This is the kind of card I hate to make...

A customer (and now friend) of mine lost her father recently and I wanted to send her something to let her know I was thinking of her. I really, really, really hate making this kind of card, and it's about the only time I wish I wasn't a cardmaker so I could just duck to the newsagents and buy something... But I do it because I care, and if it's hard for me to make a card I can only imagine how hard it is to be the person I'm making it for.
To make it easier I used Mojo Monday #100/2 from the other week as my sketch, and good old Heartfelt Thanks as my stamp set.
Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss
Cardstock: Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose DSP
Accessories: White Taffeta, Eyelet Border & Corner Rounder punches

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Heartfelt Sympathy

A close friend of ours lost his mother early this year so I wanted something simple to give them to let them know we're thinking of them.
Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
Ink: Soft Subtles SW Markers, Mellow Moss
Cardstock: Spring Fling DSP, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Kraft, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Very Vanilla Taffeta

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Happy Birthday Allison!!!

The fantastic Allison from Stampin' When I Can & Stamping Links to love is celebrating her birthday today, so, Allison, this card is for you!

The other Links to Love girls and I decided to have a blog birthday party for her! And what is a party without lollies and pin the tail on the donkey???

(and no the 'retro' in retro party mix is not meant to mean anything, they're just my favourite mixed lollies right now!)

Ok so I've been a really slack blogger!

Do you know how long it has been since I've posted one of my cards or scrapbook pages, it's all been business and no play, that just won't do!

I've started scheduling posts for every few days to get some regular posts on my blog!

This is a card we made for a stamp-a-stack I had a few months ago (I told you I'm slack!)

We used the emboss resist method, where we stamped the flower on Very Vanilla Cardstock (inked using SW Markers) then stamped again in versamark roughly over the original (I wanted a shadow kind of look) and embossed in clear EP, then brayered over the top with bashful blue ink.

Recipe

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss, Lavender Lace

Ink: Soft Subtles SW Markers, Bashful Blue

Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks

Accessories: Linen Thread, Large & Small Oval Punches, Clear Embossing Powder

Card of the Week 24-30/12/07 Heartfelt Thanks

Now that Christmas is almost here I decided to stop making Christmas Cards & get back into making cards for our Gulu Fundraising. The Cards are available for $2.50 ea or 5 for $10 and money raised goes towards building a Watoto House in Uganda. Email me (zjgould@gmail.com) for more info about our fundraising or to place an order to purchase cards.

This Card was inspired by one of the Christmas cards I made, I'd got sick of all my Christmas Stamps by the end so in the original I used Rose Red & Always Artichoke for my colours to make it look Christmassy, ended up looking slightly like a pointsettia. I wish I'd scanned it in before I gave it away, it was one of my favourite Christmas cards!

To make this card I used Pixie Pink for the base of my A6 (10.5x14.9cm) Card;
1. I stamped the row of butterflies in Versamark using the 'Beyond Basics' Set.
TIP: use your stamp-a-majig handle sideways to get the row of stamps parallel to the base of the card
2. I stamped the large flower from 'Heartfelt Thanks' on a 8.5x5.5cm piece of whisper white cardstock using my Green Galore & Pixie Pink Stampin' Spots, normally you would use a blenderpen & ink or markers to get multicoloured images from a single stamp but this stamp has enough of a gap between the stem and petals that you can just carefully use your Stampin' Spots to get the same effect.
3. I stamped the matching flower outline free hand in Orchard Opulence, if you want to line it up more accurately you can use a Stamp-a-Majig but I think this flower looks better if it's not perfect.
4. I used a technique I call Scissor Edging (don't know what it's actually called) where you run your paper snips around the edge of the cardstock to rough it up and create a little texture. Then I ran the Pixie Pink inkpad around the roughed up edge, the great thing about this technique is that the roughed up edges soak up the ink and it takes a few minutes before the final look is achieved so you never know exactly how it will end up!
5. I then layered the flower on a 9.5x6.5cm rectangle of Orchard Opulence and attached it to the base card using SNAIL Adhesive.
6. Finally I stamped 'Heartfelt' in Green Galore & 'Thanks' in Orchard Opulence, both stamps are from, yep, you guessed it, the 'Heartfelt Thanks' Stampset. :)

This Card was so simple to make, I made 4 of them production line style in only 30 minutes. If you would like to make this card for yourself all products are available from Stampin' Up! and you can place your order through me to have your order sent straight to your door anywhere in Australia. Contact me on 0418 650 294 or zjgould@gmail.com to place your order.

Shopping List:
Heartfelt Thanks Stamp Set $57.95
Beyond the Basics Stamp Set $23.95
Bold Brights Stampin' Spots $41.95
or Orchard Opulence, Green Galore & Pixie Pink Classic Ink Pads $9.95ea
Bold Brights Cardstock $14.50 for 36 sheets (3ea of 12 colours)
or Pixie Pink & Orchard Opulence Cardstock $10.50ea for 24 sheets
Whisper White Cardstock $13.50 for 40 sheets

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
As my present to you I am offering a 10% discount* on any of the Shopping List items purchased this week (24-30/12) so don't forget to mention this post when you place your order!

*This discount is not a Stampin' Up! discount and therefore only available through myself.
Artwork (c) Zarna Gould; Images (c) Stampin' Up!