MelzCardz

More Bling Cards!

2011-11-20T15:33:00.001+11:00

I just my got Hero Arts CG211 Magical Background stamp not that long ago, and I was itching to try it out. I love the beautiful swirly background, and I felt it was definitely calling out to be "blinged"! I haven't really made many much white-on-white cards in the past, I usually love loads of colour on my cards, but having seen a few white-on-white CAS cards recently, I decided to give it a go.

For this card, I stamped the background on white card with Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver ink, trimmed it to fit, and mounted it with foam dots to a pale grey card blank. The sentiment 3129C Congrats from Stamp-It Australia was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, and punched with McGill's Vintage Label Punch. Clear self-adhesive rhinestones were added randomly to the background.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts LP221 Very Merry Christmas, and was punched out with EK Success 2" Oval punch. Some of the corners on the background and the card were rounded off with a Fiskars corner rounder punch.

I used Encore Ultimate Metallic Purple ink for this card, and diecut the bottom edge with one side of Spellbinders Nestabilities Small Deckled Rectangles die. A little bit of Stardust stickles was added to the bottom edge. The Season's Greetings stamp is also from the same Hero Arts set LP221 Very Merry Christmas. A mix of clear and lavender rhinestones of various sizes were used on this card.

The great thing about this background stamp is that it's so "full" that it doesn't need much to dress up a card. For this last card, I used Encore Ultimate Metallic Champagne ink - it is a gorgeous colour, somewhere between gold & silver, and I felt it matched the Kraft card perfectly. I diecut the square background with a Lifestyle Crafts Rounded Nesting Squares die, mainly because I wanted the image to be perfectly square, but you could easily just trim with a craft knife, and then round the corners off with a corner rounder punch if you don't have this die.

A Week Of Bling Cards!

2011-11-14T11:47:00.003+11:00

Ok, ok, I admit, I've been rather slack with updating my blog, but can you blame me? We have had some lovely weather the last couple of weekends in Melbourne, and we couldn't resist going down to the beach at Torquay - warms days spent swimming, surfing, bodyboarding... my idea of heaven! I may love stamping, but I absolutely adore the beach! LOL J

Anyway, back to my most recent card creations. Interestingly, it's been a week of Bling cards for me. On the Penny Black Blog, last week's Card Challenge was to use bling or gems to accent your cards. Coincidentally, on the Hero Arts Blog, one of this month's (November Contest) challenge themes was to "Bling It Up!" Well, if you've seen any of my previous cards, you'll know that I absolutely love bling, so I couldn't resist entering both challenges.

I absolutely love 40-083 Twinkling by Penny Black, and have used it on a number of my cards (see here & here & here). Surprisingly however, until now I've never tried stamping it with silver ink on black card, even though it is one of my favourite techniques for creating simple yet stunning cards (see some examples here & here & here). I love the dramatic look of Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver ink on black cardstock - the silver is so rich & thick that it doesn't get "lost" on the black, as most other colours tend to. For this card, I decided to stay with the classic black, silver & white combination. Some clear rhinestones were added, and a combination of 3 different clear Stickles (Stardust, Crystal & Diamond) as well as White Liquid Pearls was added. Even though Stardust, Crystal & Diamond are all "clear", they each have a different iridescence and when used together can really make your cards sparkle! The greeting is from Penny Black 30-018 cystalline and was punched out using a Fiskars small tag punch.

I continued experimenting with stamping on black with this card. In this case I used Brilliance Galaxy Gold; although not quite as striking as the silver, I didn't mind the subtle gold colour. For a richer gold colour, the image could have been embossed with gold embossing powder (but I was too lazy to get mine out, LOL). The image was trimmed and then decorated with coloured rhinestones & various colours of Stickles glitter glue, and set aside to dry. The background was diecut from white card using Spellbinders Nestabilties Curved Rectangles. Snowflakes from Penny Black 30-007 & 30-018 were stamped randomly with Antique Linen distress ink and "Noel" from 30-035 was stamped with Scattered Straw distress ink. The edges were lightly distressed with more Antique Linen ink. This was then layered on a black card blank which had been edged with Galaxy Gold ink (this was done by gently running the inkpad over the edges of the black card). Once dry, the tree image was adhered to the front of the card with foam tape. "Happy Holidays" from 30-086 was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black onto cream card, then punched out with EK Success 2" Oval punch and edged with Galaxy Gold ink.

4214K simply ornamental

When I first saw 4214K simply ornamental by Penny Black, I immediately thought that the bauble was crying out to be "blinged!" So I definitely had to try it out for this weeks challenge. The one minor problem with using the bauble image from this stamp is that the girl's hand is resting on one side of the bauble. To get around this, I inked up the image carefully (with Memento Tuxedo Black), taking care not to ink the portion where the hand was. After stamping the image onto white card, I then filled in the blank area with a black marker, as well as outlined the rest of the image with it, to give it greater definition. (I used the Letraset Fine Line Drawing Pen, which does not interact with alcohol markers). I then coloured the baubles with TRIA markers, and trimmed them. I added coloured rhinestones to the baubles, as well as Stickles glitter glue. The main bauble was mounted onto some pink card diecut with Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Frame 4. A piece of hot pink card diecut with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17 and embossed with Cuttlebug Polka Dots was used as the background. "Happy Holidays" from 30-086 was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black onto white card and punched out with EK Success 2" Oval punch. Some stickles & bling were also added.

For the Hero Arts Bling Challenge, I decided to use Hero Arts K5376 Hydrangea. I've had this stamp for a few months now, and haven't really used it to make any cards yet. For the first card, I stamped the image with Memento Rich Cocoa ink on white cardstock. Then I diecut the image using Spellbinders Nestabilties Labels 17. I coloured the image with TRIA alcohol markers, and edged the diecut with Tea Dye Distress Ink. Little clear rhinestones were added to the flowers, as well as Stickles. I used Kraft card for the card base. Although Kraft card seems to be very popular in the US, it's not that commonly used here in Australia and can sometimes be a bit hard to get hold of. I was quite happy when I managed to purchase some at the Picture to Page Papercraft Show from my friends at Envelope Solutions. $10 for a stack of 50 pre-scored cards - great value!! I stamped on the Kraft card with Hero Arts H2365 Old French Writing using Brilliance Moonlight White. The Hydrangea image was then attached to the card base, as was a flourish diecut with Die-namics Fancy Flourish. The sentiment is from Hero Arts CL343 Holiday Sayings - it was stamped with Walnut Stain distress ink, and punched out with McGills Vintage Label Punch, and distressed with Walnut Stain ink.

For this card, the Hydrangea was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and diecut with Spellbinders Nestabilties Labels Two. The image was coloured withg TRIA alcohol markers and the edges were distressed with Worn Lipstick distress ink. Some stickles were added to the flowers, and distress stickles added to the leaves. Half of the background card was embossed with Cuttlebug Seeing Spots and the other half was stamped with Hero Arts CL482 Dots & Flowers. The sentiment is from Hero Arts CL497 Find Joy.

Penny Black Fave Challenge

2011-11-07T10:38:00.001+11:00

This week's challenge on the Penny Black Blog is to create a card using your favourite Penny Black stamp. Ha ha, asking me to choose my favourite Penny Black stamp is probably like asking a mother of 10 kids to choose her favourite child (only in mycase it's more like 100 "kids", LOL)... I just can't do it, I love all my Penny Black stamps! However, as I already had 3989K joyeux noel out for last week's Sketch challenge, I thought I'd use it to create this card.

As you can sprobably tell, I still haven't quite had my fill of creating Distress ink sunset backgrounds, LOL J
I started by die-cutting a piece of white cardstock with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17, then holding the die in place around the card to create a frame, I masked off the top part of the image with scrap card, and sponged on Brushed Corduroy & Crushed Olive distress ink to create the ground. I then masked off the bottom part of the image, and starting in the centre, sponged Spiced Marmalade, followed by Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold & Barn Door distress inks. When the background was dry, I stamped 3989K joyeux noel with Versafine Onyx Black. I didn't quite like how the image just ended rather abruptly on the right side, so I added a little bit more "branch & berries" with a black Sharpie marker to extend the image to the edge of the frame. I also darkened portions of the image with the black marker to give it more definition. A little bit of Opalite Golden Mist ink was sponged over the top to give a slight shimmer (not really apparent in the photo), and gold & red Stickles added to the berries on the image.

I was still playing with my distress inks when I created this card. Creation details are similar to the above card, except I used Penny Black 3623K quite dandy for the image (which I stamped twice) and 3424D thinking... for the sentiment.

I had a few tags leftover after creating last week's Sketch Challenge which I didn't want to waste, so decided to create a Tag card (to make the tags, check out this post). To create the background, I first covered a piece of white cardstock with Tea Dye distress ink - I did this by just rubbing the inkpad directly onto the cardstock. However, I wasn't quite happy with the colour - it did not seem quite dark enough, so I went over it with Walnut Stain distress ink. I then inked Penny Black 1999L letter background with Walnut Stain distress ink, and stamped randomly over the background. I think the background was still fairly wet, so the letters merged into the background slightly, and are not very obvious in the photo. I then stamped the music background from Penny Black 30-009 clearly in love randomly over the background with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink. I also edged the sides with gold ink. The finished background was attached to a black card blank, and the tags mounted on with foam tape. "JOY" from Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink.

Penny Black October Sketch Challenge

2011-10-31T16:07:00.000+11:00

I have been busy all week working & teaching classes at the recent Melbourne Craft & Sewing Show, that I've only just managed to get my entry for the Penny Black October Sketch Challenge made today, with just a few hours to spare!

3989K joyeux noel

Having just gotten a set of Spellbinders Shapeabilities Holiday Tags dies, I really wanted to have a play with them and decided to use them on my Sketch card (see the challenge sketch here). To make this card, I stamped Penny Black 3989K joyeux noel on yellow, red, mauve & lime green cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Using the Holiday Tags, I diecut portions of the image, and holding the die still in place, sponged distress inks in co-ordinating colours onto each tag. The ornament tags were then layered onto various cardstock with foam tape, and a gold twine bow added to each tag. Seasons greetings from Penny Black 30-018 crystalline was stamped on yellow card with tuxedo black ink, punched out using McGill Vintage Label punch, and lightly distressed around the edges.

"Christmas Sparkle" Greeting Cards

2011-10-25T19:45:00.001+11:00

I created these cards for the "Christmas Sparkle" Greeting Card Workshop for the upcoming 2011 Melbourne Craft & Sewing Show. (Workshop details available here).

These cards are relatively simple to create; images were stamped with Encore Ultimate Metallic ink (various colous) and greetings stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink. Add a little bit of bling - rhinestones, stickles & liquid pearls - and VIOLA! Sparkly & dazzling Chrissy cards in no time at all!

Penny Black 4200K berry wreath + 30-087 winter wonders clear stamp set + Encore UM Green (green card)
Penny Black 3990K home for christmas + 3507F merriest + Encore UM Gold (yellow card)

Stamp-It 4547F Dotty Tree + Penny Black 4117H the gift of peace + Encore UM Pink (pink card)
Penny Black 4180J reverie + 4116H a wonderful christmas + Encore UM Purple (purple card)

Hero Arts CG395 Sparkling Holiday + Encore UM Blue (blue card)
Penny Black 40-083 Twinkling + 30-086 let it snow clear set + Encore UM Bronze (red card)

I am also entering these cards in the Lily Pad Cards Simon Says Stamp Bling Challenge.

Hero Arts Sparkling Holiday Card

2011-10-25T19:36:00.002+11:00

I created this card partly for an upcoming Christmas Cardmaking Workhop (details here) that I'm teaching, but also for the Hero Arts October Card Challenge.

Hero Arts CG395 Sparkling Holiday was stamped with Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue ink, and the greeting stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink. Self-adhesive rhinestones and various colours of Stickles glitter glue were added to "bling" it up.

I am also entering this card in the Lily Pad Cards Simon Says Stamp Bling Challenge.

APE 20 Sneak Peek & BONUS!

2011-10-24T13:13:00.002+11:00

It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me and I haven't had much of a chance to get online. Unfortunately, this upcoming week is going to be no different... The Craft & Sewing Show starts this Thursday, and runs till Sunday (27-30 Oct 2011) at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne. If you're coming to the show, do pop by to the Dragonfly Crafts Stand (No 192) and say Hi!

Anyway, just a quick share... this past week, I've been working on a Valentine's Day Feature for Australian Papercraft Essentials magazine, featuring the super cute "Piece of my Heart" clear stamp set by Penny Black and gorgeous Echo Park Country Drive papers. Although I would love to show all the cards here, I think I'll get in trouble with my editor, LOL, so instead, here's a little sneak peek to whet your appetite. The full article will be in Issue 20 which comes out in January 2012.

30-042 Piece of my Heart

I had a few supplies left over after finishing the article, so as a BONUS, I have an extra card to card to share that won't be in the magazine. Hope you like it!

Supplies Used:
Penny Black 30-042 Piece of my Heart clear stamp set
Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders clear stamp set (greeting)
Echo Park Country Drive patterned papers
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Two
Spellbinders Edgeabilities Classic Scallop
Die-namics Fancy Flourish
TRIA Alcohol markers
1-1/2" & 1-3/8" circle punch & 2" scalloped circle punch

Stamping Inspired By

2011-10-20T12:41:00.000+11:00

I'm so excited and thrilled to be featured on Jill Foster's Blog this week!! What an amazing honour!! Check out Jill's gorgeous cards on her blog Stamping Inspired By!

Penny Black Dusk Challenge

2011-10-17T14:59:00.008+11:00

"I was really happy to have won last week's Penny Black Collage Challenge (see my card here). I do realise the winners are now picked at random, and not based on merit, but hey, a win is a win! I'll take what I can get, LOL" J

Anyway, as I have been working at a papercraft show (Picture to Page) all weekend, I didn't manage to get to make my Penny Black Dusk Challenge entry until the very last minute... Having had so much fun creating a sunrise/sunset background (see my previous post) for the Penny Black Inspire Card Challenge a few weeks ago, I really wanted to try my hand at it again, and see if I could improve my technique.

Snowdust At Dusk

For this card, I first diecut a piece of white cardstock using Spellbinders Nestabilities Curved Rectangles. Keeping the die in place around the cardstock to create a frame, I masked off the portions of the card, and sponged on Forest Moss & Crushed Olive distress ink for the green "hill" and Antique Linen & Brushed Corduroy distress ink for the brown "hill". I then masked off the two hills with scrap card, and starting in the middle to create the sunset, I applied Spiced Marmalade distress ink with a dauber to create the sun, then applied Mustard Seed, Barn Door, Fired Brick & Faded Jeans distress ink around it with an ink blending tool to form the sunset. When the background was finished, I stamped Penny Black 4102K snowdust with Versafine Onyx Black. I added a few more dots to the image with a black Sharpie fine point marker, then decorated with various colours of Stickles glitter glue.

I am also entering this card in the Penny Black at Allsorts October Challenge, as it falls within the Challenge Guidelines. (To see my previous two entries, click here and here).

Inclinations At Dusk

This second card was simpler than the first. After diecutting the white card stock, I simple sponged on Distress Inks in bands across the cardstock - no masking required. Then I stamped Penny Black 3984K inclinations with Versafine Onyx Black, and decorated with various colours of Stickles glitter glue. Die-namics Fancy Flourish diecuts were stuck to the card with Glossy Accents, and Thinking of You (made by Hero Arts) was stamped and punched out with McGill Vintage Label Punch.

Penny Black at Allsorts October Challenge 2

2011-10-12T16:50:00.001+11:00

Here is the second card I created for the Penny Black at Allsorts October Challenge (to see my first card, click here).

To create this card, I diecut a piece of white card using Spellbinders Nestabilities Curved Rectangles die. Keeping the die in place as a frame, I masked off the top part of the label and sponged the bottom with Scattered Straw & Antique Linen Distress ink. I then masked the bottom and sponged the top with Tumbled Glass & Broken China. I then stamped Penny Black 3997K majestic with Versafine Onyx Black, & dotted on some black Enamel accents and various colours of Stickles glitter glue & Liquid Pearls. The finished piece was attached to a blue card blank.

Penny Black at Allsorts October Challenge

2011-10-12T16:10:00.008+11:00

This is the first time I'm playing in the Penny Black at Allsorts Challenge. The October Challenge is to use this picture as inspiration (see below).

Here is my take on the challenge. To create this card, I first diecut a piece of white card using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17. Keeping the die in place as a frame, I masked off the top part of the label and sponged the bottom with Aged Mahogany & Fired Brick Distress ink. I then masked the bottom part and sponged the top with Mustard Seed & Scattered Straw. I then stamped Penny Black 3880K fantasy with Versafine Onyx Black. A few punched sakuras & rhinestones were attached, then various colours of Stickles glitter glue applied. The finished piece was attached to a red card blank.

Here is the inspiration picture:

Also entering this in the Lily Pad Cards Simon Says Stamp Bling Challenge.

Penny Black Collage Card Challenge

2011-10-07T11:47:00.001+11:00

This week on the Penny Black Blog, the Card Challenge is to create a Collage card. I have to admit, I don't own very many collage stamps as they are not really my usual style, but I do love Penny Black 4182K butterfly suite.

To create this first card, I stamped butterfly suite with Memento Rich Cocoa onto white cardstock. I then trimmed the piece to size, so it measured 9.5cmx12cm (approx 3-3/4"x4-3/4"). I then cut it into 4 equal strips (measuring 9.5cmx3cm each). I distressed each piece with a mix of Scattered Straw, Brushed Corduroy & Walnut Stain distress ink. I then attached the strips to another piece of white card, and lightly distressed around it. I stamped the 2 butterflies on a scrap piece of card, distressed with Mustard Seed distress ink, and cut out. They were stuck to the card with Glossy Accents. The paper flowers were also distressed with a mix of distress inks to achieve the right colour and attached to the card with a brad. Some distress stickles were added to the flower image, and clear stickles added to the butterflies. A ribbon, some twine, a few rhinestones & a Die-namics Fancy Flourish diecut were added to finish the card.

This creation of this card is pretty similar to the first card, but I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black, and cut the piece into 6 strips. Each strip was individually distressed with two matching colours of Distress ink (eg. the blue piece was done with Tumbled Glass & Broken China, the purple piece with Milled Lavender & Dustry Concord etc) to create a rainbow palette. The strips were then attached to a piece of black card leaving a thin border. I then sprayed it lightly with Smooch Spritz Vanilla Shimmer and attached to a piece of lavender card. The coloured backing was created by sticking scrap strips of coloured cardstock onto a black card blank. Coloured buttons were threaded onto black yarn, and the yarn stuck to the back of the card with sticky tape. I adjusted the spacing of the buttons until I was happy, then stuck each one down with foam tape so that they won't move on the card. The sentiment is from a 7 Gypsies Librarie stamp.

World Cardmaking Day Penny Black Guest Designer Card Challenge

2011-10-04T17:53:00.003+11:00

Would you believe it?? I didn't even realise that World Cardmaking Day was on Saturday the 1st of October 2011. Unfortunately it fell on the same day as the AFL (Australian Football League) Footy Grand Final here in Melbourne. Although I am by no means a mad keen footy supporter, but you can't live in Melbourne and be married to an Aussie bloke and ignore the Footy Grand Final!! Cardmaking didn't even enter my mind all weekend.

So it was only when Monday came around, and I was busy uploading my Penny Black Winter challenge entries that I realised that there was a Penny Black Guest Designer spot up for grabs for World Cardmaking Day! The dateline was midnight Sunday PST, which actually was Monday 6pm here in Melbourne (we are ahead by 18 hours). Either way, I had less than 3 hours to create, photograph & upload my *best* card! No small ask indeed!

It really was bit of a mad scramble for me to create a a few decent entries. I knew that in the given time limit they weren't going to be my best, but as they say "something's better than nothing".

As I already had my Distress inks and my Big Shot/Spellbinders dies out to make my Winter Card Challenge entries, I decided to quickly ink up a few backgrounds using the Spellbinders Labels 17 die. I rummaged through my stamp collection and grabbed a couple of stamps that I hadn't used in a while.

For this first card, I used Penny Black 4201K adorned tree and stamped it with Versafine black. I debated between placing brads, rhinestones or buttons on the ornaments on the tree, but in the end decided to punch some sakura flowers from red cardstock and embellish them with small rhinestones. This was then stuck onto a red card blank, with a couple of yellow corners & faux stitching added. The leaves were decorated with 3 different clear stickles - Star Dust, Crystal & Diamond. I love using all 3 clear stickles together because they each have a different iridescence, as you might be able to see in the photo. The greeting is from PB30-013 critter party.

For this next card, I diecut white cardstock with Spellbinders Nestabilities Curved Rectangles then sponged on Distress ink (Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Faded Jeans, Shabby Shutters & Scattered Straw) to create the background. I then stamped Penny Black 4102K snow dust with Versafine black. I usually stamp this stamp in a horizontal/landscape fashion, but decided to try it vertically for a change. The greeting is from Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders clear set. The trees were then dotted with stickles and liquid pearls. I must say, I am quite happy with the result, considering I made this card in under 30minutes!

For this card, I tried to create a frame by using a smaller diecut of Spellbinders Labels 17 as a mask before sponging on the distress ink - Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade & Barn Door. I then stamped the two little mice from Penny Black 30-020 hugs! in the middle using Memento black and coloured with TRIA markers. I chose the image because it was fairly quick & easy to colour. I stamped the flower portion of the image again, coloured it, cut it out and attached it on with dimensional foam. The greeting is from Penny Black 30-028 micey day. I'm not sure if it is obvious in the photo, but I tried to add a bit of interest to the distressed portion of the frame by stamping the flower bouquet from Penny Black 30-066 eat cake randomly around the frame with Distress Spiced Marmalade ink. I then outlined the frame with a black marker to define the frame, and added stickles to the flower portion of the image. To be quite honest, I wasn't entirely happy with this card, and wished I had had a bit more time to work on it, but time was fast running out. Less than an hour to go before the dateline and I had to get my 3 cards photographed and uploaded!

After uploading the preceding cards, and with half an hour to go, I decided to quickly do one last card. I have to admit, this last card was a bit of a cheat... I already had an extra image (from Penny Black 30-066 eat cake) stamped, coloured & diecut for the the Penny Black Critter Challenge a couple of weeks ago and a few precut diecuts in my craft stash, so I quickly assembled this card from bits & pieces in under 15 minutes.

Penny Black Winter Card Challenge

2011-10-04T16:49:00.000+11:00

I've had a busy start to the week and have only just gotten a chance to blog about the Penny Black Winter Card Challenge. This challenge ran last week on the Penny Black Blog.

Supplies used:
Penny Black 4105J starlit
Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders
Penny Black 4117H the gift of peace
Spellbinders Nestabilities Curved Rectangles
Distress Inks - Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Faded Jeans
Versafine Onyx Black & Majestic Blue
Stickles & Liquid Pearls - various

This was the first card I made, and once I made one, I had so much fun that I had to make a few more. To start, I diecut a piece of white cardstock using Spellbinders Nestabilties Curved Rectangles die. Keeping the die in place to create a frame, I masked off the bottom part of the card, then sponged on Tumbled Glass distress ink on the top. I then stamped PB 4105J starlit randomly over the top using Versafine blue. I then masked off the top part of the image, and sponged Versamagic Aspen Mist chalk ink on the bottom part, then carefully inked the "winter wonders" part of the sentiment from the winter wonders set with Versafine black. Liquid pearls and stickles were dotted onto the trees, and extra clear stickles spread over the bottom for sparkle.

Penny Black Critter Card Challenge

2011-09-24T10:36:00.001+10:00

This week on the Penny Black Blog, the card challenge is to create a "Critter" card using one of the many Penny Black Critter images - the mice, the hedgies, the cats, the bears... So many cuties to choose from, where do I start? Well, once I got creating, I couldn't really stop at one now, could I?

This first card was relatively straight forward to create. I first die-cut a rounded square using a Lifestyle Crafts Rounded Nesting Squares die. Keeping the die in place, I created a simple background by alternately masking and sponging Tumbled Glass and Shabby Shutters distress ink. This kept a white border around the background to help "frame" the image. Then I stamped the super-cute little hedgehog from Penny Black 30-029 wonderful clear set with Memento Tuxedo Black straight onto the background, then again on a small piece of white cardstock. I coloured the white piece in with TRIA alcohol markers, then cut out just the hedgehog and stuck it over the background with foam tape. A tiny bit of stickles was added to the flowers. The image was then layered onto some backing card, and the large scalloped border at the bottom was created with the Spellbinders Edgeabilities Classic Scallop border die. The greeting is a 7gypsies Library stamp.

For this card, I created it pretty much the same way as the one above, except I used Scattered Straw distress ink for the ground, and the two gift-bearing hedgies from the same Penny Black 30-029 wonderful set. The hot pink frame is die-cut from Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Frames 4, and the purple faux scallop ribbon is diecut using Die-namics Scalloped Ribbon die. The greeting is from Hero Arts LL662 Small Greetings and is punched with circle & scalloped circle punches.

I have to admit that I got the Penny Black 30-066 eat cake clear set pretty much for this image alone. Who can go past this adorable little bear and the sweet smiling tortoise? The image is layered onto a Nesting Lace Circle diecut from Lifestyle Crafts. A Fiskars scalloped border punch was used to create the cream diagonal panel at the back. The greeting is from Hero Arts CL480 Wish You Were Here clear set and is stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia. A few sakura flower punchies with a rhinestone complete this fairly straight forward card.

The only extra step in this card is that I created the patterned paper for the lace circle frame myself by first inking up a piece of white cardstock with Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress ink, then I sprayed it with Sea Glass Glimmer Mist. After it dried, I stamped on it randomly with Penny Black 4180J reverie using Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue ink. Then I diecut the lace circle out with a Crafts Nesting Lace Circle die. I touched up any empty spots by stamping with reverie again. The dark blue card blank was diecut with a large circle die from Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Circles set.

Penny Black Color Trio Card Challenge

2011-09-18T16:51:00.000+10:00

For this week's Penny Black Card Challenge, the theme is to use a trio of colours: purple, green & cream. I chose to do a couple of simple cards in the challenge colours.

For the first card, I stamped Penny Black 4200K berry wreath using Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew ink onto cream cardstock. I then diecut it with Lifestyle Crafts Rounded Nesting Squares die, and matted that onto a slightly larger piece of purple cardstock. This was then attached with foam tape to another two mats diecut with Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Frame 4. I attached a purple bow on with glossy accents, then stuck a few rhinestones to the wreath, and decorated with a mix of stickles and liquid/dimensional pearls. The little greeting is from Penny Black 30-018 crystalline clear set, and is stamped with Brilliance Victorian Violet. All in all a fairly simple card, but I do love the slightly non-traditional Christmas colours.

Would you believe I've never made an Easel card before? Well, I decided to try it out for the next card, and actually found that they were surprising easy to do. Can't believe it took me until now to actually make one! For this card, I first diecut a piece of cream cardstock with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17, then stamped it with Penny Black 40-083 twinkling using Honeydew ink. "Celebrate the Season" from Penny Black 30-086 let it snow was stamped with Encore Ultimate Metallic Purple. The tree was decorated with stickles and liquid/dimensional pearls. The completed image was then layered onto several layers of coloured card, then attached to a card blank, which had had the top piece folded in half.

The greeting on the inside was stamped with Penny Black 4116H a wonderful christmas using Brilliance Victorian Violet, and diecut with Nestabilities Curved Rectangles, before layering onto coloured cardstock. This was then was attached to the card with foam tape, which allows the front of the card to rest against it when the card it opened, forming the easel.

Supplies Used:
Penny Black 4200K berry wreath
Penny Black 30-018 crystalline clear set
Penny Black 40-083 twinkling
Penny Black 30-086 let it snow clear set
Penny Black 4116H a wonderful christmas
Penny Black 3878F simple scroll
Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew & Purple
Brilliance Victorian Violet
Lifestyle Crafts Rounded Nesting Squares & Nesting Frame 4
Spellbinder Nestabilities Labels 17 & Curved Rectangles
Stickles Glitter Glue
Liquid Pearls & Dimensional Pearls

Some Quick Boys Cards

2011-09-16T13:25:00.001+10:00

My son, who is 5, has been invited to a Pirate-themed birthday party this weekend, so I thought I'd better quickly knock up a card for the Birthday boy.

Supplies Used:
My Favourite Things - Ahoy, Matey! clear stamp set
Hero Arts LP200 Pirate Ink 'n' Stamp set
TRIA markers
Art Stamps Australia Pirate Paper

These were pretty quick and easy to do, just inked and stamped MFT Ahoy, Matey! pirate with Memento Tuxedo Black, then coloured with TRIA alcohol markers. The background was created by randomly stamping images from Hero Arts Pirate Ink 'n' Stamp set, and the Pirate Paper from Art Stamps Australia adds the finishing touch.

Whilst I was at it, I thought I'd make a couple of quick Dinosaur cards too.

Supplies Used:
My Favourite Things - Little Loveosaurus clear stamp set
TRIA markers
EK Success dinosaurs border punch

The dinosaur (or little loveosaurus) was stamped with Memento Black and coloured with TRIA markers. A little bit of stickles was added to the spine. The side of the card was punched with EK Success dinosaur border punch to add some interest.

CR84FN38 Colour Challenge

2011-09-16T12:42:00.001+10:00

Guess, what?? I found another Challenge Blog CR84FN and decided to play for the first time in the CR84FN38 - Bright Pink, Black & Gray Color Challenge.

Supplies Used:
Stampendous CRW061 Cling Cupcake XL stamp
TPC Studio Cupcakes rubber cling stamps
Die-namics Fancy Flourish Die
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17& Curved Rectangles
TRIA alcohol markers

I love Cupcake stamps, and have quite a few of them, probably many more than I need, but I find them hard to resist - much like real-life cupcakes, LOL J. I've had this XL cupcake stamp from Stampendous for a while now, but haven't gotten round to using it so decided to get it out for the CR84FN38 Color Challenge. The great thing about cupcakes is that you can pretty much colour them any colour you like. I stamped the Cupcake with Memento Tuxedo Black, coloured in with TRIA alcohol markers, cut out and added a bit of stickles glitter glue. I stamped "You're the sweetest" from the TPC Studio Cupcakes set with Versafine Black, then diecut with a small Nestabilities Curved Rectangles die. The large background labels are Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 17 (my current favourite - just love the beautiful curved shape of it), with the bottom corners trimmed off. The Flourish is diecut from light vellum using Die-namics Fancy Flourish die (it is so elegant & pretty - love it!) and attach with a small amount of Glossy Accents. A few rhinestones, a ribbon bow, punched flower and button, and all done!!

Twin's First Birthday!

2011-09-13T10:28:00.003+10:00

Have to admit, I was a bit busy over the weekend, as my best friend's twins were celebrating their first birthday, and I was tasked with the job of making the Birthday Cake! Although I love cooking & baking (and eating, LOL), cake decorating is not really my forte. I opted for the easy option - sprinkles and smarties! Check out the recipe here.

With the cake taking up most of my time and efforts over the weekend, I decided to make a pretty simple card for the boys. The stamp is Penny Black 2072J For You!! I've had it for so many years it's almost an antique (LOL), and it hasn't seen ink in ages, so I decided to get it out for the occasion. The image was stamped in Memento Black, and coloured with TRIA alcohol markers. I diecut the label using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Two. I stamped the boys' names with a Mini-alphabet set from Studio G. All in all a pretty quick simple and straightforward card.

Penny Black Simple Stamping Challenge

2011-09-12T20:17:00.000+10:00

Here is a set of cards I created for the Penny Black Simple Stamping Challenge. Penny Black 40-087 circles & lines background as well as 4147H special time was stamped with various colours of Brilliance ink, and layered onto coloured and white cardstsock. Paper flowers were added and flourishes were diecut using Die-namics Fancy Flourish die and stuck on with glossy accents. Rhinestones were added to embellish. Where necessary, I coloured the rhinestones with TRIA alcohol markers to match the colours to the cardstock.

Hero Arts Autumn & CAS CFC19 Challenge

2011-09-12T19:55:00.001+10:00

Hero Arts CL499

You'd be forgiven for thinking I'd been living under a rock, because I didn't realise that there were SO MANY cardmaking challenge blogs out there! Ha ha! Well... I just came across another one, the CAS-sual Fridays or Clean & Simple Challenge Blog. So this week I'm going to play for the first time in the CAS challenge. The challenge theme is: CFC19: Use paper piecing on your Fall themed Clean And Simple project. Coincidentally, the Hero Arts Blog is also hosting an Autumn-themed Challenge, so naturally I decided to combine my project for both challenges.

Autumn-themed projects are not really a big thing here in Australia. In fact, it's not even autumn at the moment, as we are on the other side of the globe, we are actually just heading into spring. Nevertheless, I scoured my craft stash to see if I had any suitable supplies. In the end I found this lovely floral Hero Arts floral wreath stamp from the set CL499 Special Note of Thanks, not exactly an "autumnish" stamp, but I decided to try it in autumn colours. I stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa, and coloured with TRIA alcohol markers. I also stamped the little flower several times and cut them out in order to add the "paper-pieced" element to the project. A little bit of stickles to the center of each flower to finish.

Hero Arts September 2011 Challenge

2011-09-08T19:30:00.002+10:00

It's been a while since I played in the Hero Arts Card Challenge, but I decided to give it a go this month. The Challenge theme was Everything Autumn, or a Color Challenge based on autumnal colours. I had so much fun making backgrounds with distress inks in last weeks Penny Black "Inspire" Challenge that I decided to use the same technique, based around the Challenge colours.

To start, I diecut a piece of white cardstock using Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen. I taped the die in place around the diecut with some removeable tape. I then masked off portions of the diecut with scrap card and sponged on various colous of distress inks to create the hilly landscape background. I then stamped the flowers from Hero Arts CL428 Earth Flowers with Versafine Onyx Black, and decorated with Stickles glitter glue. For the greeting, I stamped "JOY" from Hero Arts CL343 Holiday Sayings on white cardstock, punched it out with a circle punch, then lightly distressed the edges with Brushed Corduroy. I layered this onto a scallop circle which I had stamped and fussy cut from Penny Black 30-086 let it snow, then layered this onto a 2" scallop circle punched from cardboard. A scallop border was diecut from cardboard using Die-namics Small Scallop Border Die, and dotted accents added with a white gel pen.

The second card was created in virtually the same way as the first, except I varied the distress ink colours slightly, stamped with Versafine Vintage Sepia, added a few clear rhinestones along with the Stickles glitter glue to the flowers and layered the image onto an additional label diecut from cardboard. I also coloured the rhinestones with TRIA alcohol markers in order to match the colours. The greeting is from one of the Hero Arts Ink 'n' Stamp tub sets.

Supplies Used:

Hero Arts CL428 Earth Flowers
Hero Arts CL343 Holiday Sayings
Penny Black 30-086 let it snow
Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Brushed Corduroy, Aged Mahogany, Crushed Olive & Shabby Shutters
Versafine - Onyx Black & Vintage Sepia
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen
Stickles Glitter Glue - various
Rhinestones
Scallop circle, circle, oval & photo label Punches

Penny Black "Inspire" Card Challenge 3

2011-09-05T13:11:00.004+10:00

These two cards were inspred by Cathy Andronicou's simple yet elegant card.

For this card, I stamped Penny Black 4159K Sundail twice on white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I was trying to recreate Cathy's airbrushed look, but I didn't have an airbrush, so I tried spraying with Glimmer Mist (Popsicle & Pink Bubblegum) instead. Not quite the same, but it'll have to do, LOL J

4159K sundail

I then added some colour to portions of the image as well as to the outline with TRIA alcohol markers. I cut out the flowers out, and mounted them together with foam tape, added a rhinestone to the middle, and highlighted some areas with Stickles glitter glue.

To create the background, I embossed a piece of white cardstock with Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy, then sponged Memento Lulu Lavender, Distress Spun Sugar & Brilliance Pearlescent Orchid. I added a faux ribbon diecut from white cardstock using Die-namics Scallop Ribbon die and sponged it with Distress Dusty Concord. The greeting is Penny Black 3419D Great Day and is stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and punched with an EK Success oval punch.

4160K cheerful

For the second card, I stamped Penny Black 4160K Cheerful twice on white cardstock. I coloured the flowers and leaves with TRIA alcohol markers, cut them out, and mounted the flower together with foam tape. I added a rhinestone to the centre, and decorated with Stickles glitter glue.

The background was emboosed with Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls and sponged with Distress Worn Lipstick & Bard Door, then lightly sprayed with Pink Bubblegum Glimmer Mist. A green ribbon and "Just for You" from Penny Black 30-087 Winter Wonders clear set completes the card.

My Flickr photostream

2011-09-03T22:08:00.001+10:00

meilynnwee (Mel G)'s photostream on Flickr.

Penny Black "Inspire" Card Challenge 2

2011-09-03T13:54:00.002+10:00

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, I had so much fun making backgrounds for the Penny Black "Inspire" Card Challenge that I thought I'd share a few more of the cards I made. (For supplies list and detailed instructions, check out my previous post).

I was trying to create a sunrise/sunset background on this card, and was really quite happy with how it turned out. The greeting on this card from Hero Arts LP221 Very Merry Christmas.

This card is pretty similar to my first two, except I used a mix of rhinestones and stickles glitter glue to decorate the tree. I also outline the "twinkle" greeting from Penny Black 30-086 "let it snow" clear set with black diamond stickles.

Ha ha, I admit I went a little crazy with the colours on this one. Unfortunately as I was stamping the tree image, I slipped a little and ended up with a slightly smudged impression. To remedy that, I thickened the lines on the tree using a black marker to cover up the "smudgy" bits. The greeting is made by Stamp-It Australia.

Penny Black "Inspire" Card Challenge

2011-09-02T18:24:00.005+10:00

This week on the Penny Black Blog, the card challenge is to create a card inspired by one of the Penny Black Designers. Cool! What an exciting challenge! I had quite a few ideas buzzing around in my head, but which one should I go with? Well... to start I decided to make a card inspired by Kathy Racoosin. I absolutely love how Kathy created the landscape background for her card. The gently rolling hills and blue sky are just so pretty. I really wanted to try my hand at creating this type of a landscape background, and had so much fun that I ended up making a whole bunch of them. I will post the first two completed cards here first, and perhaps the rest a bit later. (You can see them here).

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 40-083 twinkling

Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders clear set
Penny Black 30-086 let it snow clear set
Penny Black 30-018 crystalline clear set

Other Supplies Used:
Distress inks - various colours
Versafine Onyx Black ink
Inkssentials Ink blending tool & foam
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen & Labels Eight Die
Stickles glitter glue - various colours
Liquid Pearls - various colours

For the first card, I die cut a piece of white card using labels seventeen, then leaving the die in place to create a frame, I created the background by masking off parts of the image in turn and sponging on various colours of distress inks. (Kathy has excellent detailed instructions on how to do this in her blog post.) I then stamped the tree stamp (Penny Black 40-083 twinkling) with Versafine black and decorated with various colours of stickles and liquid pearls. I layered this onto a label diecut from cardboard, and then onto a dark green card blank. I then stamped the circular scalloped stamp from the "let it snow" set, and fussy cut around the circular scalloped image. I then stamped "just for you" from the "winter wonders" set, and punched it out with a circle punch. I layered this onto my cut circular scallop image, and then onto a circle scallop punched from cardboard.

The second card was created in pretty much the same way, except I used the "merry christmas" greeting from the "crystalline" clear set, and tied some twine around the card before attaching the greeting on.

Paperific Make & Takes

2011-09-02T15:32:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Melbourne Paperific on the weekend! Hope you all enjoyed doing the Free Make & Takes! Here are some of the cards we did using Penny Black stamps, Stickles, Liquid Pearls and Ultimate Metallic Ink!

Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge 2

2011-08-29T10:04:00.004+10:00

This is the second card which I created for the Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge.

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 4200K berry wreath

Penny Black 30-086 let it snow clear set

Other Supplies Used:

Encore Ultimate Metallic Honeydew Ink

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Liquid Pearls - various colours

Stickles Glitter Glue - various colours

McGill Photo Label Punch

This card was a very quick & easy to make. I love making cards that take minimum effort, but deliver maximum impact - and that's why I love using stickles and liquid pearls. The stickles and liquid pearls dry dimensionally to add sparkle/shine to any project.

To start, I stamped berry wreath with metallic honeydew ink on cream cardstock, then stamped the "very merry christmas" sentiment from the let it snow clear set with Versafine black. I love the mellow soft green colour of the honeydew ink - in fact, I love all the colours in the ultimate metallic range, as I think they produce lovely stamped images with a rich metallic colour, without the need for embossing. For outlining or for stamping greetings, I always use my Versafine black, as it gives a very neat crisp image. Also, I think the versafine also gives the best results with the clear polymer stamps. I find sometimes the clear stamps can "resist" waterbased inks a little bit, and the inks tend to bead up on the stamp, so the resulting impression can be a bit patchy. With the Versafine, I don't get that problem.

The design of the berry wreath stamp is perfect for embellishing with stickles and/or liquid pearls. I like to use a mixture of both to give a bit of sparkle from the stickles, and the subtle shimmer of the pearls. I layered the image onto olive green card, then attached to a dark green card blank. I finished off by stamping "celebrate" (also from the same clear set, just inking very carefully so as not the get the rest of the greeting) with Versafine black onto cream card, and punching out with the oval part of vintage label punch, then mounting onto a punched label. A length of ribbon and a few yellow rhinestones add the finishing touches. Total make time: approx 10 mins.

Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge

2011-08-29T09:31:00.118+10:00

This is the card I made for the Penny Black Elegant Card Challenge. It was inspired by Jill Foster's card, which is in the Penny Black Flickr Group Pool Penny Circle.

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 40-075 christmas pride
Penny Black 1999L letter background
Penny Black 30-087 winter wonders clear set

Other Supplies Used:
Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Antique Linen, Walnut Stain
Brilliance Inks - Galaxy Gold & Pearlescent Ivy
Verasmark Ink & Clear Embossing Powder
Inkssentials Ink blending tool & foam
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight Die
McGill Vintage Label Punch

Following Jill's Video Tutorial, I stamped and embossed the christmas pride poinsettia stamp twice with versamark ink and clear embossing powder on white cardstock. I then sponged the distress inks with the over the image, starting with the lighter colours, working from the middle of the image outwards to the tips of the petals. I also sponged on some brillance galaxy gold ink to give it some shimmer. I then cut out the two images, cutting only the centre portion from one of the images. I mounted them together with mounting foam to make the flower, and added a rhinestone to the middle.

To make the background, I diecut a label out of dark green cardstock using the Nestabilities label eight die and my Sizzix Big Shot, I then trimmed carefully around the outer edge of the green label following the line. I then stamped the letter background over it with galaxy gold ink. To create a mat for the green label, I diecut another label out of white cardstock and sponged the edges with scattered straw distress ink, then layered it under the green label. To create the frame, I diecut a label from corrugated card (which I salvaged from a cardboard box), trimmed it to size and sponged with walnut stain distress ink & galaxy gold brilliance ink, then mounted it with foam tape. I stamped "JOY" from the winter wonders set with brilliance pearlescent ivy, punched it out with the label punch and sponged the edges with distress ink.

Penny Black Gold Card Challenge

2011-08-21T12:32:00.000+10:00

"OMG!! I can't believe I won last week's Penny Black Nature Card Challenge. This is my first time winning a card challenge and I am absolutely thrilled! For details on my winning card, please check out this post." YMel

This week on the Penny Black Blog the card challenge was to create a card using a gold-red-cream colour combination.

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 3986J crystal wreath
Penny Black 3900H christmas flourish
Hero Arts CL343 Holiday Sayings (JOY)

Other Supplies Used:
Distress Inks - Scattered Straw, Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Barn Door
Ink blending tools
Brilliance Rocket Red & Galaxy Gold
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight
Stickles - Various

To make the background, I stamped crystal wreath and christmas flourish with distress ink on white cardstock, then sponged on more distress ink to fill in most of the white spaces. Over the top of that, I sponged on some brilliance galaxy gold. To make the wreath, I stamped on cream cardstock using brilliance rocket red, then cut the image out, & sponged on some distress ink to define the edges. Then I embellished with rhinestones & stickles glitter glue. I also stamped JOY on cream card, punched it out, and then added some distress ink to the edges and lightly in the middle. I cut a frame out of red cardstock using the labels eight nestabilities die, and then mounted all the elements onto red cardstock with foam tape.

Australian Papercraft Essentials Issue 17

2011-08-18T16:00:00.002+10:00

Just wanted to share a little sneak peek at some of the cards in my newest article which is in this months issue of Australian Papercraft Essentials (Issue 17). The cards are all made using the super cute Mimi in Paris clear stamp set from Penny Black (30-071). Check out the article on pages 39-42 for full instructions & materials list.

Mimi in Paris

Another Card for the Penny Black Nature Challenge

2011-08-15T17:05:00.000+10:00

Ok, I admit I have been very slack at updating my blog posts in recent times, but I have been inspired by the talented ladies in the Penny Black Flickr Group (Penny Circle http://www.flickr.com/groups/pennyblackinc/) and I am attempting to keep this blog a little bit more current.... So here's another card which I created for the Penny Black Nature Card Challenge (which was on the Penny Black Blog on Aug 8, 2011 http://pennyblackinc.wordpress.com/).

Stamps Used:
Penny Black 4160K cheerful
7 gypsies library stamp - events

Other Supplies Used:
Distress inks - various colours
Versafine onyx black
Ink blending tool
Stickles - various colours
Glossy accents
White gel pen

Following on from my previous card where I used distress inks to create the backgrounds for my cards, I was wanting to experiment to see if I could use them to colour my image. I had read somewhere that you could "watercolour" your image using distress inkpads so I started by stamping the flower stamp (PB 4160K cheerful) on white cardstock with the versafine black, then picking up some colour from my distress inkpads with a waterbrush and painting them onto the stamped image. I wasn't satisfied with the colours - the water from the waterbrush pen diluted the ink too much and the colours looked "washed out". I decided to use the ink blending tool instead to sponge colour onto the flower image. With a newly stamped flower image, I started by sponging on the lightest colour first (eg. tumbled glass for the blue flower), then adding darker accents (broken chine & stormy sky) to the centre and edges of the flower. I made a total of 5 flowers in different colours, and chose the best 3 for the card and cut out them out. At this point, although I was quite happy with the colours, the flower seem to lack dimension... so, seeking inspiration, I flipped open the Penny Black Touch of Whimsy Catalog 2011 and had a look at some of the cards in it. The flower on the back cover caught my eye, the designer Kathy Racoosin (http://thedailymarker.blogspot.com/) had added white highlights to her flower to give it dimension. I thought it looked amazing and decided to borrow her idea. On top of that, I added some coloured stickles glitter glue to my flower centres & petals, and when that dried, added some glossy accents over the top for the flower centres. I also stamped a whole bunch of the leaves, sponged on some green distress inks and cut out. I attached the leaves to the card with double-sided tape, then attached the flowers on with foam tape. I stamped the "thinking of you" from the 7 gypsies library stamp, punched it out and attached it to the card to finish.

Here is a close up of the flowers I did.

Penny Black Nature Challenge

2011-08-15T16:22:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of cards which I created for the Penny Black Nature Card Challenge on the Penny Black Blog (http://pennyblackinc.wordpress.com/) for the week beginning Aug 8 2011.

Stamps Used:

Penny Black 3989K joyeux noel
Penny Black 1999L letter background
Penny Black 3939K queen anne's lace
Penny Black 30-018 crystalline

Other Supplies Used:

Distress Inks - Barn Door, Fired Brick, Worn Lipstick, Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed
Ink Blending tool & foam
Versafine Onyx Black ink
Stickles - Golden Rod, Xmas Red & Candy Cane
Opalite Ink - Golden Mist & Crystal Blush
EK Success Photo Label Punch
McGill Vintage Label Punch

The background on both cards was created by first stamping randomly on white cardstock with the queen anne's lace stamp. I used different colours of distress ink - mainly barn door, worn lipstick and fired brick (sparingly). Then I used the ink blending tool to apply more distrss ink in various colours over the stamped piece, filling in most of the white areas - I concentrated the red colours on the edge, and the orange & yellow colours towards the middle. I then masked off parts of the image with scrap paper, and stamped the letter background stamp on the exposed areas. I then sponged on a bit of Opalite Ink (crystal blush around the edge & golden mist towards the middle). Next, I inked up the joyeux noel (cardinal on branch) stamp with the black versafine, taking care not to ink up the "joyeux noel" sentiment, and stamped this over the created background. I then inked up the "joyeux noel" sentiment, and stamped that on a small piece of white card. I punched the sentiment out, and lightly applied some distress ink on it, then layered over a small oval punched out of black cardstock. I finished the card by adding some Stickles glitter glue to the berries on the stamped image. The second card was created in a similar fashion to the first, except I used the "season's greetings" sentiment stamp out of the crystalline clear set.

3D Floral Cards

2011-08-04T09:25:00.000+10:00

Here are some peeks at the cards we made during the 3D Floral Cardmaking Class at the recent Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair (28-31 July 2011).

3D Flower Flourish Cards

2010-07-27T11:46:00.000+10:00

I got busy creating & teaching classes at the recent Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair http://www.craftfair.com.au/. Here is a peek at some of the cards we did:

Fantasy Christmas Card Tutorial

2010-05-17T16:19:00.000+10:00

Materials Used:

Penny Black 3880K Fantasy stamp

Penny Black 3507F Merriest stamp

Encore Ultimate Metallic Blue inkpad

Dragonfly Crafts Self-adhesive Rhinestones

Stickles glitter glue

Instructions:

Stamp Fantasy tree stamp on white cardstock using Metallic Blue inkpad. Stamp Merriest greeting using the same ink. Trim image to required size. Apply a few self-adhesive rhinestones randonly over the stamped tree image. Using various colours of stickles glitter glue, apply small dots of glue all over the tree image. Set image aside for a few hours to allow glitter glue to dry. Layer onto coloured cardstock using double side tape.

Australian Papercraft Essentials 5

2009-11-18T12:29:00.001+11:00

Check out issue 5 of Australian Papercraft Essentials for loads of Christmas Ideas, including my article on blinging up your cards for Christmas!!

Check out my Facebook Page!

2009-11-04T11:46:00.000+11:00

Check out my Facebook Page Photoo Albums for pix of handmade cards!!
http://www.facebook.com/dragonflycrafts

Papercraft Essentials Issue 2

2009-06-15T14:33:00.000+10:00

I'm so excited to have my cards published in Issue 2 of Australian Papercraft Essentials! Although I can't reproduce the entire article here, I have put in a little "sneak peek" of one of the cards to get your crafty curiosity piqued! If you get a chance, do check out pages 72 & 73 of Issue 2 of Australian Papercraft Essentials!

To complete this card, I used:

Penny Black 3880K Fantasy rubber stamp
Impression Obsession B4111 Especially For You rubber stamp
Splendor Vivid Rainbow inkpad
Dragonfly Crafts self-adhesive rhinestones
Stickles Glitter Glue

All products used to complete this project are available from Dragonfly Crafts (Email: dragonflycrafts@hotmail.com or ring 03 94346909).
(To view a larger version of the picture, just click on the image).

Papercraft Essentials Issue 1

2009-06-01T15:15:00.000+10:00

About 6 months ago, I was very excited to be asked to do an article for the Australian edition of Papercrafts Essentials. This was my first commissioned piece, and I wanted to get it just right. Here it is finally in print, check out Issue 1 of Papercraft Essentials, pages 35-38. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did creating it! (To view a larger version of each picture, just click on each image).

Oh, I forgot to mention, the best part was... I got to keep all the stamps ;)

"Thinking of You" Butterfly Card

2009-05-28T14:09:00.000+10:00

I was so pleased & excited to get my card published in a recent issue of Australian Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft (Vol. 14 No. 8 page 34)

Here is the card close up...

I stamped Penny Black 3327J spring branch & 3864F bohemian butterfly with Versafine onyx black ink. I then stamped the "thinking of you" greeting from Penny Black 30-014 Salutations clear stamp set with Versacolor black in and clear-embossed it. I then coloured the images in with Tombow markers, layered the image onto coloured cardstock, and applied assorted rhinestones & stickles glitter glue to finish.

More Darkroom Door - Trees

2009-05-28T13:59:00.000+10:00

Did I mention that Darkroom Door is a fabulous new Aussie company which produces quality unmounted rubber stamps? Check out: http://www.darkroomdoor.com/ for more details. I created these colourful cards from the Darkroom Door Trees (DDRS018) set of stamps. The Happy Birthday & Merry Chirstmas greetings are from various other Darkroom Door sets (DDRS003, DDRS015, DDRS020).

Darkroom Door Full Bloom Vol 2 Frangipani stamp

2009-05-28T13:39:00.000+10:00

It's been a while since my last post, have been busy getting the craft business side of things up & running - have a whole bunch of craft shows lined up for 2009 (check out the Dragonfly Crafts Blog for more details: http://dragonflycrafts-dragonflycrafts.blogspot.com/

I have also been hard at work creating loads of new cards... you can view my photo album of cards on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Melbourne-Australia/Dragonfly-Crafts/34228817729

However, here are a select few to tempt your "crafty" tastebuds :)

I did these over 6 months ago, but haven't had a chance to upload them. I created this set of 5 cards using the Frangipani stamp from Darkroom Door Full Bloom Vol 2 set of unmounted stamps together with the Kelly Panacci Swirls clear set of stamps.

Stay tuned, more to come...

PB 3867K Constellations

2008-11-18T16:56:00.000+11:00

More cards using PB3880K Fantasy

2008-11-18T16:53:00.000+11:00

More cards created using my favourite stamp of the moment, Penny Black's 3880K Fantasy.

These are done using a Splendor inkpad (rainbow inkpad), and decorated with rhinestones & Stickles glitter glue.

Penny Black 3880K - Fantasy

2008-11-13T16:28:00.000+11:00

What a brilliant stamp! Penny Black's 3880K - Fantasy is undoubtedly my favourite stamp at the moment! These are just a few of the cards I have created with this gorgeous stamp!

Penny Black Card Swap - May 08

2008-11-13T16:07:00.000+11:00

Here is the card I created for the Penny Black Critters Card Swap, which I hosted in May 2008.

Stamps used:
Penny Black 3778F - looking at you

Penny Black 30-014 - salutations transparent set

And this is the card I created for the Penny Black Flowers Swap, which I also hosted concurrently with the above Critters swap.

Stamps used:
Penny Black 3875J - painter’s vase
Penny Black 3878F - simple scroll
Penny Black 30-014 - salutations transparent set
Penny Black 30-009 - clearly in love transparent set

More Cards Swaps...

2008-11-13T15:54:00.000+11:00

Here's a card I created for the Darkroom Door swap hosted by Rachel Greig, the very talented designer of the Darkroom Door range of stamps (For more info on Darkroom Door, check out: http://www.darkroomdoor.com/).

Stamps used:
Darkroom Door DDRS003 - Full Bloom Vol 1
Darkroom Door DDRS004 - Full Bloom Vol 2
Kelly Panacci KPSTP4 - Borders clear set

Here is another card I created for the StampHappy Faux Paper Card Swap hosted by Roz Veevers.

Stamps used:
Penny Black 3381K - aspire (flowers)
Penny Black 3864FK - bohemian (butterfly)
Penny Black 30-014 - salutations transparent set (enjoy, diamonds & small flower )

Card Kit Swap - April 2008

2008-04-08T14:24:00.001+10:00

This is a card I created for the StampHappy Card Kit Swap.

Stamps used:
PB 3783H - rainin’ daisies
PB 30-009 -clearly in love (transparent set)

And here is a slight variation on the same card.

Baby Hammock

2008-04-08T14:13:00.000+10:00

Stamps used:

PB 2073J - Baby Hammock

PB 20-002 Kate Brush Stroke Lowercase

This gorgeous baby stamp has been discontinued by Penny Black, so it is no longer readily available, however you can still order it through Dragonfly Crafts, but only whilst stocks last!

Allegro

2008-04-08T14:10:00.000+10:00

This was a really simple card I made ages ago.

Stamps used:

PB 2954K - Allegro

PB 2961B - Beauty

Welcome to Melz Cardz!

2008-04-08T12:35:00.000+10:00

Hello and Welcome to Melz Cardz! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Mel Garner, and I am an avid stamper & crafter.

I discovered rubber stamping about 8 years ago (in 2000) when I chanced upon a little stamp shop in my hometown of Singapore. I loved the idea of being able to make my own personalised handmade greeting cards, and was delighted with the designs of the stamps, particularly those from the Penny Black range. Penny Black had the MOST ADORABLE range of cute & cheeky little mice, and hedgehogs and bears, and I was totally entranced (for more info on Penny Black rubber stamps check out: http://www.pennyblackinc.com/).

Now eight years on, what started out as a hobby, has become a passion, and has turned into my livelihood. I now run my very own stamping & papercraft business here in Melbourne, Australia called Dragonfly Crafts, and guess what? We specialise in Penny Black stamps!! (For more info on my biz or to order products, please check out the Dragonfly Crafts Blog: http://dragonflycrafts-dragonflycrafts.blogspot.com/).

Here on Melz Cardz, I would like to share with you some of the handmade greeting cards that I have made using Penny Black and other stamping products. Hope you enjoy viewing them, and hopefully it might inspire you to get creating too!