I’m not sure what I’m going to use this card for but I feel it could make a masculine card or sympathy or thinking of you or just ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’ for someone who enjoys warm autumnal colours.

It’s coming into Autumn now in Australia and the day I made this card was quite a gloomy cool day so I felt like using some warm rich colours for a change.  The tree image I’ve stamped here is from the Le Jardin Botanique stamp set by Stampin’ Up! and I’ve stamped it using Basic Brown inkpad onto watercolour paper.  To colour in the stamp I simply applied some watercolour crayon onto my aquapainter and then dabbed it randomly over the tree.  The colours I’ve used to watercolour are: Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy, Ruby Red and More Mustard to try and give the tree an autumnal feel.  For the background I stamped other images from the same stamp set randomly over some So Saffron cardstock then scrunched the cardstock up several time to create lots of creases on the cardstock and then ran the So Saffron inkpad lightly over the top of the cardstock to ink up any creases that were prominent – this gives the background a worn vintage feel and it’s just so easy to do.

I feel like I’ve warmed up a bit now so I’m off to make myself a coffee and pull out some more warm colours to see what else I can make.  Do you find you start to use different colours in your cardmaking depending on the weather or season? Please comment and let us all know if you do or don’t.

(All products used to make this card are by Stampin’ Up! and can be ordered through me – just email me for more details.

Rubber Stamps:
Le Jardin

Inkpads & Colouring:
Basic Brown
Creamy Caramel
So Saffron
Watercolour Crayons

Cardstock & Paper:
Watercolour paper
So Saffron
Old Olive (smooth and textured)
Bravo Burgundy (textured)

Accessories:
Playground Designer Buttons
Linen Thread

Tools:
Aquapainter

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots

Share this article:

Doesn’t this birthday card just look so edible?  The pink , chocolate and touch of yellow theme of this card reminds me so much of cupcakes and soft centred chocolates.  This is the card that I made for my daughter’s 12th birthday and I’m happy to say she loved it.  So difficult to impress the child of a cardmaker! But I think that the sparkly cupcakes did it.

The fun background on this card was so easy to make but I think it makes a real impact on the card without taking away from the main image.  The background is simply adhesive die-cut borders – which is a fancy way of saying ’stickers’ – that I trimmed down to size and placed onto a piece of Regal Rose cardstock.  The main image of the cupcakes on the cake stand was stamped twice onto white cardstock and coloured in using a blender pen and the ink from my inkpads.  The first image was trimmed down and layered onto coloured cardstock while the second image I coloured just the cupcakes, cut around each cupcake and then mounted onto the main image using Stampin’ Dimensionals to make them pop up from the card.

Hope you like my card.  If you do, please leave a comment.  If you wish to purchase any of the products I’ve used to make this card or if you simply want me to answer some questions then please feel free to email me.

(All products used in this card are from the current Australian Stampin’ Up! catalogue)

Rubber Stamps:
Crazy for Cupcakes

Inkpads:
StazOn Jet Black
Regal Rose
Close to Cocoa
Riding Hood Red

Cardstock & Paper:
Whisper White
Chocolate Chip
Regal Rose
Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin’ Kit (Die-Cut border stickers to make background)

Accessories:
Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Tools:
Blender Pen

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals
2-Way Glue Pen (to cover cupcakes with then add glitter)
Crystal Effects (a drop on each cherry to make it shine)

Share this article:

As soon as I saw the stamp I’ve used in the main image of this card I just knew I had to have it.  Something about the botanical type stamps that I totally love – probably because the stamps are great used on their own or as part of collage style stamping.

Usually I colour flowers in reds but I simply adore cards with blue flowers and I thought this particular image would look great in blue so that was my inspiration to get this card started.  To make this card I stamped the flower image with StazOn on Vanilla cardstock then I stamped over the top of it with the Weathered background stamp and So Saffron.  On top of that I stamped the En Francais background stamp very lightly with Old Olive.  After taking care of the background I coloured in the flowers using Baja Breeze inkpad with an Aquapainter.  The edges of the cardstock were distressed using Stampin’ Up!’s Cutter Kit and then sponged with some So Saffron ink to give it some warmth.

If you like this card please leave me a message, I’d love to hear from you.  Please feel free to also email me if you have any questions or would like to purchase any of the products used to make this card.

Rubber Stamps:
Le Jardin
Weathered  (background)
En Francais

Inkpads:
StazOn Jet Black
Baja Breeze
So Saffron
Old Olive

Cardstock & Paper:
Very Vanilla
Baja Breeze (smooth and textured)
Old Olive textured cardstock

Accessories:
Kraft Taffeta Ribbon
Pretties Kit (Small ivory pearls)

Tools:
Aquapainter
Cutter Kit
Sponge Daubers

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots

Share this article:

Can you tell I’m loving rub-ons at the moment?  This tree image is so fresh and fun that I had to use it as my main image for this card.  While I enjoy making very complex cards sometimes it’s nice to make something that’s clean and modern looking which is what I decided to do with this card.

Very simply, the tree rub-on was applied to some Vanilla cardstock and then I wrapped some ribbon around the base to ‘ground’ the tree image.  The ribbon actually has white spots under where I put the rhinestones and although I didn’t want to cover them up as the ribbon is gorgeous just as it is, I did want to jazz up the card without making it fussy.  I find that adding some small embellishments to ribbon help take a card to another level without overwhelming it.   Next time you’re looking at a card thinking “it needs something else, it needs something else”, try adding some small embellishments to ribbon on the card and I’m sure you’ll like the results.

All products used on this card are by Stampin’ Up! and available for purchase through me at angelasargeant@gmail.com

Cardstock & Paper:
Baja Breeze
Kiwi Kiss
Very Vanilla

Accessories:
Fleurettes II (Stampin’ Up! Australia Summer Mini Catalogue 2009/2010)
Clear Rhinestone Brads (whole brad used for flower centre and rhinestones removed from the brad to adhere to ribbon)
Ribbon Originals – Pigtail
Bright Delights Rub-ons

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots (to adhere the rhinestones to the ribbon)

Share this article:

With four camera’s in the house you’d expect that I’d be able to find one that works! Not so.  And because of that I haven’t been able to blog… after all, who wants to hear me ramble without any photos of my latest cards? So I finally found where my husband had ‘carefully put away’ the recharger to his camera and here I am.

I can’t seem to get enough of this beautiful flower stamp, I suppose I use it often because it’s easy to use and colour and suits almost any occasion.

Often times I’ll get asked how I start my cards, whether I start with what colours I want to use or what stamp etc.  In this case I started with the rub-on that’s on the left of the card.  It’s just so elegant and beautiful that I really wanted to incorporat it somehow in my card so I figured the best way to do that is to start with the rub-on.  This gave me an easy start because I just used Red and Chocolate for my colour combination as it’s the colours that are used in the pack of rub-ons.  The rub-on was applied to some Chocolate Chip cardstock then I pierced some holes at the top and bottom of the card to give me a frame for my main image.  The flower was stamped onto watercolour cardstock with StazOn ink then coloured in with an Aquapainter and inkpads.  So that’s my tip for today on making a card with minimum fuss… start with a rub-on border and take it from there!

All products used on this card are by Stampin’ Up! and available for purchase through me at angelasargeant@gmail.com

Rubber Stamps:
Bloomin’ with Beauty

Inkpads:
Riding Hood Red
Kiwi Kiss

Cardstock & Paper:
Riding Hood Red
Chocolate Chip
Watercolour paper

Accessories:
Dots & Designs Rub-Ons (Border) – from the Australian 2009-2010 Summer Mini Catalogue
Chit Chat Rub-ons (Congratulations sentiment) – from the Australian 2009-2010 Summer Mini Catalogue

Tools:
Paper Piercer
Mat Pack

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Share this article:

Help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January. From now until 28 February, 2010, Stampin’ Up! will set aside $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and donate it to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Email me now to place your order for this lovely stamp set while helping out this worthy cause

Share this article:

Do you receive my papercrafting newsletters?  If not, now is the great time to add your name to the list – I’m sending out my newsletter shortly and you won’t want to miss it.  I share tips, hints and projects that are exclusive to my newsletter and not posted on my blog.  Enter your email address in the box on the right so you don’t miss out.

Share this article:

Like everyone else I seem to accumulate huge amounts of scrap paper.  While I can just throw it out, the hoarder in me wants to keep bits of patterned paper just in case it comes in handy.  A fun, quick and easy way to use up those scraps that are ‘too pretty’ to throw out is to feature a range of them on a card or scrapbooking layout.  If like me you use patterned paper that’s double-sided and/or comes in a pack of matching paper then it’s so simple to whip up a fun yet coordinated card like the one I’ve made below. I’m thinking too that I might take this same idea and use it on a scrapbooking page.

Looking back over my cards I realised that I’ve used the same layout idea as this card. While this was unintentional I’m now thinking I’ll have to look back through my blog to see what else I can transform by using up my scrap bits of cards.

Hope you like my card and that it’s inspired you to have some fun with your stash of scrap patterned paper.  If you have any questions about my card or the products I’ve used then please feel free to email me.

All products used on this card are by Stampin’ Up! and available for purchase through me at angelasargeant@gmail.com

Rubber Stamps:
Hello Again (Stampin’ Up! Australia Summer Mini Catalogue 2009/2010)

Inkpads:
Real Red

Cardstock & Paper:
Whisper White
Cameo Coral
Real Red
Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper

Accessories:
Fleurettes II (Stampin’ Up! Australia Summer Mini Catalogue 2009/2010)
Playground Buttons (Stampin’ Up! Australia Summer Mini Catalogue 2009/2010)
Filigree Designer Brad
Clips Assortment (mini clip)
Red Gingham Ribbon

Tools:
1 1/4″ Circle Punch

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dot (to adhere the ribbon and button)

Share this article:

Woohoo! I found a new fun card that I enjoy making that I think would be great for a few different occasions.  I think it’s good to have a ’standby card style’ that you can whip up easily for different occasions. I made these cards for some of the ladies on my Stampin’ Up! team but I’m already thinking they’d be cute cards for my daughter’s friends – especially since the Sticky Cut Letters I used on the front can be substituted for Sticky Cut shapes like hearts or flowers.

And have you noticed? No rubber stamping.  I didn’t even realise that until I had made a couple of the cards but I decided they were fine the way they were.

If you’ve never used Stampin’ Up!’s Sticky Cuts I’ll just quickly explain what they are and how to use them.  They’re seriously simple – you just pop out your Sticky Cuts shape (in this case I used the Sticky Cuts Letters), peel off the protective backing and place the shape onto your paper or cardstock or whatever else you want (it’s super super sticky just like Stampin’ Up!’s Sticky Strip).  You then rub the top of the shape with your finger – Sticky Cuts just like Sticky Strip is ‘heat activated’ which means when you rub it, it adheres beautifully and allows you to pull the top protective covering off very easily.  Once you’ve peeled off the top then you just dump your glitter over the top.  I just dump the whole lot then pour the excess glitter back into it’s container.  So quick but really cool looking

Want to see what else is in the new Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini Catalogue?  Simply email me at angelasargeant@gmail.com to receive your own copy or if you simply can’t wait then you can view the Summer Mini Catalogue on-line here. (Link will download the pdf file to your computer)

All Products used to make the cards in the top photo are by Stampin’ Up! and available for purchase through me at angelasargeant@gmail.com

Cardstock & Paper:
Green Galore
Tempting Turquoise
Pixie Pink or Pink Passion Textured cardstock (either)
Kaleidascope Patterned Designer Series Paper (from the Stampin’ Up! Australia Summer Mini Catalogue)

Accessories:
Sticky Cut Letters
Fine Supernova Glitter (Aqua)
Clips Assortment
Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon
Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads

Tools:
1/16″ Circle Punch (to make a hole in the ribbon)
Scallop Edge Punch

Adhesives:
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Share this article:

Aaak! only 25 more days until Christmas.  So in preparation I thought I would share with everyone The Australian version of Jingle Bells.  Maybe my Australian readers would like to print this out and insert it into their Christmas cards.  For everyone else reading this I hope you get a kick out of it:

Australian Version of Jingle Bells

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden Ute
Kicking up the dust, Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs
It’s summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts & thongs

CHORUS:

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer’s day
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine’s getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The Swaggy climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family’s there, sitting by the pool
Christmas day, the Aussie way
By the barbeque!

CHORUS:

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer’s day
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze
The kids and uncle Bruce
are swimming in their clothes
The time comes around to go
we take the family snap
pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up

CHORUS:

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer’s day
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

(Colin Buchanan)

Share this article: