three teachers also received a gift but I forgot to photograph them! Ooops. LOL

I wanted to use the new daffodil delight cardstock.  It is such a lovely yellow.  Not too bright, not too dull.

Happy Stamping,

 

 
 
 

Dressing Up Christmas

Dates: 16 October-30 November 2010

Promotion Details
During the Christmas season, you can earn exclusive Stampin' Up! ribbon in two different ways:

• Purchase a gift-giving bundle and receive one FREE spool of ribbon.
• Host a $550 workshop and receive a FREE spool of ribbon.

Choose from these bundles:

Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
Gifted Bundle Gifted Set and Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper	124041	$66.90	124042	$56.90
Welcome Christmas Bundle Welcome Christmas Set and Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper	124045	$69.90	124046	$59.90
Season of Joy Bundle Season of Joy Set and So Swirly Stampin' Around Wheel	124043	$67.90	---	---
Delightful Decorations Bundle Delightful Decorations Set and Ornament Punch	124044	$72.90	---	---

*Bundles and ribbons available while supplies last.  Choose from these ribbons:

Description	Item	Retail Value
Mistletoe Ribbon Originals	116792	$21.95
Sleigh Bells Ribbon	116795	$15.95
Riding Hood Red 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon	113099	$19.95
Real Red 3/4" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon	115608	$19.95

Contact me to place your order.

Happy Stamping,

Wedding Card

Oliver's former teacher was getting married during the school holidays so on his last day, we wanted to give her a card.  Here it is.

I used the "love letter" DSP and the retired 'together forever' stamp set. 

Look at that bling!  LOL.  I love that you can now buy flat-back rhinestones.  You get 150 pieces and each rhinestone has adhesive on the back so it is easy to adhere to your projects.  Pretty good for $9.50.

Happy Stamping,

 

 

 

......But Wait, There's More!

By Dani Fender.  How gorgeous is this card from Dani!

By Jayne Mercer

By Joanna Wassens

I've just realised that I haven't taken a photo of my swap card!  Ooops.  LOL

I am busy packing this week and was wondering where to start!!  LOL.  I've gone through the kids wardrobes and packed away all the clothes that they have outgrown.  A few less clothes to take with us!!  Wish me luck!  LOL

Happy Stamping,

  
    Kylie xxx

Some More Cards

Some more fab cards from the weekend away.

By Suzy Gates.  Suzy has used 5 stamp sets in this card!  Looks great doesn't it.

By TBC.

 
By Joanna Wassens  {thanks Dani for clarifying for me}....this card is from Merryl Blacker.

We had a meeting with Oliver's new school principal today.  All went well and we went to his new class room and met the kids.  Now to get his new uniform and we are ready for his term 4 start.  Phew!

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie  xxx 

A Few Cards To Show

I wanted to show you some of the cards made/swapped at the weekend away.  I have put who designed each card.

Here are a few of them.......

By Nicky Adamson

By Kari Hughes

By Ryn Gibbs

I cannot remember who designed this card but I will find out.  ETA: Fiona Poirier designed this fab card.

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie
 
 

 

Happy Father's Day

This is one of the cards I made at the weekend away for my dad for Father's Day (1st Sunday in September).  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get a good photo - sorry.

At the weekend away, there was a 'stamp library' where we had just about every stamp in the catalogue available to use over the 2 days.  This particular set I used for the card, I don't actually own and one I don't think I will own.  I was wondering what stamp set to use and spotted this one - thought I would give it a go.  :-)  It is just not really my kind of stamp.  Mind you, I have seen some great cards using the set.  LOL

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie  xxx
 

Happy Birthday

After my card for last months SAS HERE, I thought I would see how it would look with grey as the base card.

See the scored lines?  I don't mind the grey base - great for male cards.  Will have to make a few to keep hold of for when I need it.  My stack of cards has gone (except for 1 or 2) so I am in GREAT need of some spare ones.

Another shot of the lines.

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie
 
 

Last Chance.....

....the "Last Chance" list (formally retiring list) is out!!!

You can view the list HERE.  With the colour renovation, there are a lot of products on this list than ever before.  Also, with the new punch design and products that are being repackaged, there are 8 pages of products for you to look at.  Everything on this list will only be available while stock lasts.

I am looking forward to the new Idea Book & Catalogue which is due out on the 1st September as we have had our current catalogue for 16 months.  If you would like me to send you a copy of the new Idea Book & Catalogue, contact me and I will send one out to you in time for the launch.

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie

Happy Birthday!

These are the cards made at my Stamp-a-Stack class earlier this month.

I wanted to show the girls that you can make a card without any layers.  I actually surprised myself with this one.  LOL.  I've always had layers in my cards - I feel naked without layers!!  ;-)

Just to give it a bit of a lift, I've scored each side at 1cm.  You could also use ribbon or maybe some buttons or even rhinestone brads (to name a few accessories).

Here is the other one.  As the first card was pink, I thought I would use more of a 'male' colour for this one.

Happy Stamping,

  Kylie
 
 

From Our House To Yours!

Morning!  A quick post today.

How do you like this card?  Fantastic isn't it!  Well, this is Kari's swap card.

I just had to show it to you.

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie  

You're On My Mind

Well, I didn't expect to be quiet for this long - sorry!  The past month has been a bad time in terms of illness in our house.  I haven't been to my fitness class either and boy, is it going to hurt when I return on Wednesday!  LOL.  Emily's bronchitis is much better but Oliver now has an ear infection!

Anyway, onto a card!

My wonderful friend Kari sent me this card (look, it's pink!!) for swapping her cards at the INKlings training day.  She's so sweet.  Kari lives in SA, so obviously couldn't make it but I was more than happy to help.

Look at that bling!!!  LOL.  I do love this stamp set (Upsy Daisy).  Did I mention the card is 'pink'?!  ROFLOL

Thanks Kari for such a beautiful card!  Mwah!

I bought myself a new toy - a light tent.  I just need to buy a 'daylight' light bulb.  Hopefully, this will mean I can take photographs of my projects at any time of the day or night.  I'l take a photo of it so you know what I am talking about. 

Happy Stamping,

   Kylie
 

It is Blog Hop Time!!

 

Welcome to The INKlings’ Team’s Christmas in July blog hop. You may have arrived here from Jayne Mercer's blog or just be visiting my blog, whichever way once you’ve checked out my creations you can continue the hop through the link at the end of this post to the next team member.  
 
How quick is this year going!  Have you started to think about your Christmas cards and projects yet?  The INKlings team has and we thought that this month was the perfect time to host a Christmas in July blog hop.  You'll find lots of great ideas provided by 19 team members’ fantastic blogs.  
 
Want to win some Blog Candy? Simply leave a comment on each blog and then email Christie Wallace HERE and let her know you’ve done so and you’ll be in the running for a fantastic prize of 17 handmade cards plus other goodies.  
 
Sorry Blog Candy prize not available to SU! demonstrators but you're more than welcome to leave us a comment! 
 

Now, onto my projects!!  :-)

 

My first project is a desk calendar. Luckily, I still had some calendars left over.  I knew what type of card I was going to make for the blog hop but I didn't know what else I was going to make.  I have seen a few blogs show the desk calendar and went to find a tutorial for it.  Click HERE for the tutorial.

 

 

A sneak peak at what is inside!!  LOL.  I used the trio punch for the red flower behind the rhinestone brad.

 

 

Oh look, some gift tags ready to use.  You could easily make thousands of these.  Just stamp and punch using the small tag punch.

 

 

Onto my card.  This card is the 'joy fold card' I found on SCS.  I thought it looked interesting so I wanted to give it a go myself.

 

 

I stamped my image (Lovely As A Tree) using SU! whisper white craft stampin' pad.  As you can see, it is not as white as the desk calendar image.  I didn't use white embossing powder on the card and now wish I had.  Oh well.  My original plan was to use dazzling diamonds but I was too lazy to find it (I think it is still in the dinning room after my last class).  I then got carried away with making the desk calendar that the crystal effects (can you see it shinning away on the image?) had practically dried.

 

Here is the card opened.

Well that’s all from me.  Next stop on the INKlings’ Team Blog Hop is Kari Hughes.  Have fun and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog to win some great Blog Candy.

 

Happy Stamping,

    Kylie

In case you missed any blogs, here is the full list.  Enjoy!

Christie Wallace http://www.christiescreativecorner.blogspot.com 
Dani Holland http://daniholland.wordpress.com/  
Carol Dunstan http://inkantations-and-inkarnations.blogspot.com/ 
Michelle Dyson http://www.stampinkpaper.blogspot.com  
Jayne Mercer http://www.jaynemercer.com/blogs    
Kylie Swain  http://kraftykylie.typepad.com/blossom_designs/ 
Kari Hughes http://www.karigail.wordpress.com 
Dani Fender http://danifender.blogspot.com 
Beth Stewart http://www.elisabethstewart.com/bethinking/ 
Nicky Adamson  http://www.nickyadamson.blogspot.com 
Clare McIllhatton  http://www.crafty-cow.com 
Amy Anderson http://amyandersonsblog.blogspot.com 
Fiona Brown http://www.fionajanestamping.blogspot.com 
Michelle Frost-Stevenson http://www.stampinground.wordpress.com 
Fiona Poirier http://fionapoirier.blogspot.com/ 
Divya Rao - http://www.creadivya.blogspot.com/ 
Rachel Jackson http://havefunstamping.blogspot.com/

Supplies
Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Teeny Tiny Sentiments, Cottage Garden.
Ink: Whisper White Craft Pad, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Holiday Treasure DSP .
Accessories: White Gel Pen, Scallop Oval Punch, Extra-large Two-Step Bird Punch, Circle Ice Rhinestone Brad, Scallop Edge Punch, Trio Flower Punch, Word Window Punch, Small Tag Punch, Linen Thread, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Crystal Effects, Crafter's Tool Kit.

Look what I've done!!

LOL.....I am so proud of myself!  Truly I am.  For those of you that are a regular visitor to my blog, will know that I don't scrapbook.  I have done some pages in the past (a long time ago) with the latest being the 6x6 swap I was involved in a few weeks ago.  Oh my, I haven't posted about that swap yet (naughty me!).  Will do.

Ok, so it is not finished......just need to add the journaling at the top.  Bit nervous about that as I don't want to stuff it up and ruin the whole page.  :-)

What do you think????  I suddenly had the urge to scrapbook last week when I was going over photos of when Emily was born and came across this one.  I just stared at it for a long time, looking at Oliver's beautiful smile.  I then thought, I want to scrapbook this photo and straight away came up with "precious moment" as my title.  To me this is a very precious moment.....Oliver showing his love through his smile while holding his brand new sister in his arms.

Oliver is such a beautiful child - I don't mean cute or good looking but beautiful on the inside (although I could argue that fact lately!!).  He is smart, but cheeky.  Keeps people laughing and entertained and doesn't stop talking!!  LOL.  He is also very sensitive and gets upset when he thinks he has hurt Emily (most of the time accidently).  Thank goodness, we seem to have turned a corner with his behaviour at school.  He hasn't had a stop sign for a week now!  LOL.  There is one child who he has issues with at school and as the kids were going to their assembly on Monday morning, this 'said child' kicked Oliver in the leg for no real reason - I did see this but couldn't get to Oliver quick enough before he was kicked.  Argh!  I spoke to his teacher about it.  I am hoping that this issue won't go on for the rest of the year.  While the kids have been told to say "stop, I don't like it", I also won't tell Oliver that he is not allowed to stand up for himself.  If that means getting a stop sign, so be it.  Oh, the joys of school! LOL

In many ways, Emily is much the same as Oliver.  She is now days away from turning 9 months old and as of Tuesday this week, she officially started crawling!!  Look out!  She also has a beautiful smile and will even smile after only having a cat nap....I'm also smiling because I know that her next nap will be a very LONG one!!  LOL

I've use the big flower in the pretties kit with the clear rhinestone.  I sponged the edges with my dauber using the Rich Razzleberry ink.

I again used the flowers from the Pretties kit and coloured 3 of them with the dauber and Rich Razzleberry ink.  To get a more intense colour, you can press the flowers straight onto the ink pad or use your re-inker to colour the flowers.  Another way is to use your aqua painter as well.  So many different techniques.  It all depends on the colour you want.

You also must know that I like a bit of 'bling'!  LOL.  So, naturally there is some glitter on the page too.  I used my 2-way glue pen on the white swirly bits of the dsp and went to town!! ha ha.  I first had the title going horizontally across the page, then thought it would look better going around the circles.

Of course, I couldn't go by without a close up of that smile!  :-)

I have had poor Oliver home from school for three days now with a viral infection.  I'm not feeling so crash hot myself.  Quiet time and bed is where you find me over the weekend!!

Happy stamping,
 
 

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