Sunday, December 16, 2012

OMG! Where has the time gone?

I cannot believe how quickly time has flown since my last post! Unbelievable!!! 

It's not even that I've not been crafting, as I've had a couple of card commissions to do, Christmas cards to quickly create, an amazing number of birthday cards to make (my family has a fascination with birthdays in December) as well as all of the things I had to do associated with my son's last weeks at school for the year. I even had to make an ant costume for his end-of-year concert. Add to that list, visits to the doctor, Christmas shopping and, last of all, trying to keep the house clean and tidy (not done so well on that last one).

I'm happy to report that I've had another lot of cards published. This time in Cardmaking in Easy Steps -  Issue 7, where I did a collection of 15 cards from the 1 kit. It was a treat to make these cards as the elements were so nice and just wanted to work together. I've since been told that one of my cards will be on the cover of the next issue. Yeay!



I've included photos of some of the quick Christmas cards I made. My husband asked me why I didn't buy some this year as I am so busy - he just doesn't understand!!! These cards were made with some cute die-cuts I bought from Photo Continental. They make it so easy. (Please excuse the poor photos as I had to get this done quickly.)




Next year I'll have to start my cards much earlier.

Anyway, this may be my last post for the year as I'll be busy up 'til Christmas and we're spending some time away in the New Year. I hope everyone has a marvelous and safe Christmas and a bright and happy New Year.

Bye for now,
Janelle

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

An Annabelle Stamps Challenge

I've created this card for this week's AnnaBelle Stamps Weekly Challenge. The challenge is to create a card using the selected colours of Lilac, Grey and Bluestone. (Click on the link to find out all the details if you want to enter the challenge as well.)



I had fun using my brand-new INKADINKADO Stamping Gear set, which can create a doily effect and then I used the AnnaBelle Stamps Shape It Up stamp set for the label and greeting. Lilac and clear rhinestones were added to add a little dazzle. The flower was from Little Birdie.

 Sorry the photo is not too good - too much shadow across the bottom. I tried to do it quickly - didn't use my daylight lamp - and hence a shaded image.
Since my last blog entry, I've had another set of cards published. These are in "Cardmaking in Easy Steps - Issue 6". I had to do a set of modern Christmas cards using the templates supplied.

Today I also received another commission for Practical Publishing. I love the challenges of working to a design brief. It's much more difficult than just playing around for yourself. 

The challenges set by scrapbooking companies etc, like AnnaBelle Stamps and Scrapbook Boutique, are good practice for me, so I've started entering them. I'm fortunate to be able to say I was selected to win the AnnaBelle Stamps October Challenge, with my card "Hello to you" that I posted last time. I'm looking forward to spending my prize on some new stamps. Yay!!!

Anyway, bye for now.
Janelle

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Some more cards for the troops

I had some stamped flowers left over from a set of cards I was making for Practical Publishing, so I thought I'd make a few more cards for our troops. (See my previous post for details) I also thought they would be ideal for the Annabelle Stamps October Challenge which is Springtime Flowers and have to use an Annabelle Stamp as a focal point.


This first card uses both Daisy Delights and Daisy Delights Silhouette Stamps. The background stamp was heat embossed using two different colours of embossing powder - Peridot and Winter Lime. This is a fun technique as you can create all sorts of effects depending on where you place the different colours.

I stamped the image with VersaMark and then sprinkled the lighter coloured powder; shook off the excess powder; and then sprinkled the darker powder over the remaining area. Once the excess powder is again poured off, the image was heat set.

The daisy images were stamped on white cardstock using a variety of ink pads, fussy cut, layered and then attached to the card.

The border and tag were from Echo Park "For The Record 2" collection and the gold Jewel Dazzles were from HOTP.



This second card also used the Daisy Delights stamp set and was much more simple than the first.

The images were stamped in a range of yellow/orange inks on white cardstock, fussy cut and then coloured lightly with watercolour pencils just to add depth to the images. The leaves were just stamped on lime green cardstock.

The background paper and all other elements were from Echo Park "For The Record 2" collection and the gold Jewel Dazzles were from HOTP. The great thing about Jewel Dazzles is that you get the bling without the bulk, which is really important to consider when postage is involved.


I didn't include this card in the Annabelle Challenge as the prominent stamps are from Dienamics and Hero Arts.

The pretty background paper  and doily sticker are from Echo Park "For The Record 2" collection and the gold Jewel Dazzles were from HOTP.

 You may be able to guess what the commissioned cards were like from what I had left over, but believe it or not, they are actually quite different to these.


Anyway, I'm off to make some more cards for another commission, so you may not hear from me for a week or so.

Bye for now,
Janelle

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Kaisercraft "Sweet Nothings" cards

Last year I entered a competition for Kaisercraft where we had to design a project created using the "Sweet Nothings" range. I created the selection of cards below. Unfortunately I didn't win anything - but as I'm always telling Alex (my son) - we can't win everything.

Everything used in these cards was from Kaisercraft, from cardstock, ribbons, stamps, inks, die-cuts, papers, rub-ons, stickers, rhinestones, etc.

  


I'm intending on taking some of these (the ones without too much bulk) along with some others I have to Photo Continental, as they are collecting cards to be sent to our forces overseas, so our soldiers etc have cards to send home for their loved ones. What a great idea and it's really the least we can do for our members of the armed forces. If you're interested in helping out with cards of your own, check out the Photo Continental blog for details. Just make sure you include envelopes as well.

Yes, this is the second entry for today - I had a frenzy of photographing my cards.

For those of you with kids on holidays - have a great time with your kids, and I'll write again soon.

Cheers,
Janelle

Annabelle Stamps Challenge - Late but I still like it!

A fortnight ago, Annabelle Stamps had a challenge called "Lime, Mango, Orange and White". I made this card for it, but owing to life intervening, I didn't get it posted in time. Anyway, I'm doing it now.

 I used the Darkroom Door Background stamp "French Script" that Rachel Greig sent to me after my card was published on the cover of "Australian Simply Cards", and I also used the Katy Sue Designs "Fairies" stamps that I won on the Scrapbook Boutique blog hop.

I used an embossed resist technique to create the background, by stamping in Versamark then embossing in white.  I then masked a circle on the page before sponging with Distress inkpads to create the sunset design. I then stamped the fairies and sentiment in black Staz-On so that it would cover the previous embossing.

For the butterfly I used an acrylic die-cut shape from HOTP and an outline sticker from Anita's that I coloured with a Copic marker.


This photo shows the sheen from the Perfect Pearls I brushed over the edges.
 
The big green flower was a cheapie I bought from a discount store and is from the Little Birdie company. They are similar to some of the new flowers from Couture Creations, at a fraction of the price. BARGAIN!!!


 Well, it's bye for now.

Janelle

Saturday, September 15, 2012

New Blog Design

I have been promising myself that I would spend some time to create a more interesting blog design and today I finally got around to it. I hope you like it. The background was my own creation, but the heading was made with the cluster designed by Carolyn Rose Kite. I find the process of designing and managing my blogsite both frustrating and enriching. I'm relatively happy with this design, so I think this will be it for a while (at least).

By for now,
Janelle

Friday, September 14, 2012

A Birthday Card for Jacqueline

I recently made a birthday card for my step-daughter, Jacqueline, who lives in Melbourne as she was turning 22. I had to wait until she had received it before I could post it. She lives far too far away and we all miss her terribly throughout the year.

I used a new stamp and die set from Papertrey Ink called "Rosie Posie" and the "Signature Greetings" stamp set, as well as some pages from a free paper pad from Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine. I also used a Beauty Label from HOTP, vellum, Swiss Dots embossing folder, rhinestones and a variety of inks and Faber Castell watercolour pencils. The pencils were applied after the stamping to create shading on the die cuts.

I wanted to have a card that reflected the vibrant colours of the papers, but wasn't too overpowering. This card was inspired by a card made by Susan Cobb who designs for Paper Wishes. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it with the Rosie Posie stamps.

Today I also visited the Annabelle Stamps blog. If you haven't had a chance to view this site, you should as the designer team are so innovative and creative - it was wonderful to discover it. It's also nice to see an Australian company creating and supplying quality products to crafters.

Anyway, bye for now.
Janelle

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Check Out My Cards!

Just picked up the latest issue of Cardmaking in Easy Steps (Issue 5) and I've got a really nice layout displaying my vintage-style Christmas cards. I've even got a small photo of one of my cards on the cover. Yay!

I'm also posting a quick card I made for a friend just to say hello. Truth be told, I had some scraps still on the table and I was cleaning them up when I thought, "I could make a card with this piece and this piece and I could use my new Spellbinders Shapeabilities Persian Accents border die and put it here and then send it to Jayne." Needless to say the rest of the table did not get cleaned off!

I really like how the ribbon, pearlescent card stock used for the borders and the rhinestone flourish work to lift the design. The tag is from FabScraps Travel Journal book which is a terrific collection of tags, postcard blanks, ticket shapes, etc and I find just perfect for vintage style cards. (Not that this card really has much vintage style to it.) The Persian Accents die collection is gorgeous. I'm sure you'll see more of it used in the next couple of months. Next time I use the border, though, I won't be extending the design past the base of the card, it makes it too difficult to stand up for display.

Bye for now,
Janelle

Friday, August 31, 2012

What a week!

Woohoo!!! What a week!

On Saturday, my family went to see Cirque de Soleil - Ovo, that my husband had bought tickets for us for my birthday. What an incredible show. My son, Alex, said it was the best show he's ever seen and he especially liked the slinky-type character. It contains such talented acrobats, etc that it kept me spell bound for the entire show. On Tuesday it was our 13th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, we didn't do much to celebrate, but at least we remembered.

I finished my commission for Practical Publishing and sent it off. I then made 60 cards and 45 gift tags for my son's "Father's Day" stall at school (photos below). 

These are just a selection of the total made. Each design was copied a number of times (so much easier when making mass numbers). The cards I made were very simple as I relied on the colourful papers to add appeal and just added the sentiments that I cut out using my eCraft machine (as well as the car die-cuts that were from an old embellishment kit.) They are totally different to the Mother's Day cards I usually make ( a lot more fancy with stamping, lace, ribbon etc used).


I'm pleased to say that they all sold. I haven't included a copy of the label made. I'll post one in the next few days.

Yesterday I found I had been selected as a winner in the Scrapbook Boutique bloghop competition for August and won a set of fairy stamps. Yaay! Many thanks to Evelyn at Scrapbook Boutique and I'm awaiting anxiously for them to arrive so I can play.

Just to finish the week, my husband is working on Saturday night/Sunday noon (yep - Father's Day!). He's spent the last few months planning and organising the roadworks for the annual Bridge to Brisbane fun run and so this weekend he will be working flat out making sure that the roads are ready for the runners in the morning and then making sure that the roads are right for traffic once the fun run is over. It involves over 50 workers, 22 semitrailers, and 3 cranes to place and then remove 176 Ironman barriers going the full length of the Gateway Bridge. Quite a feat. He loves it because he gets to boss around everyone (including police staff and the people in charge of the bridge). If I'm lucky he will take some photos I can post.

That's time!
Janelle



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I've been busy...

I been busy lately trying to complete a commission for Practical Publishing. I've had to create 15 cards from one kit - a task that seemed easy to start with but has proven to be more difficult than I thought. I hope they like them. It's a shame you can't see them yet - you'll all have to wait until they've been published. (Insert beaming smile here)

Once I finish these cards I also have to do a rush job on the Father's Day cards for my son's school stall. I'll post photos of these soon.

Anyway, bye for now.
Janelle

Saturday, August 11, 2012

A doily card

I'm posting a card made with one of my mum's mini doilies. It's for my niece's 19th birthday, so I wanted it to be bright and cheerful, feminine without being too fussy, but still modern. I hope she likes it. I made it a while ago and held off posting on my blog until I gave it to her, but I haven't seen her for ages (and if she's reading this - I know it's late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

I used some free Raspberry Road Designs paper from the English Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine (can't remember which issue) which was a lovely set with pretty floral designs and fresh colours. The FabScraps Journal Tags are fast becoming a favourite with their range of colours and designs in the book. I also tried out my Papermania Brad Making kit which allowed me to personalise the brad using one of the blooms on the paper.  The embossing powder used on the sentiment is Stampendous Shabby Pink and I love the glitter bits in it as well as the slightly chunky white and copper bits. While it doesn't give a defined result, it sure is interesting and fun. The stamp comes from the Hot Off The Press Birthday Greetings set. 

I also made a card for my nephew (the twin of my niece) which was a variation on the masculine card I made for my last post.

Bye for now,
Janelle

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Masculine Cards

I don't know about you, but I always find it difficult to create interesting cards for the men in my life. I saw an interesting idea by Kristina Werner for using washi tape and since I'd just got some from Paper Wishes, thought I'd give it a shot.

I made two - one for a friend and the other for a brother-in-law. I love the strong lines in it and masculine colours - but it's not boring because the circles on the paper and the big wooden buttons add extra dimension.
Materials used:  10.5x14cm cream card blank
                        cre8tiv 12x12" Specialty paper - dark brown
                        We R Memory Keepers Vintage Blue collection - Sugar Plum
                             Cloud 9 Design Sparkle Celebration Bubbles paper - Cinnamon Stick
                        We R Memory Keepers washi Tape - black, blue, brown, aqua and red
                             Martha Stewart Diamond Fence Deep Couble Edge punch
                        FabScraps and Prima wooden buttons
                        Fundamentals alphabet stickers

July is always a really busy season for birthdays, so I've got a lot more cards to make.

Bye for now,
Janelle

PS Check out Kristina's blog as she has some delightful cards and her how-to videos are interesting and informative.

Monday, July 30, 2012

I made the cover!

I made the cover of Australian Simply Cards Issue 46 with a cute card made with a Darkroom Door Buttons background stamp and some wooden spool buttons. It was part of my article about using buttons and current trends.

The postcard used on it is from FabScraps Journal Tags book (that I bought at Photo Continental in Brisbane - ohhh! Photo Continental!!! My favourite all-time crafting shop).

Getting published is cool - but making the cover is extra special. My thanks to Rachel Greig for her kind thoughts about my card and her very generous gift of a free stamp for sharing. I was lucky enough to meet Rachel at the Scrapbooking Expo back in June and I loved talking about her photos that she then turns into her stamps, etc. Such a very talented  and lovely woman.

Speaking of stamps, I'm also going to try out the free stamps with the magazine - they are so cute!

See Ya!
Janelle

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A Wonderful Mum

I had to let you see the cute handmade mini doilies my mum made for me. She's been doing some crocheted hand towels (you know the ones with the crocheted tops) and she had lots of leftovers that weren't enough to do much with. She saw a doily that I'd bought from Kaisercraft and decided she'd try some herself. Consequently I now have a collection that I'm just loving to use, because each one comes with love...from my mum.

Mum has had an incredibly horrible year so far and I've had to (wanted to) spend a lot of time helping her out, yet she still is so thoughful that she did this for me - just because she could. That's what I call a wonderful Mum! 

Monday, July 23, 2012

I'm back...!

Phew!!! I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I had a commission for Practical Publishing to do, plus I've been sleeping a lot lately. CFS again.
 Anyway, last year I entered the PPI Card Maker of the Year Competition. I mentioned last entry that I was one of the runner-ups - these are the cards that were my entry.



 This first card was made using my eCraft electronic cutter. Everything (except the big butterfly stamp) was cut or drawn on it. I drew over the filigree lines (on the front) with an embossing pen and then heat set bronze powder, but my Cutie drew the lines in the first place using a true font frame called Calligraphic Frames font (from dafont.com). It was quite a challenge to create a card shape using the frame.

 This second card used the Kaisercraft Bonjour Collection. So sweet! Some weeks later I made up a set of other cards using the same collection and sent them in for consideration. To my astonishment, they were accepted and published early this year.

My third card used aspects of the Hot Off The Press Steampunk collection as well as a stamp from Kaisercraft called Tic Toc, that I heat embossed in copper for my background.

I love Hot Off The Press products and their website (http://www.paperwishes.com/) is wonderful for ideas, especially their webisodes. Check it out if you haven't yet. They have some very inspirational designers.

If you would like more details about what materials I used, etc, drop me a comment and I'll get them to you.

Bye for now,
Janelle

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Published Again

I picked up a copy of "Cardmaking in Easy Steps - Issue 4" today and was excited to see that I had been published again. Last year I entered the Practical Publishing International Cardmaker of the Year competition, and was lucky enough to be selected as a runner-up. From that I was offered a position on their Design Team, which I naturally accepted. Anyway, I was asked to do a selection of 5 minute cards for this kit, and have been waiting anxiously since to see them in print. Wow! It never gets tiring to see your work recognised. Unfortunately I'll have to wait a while before I can show them to you on this blog.

I got my competition cards back yesterday as they were saved for a display at the Papercraft and Scrapbooking Expo in Brisbane back in June. Later this week (when I get time), I'll photograph them properly and let you see my entry.

That's time!
Janelle

Saturday, June 30, 2012

The First of Many

Saturday, 30th June, 2012

Welcome to my very first blog entry.

A little about me.... Come September, I'll have been married to my perfect partner, Darryl, for 13 years. (You know what they say "Lucky for some... infinitely lucky for me!") We have an amazing son, Alex, who repeatedly shares with us his unique look on life and makes my day ... every day. We live in mostly sunny Queensland, Australia and are lucky to be surrounded by family who all live in our corner of the world. We also share our home with Foster, who is our dog; a Tibetan Spaniel X Corgi (think of a Golden Retriever with short corgi legs).

I have been scrapbooking for 5 years, but cardmaking for many more than that. I've gravitated back to cardmaking over the past few years as it can be done in short periods of time and this is important when I'm feeling bad with Chronic Fatigue which I've had for the past 20 years.

My favourite style is shabby chic - anything with ribbons, lace and flowers - I just love them! But I will create in any style, when the need arises. A friend has just moved into a new home, so I made a card for her. I hope you like my first on-line card. (Sorry the colour's not too great, a little too grey.)


I used a strip of Heidi Grace Designs paper "A Little Bird's Tale - Houses" along with two sheets from Crafters Choice "Country Basics". Some Kaisercraft Droplets, Celebrate ribbon and an Abi's Craft epoxy brad completed the card. Quick, easy and cute - just the way I like it. I printed the sentiment on my computer and used "Digs My Hart" font.

Anyway, that's enough for today.

Janelle