Makeesha's Sketch Challenge #11 - Thank You

Loving Makeesha's challenges at the moment! This is my entry for Sketch Challenge #11. I cut a semi-circle out of some Walk in the Park DSP and used the reverse of the same pattern for the base. I've punched some 1/2" circles out of the scraps from the circle for my build-a-brads and instead of a circle in the top I decided to use a Baja Breeze flower with a corduroy button centre.
I ran out of SU! dimensionals while I was making this card (and I'd used up all the edge pieces and everything, I really really ran out!) and since I'm not placing an order until later this week I went down to Big W and picked up some scotch brand dimensional things and I have to say how much it has made me appreciate the SU! ones! I can't put my finger on it but there's something just not quite right about them, they don't seem as good quality and they cost more than SU! ones, I really hate using them, but I'm a dimensional junky and every card now has to have something popped up on it so I'll have to make do for the mean time :o(
Stamps: Short & Sweet, Eastern Blooms
Ink: Basic Grey, Cameo Coral & Basic Grey SW Markers
Cardstock: Whisper White Baja Breeze, Walk in the Park DSP
Accessories: Flower Fusion Too, Basic Grey Corduroy Buttons, Build-a-Brad, Basic Grey Taffeta ribbon

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Mojo Monday #96 & Makeesha's Inspiration Challenge #10 - Happy Bird-day

I needed to make a card for Justin and thought that both the Mojo Monday challenge & Makeesha's Inspiration challenge were perfect for his card so I combined the 2 and I'm happy with the result.From the Inspiration picture I've used the hostess gift Patterns Pack II DSP for the patterned paper, to show the symetrical pattern in the stripes of the doona cover. I have picked out my colours as Brocade Blue, Basic Grey, Kraft & Sahara Sand (I could have taken Tempting Turquoise but I felt the Brocade Blue also worked). The stripes in the cover were perfect for the Mojo Monday sketch:Stamps: Pun Fun
Ink: Basic Grey
Watercolouring: Watercolour Wonder Crayons with Aquapainter; Brocade Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Summer SunSahara Sand
Cardstock: Kraft, Brocade Blue, Sahara Sand, Patterns Pack II DSP (Basic Grey & Brocade Blue)
Accessories: 1/2" Circle punch, Brocade Blue 5/8" Grosgrain, cutter kit (distressing on centre stripe)

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Colour Challenge #10 - Happy Birthday

My entry for Makeesha's colour challenge. It's not my favourite card that I've made lately but I had a day where I just needed to make something and Keesh's challenge was there waiting for me so in a way it's perfect...
I think what this card needed was some patterned paper and I had nothing in my stash that worked in with the challenge. I also lost a few background stamps in the last catalogue so I think I need to buy a few more for days like this when I don't have DSP to match but the card needs a bit of extra oomph...
The rose was done with some plain old watercolouring but I used just the one colour and built it up slowly to get that 5th Avenue Floral technique look without the drying time. Also because I was lazy (and I already had the confetti cream out from the circle) I coloured on confetti cream. It doesn't work as well as watercolour paper but it does the trick in a pinch (holds ALOT more water without buckling than normal whisper white or very vanilla).
Stamps: 5th Avenue Floral, Happy Everything
Ink: Black Stazon, Mellow Moss
Watercolouring: Inkpad with Aquapainter; Rose Red
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Accessories: 1/2" Circle punch, Jumbo Brads

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Sketch Challenge #9 - 5th Avenue Floral Watercolouring

ETA: the lovely Allison has included this card in her list of "Me Likey's" among some fantastic way out of my league cards, I feel very honoured to be able to add this badge to my post

It's been forever since I've had the chance to do one of Makeesha's challenges, and this one was so much fun to do! I decided last weekend that I was going to stamp "for me" rather than making something off my to-do list and I really enjoyed it, I've had so much more motivation to not only stamp but also to get other stuff around the house done too, I think it was just the relaxation I needed.
I decided to have a go at the 5th Avenue Floral watercolouring technique that everyone is doing lately (well not everyone, I was informed via facebook the other day that I wasn't in fact the last person to try it out hehe) and while I was trimming down the roses I decided that it was such a shame to be throwing away the scrap cardstock from the edges as it had quite a pretty pattern where the colour had run, so I decided to do another set, but this time to do a pattern and deliberately colour the background as well as the flowers...
I hope Makeesha doesn't mind but I have taken a few liberties with her sketch, instead of putting a strip behind the big tag piece I decided to use the overlapping flowers and I also moved the buttons so they are side by side instead of one above the other (that change was more because I made my tag too big, but shhhh don't tell, ok?).
For the "thread" through the buttons i have just used some strips of pink pirouette cardstock. I couldn't find the perfect piece of DSP for my behind my tag so I decided to make my own with some clear embossing powder and the Lily (?) stamp from the 5th Avenue Floral set. I'm not sure if I will cut the flowers down to square with the card or not, I think it will depend on what I end up doing with the card, if I need to post it I probably will trim them to fit in an envelope.
Stamps: 5th Avenue Floral
Ink: Versamark, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze & Kiwi Kiss Reinkers
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Accessories: Filigree Designer Brad, Button Bouquet, Pretty in Pink Taffeta, Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain, Clear EDP, White EDP

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Another for Keesh's Challenge

I was loving Makeesha's challenge so much that I had another go. This is a card for my friends daughter who is 4 and "A big girl now" so I thought a big girl card was in order ;o) I kept it bright and funky but used some of the same stamps and materials from her mum's birthday card so she would know it truly is a grown up card.
Stamps: Family Phrases, Eastern Blooms
Ink: Old Olive, Rose Red
Cardstock: Bali Breeze DSP, Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Accessories: Flower Fusion, 1" Rose Red DS Ribbon, Earth Elements Brads, Chunky Glitter

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Back in the saddle

I absolutely loved Kristina Werner's challenge #36 but I was too late to play along officially so when I saw Makeesha's first sketch challenge for the year I decided I needed to get back in the saddle so to speak after my break so I set myself another little mini challenge to use the beautiful colours from the old Colour Inspiration challenge with Makeesha's challenge. I'm a bit rusty with my watercolouring but I thought I did alright...
Stamps: Embrace Life, Short & Sweet
Ink: Old Olive, Stazon, SW Markers; Old Olive, Pretty in Pink & Rose Red
Cardstock: Kraft, Bali Breeze DSP, Watercolour Paper, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Felt Fusion, Pretties Kit, Aqua Painter, Pretty in Pink Taffeta

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Inspiration Challenge #2

Here is my entry for Makeesha's latest challenge. I took my inspiration from the pillow on the right. I had been thinking about making a card for it but I didn't think I'd get one done in time, but I had inspiration (or should that be inkspiration ;p ) it hit all of a sudden - I glanced at my pack of beachfront ribbon originals and saw the rik rak and I just knew I had to make a card for the challenge whether it was still open or not. I made this in like 10 mins because I knew exactly what I wanted.
I have been having a fantastic day of stamping fun with my upline Lisa so Keep an eye out for heaps more creations to come over the next few days.
Stamps: Wild About You, Occasional Greetings
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Kraft
Accessories: Styled Silver Hodge Podge, Beachfront Ribbon Originals, Black EDP, 1" Circle Punch

PS Don't forget to check out my birthday blog candy - it is open to anyone & everyone with 2 ways to enter!

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Colour Challenge #2 - Thanks

Here are my entries for Makeesha's Challenge. I started out with the little notebook and then I thought that it wasn't really enough to use as a challenge entry so I decided to make a card too.
The velvet ribbon (from the Theatre Ribbon Originals pack) on the notebook photographed a little dark but it really is close to cocoa!
Stamps: Live Your Dream
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava, Soft Sky
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava, Soft Sky, Close to Cocoa, Fall Flowers DSP, Close to Cocoa Prints DSP, Spring Silhouettes DSP
Accessories: Aluminum Edged Tag, Scallop, 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1" Circle Punches, Very Vanilla 1/4" Grosgrain, Soft Sky DS Ribbon, Theatre Ribbons Originals, Silver Brads

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Inspiration Challenge #1

Here is my entry for Makeesha's Inspiration Challenge, I am loving these Challenges, they are so much fun with lots of different types of challenge to keep it interesting! I will be sending this card to someone who I am pretty sure will read this so if it turns up in your mailbox just pretend you haven't seen it before ;o)
I actually had another card in mind for this challenge but I got half way through and made the little scalloped piece (I didn't use the scallop square punch just another, smaller, one of these) and it didn't work on the card I was making but it looked so cute I had to use it straight away so it didn't get lost in the bottom of the scrap box. Anyway, this is what I came up with the use the square.
I have the Kraft base purely because I wanted to use the Kraft Taffeta as it reminded me of one of the cushions on the bed. The flower is stamped in Stazon on Whisper White Cardstock and coloured using my aquapainter with Bashful Blue & Soft Sky Ink pads. I went over the tops of the little stamen's with my white gel pen. "Embrace Life" is stamped with Craft Ink.
Stamps: Embrace Life
Ink: Stazon, Soft Sky, Bashful Blue, Whisper White Craft Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Soft Sky, Whisper White & Bashful Blue
Accessories: Kraft, Whisper White & Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scalloped Edge Punches, Aquapainter

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Colour Challenge #1 - Welcome Baby

Makeesha's Colour Challenge this week was perfect for a baby girl card I needed to make this week. I also had to use her sketch from last week as it was a really cute sketch and I didn't get the chance to play along when it was still current. I took advantage of Chocolate Chip being included in the challenge to use the new Chocolate Chip 1" Double Stitched Ribbon. (Isn't it so pretty???).
I have recreated the shaker card here (so it's a CASE of a CASE lol). You can find a really good tutorial for shaker cards over at the Stampin' Academy, however she used microbeads which we don't have in the Australian catalogue, so I used the Chunky Glitter from the Summer Mini and I think it was a nice replacement as the card still makes a soft rattle noise when you shake it. (I had to use vellum instead of acetate so the glitter lost some of its shimmer, but as soon as I remember to buy myself a pack of Overhead sheets I will be able to try out all these cool transparent cards that I keep seeing around the place lol)
Stamps: Short & Sweet
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery Prints DSP
Accessories: Scallop Circle & Edge Punches, 1 3/8", 1" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Chocolate Chip 1" DS Ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain, Beachfront Ribbons Originals

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould
ETA: I have had to crop this picture so you can't see the roll of ribbon and the pot of glitter, apparently we aren't allowed to show them on our blogs yet. The real deal will be back in December.

Wish Big!

I had a new customer come to my Christmas Card Club on Saturday and she was telling me about a cupcake card she made and as soon as she left I had to look them up and see what she was talking about.
She was right, they were cute! So when Makeesha posted this colour challenge on the weekend I thought I had the perfect colour combo for a cupcake!
I have used Regal Rose for the Icing & Cherry, Soft Sky for the icing decoration & Sentiment, Pumpkin Pie for the Patty Pan (is that what they're called? You know what I mean right?) and I managed to sneak in Basic Grey in the Taffeta Ribbon. I have used versamark and heat & stick powder to make the dazzling diamonds stick to the detail on the icing.
The main stamp set I used, short & sweet, is available for 20% off until Friday only, so make sure you don't miss out and email me zjgould@gmail.com if you want to place an order!
Stamps: Short & Sweet, Baroque Motifs
Ink: Soft Sky, Versamark
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Accessories: Heat & Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, 3/4" Circle Punch, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon, Styled Silver HodgePodge Hardware, Crimper

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould

Makeesha's Tri-Fold Challenge

Here is my entry for Makeesha's Trifold Challenge. You can find the instructions on how to make these over at SCS (they call them a Joyfold Card though).
I decided to make this card for Justin's Nana who is currently in hospital after having a Double Mastectomy. She was diagnosed a little over a month ago. And in between had a slip at home and was in hospital with a osteo-fracture in the top of her leg. She's a strong thing, but she has had it really tough lately so I thought a card might help keep her spirits up, Charlotte and I are planning on going and visiting tomorrow in Orange, as my Poppy is house-sitting for Mum & Dad we will be able to see everyone in one trip.

This is the card after the first panel is lifted... ...and the second panel opened.

I was really happy with how easy it was to make a card that looks great just by changing it up and making something other than half an A4 folded in half!

Using the DSP really helped too as all I had to do was pick the DSP I was going to use and choose my base card and ink colours around that. If I haven't already talked you into checking some of it out, now is the time!!! Coordination is honestly a no-brainer once you pick your DSP. With this card I was even able to find ribbon (Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals) & a Brad that matched as well!

The scroll behind "get well soon" was stamped by stamping off once onto my scrap paper before stamping onto the DSP.

Stamps: Carte Postale, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Always Artichoke, Rich Regals & Soft Subtles SW Markers
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Le Jardin DSP
Accessories: Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals, Rich Regals Brads

Images © Stampin' Up!, Designs © Zarna Gould