Ornament Punch Flowers

Hi guys,

Have you purchased the Ornament Punch? Want to do something more with it then just ornament shapes for your Christmas Cards? Well I have a ripper card to show you using the ornament punch to make a flower. I have also made roses too I'll share them soon. I used the current Just Add Ink colour challenge



Pretty soft tones. Wouldn't usually put these together. I find I don't use Sahara Sand enough and really had fun with it this week. I also slightly modified Makeesha's Inkspiration Sketch to make this card. Here's the sketch...



And here's the card...



Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Ink: Sahara Sand
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Ornament Punch, 3/8" Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Pinking Heart Border Punch, Tom Bow Glue, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Non SU Button

I didn't want to do to much with it after I made the flower because I didn't want to draw away from the gorgeous-ness of the flower and I felt it did enough for the card already.

To make the flower I punched out 12 ornaments in Blushing Bride and one in Pear Pizzazz. I faux suede-d the pear pizzazz ornament to make two leaves. You could do the same with the flower (only punching 6 and make 12 once faux suede-d). The reason I didn't was I was having trouble with it at first using my bone folder. It works really well with the scallop circles but not the ornaments. The trick with the ornaments is to scrunch and unfold lots of times to help seperate the fibers. Anyway once they were done punching I scrunched them up (very therapeutic). I then punched a circle to adhere them too. I used tom bow and just layered them until I was happy. I then played with the petals to make them sit how I wanted. I added a button to the middle and the leaves at the back and your done. It also looks awesome as a brooch. I will try my darndest to get my ornament rose up soon also.

Thanks for stopping by,
Dani

Magnet Christmas Calendars

I have been getting busy making and creating more stuff for Christmas including cards, gifts, wrapping paper, bags, etc. I have been making up these super cute Magnetic Calendars using Kaiser Craft wood. They are so simple and quick to make and they are such nice and practical gifts to give to a friend, relative, work colleague, loved one or someone you haven't seen in a while. Here are 2 of the ones I have made recently using Dashing DSP. I have used the same piece of DSP for each just flipped it over to showcase both designs! I have stuck an old fridge magent on the back of them so the calendar can be in the most practical spot in the house! Your fridge!



Here's a close up of each...



The one below I have taken a photo of it whilst it is a magnet on the fridge I got given on the weekend. Such a good pick up I think the lady who gave it to me will be getting more than just one of these!



Stamp Set and Ink: NONE!
Card Stock: Real Red, Old Olive, Dashing DSP
Accessories: Real Red and Old Olive Wide grosgrain, Sanding block, Mini Calendars, Kaiser Craft Wood

Now on a lighter note... While I was taking photo's out the back under the patio where my new fridge is residing temporarily Miss Purdy was watching me. She rarely makes alot of noise but she kept whinging as if to say "don't take photo's look at me I'm cute!" So because of that I got this rather cute photo of her snuggled up looking oh so comfortable! Oh the life of a dog!

Thanks for looking!

Dani

Thanks to all and some cute gifts!

They say in times of need you can always tell who your true friends are and who you can rely on. That has been evident throughout the last few weeks. They have been tough on me and a real challenge and really not anything I am used to coping with. I have been given so much support from my Stampin' Up! crew and so many people have offered there support and a shoulder if I need it. I want to thank each of you (You should know who you are) for your emails, messages, cards and support. It has really made me feel so loved and special by each of you, some of whom I have never met. None of you have asked me to explain my situation just given me the opportunity to talk if I need and I do thank you so much for that.

Apart from Stampin' Up! I must give a huge Thanks to my best mate in the whole world, Kris! If it wasn't for this girl I don't think I would have got through everything as quickly and as positively as I did. She has been my rock and I love her so much for this and everything else she has blessed me with. I know that what happens over the next few days, weeks, months and years I will be able to deal with it because of her. Thanks Kris you rock my bright, coloured, striped, odd socks! :)

To thank Kris for everything she has done I decided to make her a little thank you gift and made her a sweet little gift bag, gift cards and pull treat. She really is one for things matching so I decided to keep the same colours and design across all projects which she really appreciated. She loves Chocolate Browns so I very easily chose Chocolate Chip as one of the primary colours. I then teamed together a few other colours I wouldn't usually put together but think they look very complimentary. The names of the colours also sound like a yummy desert Vanilla Pomegrante and Chocolate... Mmmmm!

Here is a picture of all 3 projects together. Gift Bag on left, Pull Treat in the middle and sample of the gift cards on the right. There was a set of 5 cards in the bag.

Below is the Pull treat I made... Can you guess what's in it???

Mmmmmm... Dairy Milk! Nearly as good as a best friend, Not quiet though! My brother was selling these for a fundraiser for school and they fit perfect for pull treats. I think I'll be buying all of his next box lol!

Here is the gift bag I made her. It is quite little but so cute and it holds exactly 5 cards. You could make it larger if you want depending on what your putting in it. I made her an embellished K out of chipboard covered in Choc Chip Cardstock. She loved this and wanted to make it into a necklace lol! I told her I would if she wanted me too. Here's a close up...

Stamp Set: So Swirly Wheel, Think Happy Thoughts

Cardstock: Choc Chip, Purely Pomegrante, Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow

Ink: Purely Pomegrante, Sage Shadow

Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" 1 1/2" and 3/4" circle punches, Corner Rounder Punch, Dimensionals, Brads, Jumbo Eyelets, Very Vanilla Ribbon, ChipBoard

I hope you like this cute and so simple projects as much as she did as we are making something simular in pink and black at my class on Sunday. I really hope you can make it along. Hurry because spaces are filling!

Have a great evening

Cheers,

Dani

Challenge Night

Hi All,

During the week we had another challenge night with the demonstrator group that I am apart of, The Inklings. Challenges were set by the lovely Kylie Swain and were all very appropriatly Christmas Themed. I haven't been able to have the chance to complete them all as yet but I have done Challenge 1 which was to make a pocket card but of course make it Christmas themed! These were very quick and easy to make. It was just the decorating that I took more time. Here's what I came up with...



The Mellow moss insert at the back pulls out so you could write a nice message on it or have something hidden in it such as a gift card/voucher. They are great little christmas gifts to give out and the dimensions can easily be changed to suit what you want to make. Below is a close up of the pull out tab and ribbon. I set an jumbo eyelet and then placed a rhinestone brad in the middle. Looks really cute and blings it up a little too!



Stamps: Season of Joy, Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, Purely Pomegrante
Ink: Mellow Moss, Purely Pomegrante
Accessories: Mellow Moss Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch, Ice Rhinestone Brads, Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-a-dile, Sponge Daubers, Round Tab Punch

You can make these up to suit any occasion! I will try and get to the other challenges soon!

Thanks for looking!
Happy Sunday :)

Dani

Blue and Green SHOULD be seen

How would you feel if you got a pressie that looked like this for your birthday? My boyfriend, Karl thought this was impressive when I handed it over to him on Tuesday last week for his 26th birthday! Little did he know I had been BUSY!!

Here is a photo of all the wonderful things he got throughout the course of his birthday...




I had all his presents colour co ordinated in old olive, whisper white and tempting turquoise to match in with the beautiful petals DSP that Karl has always said he likes. Above is a picture of his wrapped present (X files DVD's), an altered notebook (Thanks Margaret), A giftboxed CD (John Mayer), and a beautiful brag book which I made on the team weekend away.

Below is a picture of the CD giftbox that I made using the beautiful Makeehsa Byl's Make it Monday #6 tutorial which can be found here. I saw this and just had to make one. It is so so so easy and so so so cute. I was so impressed with how it turned out.






Here it is opened. It fastens with velcro which I thought made it look even more sassy and schmick! As you can see the CD fits perfectly! I will be making more of these for Chrissy Presents! JB Hifi will love me!







Next here is the cute brag book I made. My SU! Great great grandmother (upline x4) Jayne showed us how to make these on the team weekend away. I'm telling you now they are so super simple and easy. I had so much fun putting it together.



Here is pictures of the pages! They are about 5 3/4" x 5 3/4" in size. How cute is that boyfriend of mine? He's such a spunk if I do say so myself! I've done good!







Awwwwwww....







Here's a photo of the book opened! As you can see each page has slots to put whatever you like in them.



I added some journalling in some slots as shown.





And I also added this gorgeous Michelle Zindorf style birthday card into one of the slots. Karl LOVES landscape and nature and I must say he ADORED this card. He thought it was the best of everything I gave him. I'm pretty happy with it for my first effort! I must get me a brayer.





I also added the altered notebook in one of the slots which is again shown in the photo below with some of the goodies... Aren't they so pretty??





I always say I am going to do something like this and I feel so proud that I was able to pull it off.

TFL!

Cheers Big Ears,

Dani

P.S. Be back tomorrow for next months spotlight project!

It's Challenge Night!!

Last Saturday night was our monthly challenge night with my Inklings group. The very lovely Kari had her chellenge creating debut and se tus some rather interesting challenges. Unfortunatly I wasn't there to participate on the night but I did have the pleasure of creating them during this very busy week I've had.

Challenge #1 was to make a rather funky pyramid box. You had to use colours you don't use very often and a new stamp set. I am a rather naughty demonstrator as I have NEVER used Groovy Guava from the new in colours! So It was fun to play with that combined with the subtle Blush Blossom and my very favourite Priceless Stamp Set and Voila! I created this cute like box.

Challenge #2 was a colour challenge that can only be a real doozy! Never in my life time would I have thought to put those colours together and never will I again because it really tested me and I'm not overly fond of the results. My apprentice (my 15 yr old brother, Ben) actually helped me big time with this colour challenge. He came up with the warm and cold aspects of the colours and different ideas with what stamp sets to use. I think he will make a great card maker this Christmas!! Now enough blabbing and time for the colours we were given. Get out your catalogues ladies and image these colours together... Soft Sky, Ballet Blue, Not quite Navy, Really Rust and Pink Passion! Here is my dodgy attempt!!

Challenge #3 was a layout challenge. The layout was created by Lauren Meader. The layout could be used for a scrapbook page or a card. I chose to do a card as I already had in mind a card I wanted to make so it was quite easy to make. I tweaked the layout a little. I think the card looks lovely.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my creations. Please stay tuned for next months challenges as they will be set by the lovely... ME! I am racking my brain and hopefully I come up with something great!

I'm off to hybernate on the lounge at doctors orders as I have yet another chest infection. I've tried so hard to avoid it and it snuck up on me :( Not looking forward to the end of August as that's when I get them the worst.

Have a lovely night!

Dani xoxo

Welcome to the major CASE squad...

The best craft designs are pursued by the detective of the Major CASE squad... This is her story (Insert Crappy Law and Order Sound Effect Here)

It all began 7 1/2 weeks ago whilst blog surfing to find some beautiful inspirations, designs and projects. Detective Dani stumbled across the pull treat design by the beautiful Carol. Thinking this idea was rather cool, Dani stewed over this idea while contiplating weather Carol needed to be interrogated for a few hours to get her measurements and design secrets or weather Dani will need to get a suppena to search her house and uncover her secrets.

A few weeks later on 4th June Detective Dani stumbled over another very talented lady Alana Galagher's blog to never the less find another stylish Pull Treat Design. Knowing Alana would give in under immense pressure and persuasion Detective Dani hounded her by black mail to expose her design secrets by posting the following comment on her blog:

"Hi Alana, I was just wondering where the best place is to locate the recipe for the pull treat? I really want to make them as Thank You gifts at my eScape event. Your colour combo look lovely. You can just send me an email back if you like. Thanks! Dani :)"

Giving into Dani's excellent blackmailing techniques Alana gave into Detective Dani's and handed over her complex technique - "I simply folded a A5 piece of cardstock around the treat." Dani stewed over these instructions could such a beautiful project be made so easily. Detective Dani tested the dimensions carefully and alas they were correct.

Now Dani didn't want to give up there and needed to make her treats extra special. Whilst vigorously searching high and low for a design idea Detective Dani landed the blog of the wonderful Kari Hughes whom had a gorgeous I like it a Latte inspired Pull Treat. Could this be the missing piece of the puzzle to make the ultimate design?

Dani sent the easy going Kari a post complimenting her on design and that Dani would love to re-create it despite not having the Latte stampin' sets. So overwhlemed by Dani's sneaky charm she got her PA (hubby) to send the set via express post from adelaide. This is where Dani's pursuit of the best design finally came to a fantastic end and the major CASE became completed by adding some of her own original flair (Very Vanilla cardstock due to lack of Kraft cardstock)

Thanks to the wonderful efforts of Detective Dani and her fantastic skills of Detective-ness the attendee's of Dani's eScape event now have a creamy hot chocolate to enjoy on a cold evening.

Ok before I end this post I must say that was the most fun I have ever had writting a post. Can you tell what one of my favourite TV shows is?? Thank you to Carol, Alana and Kari for sharing there designs and letting me CASE them and also for letting me write what I feel is a rather amusing blog which featured them. I hope you ladies are not offended by what I have written. Please let me know if you are.

Please stay tuned for another episode of Craft and Design. Can Detective Dani solve the next devilish case? You'll be on the edge of your seat.

Happy Stampin'

Dani