Made By Fee

Pages 2 Scrap - January

2012-01-31T15:17:00.002+11:00

The Page 2 Girls were using the boy-themed Vintage-T papers and products from WRMK for our first lot of projects in January.

Here's a little sneak..

You can head on over to the Pages 2 Scrap blog to take a more detailed look, and some instructions if you'd like to give them a go yourself.

Fiona
xx

Gingersnaps Creations GC135

2012-01-25T14:32:00.000+11:00

One of the current challenges over at the Gingersnaps Creations blog was to use your favourite paper, as well as this month being a month of using your scraps. I am not a big paper favourite person, but I know this paper by Kaisercraft I have gone to again and again in the last 12 months - it is black with white spots on one side, and the other side is this awesome lime green with black spots.

I made this 4" x 4" card on a black base, layered with white cardstock on which I embossed white circles from Paperbag Studios Journal Impressions set.

I knew I wanted to be creative with my remains of this paper (I haven't checked to see if I have a spare sheet of it, but this is the end of the scrap I have been cutting into for months!). I stamped five circles from the same Paperbag Studios Journal Impressions set using Black Archival ink. I trimmed them out and pinched and glued them together so they resembled flower petals.

A little bit of hand stitching, some dimension magic to attach the petals and the button centre and it was all done - clean and simple :)

Thanks for visiting!

Fiona

I didn't really?

2012-01-18T23:20:00.001+11:00

I really did. I actually completed an art journal page. My first one. Others have been tried and ripped out and tossed in the bin over the last several months.

I still have so much to learn, but thankfully it is an art journal after all, and I'm just happy to have completed a page. The journalling reads 'Green with {stamp} envy'.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona

STAMPS USED:

Stampotique - Newt with lunch box; Alphabitties

Making Memories - foam alphabet

Paperbag Studios - Journal Impressions

Tim Holtz - Stuff to Say

Unity - A Bit of Burlap

Kaiser - Offshore Collection; Bubble Wrap

Heidi Grace - Reagan's Closet

OTHER PRODUCTS USED:

Mod Podge

Acrylic Paint

Adirondack Color Wash

Distress Inks

Oil Pastels

Tombow black marker

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Stampotique Designers Challenge #46

2012-01-16T13:02:00.002+11:00

Stampotique Designers Challenge #46 is to create a pocket or purse calendar. How fun is that? I always get a freebie from somewhere as I've never thought of making my own, but this ATC-size calendar was fun to make.

**EDITED TO ADD: This was chosen as a favourite**

Don't forget to use Stampotique stamps if you are going to play along with this challenge! I have used Honeycomb Background, French Text, Tiny Spiral, Blocks and Mela.

These were coloured with Distress Inks (Tattered Rose, Dried Marigold, Scattered Straw, Victorian Velvet, Aged Mahogany), but I did use some gesso on the honeycomb background. Derwent Coloursoft pencils added a bit of colour to Mela, and Black Archival ink was used to stamp her.

I also used Tim Holtz Typeset and ATC dies. The calendar months came from here, and I just re-sized it a little and printed it out then cut and coloured them with Distress Inks. The quote was one I found early on in January on pinterest and thought it very applicable to me, so thought it would be a good reminder to put on the back of my calendar.

Thanks for visiting :)

Fiona

2012 calendar - January

2012-01-11T11:25:00.001+11:00

So way back in 2010 I really wanted to make my own calendar - time got the better of me (as well as the fact that I didn't have a square punch and the idea of cutting out 365 squares was a bit mind boggling), and I ended up just printing a month at a time off the computer. So in 2011, I decided definitely I was going to give my calendar idea a go, and got a start on it in early December. Unfortunately, life got hectic (understatement here) and I didn't get too much past these pages. The cover, and January's pages, and a smidge of February's.

I really love Kate Crane's work, and I was fortunate enough to be given a copy of her dvd's for Christmas, but I have challenged myself not to watch them until I have finished the mixed media calendar I have begun already, for fear I might change what I'm doing and have a mostly different looking calendar from March onwards!!

So here is my cover..

These pages are A4 white cardstock. When I'm all done I will be binding them together like a proper calendar (in the mean time, January is blu tacked to my wall!)

Here is the January double...

Here is the top half of January....

And the bottom half....

You can definitely see that I have taken much inspiration from Kate Crane in completing these pages. Thanks Kate for the inspiration :) So while these are not daily journals, it is a step in the right direction. Maybe next year I will move on up to actually creating these pages as a calendar journal AND purpose to write on it everyday! But I think these still count to taking part in Kate's Calendar challenge.

Thanks for visiting :)

Fiona

Stamps Used:

Cover:

Heidi Grace (Reagans Closet & Borders)

Paperbag Studios (Journal Impressions)

Hero Arts (Birds & Branches)

Stampers Anonymous (Stuff to Say)

January Pages:

Kaisercraft (Bubblewrap)

My Minds Eye (Flirty Play)

Stampers Anonymous (Papillon)

Paperbag Studios (Journal Impressions)

Heidi Grace (Borders)

Paper Artsy (HP1006)

Darkroom Door (Alphabet Medley)

Other Products Used:

Adirondack Colour Wash

Acrylic Paint

Gesso

Distress Inks

White Gel Pen

Black Tombow Pen

Black Artline

Patterned Paper Scraps

Gingersnap Creations GC133

2012-01-08T13:52:00.001+11:00

Here's my first card for the new year - created with a bit of fun and some Stampotique stamps.

I was inspired to take part in Gingersnap Creations challenge to use a set or line of stamps. I had Stampotique stamps over my table where I was trying to sort out some new storage options, so they were the obvious ones to use....

I really wanted to get all my words on the front of the card, but it just looked way overcrowded, so I utilised the inside instead.

So I used just black and white cardstock, Distress Inks (Black Soot, Wild Honey, Seedless Preserves and Pine Needles), as well as Black archival ink and Black Tombow Pen, and Derwent Inktense Pencils.

I used all Stampotique stamps - Welcome Door and Sweetmoves (Daniel Torrente), Alphabitties (Jill Penney), and Honeycomb Background (Josie Cirincione).

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona

Merry what?

2012-01-05T11:22:00.002+11:00

Just a quick post to share an ATC I created for a swap with some online Stampotique enthusiasts before Christmas. The theme was (of course) Christmas...

I lost my merry... and my colour!! I used Minky Girl by Daniel Torrente (Stampotique) as my focal image, but kept the colour to the background only.... sometimes I feel a bit like that after Christmas - devoid of any colour....

Thanks for popping by! And thanks to Shirley for organising the swap :)

Fiona
xx

And so begins another New Year

2012-01-04T21:01:00.001+11:00

Hope all my blog friends had a wonderful Christmas and start to the New Year....

We have just returned from a relaxing break where I actually stayed focused on getting in some creative time. This is what I was working on... my first time knitting some socks. This one almost was finished, but I ran out of time for the other one - maybe I need another weeks holiday?!!

If any of you are passing through the Central Coast over the holidays, I strongly urge you to pop in to Pages 2 Scrap at Tuggerah - I visited there for the first time in December and I was so thrilled to find a scrapping store that catered so completely to stamp-mad paper crafters like myself. I'm so sure if you go, you will find at least a few things that you 'must' have to start the New Year with!!

Fiona
xx

Gift card holder tutorial

2011-12-12T16:06:00.001+11:00

I had a couple of card/gift card holders to make for Christmas, and I thought I'd do my first tutorial. I'm sure someone else somewhere has come up with this idea, but I've not seen this layout before.

So I made both of these with one 12" x 12" sheet of Kraft cardstock, and just a scrap of patterned paper.

STEP 1: Cut an 8" x 8" square from your sheet of cardstock.

STEP 2: Make a 4" cut, 3 " from one side (centre to edge), then turn your square 180 degrees and repeat (your two cuts should make your square look like an 'S'.

STEP 3: Make a 2" cut to join your previous cuts (you will now have two identical pieces). Set one aside.

STEP 4: With the long side at the top, score 4" along (this is half way) the top section, and score 2" up from the bottom section (this flap will become your gift card holder).

STEP 5: Carefully trim off approximately 1/16" from the gift card holder flap - on the side that is closest to the centre, and pre-fold.

STEP 6: From the remaining cardstock trim 2x 2" x 4" pieces, then trim off 1/16" from the short side of each piece, and set aside.

STEP 7: Also from the remaining cardstock trim 2x 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" pieces, then, using a pencil, draw a guide line 1/4" in from each edge - our design will be worked inside this guide. Set one piece aside.

STEP 8: Using a 4 1/2" x 3 1/2 " piece, stamp your design.

STEP 9: Trim out 2x 4" x 1 1/4" of patterned paper (set one aside). Ink the edges in matching ink to cover over the white cut marks.

STEP 10: Adhere the patterned paper over your stamped image, inside the guide lines.

STEP 11: Set up your sewing machine to a zig-zag stitch - don't be afraid to test stitch on scrap paper to get your stitch size just the way you want it.

STEP 12: Line up the right hand side of your zig-zag to stitch along your guideline.

STEP 13: Sew all around your guideline.

STEP 14: Your stitching line will have created perforations, which you can use to gently remove your 1/4" guideline section.

STEP 15: Attach some ribbon over the join of your scrap paper and tuck it around and under the sides.

STEP 16: Stamp your feature elements on your remaining scrap cardstock - trim them out and add some colour.

STEP 17: Attach your elements to your decorated front piece using glue dots for a little bit of dimension, and add some rhinestones or other elements to finish. Set aside.

STEP 18: Take your 2" x 4" which you trimmed 1/16" from. Stamp a design and ink your edges. Add any extra elements to finish.

STEP 19: Place your L shaped base piece like this.

STEP 20: Attach your decorated pieces like this (remember to attach your inner flap upside down so it will be the right way up when you fold it to the inside).

STEP 21: Turn over, and add some double sided tape to the edges of your flap only.

STEP 22: Fold up your flap and ensure the edges are attached well before inserting your gift card.

STEP 23: Make up your other gift card. I used ric rac on my second one.

So there you go. Thanks for visiting :)

Fiona

Supplies:

1x 12" x 12" Kraft cardstock

Scrap Kaisercraft Paper (Sakura Park)

Kaisercraft 'Silly Season' stamps

Kaisercraft Rhinestones

Ribbon

Black Archival Ink

Frost White Color Box Ink

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Stampotique Designers Challenge #43

2011-12-01T15:53:00.001+11:00

Such a fun Stampotique stamps only challenge this week - make a Christmas card using non-traditional colours (no red or green).

I have focused on blue/orange/brown for my combo. The blue background is MME Bella Bella paper stamped randomly and edged in broken china distress ink with Stampotique 'honeycomb background', and the strip across the bottom is Scribble Scranble Sweet Shoppe #37 edged in walnut stain distress ink.

Stampotique 'smile'...

Stampotique 'mort had a pin curl'...

Stampotique 'head'...

... form the greetings panel. The words were hand written with a Tombow black marker. Colouring and white frames were completed using Derwent Coloursoft pencils.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Tag - you're it !

2011-11-30T19:48:00.001+11:00

Whipped up a couple of tags this afternoon using Kraft cardstock as my base, and Derwent coloursoft pencils to colour my images.

The first one uses Whiff of Joy's 'wee and reindeer' stamp, as well as 'merry' from Darkroom Door's All Occasions stamp set.

This second one uses Magenta's 'whimsy angel row' stamp, and some embossed stars from Darkroom Door's Yuletide Vol 2 stamps.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Creating for fun

2011-11-23T19:19:00.001+11:00

Recently, someone mentioned to me how they would love to know what I would create if I wasn't making something for a challenge. Don't get me wrong, I love to enter challenges - I love to create within the confines of a set of restrictions, but it did get me thinking....

I love the mixed media look, and have kind of tried it before, but thought I'd have a go at a mixed media Christmas card today.

The tree was made with a triangle base and scraps of green papers, which I zig zag stitched together, before inking over the tree with peeled paint and forest miss distress inks. The trunk is also a scrap of brown inked with walnut stain distress ink.

I covered my base with gesso and then sprayed on some lettuce and stream adirondack colorwash, added some white paint, and eventually some peeled paint and chipped sapphire distress inks.

I used loads of stamps in creating this card:

Stampers Anonymous Music Background (paint)
Stampotique Honeycomb background (paint)
Stamp It December 25th (Star - broken china DI)
Stampolicious Typo Bird (forest moss DI)
Kaiser Silly Season (flourish - white colorbox)
Darkroom Door Noel (definition - peeled paint DI)
Darkroom Door Yuletide (words - black archival)
Paperbag Studios Journal Impressions (circles - white paint)

Some outlining in black artline and white gel pen finished it off, as well as a little AED glitter (luminous lime and white fizz).

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my creation :)

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge #42 meets CAS-ual Fridays CFC28

2011-11-13T16:21:00.000+11:00

There is a sketch challenge happening at the moment at Stampotique Designers Challenge. Here is the sketch...

And here is my take.... you can see I've oriented it differently.

I've been quite taken with black/white/lime recently, so wanted to use it in this project. I began with a white tag which I stamped with Hero Arts 'friends definition' in Shabby Shutters distress ink. I added two strips of different Kaisercraft papers and stitched them on with black and white thread.

Then I stamped Stampotique's 'smile', 'head', and 'mort had a pin curl' on scrap cardstock in black archival and trimmed out the heads. I marked where their heads would go, and sewed the 'hanging thread' before attaching their heads and adding some black kaisercraft rhinestones. Finished it off with stamping 'merry Chistmas' in black (Darkroom Door 'alphabet medley') and adding a ribbon tie.

I checked the new challenge at CAS-ual Fridays which is 'Tag You're It' (so create a tag or a project with a tag) so I am entering this tag in their challenge as well.

Thanks for stopping by - hope you've had a blast of a weekend!

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #107

2011-11-12T14:54:00.001+11:00

It's colour splash time at The Play Date Cafe this week. Black and white with a splash of orange. Here is the colour story...

And here is my 'joyful' Christmas card. I really love how punchy this card turned out.

I used black and white cardstock, as well as papers from Bo Bunny (Grease Monkey Tread, Grease Monkey Gears, Olivia Nectar) and Kaisercraft. The alpha stickers are Basic Grey 'bittersweet'.

The snowflake is made from white #10 cotton, and came from this pattern here. The layout of the card was based on this sketch from Pagemaps:

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Mojo Monday 214

2011-11-11T21:21:00.001+11:00

I spent a lovely day creating today, and have a few projects to share in the coming days. This one is for Mojo Monday 214.

Here is the sketch...

And here is my card...

I have used papers by Scribble Scrabble (Nana's Trunk #356 and #354), October Afternoon (Collectors Item #509) and some scraps. Lots of distressing and stitching. The hessian (burlap) was coloured with fired brick distress ink and stitched. The stamps are Doodled Christmas by Kaisercraft and Silly Season by Kaisercraft.

I made the flowers with kitchen twine and cotton. I had trouble using a circle as in the sketch, so went for a square with rounded corners instead.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Something exciting and unexpected happened....

2011-11-10T17:26:00.000+11:00

In a continuing whirlwind this week, I am just dropping in to announce that as of January I will be designing for Pages 2 Scrap. They are a real bricks and mortar store located in Tuggerah on the beautiful Central Coast of NSW, Australia.

You can visit their website here

or their blog page here

I will be visiting the store in a couple of weeks, and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the goodies they have in stock! Hopefully a visit will help it all sink in that it's for real :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge SDC41

2011-11-06T14:46:00.000+11:00

Well, the theme this fortnight at Stampotique Designers Challenge was 'altered poison bottle'. This was a little out of my depth/comfort zone, and I couldn't think how to make this work. Then I thought about love being a drug, and then I had a flicker of an idea.

I had to buy a little bottle (this was from a packet of glitter from the cheap store) which I emptied and coloured internally using cranberry and current alcohol ink. I used 'Daniel's Hearts' with black staz on ink which I rolled around the side of the bottle.

I stamped some more hearts on cardstock and coloured those with fired brick and aged mahogany distress inks. A label printed from the computer and a bit more colouring, as well as some twisted wire, and voila! A little vial of 'love potion' - filled (appropriately or not) with little silver cake toppings (not that I plan to eat them of course - I can see some of the alcohol ink has transferred from the bottle to the little cake toppings!)

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Play Date Cafe #106

2011-11-04T22:19:00.000+11:00

Such a sweet colour challenge at The Play Date Cafe this week! But on my quest to create Christmas cards, I did find this a little challenging, when all I could think of was baby cards!! Here is the colour story....

And here is my entry....

I tried to keep my card soft and sweet as well. The yellow cardstock is Bo Bunny 'Mellow Yellow Dot', with a little offcut of grey dots, and some white cardstock. The image was stamped in pumice stone and black soot distress inks.

I crocheted the snowflake in DMC Perle No. 8 cotton, which was stiffened lightly, then sprayed with glimmermist.

For those of you interested and have Ravelry logons, the pattern for this snowflake can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Fiona
xx

Inkurable Stampers October Challenge

2011-10-29T23:27:00.000+11:00

Sarah at Inkurable Stampers has thrown open her door for a colour challenge this month - orange, purple and green - make sure you include some stamping :)

I have been seeing loads of owls around lately - on blogs, on pinterest and at the shops. My blogger buddy Shirley loves owls, and every time I see an owl when I'm out shopping I think of her...

I mucked around with some bits and pieces to come up with this owl for the challenge.

The only stamp I used was Hero Arts 'friends definition' from which I cut the body and head. The rest is made with scraps of paper and cardstock, a black artline pen, and distress inks for the background (dusty concord, spiced marmalade, peeled paint, black soot).

Hope you enjoy my little piece of fun - made especially with Shirley on my mind.....

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe 105

2011-10-28T09:52:00.000+11:00

Just popping in with a quick post this morning for The Play Date Cafe #105. Here is the colour story....

And here is another Christmas card I'm adding to my collection of mis-matched non-traditional Christmas cards :)

** Edited to add: This tag was chosen as a Fab 4 **

Kept this pretty simple as I had been out and was pretty tired when I sat down to create. The kraft panels were stamped in Frayed Burlap DI using stamps from Darkroom Door 'Noel' and 'Yuletide Vol 1'. The blue is handstitched with DMC thread #3839, some twine and jute string finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Play Date Cafe #104

2011-10-24T23:26:00.001+11:00

Here is the beautiful colour story over at The Play Date Cafe this week....

And here is my card - another Christmas card I know, but I am determined to have my cards done before December. I had trouble matching the shade of 'mauve' as suggested in the colour story, so I went with papers from Kaisercraft's 'Lilac Avenue Collection'.

The stamps I have used are from Kaisercraft 'Silly Season' and 'Dear Santa', as well as the greeting which is from Stamp-It 'December 25th' set.

I used The Twinery 'honeydew' twine for the thread for my baubles, and added some distress crackle to give them a little more aged appearance.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge # 40 - Tag-time

2011-10-22T15:19:00.000+11:00

yep - time to make a tag! And it's in honour of the current challenge over at Stampotique Designers Challenge.

I finished this a couple of days ago, but only got to photograph it last night - so here it is.

A bit quirky - I know - but once the idea was in my head, it wouldn't let go!

I have used Stampotique 'Toby' and chopped him up so it looks like he is hanging upside down :) Also 'Daniel's Hearts'. I have stamped the background with Ippity 'a bit of burlap' for some texture. It was coloured with Adirondack Colorwash (sunset orange, butterscotch, red pepper), and Toby and the hearts coloured with Derwent Coloursoft pencils, and a bit of white gel pen on the hearts for added depth. The black edges were doodled on, and the quote on the sign was computer generated.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Mojo Monday 211

2011-10-21T21:49:00.001+11:00

Had to come up with a teen boys card, with quite specific guidelines, this week. I used the Mojo Monday sketch 211....

and made a mini card.....

The papers are from a mix of ranges by Kaisercraft, and the design of the card is quite simple and understated. I tried to let the focus be on the mix of colours rather than on the decoration.

Thanks for visiting!

Fiona
xx

Mojo Monday 210 & PDCC 102

2011-10-12T08:02:00.000+11:00

So after my arty/quirky entry to PDCC102 yesterday, I thought I'd try something with those colours that is a little more traditional. Another Christmas card to add to the stack.

So I have combined the sketch from Mojo Monday 210

With the colours from The Play Date Cafe 102

And this is what I came up with...

I turned the sketch on its side, and for the most part the construction is fairly straight forward. I did want to say the panel on the right is made up of individual Christmas greeting stamps from Darkroom Door Yuletide Vol 1, which I have stacked to created this panel of greetings.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Products Used:

black/white bazzill cardstock
Papers- Kaiser Lilac Avenue Collection 'Sweet Pea'; Bo Bunny Back to Basics 'Sweetie Pie Squeee'; Scribble Scrabble Bric A Brac #361
Stamps - Darkroom Door 'Yuletide Vol 1'; Kaiser 'Doodled Christmas'
Black Archival Ink
DI - shabby shutters; peeled paint; black soot; embossing ink
Ranger clear embossing powder
Trims, sewing machine/thread, buttons

Play Date Cafe #102

2011-10-11T20:22:00.000+11:00

OK so I want to say thanks to all of you who popped by over the weekend for the huge blog hop for Julie Ranae - and thank you to those fresh faces that I have seen who have started following my blog!

Check out this awesome colour palette for the challenge over at The Play Date Cafe this week! There isn't much time to enter, and I have two to share, so I will be back tomorrow with another (very different!) entry!

I LOVE these colours - and that inspiration picture is so much fun! I have come up with a quirky ATC with these colours. I fiddled around with some Adirondack Color Wash (purple twilight and wild plum) on a gesso background. I made sure to squelch the gesso on to give the background some texture. Added some stamps by PaperBag Studios ( journal impressions) and Stampers Anonymous (love struck) and Darkroom Door (all occasions) and of course Stampotique (Mort had a pin curl).

Some of the stamping was done with Black archival ink, and some with Colorbox frost white ink. There is also a little FolkArt magenta paint in there.

Twisted some black wire to form bat wings, and added some slick black Kindy Glitz for the drooly black goop up the top.

Can you see the texture in the background?

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

Operation Julie's Smile BLOG HOP!!

2011-10-07T23:01:00.000+11:00

Welcome to the huge blog hop for Operation Julie's Smile! If you came here from Sarah Anderson's blog, then you are in the right spot. If not, you may want to start from thebeginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog and take your time.

The hop runs from 8am EST Friday October 7th through to Midnight Sunday October 9th (please note this is US EST time - for my Australian blogging buddies, this is 11.00pm Friday October 7th through to 3pm Monday October 10th).

I really hope you'll join in on all the fun - there are over $2500 US worth of prizes - you can be in with a chance to win prizes by taking part in the blog hop, and/or using the DONATE BUTTON ON MY SIDEBAR to give to the benefit fundraiser.

So what is this hop all about? Read on to find out what Julie Ranae has to say. My project is at the END of this post, and it will make WAY more sense if you read Julie's story first :)

“The creativeblogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends,Julie Ranae. You may know her as theDesign Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, diecuts, rubber stamps and more. What many people don’t know about Julie Ranae is that she has had somepretty major dental surgeries in her lifetime due to medication she had to takeas a child. It was in her plans to thinkabout having all of her teeth replacedat some point in the next 5 years, a decision that was pretty easy to planout. But then it happened…she chipped her front teeth on aweekend a month ago. The dentist told her there was no way to save them &that it was his recommendation that she give in and have them all her teethremoved soon, but for that day, they needed to get her front teeth done so hergums could begin to heal. He said he would 'workout payments with her to have ALL this work done...but when she calledto make her appt for the first step of impressions, they told her the amount ofmoney that was needed and that the 'payments'applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. Her husbandPaul was with her & that too, was his understanding as well. So this is howshe has found herself in this situation…Needing at least $4000 to get startedand another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, owner of Sweet StampShop put together this benefit after finding out about this situation andbefore Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight!

Because she is an event organizer bytrade, she has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop asher way of ‘working overtime’ for what she needs, the same as if she were ableto work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done.

Itis the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make thissituation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smilewith all of us soon.

If there is anything you can do tohelp with a financial donation, there is a donation button ready for you toclick. Any amount is appreciated and ALLDONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.”

So there you have it - the chance to help out one of our online crafting buddies who finds herself in a difficult situation with 'no front teeth'.... with that in mind, and keeping my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, here are my blog hop projects :)

Project #1: 'all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth' ATC

Project #2: 'what made you smile today' ATC

I had so much fun with these - getting painting with the backgrounds, and inky with the stamping :) But most of all, I was so happy to be involved with this benefit - the blog hop, the hopping, and being able to share some of my crochet in the prize pool.

Ihope you enjoyed your stop here on the hop! The next stop is Libby Hickson's blog. Make sure you leave a comment here before you go so that you can have achance at the amazing prizes up for grabs and if you can, please make adonation so we can help bring back a new smile for our friend :)

Thanks for taking the time to read through this HUGE post!

Fiona
xx

Supplies List for ATC projects:
Bazzill Cardstock - black and white
Paint - FolkArt 954 fresh foliage and 643 azure blue; Jo Sonja pearl white micaceous pigment
Stamps - Hero Arts 'friends definition; Stampotique 'mort had a pin curl' and 'smile'; Paperbag Studios 'journal impressions'
DI - Chipped Sapphire, Peeled Paint, Dried Marigold
Black Archival Ink

A Quick reminder...

2011-10-06T09:55:00.000+11:00

That this coming weekend is the huge blog hop for Operation Julie's Smile - here is a link to the original post I wrote about it.

We would love to have you along for the ride - you can be in the chance to win a share of the $2500 in prizes by leaving comments in the blog hop, and/or making a donation (the button is in my sidebar) to the benefit (note: EVERY donation goes in with a chance to win, no matter it's size....)

I will be one of the blogs in the hop, and I hope to see lots of my blogging friends visiting over the weekend. I was also able to contribute some handmade crocheted flowers to the prize pool... here is a little look-see at what I made.

See you at the hop!

Fiona
xx

Mojo Monday # 209

2011-10-05T22:21:00.000+11:00

I am continuing with my pursuit of getting my Christmas cards made early this year, and my Mojo Monday contribution this week will join it's buddies in the Christmas card stack :)

Here is the sketch....

And here is my interpretation....

I will put a supplies list down the bottom, as the card is fairly easy to follow, but I do need to give credit for the instructions to fold the origami poinsettia, which came from Splitcoast Stampers here.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Fiona
xx

Supplies:
Bazzill Cardstock
Patterned papers from Making Memories 'Mistletoe' collection
Stamps - Kaisercraft 'Dear Santa' collection; Stamp-it Christmas Collection #2378G
Martha Stewart 'scallop dot' punch
DI - walnut stain
other inks - Black archival ink, black stazon ink
translucent paper (like vellum)
other - button, thread, twine (jute and kitchen twine), net ribbon

Inkurable Stampers eyelet challenge

2011-09-28T16:48:00.000+10:00

Yes folks, you heard right! The challenge at Inkurable Stampers this month is to use eyelets. I've had this idea brewing since Sarah announced the challenge, and I had such fun putting it together!

Another ATC (yes, I know, I've gone a bit ATC mad this week) - I created the background using both sides of a piece of scrap patterned paper - all the pieces were edged with ink (either aged mahogany or victorian velvet) and then adhered to another ATC-sized card to hold it all together.

Minky Girl by Stampotique was stamped on scrap cardstock using black archival ink and trimmed out. I gave her some little wings which came out of a packet of Bella Petites. The quote is one my daughter found and came out of the chorus of a song.

And those glasses - how fun are they? This was quite accidental - in my mind, I expected the eyelet to wrap on over itself at the back to give me neat round glasses, and I was going to use wire to fashion the nose bridge, but when I smacked those eyelets and I saw the gorgeous star shape, I knew those glasses were going to be fancy as! So I left them like it, and attached them with some dimensional magic, and then drew on the bridge of the glasses across her nose with a black pen.

Thanks for stopping by once again :)

Fiona

xx

Vintage Love

2011-09-28T08:04:00.000+10:00

When I was thinking about creating a project using the feature stamp this week, it started life as a yellow/gray toned card with loads of ribbon..... the end result is quite different!

I ended up with a muted vintage feeling ATC that is tied together by that superb quote, and the 'holding hands' stamp by Paperbag Studios.

Life seemed so much easier back then, and I think that is partly what I was trying to capture in this ATC. You can visit The Stamping Queen Blog for a few more details.

Thanks for visiting :)

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #100

2011-09-27T08:15:00.000+10:00

So I'm back today with my 2nd showing for The Play Date Cafe, which was actually my first idea when I saw the colours for this week.

So, again I have used these beautiful autumn colours to create another Christmas offering, this time a tag. I began by cutting two tags, and carefully measuring and cutting a corresponding 'window' in both sides. The stamping and stitching detail were all attended to at this point.

** Edited to add: This tag was chosen as a Fab 4 **

The 3D origami stars were made and attached to the thread, and I used a little dimensional magic just to ensure they didn't slide around.

I used 3D mounting tape to adhere the two tag layers together, offering a little bit of depth and protection to the stars. Finally I punched two holes and tied a piece of ribbon through them.

Thanks for visiting :)

Fiona
xx

Products Used:
Papers by: October Afternoon Thrift Shop (yellow), LYB Vita Bella Collection (green), Basic Grey Offbeat (orange)
Stamps by: Darkroom Door (Yuletide Vol 1)
Distress Inks: scattered straw, rusty hinge, peeled paint
Other: DMC thread E310, 3D mounting tape, sewing thread, machine, hole punch, ribbon scrap

CAS-ual Fridays Mostly Monochromatic

2011-09-26T08:07:00.001+10:00

What a fun challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays this week. Mostly monochromatic (consisting of 3 shades of the one colour, plus brown).

Here is my card.

I have used Bazzill cardstock, and scrap papers by Kaisercraft. I used the Tim Holtz 'fanciful flight' die to cut butterfly wings in my three different monochromatic shades of a subtle mint green and have layered them up with glue dots. A layer of brown distressed paper, brown stitching and a brown safety pin rescued from a clothing tag complete the other element of the challenge.

The greeting is a rubon also from Kaisercraft, from their 'thankyou cards' set.

Thanks again for stopping by.....

Fiona
xx

Mojo Monday and the PDCC

2011-09-25T17:01:00.000+10:00

Well, in my planning a project for the Play Date Cafe's 100th week, I loved the colours so much, I decided to make 2 projects, and this is actually the 2nd one I came up with, but am posting it first.

So I have used this weeks sketch at Mojo Monday.....

And combined it with the beautiful Autumn colours at the Play Date Cafe.....

And I came up with a Christmas card (as you do with Autumn Colours ;) )

The papers are from October Afternoon Thrift Shop 'still in box' (yellow), LYB Vita Bella Collection 'Green Distressed' (green), and Basic Grey Offbeat 'Nonchalant' (orange). The distress inks I've used to coordinate are scattered straw, rusty hinge and peeled paint.

I have combined the Merry Christmas stamp from Tim Holtz Winter Sketchbook set, and the Christmas Ticket stamp from Tim Holtz Odds & Ends set. Lots of edge distressing, sewing and layering. The black rubons are from Kaiser Fancy Border rubons.

I have added some seam binding, twine, and a few orange brads to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping in to say hi - I hope you'll be back this week - I have been very busy and have lots of projects to share this week!

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge colour hint

2011-09-23T16:03:00.001+10:00

Yep you got it in one! The challenge over at the Stampotique Designers Challenge blog this fortnight is black and white with a HINT of a colour. I have kept my ATC really simple, and kept that colour to a hint....

** EDITED TO ADD: This was chosen as a favourite three **

White cardstock was stamped with Honeycomb Background (Stampotique by Josie Cirincione) in Black Soot distress ink. I masked off a circle using a scrap of card and a circle punch, and then coloured in one more dot with a red tombow marker (#847). The layer of white was also edged in the same red. Then I doodled over the red spot to make a dragonfly type bug.

Photo Cat (Stampotique by Maryse Carrier) was stamped on scrap card and trimmed, then mounted on black cardstock and trimmed again. Layered all my pieces, coloured the collar on photo cat in red as well, and added a title using Sam & Lucy weave extras alphas on white cardstock and trimmed in red.

Thanks for popping in for a visit :)

Fiona
xx

An awesome way to celebrate 200 blog posts...

2011-09-22T19:21:00.000+10:00

So yay - 200 posts is here... that is a lot of waffle, and a lot of projects.

I don't have a project to share today, but a story about my ex-team mate and owner of The Play Date Cafe Blog, Julie Ranae. Julie has been have some dreadful issues with her teeth recently, and has found herself in the unfortunate position of having no front teeth, and the lack of money to have them replaced.

Nicole from the Sweet Stamp Shop is rallying the troops (AKA as crafting, blogging friends and acquaintances) to organise a fund raiser and huge blog hop to help out. There will be heaps of prizes along the way and loads of fun to be had - so mark your diaries for the blog hop October 7th - 9th.

If you'd like to donate there is a button over there on my sidebar which will link you through to a very easy to use donate system.

If you want to read more about Julie's story, you can check out her blog here, or visit the Sweet Stamp Shop blog here.

Thanks for stopping by and having a read. Oh yes, and I will be part of the hop - so hope to see you there!

Fiona
xx

Busy busy day

2011-09-21T20:29:00.000+10:00

I have been very busy today, paper crafting and crocheting. What fun!

Here is a peak at an ATC I have created today for The Stamping Queen.

Please pop on over to The Stamping Queen Blog and have a peak at it, I did have such fun creating this beside my beautiful daughter while she also played with ink today :)

Fiona
xx

Will you be waiting?

2011-09-13T23:44:00.000+10:00

It's time for another creation for The Stamping Queen.

I have used a gorgeous little owl stamp from Catslife Press to make this sweet date tag.

I have combined papers from The Girls Paperie (Shabby Flower), Kaiser Chapter One Collection (Reflect), Kaiser Candy Lane Collection (Mango Drops), and alphas from Paper Trunk (Benny Black), Heidi Grace (Orchard) and Sam & Lucy (weave extras white), with some rubons from Raspberry Rubons, stamps from Darkroom Door (Alphabet Medley), ribbon and stitching.

So what are you waiting for? Pop on over to The Stamping Queen Blog to see this creation in full :)

Thanks for popping by

Fiona
xx

The Stamping Queen - A card for him

2011-09-07T13:29:00.000+10:00

Hello everyone, here is a sneak of the latest project I have created for The Stamping Queen. Pop on over to the blog here if you want to check it out :) And if you are quick, The Stamping Queen is having 30% off all stock, but only for a short time!

Fiona
xx

Moxie Fab World - Horizontal Sketch Challenge

2011-09-01T08:11:00.000+10:00

I saw the reminder pop up on Moxie Fab World about this challenge, and I checked it out, and this idea almost instantly popped into my head. There are a bunch of challenges going on over at Moxie Fab World at the moment for Card Ideas Week - this is the horizontal sketch challenge.

OK so here is the sketch..

And here is what I created...

This is quite different from what I would normally make - but I am really happy with how it turned out. Lots of white cardstock with distressed edges. Stamps from Stamp-It ('Seasons Greetings' and 'December 25th') using distress ink colours Scattered Straw, Crushed Olive and Aged Mahogany.

The circle design is punched with a 1" circle punch, and the quote/greeting is stamped in Black Archival Ink. Lastly some stitching, and white seam binding to finish.

Thanks for stopping by today :)

Fiona
xx

Inkurable Stampers August Challenge - get sketchy!

2011-08-31T19:42:00.000+10:00

Oh boy... I'm cutting this one fine.... I'm seriously starting to get annoyed with myself for leaving these entries to the last minute!!

Sarah at Inkurable Stampers set a sketch challenge for this month (if you want to play along, you need to HURRY!!) The sketch was courtesy of Pagemaps.

Continuing in my pursuit of creating my Christmas cards early, I have used some of my daughters Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly papers left over from last year, and combined them with some Christmas images from Darkroom Door 'Yuletide Vol 1' and 'Noel'.

Given that I used Christmas papers, the colours are pretty traditional, and I used aged mahogany and walnut stain distress inks for my stamping and edging. The scallop was created using Martha Steward 'Scallop Dot' border punch. Finished with some stitching, and some kitchen twine.

Thanks for stopping by - don't forget to check out the new style challenge and blog at Inkurable Stampers!

Fiona
xx

A Play Date with CAS-ual Fridays (#96 meets #17)

2011-08-29T08:02:00.000+10:00

So, as I mentioned in my last post, Father's Day in Australia is next weekend, and with the left over bits from my other Father's Day card, I thought I would make another card with the leftover supplies I had out on my table.

**EDITED TO ADD: This was chosen as Cream in our Coffee at the PDCC**

So I have used the same colour palette with Bo Bunny Flutter Butter 'honey' and Cosmo Cricket mini decks 'Wanted' and 'Earth Love', so this card is going in for a second entry at The Play Date Cafe this week with these delicious colours....

CAS-ual Fridays theme this week is stickers, so I dug around in my box and pulled out some Carolees Creations 'tiny simple sandra' letters, Basic Grey 'Capella' mini mono stickers and Heidi Grace cardstock stickers and created a monogram-type panel on a label element from Cosmo Cricket 'Earth Love' series.

A bit of that plain old kitchen twine (this is a man's card afterall...), some stitching, and 1" circle punches in the coordinating papers brought this design together quickly and simply.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #96 - Fathers Day

2011-08-28T11:41:00.000+10:00

Well, it was certainly challenging to try and use this weeks Play Date Cafe colours for a man's card, but with Father's Day in Australia next weekend, I had to get a wriggle on!

I have combined stamps by The Crafts Meow (Life is a Carvnival), with papers by Bo Bunny (Flutter Butter 'honey') and Cosmo Cricket minidecks (Wanted and Earth Love) to create the mood/theme and colours.

I added the Tim Holtz Vintage Market alpha die letters, because I thought they really suited the carnival type theme of the card. I used Scattered Straw DI and a little Pumice Stone DI on the edges to tie the layers together, a bit of sewing and some plain old kitchen twine (just to ensure it wasn't too girly!)

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #95

2011-08-23T23:25:00.001+10:00

I couldn't resist playing along with the beautiful colours at The Play Date Cafe this week.

And this week I have decided to use these bold colours to begin my Christmas card making. I know I need to have my cards made early this year, so this was as good a place as any to start :)

So I have layered white cardstock on navy cardstock, then added strips of Kaisercraft Seaside 'Rock Pools', emphasised with more navy cardstock - which you can see in the detail shot. These strips have been stitched in navy thread.

The green panel is Kaisercraft Chapter One 'Reflect' paper stamped with a greeting from Stamp-it 'December 25th' set in black archival ink, edge-distressed, and layered on yet more navy cardstock. I have used white seam binding to create a bow, and have attached two beads with 'pink sorbet' twine from The Twinery.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #94

2011-08-15T18:18:00.000+10:00

Here is the gorgeous colour inspiration this week at The Play Date Cafe...

I have used these colours to create a funky engagement card.

The papers are from Chatterbox (Together Blue Floral and Together Stripe) and Kaiser (Grandiose Vienna and Grandiose The Lourve), as well as some cream cardstock. The stamps are Stampotique (Minky Girl and Toby), Hero Arts (Friends Definition) and Darkroom Door (All Occasions).

Toby and Minky Girl have been coloured with Derwent Inktense Pencils, and I have used Scattered Straw DI to stamp the text background and edge the cardstock layer.

I have trimmed the card with some pom pom trim (from Fancy Pants), brown netting, a ribbon bow, and a handmade rolled ribbon rose.

I hope you enjoy my quirky engagement card - and I hope the recipients do to!

Thanks for stopping by.

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge #35

2011-08-08T14:23:00.000+10:00

Hello my blogging friends. I have not felt much like crafting the last week or so. Well actually, that is not entirely true. I wanted to, I just couldn't be bothered to haul all my stuff out of it's storage and then have to pack it all up again!

I quick visit to a few blogs yesterday, and before long, a card was made :) This little creation is for the Stampotique Designers Challenge #35 - to use red, orange and yellow, and must include stamping with Stampotique stamps this time.

I combined white cardstock, some paper scraps, distress inks (rusty hinge, fired brick and scattered straw), seam binding, bakers twine, and some haberdashery.

The stamps are Honeycomb Background (Josie Cirincione) by Stampotique and Photo Cat (Maryse Carrier) by Stampotique.

One of the blogs I visited yesterday was my old PDCC teammates Jinny Newlin, to check out her video on what she calls 'dressy bows'. I have seen bows made like this before, but if you haven't, you really should check out the tutorial on her blog here - it's super easy to understand, and very easy to follow!

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

The Play Date Cafe #92

2011-08-02T14:31:00.010+10:00

Well hey there folks :) I have been quietly working away the last few days on an entry for The Play Date Cafe #92. I knew I had just the eclectic mix of yarns to create something that's been on my mind for a while.

The yarns I have picked include two different weights of cotton, a boucle type wool, and a nylon yarn. Simple crochet circles (mind you, I did have to fight with the different weight threads with the one hook!) have been joined together to create this free-form necklace.

**Edited to add: This was chosen as Cream in Our Coffee.

Here you can see a closeup of the beautiful textures.

Here it is shown as it was designed - a necklace. You can see I have dyed seam binding in colours to match.

But what is so fabulous about this project, it has other uses. Imagine throwing a shabby chic party and having these decorating vases or bowls....

And how awesome to create a one-of-a-kind gift wrap (which doubles as another gift!) with it....

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx

The Stamping Queen ATC set

2011-07-25T17:49:00.000+10:00

I've been busy creating a set of ATC's. Here is a little sample grab your interest....

If you want to see more, head on over to The Stamping Queen to check them out in detail :)

Fiona
xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge #34 and The Artistic Stamper July Challenge

2011-07-24T22:20:00.000+10:00

Woo hoo I've had time to play in two Stampotique Designers Challenges in a row! This week the theme is flowers - and I have made an ATC.

I came across this quote from John Lennon around the time the challenge was announced, and I knew just what I wanted to do, and I'm pleased to have found the time today to make it.

I began with white cardstock, and inked it up with distress inks (scattered straw, wild honey, rusty hinge and vintage photo). I stamped 'Blocks' by Stampotique (Maryse Carrier) then masked these off to stamp the background with Hero Arts 'Friends Definition'. Then I masked off the background to stamp 'Tiny Spiral' by Stampotique in Forest Moss.

My flower is made using 'Daniel's Hearts' by Stampotique (Daniel Torrente) which was coloured with fired brick DI and forest moss DI for the leaves. A bit of stitching, some doodling around the flower, and red paint dots to complete a frame finished off the design of the ATC, and then I added my quote coloured lightly with scattered straw DI and edging with a Zebra Sarasa pen.

I am also entering this ATC into The Artistic Stamper July Challenge - my plans for this entry kept interfering with my ATC plans for Stampotique, so I gave in and decided to combine the challenges. The challenge over at The Artistic Stamper for July is to use 'HOT' colours.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit :)

Fiona
xx

Farewell Play Date Cafe DT

2011-07-21T14:00:00.004+10:00

Yes folks you read that title correctly. This week marks the last of my term over at the Play Date Cafe. It has been a wonderful creative journey for me, stretching me, and helping me to learn loads about myself in the process. Thanks to Julie and the rest of the DT for making it a memorable term!

Without further ado, here is this weeks colour story. Yes, it is colour splash week again, and you know what that means - black and white, with just a splash of colour (and this week YOU get to pick that one splash of colour).

We were sponsored by The Twinery this week, and I have used just a smidge of 'pink sorbet' twine on my triangle card. I tied two pieces into knots and attached to be the 'spots' on my ladybugs.

Black and white cardstock, kaisercraft scrap paper, black archival ink, and stamps from Darkroom Door (all occasions and alphabet medley) and Heidi Grace (sweetest bug icon) all came together to create this sweet card which I posted secretly to my husband.

Thanks for all your visits during my term as a Designer at The Play Date Cafe - they have meant a lot to me. I hope you'll all pop by often and say 'hi'.

Fiona
xx

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger

2011-07-20T12:53:00.000+10:00

The current Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World is this beautiful yellow coat/dress with bold black buttons.

I'm hoping it's not too tricky to guess what inspired me to make this tag... a dose of yellow with 3 bold vertical black butterflies.

The tag is cut from Kraft cardstock, the yellow is courtesy of Mustard Seed DI and a masked off area of Hero Arts 'friends definition' stamp, and some plain kitchen twine coloured with the same ink. The black butterflies are stamped with black archival ink and trimmed out, and comes from 7Gypsies 'steampunk' set.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Fiona
xx